Background
Office plants make for a happier, healthier and more productive workplace.
For those of us who have been around since the old W6A days of pigeon office ransacking and the contrast of freezing cold and damp or literally boiling alive (well not actually literally, more figuratively really) depending on which side of the building you were on, we have all come to love and appreciate our new Arts precinct. For those that don't remember those days, I think we can all agree that one of the main features of the building is a lot of natural light, wherever you are and the relentless attacking pigeons are at least relegated to remaining outside in the atrium now.
However, except for the wonderful rooftop garden, one of the things missing is plant life. As we now look to further optimise our workspaces, we have taken it upon ourselves to cultivate and distribute office plants and a culture of growing in our wonderful Faculty of Arts precinct as a grassroots initiative (pun intended).
So, whether you like to grow cuttings in jars, nurture succulents in teacups or grow a variety of species that thrive in this environment, we want you to join us in the mission of ensuring every window in the building has at least one plant-growing behind it!
Phase 1
On level 1, some of us have been growing plants over the windows for some time (since we were in the dreaded hearing hub decant in fact). These plants even lived through COVID lockdowns (with a 4 weekly emergency watering mission) so are true survivors. With the recent relocations, a perfect opportunity was given to dismantle these and create cuttings for further distribution. These cutting have now taken and we will be distributing office plants around the place. Members of the convocation will be able to take these plants under their wing and look after them. It is easy and with some simple care, we will all thrive together.
Care guide
The species we have chosen will grow pretty well if you follow these basic instructions.
Don't over water but do water
This is pretty easy. All plants have a plastic tray under them to catch excess water and ensure we do not damage any surfaces.
- A plant should be watered until there is water filling up that tray, but not overflowing.
- Then, wait until the tray is empty of all water, should take a few days.
- Then wait another few days to a week and do it again.
You may want to water a little and see how much fills up before dumping a whole heap of water in because that is a recipe for overflowing. If this does happen, don't panic. It is just water after all and can be easily mopped up.
Be gentle and make friends
Plants do not like to be bent or treated roughly too much so be careful not to bend, prod or damage them, especially where there is new growth. But they can be trained to grow across a shelf or even up a window if you use suction cup hooks. They are your new friend so you may want to give them a name, sing to them or take them on a play date with other green friends sometime.
If in doubt, reach out
We are here to help if you are worried about your green friend. Drop us a line at artslandt@mq.edu.au with "plant club" in the title and we will see what we can do.
Varieties grown and distributed from cuttings
Keep the dream alive and growing
Watch this space as well will be setting up a social channel to share pictures and will have more planting and cutting days as we move ahead. Remember, most of the plants we distributed were grown from cuttings so if your little friend gets out of hand and is too big, let us know and we will turn them into even more office plants! If you do ever leave the organisation, do let us know as well so we can ensure there is someone to adopt and care for them.