According to the Statista website, in United States in 2019 there were 33.1 million households participating in household gardening, which presumably includes household plants and small herbal gardens. Also according to Statista, there were 128.6 million total households in the U.S. that year. That means that approximately 74% of households do not have any plants!
This is surprising and somewhat perplexing due to the numerous, well-documented benefits that plants have on our physical and mental well-being. The website Garden Pals has recently published an excellent article summarizing the many benefits. The large majority of homes in the United States, and likely worldwide, are not experiencing the beautification and mental and physical benefits provided by houseplants.
It is interesting to note that, according to an article on the SnowBrains website, we here in North America, spend an average of 93% of our lives indoors!
So this fact, coupled with all the benefits of house (and office) plants, gives rise to the question:
Why do we not see more plants in our homes, our offices and work spaces, and in our places of education??
Why is that? Why are there so many people who do not have houseplants? What are the obstacles to plant ownership?
Although many plant lovers spend hundreds of dollars each each on plants, houseplants can often be purchased for under $10-$20. So cost is unlikely the main barrier to plant ownership.
My view is that the main obstacle that is generally keeping people from launching into plant ownership is related, not to the plants themselves, of course, but to the care and maintenance that they require. Many people (and organizations including companies, universities, etc.) refrain from having plants due to the added responsibility, time, effort, and anxiety of maintaining plants some of which can be quite expensive.
While juggling many and competing family and work responsibilities in our busy lives, plant care requires us to additionally:
- Remember to monitor the soil moisture of our plants
- Guess at how much and when to water our plants, which we often get wrong:
- Under-watering is the second leading cause of death of our indoor plants.
- Interestingly, the leading cause of death of our plants is Over-watering, ie. Too much love!
- Worry about what to do about our plants when we are away on business and work-related trips, or away on vacation for more than a week at a time
Well that’s my theory. What do you think? Why do you think that apparently almost 3/4 of households do not have houseplants? Please feel free to leave your comments!
SMARTePLANTS and SMARTePROBE promote not only optimum wet/dry watering cycling for your plants, but also contribute to peace of mind and worry-free plant ownership and care!