Rigging Hanging Plants
by Ruby Bayan
A corner window office would be the best place to set up an indoor garden. But for those who need to climb a few more rungs up the corporate ladder to deserve a corner window location, a cubicle's tight setting doesn't have to be a deterrent.
In fact, small offices and shoulder-to-shoulder cubicles challenge a plant lover's indoor gardening creativity. As long as there are level surfaces that are wide and strong enough to hold a pot or two (aside from the floor, that is), plants can have a cozy spot to thrive in.
What if there are no available flat and sturdy surfaces? There's that air space between the floor and the ceiling! That's right, even in a cramped office, there's always "aerial" room for hanging plants!
Here are some tips on adding hanging plants to the office garden:
- Indoor hanging plants, because they are "suspended" in mid-air and looming over furniture or carpet, must have reliable and adequate drainage catcher bins securely fastened onto the planter. Dripping hanging plants can create an ugly mess on desks, documents, equipment, and flooring.
- Hang the plants at a height that will allow convenient watering. Whether the plants have to be taken down or reached via watering can, consider having to regularly pull up a chair or step ladder -- hassles like these can make even the most thoughtful plant lover put off or neglect the watering chore.
- Be sure, too, that dryness, as well as overflow, can be monitored and addressed. One of the handicaps in maintaining hanging plants is the lack of visual access to the soil. If the plant is hung too high, it is easy to miscalculate watering.
- When rigging up hanging plants, use only durable wires and cords. Check for rust, fraying, or wear and tear, and remedy immediately. Imagine the catastrophe when one suspension wire breaks causing the whole planter (or its contents) to come crashing down on an open filing cabinet (or an officemate)!
- Before screwing a swag hook onto the office walls or ceiling, make sure that the surface can hold the weight of the planter. Some ceilings are composed of panels of thin plaster boards, held up by metal framing. Hang the plants onto the metal frames instead of screwing them onto the delicate plaster boards. Better yet, consult the Building Managers before attaching anything to the walls or ceiling.
[First published by Windowbox.com.]
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