Houseplant keeper
A weekly letter about keeping houseplants in a hot, hazy city
I’m Yetunde. Every Tuesday I send one letter about keeping plants alive on a Lagos balcony, and I sell printable planners, guides and two short courses.
Harmattan
- New
Dust on Every Leaf: Wiping Plants in the Dry Season
The harmattan arrives, and so does a grey film on every monstera. What I wipe, what I spray and what I leave.
A Warm Lamp Over the Shelf on Dusty Evenings
One bulb, one shelf and the plants that do better with an hour more light after the power comes back.
Moving the Ferns Away From the Dusty Window
A metre back from the glass and a damp cloth every Sunday: how the ferns got through last season.
Watering
Watering at Six in the Morning, Not at Noon
Why the balcony gets its water before the sun reaches the railings, and how much each pot gets.
How I Tell a Thirsty Leaf from a Wet One
Droopy can mean too little or too much. The three signs I check before I pick up the watering can.
Rainwater in Buckets and What Tap Water Does
Why my plants prefer the bucket by the door, and the white crust that tap water leaves on clay.
Propagation
Eleven Jars on the Kitchen Sill
Pothos, tradescantia and a stubborn philodendron, rooting in old jam jars, and which jar is winning.
Pothos Cuttings From the Balcony Jungle
Where to cut, how many nodes to keep and why the cuttings sit in the shade for a week.
Waiting for the First New Leaf After Propagating
Six weeks, one unfurling leaf and what to do, and not do, while you wait.
Repotting
Moving the Fern Into Clay Before the Dry Season
Clay breathes, and a fern needs that when the air turns dry. The repot, step by step, with the mess left in.
The Potting Mix I Blend From Three Bags
Bark, sand and compost from the market, in the ratio that stops pots staying soggy in the rains.
When a Root-Bound Snake Plant Splits the Pot
The crack in the plastic, the tangle underneath and how to divide it into three.
Downloads and courses
Shop
Download as soon as you pay. Yours to keep.
About
About me
I have a crowded balcony, a living room full of leaves and no garden at all. I started with one pothos in a yoghurt pot and now I cannot count them. I write for people who have a windowsill and not much else.
Each Tuesday there is one idea: how I water when the sun is fierce, how I root a cutting in a jar, what I do about harmattan dust. Some plants die, and I tell you which and why.
Newsletter
Balcony Notes
One short letter every Tuesday: a plant idea from my balcony, what worked and what did not.