Have you ever purchased the perfect houseplant and promptly killed it unintentionally? Yeah, me too.

I have the best of intentions when I find myself in the Garden Center of the hardware store. Again. The rows and rows of bright green foliage calls to my soul, “you need more green in you life!” My soul responds, “of course I do!'“ as my feet start to drag the rational part of my mind towards the plants.

Being the Colorado Girl that I am , I always had a rough time keeping plants alive. After many plant sacrifices and a move to the PNW, I decided to really study plants.

I have a Mass Cane (aka Corn Plant or Dracaena Massangeana) in my bedroom and it adds so much LIFE and is so incredibly easy to care for! If you’ve struggled with keeping plants alive but want a show stopper for your home, Mass Cane is your girl!

The basics:

Light - It loves bright, indirect light. If you would get a sunburn where you put your Mass Cane, it will too. If you get depressed sitting in a dark corner, it will too. However, it will deal with low light if you ask it to, but will not grow much.

Water - Water once a week OR when the top inch of soil is dry. I’ve learned that following an internet guide for plants, SUCKS. Take your climate into consideration, if I had this plant in Colorado I bet I’d water more often.

Soil - Like I said, this is a good started plant! Mass Canes are troopers and will grow in any soil as long as it has good drainage.

Photosynthesis is a BIG deal to plants. It’s how they absorb sunlight and turn it into life giving sustenance. Our plants can’t do that well if their leaves/fronds are covered in dust. This video shows how I quickly clean my plants for maximum sun harvesting (photosynthesis, get it? ;) and growth.

You’re going to want to gather these items before you get started:

• A cotton or microfiber cloth

• A spray bottle or bucket filled with room temperature water

• A dusty plant

Spray or dunk your cloth in the water, wring out the excess water. I DO NOT recommend using leaf shine products. Your plants leaves are there as little solar panels, imagine how much less efficient a solar panel would be if you rubber wax all over it?

While supporting the leaf, gently wipe the dust off the front and back.

BAM. Easy, you did it! Now you can sit back and rest in all that freshly cleaned plant glory!

Do you have a favorite houseplant? Tell me what kind!