The one about “How I do it”
The one thing I hear often is “How do you do it?” This is in reference to keeping my exploring baby and my animals away from my plants. To put it simply, it’s not easy. Actually its pretty much inevitable that your pets or children WILL mess with your plants. So get ready to learn the ways I Have ‘proofed’ my plants. I have two cats, a 10- month old crawler, and our newest addition to the family: two 10 week old golden retriever puppies (insert round of applause for this stay-at-home mom here.) So How do I do it?
Before we get into the tips to proof your plants, lets chat about why it is important to prevent your animals and children from playing with or near your plants. Unfortunately, there are many toxic houseplants that can cause irritation or in the worst case scenario, death for your furry friends and curious children. Reactions can range from a minor belly ache, to the swelling of airways. It is very important to be aware of what plants can harm your (fur) babies if they are ingested.
The Non-Toxic indoor plants:
Christmas Cactus (Thanksgiving, Easter, etc.)
Boston Fern
African Violet
Peperomia
Baby’s Tears
Prayer Plant
Parlor Palm
Spider Plant
‘Sensitive plant’
Hawarthia pearl plant
Moth Orchids
Fittonia / nerve plant
Hoya Carnosa
Hens & Chicks
Burro’s Tail
All of these plants are safe for little hands and paws, but i still would not recommend ALLOWING children or animals to play with or eat plants unless they are thoroughly supervised.
PREVENTION IS THE BEST WAY TO “PROOF” YOUR PLANTS
It is best to PREVENT your animals or young children from accessing your plants. You can do this in many ways. Plant stands are a great option as they lift plants out of reach, but look out for your crawlers, they can easily pull a stand down and injure themselves. Another way to limit access to plants is to have a specific room or area where your (toxic) plants are kept, so you can block them off from the kiddos or pups easily.
CATS
We have two kitties, my Bug & Atticus. My bug is a five year old girl who we got when she was teeny. Lucky for us, she has never showed any interest in our plants besides nibbling at a leaf once or twice. I wish I could say the same for Atticus. Atticus is a rambunctious teenage kitty, who suffers from orange cat syndrome (AKA being a crackhead.) Atticus has had it out for my plants from the beginning. He enjoys digging around in soil and jumping into pots. I don’t see him biting leaves much anymore but when he was younger he surely chomped on my greenery. As I said previously, removing plants from reach is a great method for deterring furry friends. I moved all of the plants I could on stands, placing most of them on my patio. For the plants I could not move, I rubbed Vicks vaporub around the rim of the pots to deter the kitten. The strong scent worked great as a deterrent .Eventually his interest in the plants gradually dissipated. Another trick I used was putting large rocks around the edges of pots to prevent him from digging around in the soil. These methods worked pretty seamlessly for keeping the cats away so I did not have to test out other tricks but I have also heard of putting citrus peels on top of the soil or spraying with a spray bottle with citrus peels in it. The scent of the citrus peels naturally deters the cats from inspecting the plants.
DOGS
Dogs are different from cats in the sense that they have no self respect and will eat anything they can get their paws on. Nothing is safe. If you have a dog or puppy, or are considering bringing one home: you MUST proof your plants. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: The best way to proof your plants is to REMOVE them from reach of your animals! You can train them to stay away or to listen, But while you are teaching these things it is very important that your dogs don’t have to learn the hard way.
Once we brought our two boys home, it took about an hour for us to rehome all of our houseplants into a greenhouse where they could not be reached. As far as our porch plants, we lifted them up on tall stands and kept only the non-toxic plants where they can potentially access them. if i’ve learned one thing about puppy parenthood in these past two weeks it is that they can, and will take every opportunity to cause chaos. If you limit their opportunities you are saving yourself the headache of constant discipline and expensive vet bills.
Sh*T Happens
My big girl took a tumble when atticus tried to jump into her pot, tipping the stand over. Fortunately for us, the only damage she sustained was a snapped air root. I still cried. Don’t be like me.
BABIES & TODDLERS
If you thought restricting dogs from your plants was hard… I have some news for you…Now that Beckham is 10 months old and more than mobile, i am struggling. Not only am I struggling, but my plants are too. I know this article is about keeping your kids and pets safe from plants; but what about keeping your plants safe from the little menaces? Once beckham was able to crawl and then pull-to-stand, all of my plants didn’t stand a chance.
When it comes to proofing your plants from children, There really is no alternative to removing them from reach. Find a way to do it and make it happen. Beckham puts everything directly in his mouth but, luckily for me He has not ingested toxic plant material. My method of proofing my plants from beckham and vice versa is to be vigilant and redirect him towards a better choice when he wants to put his little hands in our plants. Once he is a little older I will do gardening sensory bins and teach him how to be gentle with nature. For now I can only reiterate our “gentle touch” and show him a different activity to explore. Time spent in the garden provides a variety of growth opportunities. During early childhood, the benefits of tending to a garden are physical, emotional, spatial, mathematical, sensory awareness, character development, creative ideas, and a newfound appreciation for nature.
Toxic plants can range in toxicity and have different side effects that range from mild to severe. Some plants produce a white milky sap that is a skin irritant as well as poisonous if ingested. Keep an eye out for your animals who may like to nibble at leaves or dig in the dirt. In most cases, if your furry friend nibbles a small piece of leaf, they will spit it out. If they do not spit it out and begin to show signs of toxicity like excessive drooling, vomitting, or difficulty breathing; bring them directly to an emergency vet. The earlier you can intervene, the better. When it comes to your children; As the worry wort I am, I strongly recommend bringing them into the pediatrician if they consume ANY amount of toxic plant material. It is always better safe than sorry. Trust your instinct on this one.
As far as maintaining my plant collection while being a stay at home mom and puppy parent: I have found that as my collection grows more mature and the more experience I get gardening, the more self sufficient they become. In the beginning I had ups and downs and killed many. RIP. As my plants have grown over the years, so have i. I learn more and more about myself through nurturing my collection. As plants mature over time they become more adaptive to your environment & your specific care schedule.
Other great ideas for keeping plants out of reach are shelves, macramé plant hangers, and glass cabinets or terrariums. If you’re not sure if a plant is toxic or not - just assume it is! Lets keep our babies safe from our plants, and our plants safe from our babies. No matter what, just grow with the flow.
