Rita DeAlmeida is an Environmental Scientist who always loved nature and loves pothos so much! The reason? Because as she says, they put out a lot of new growth.
Interviewer: Hi Rita! Thank you so much for offering yourself for the interview. Would you mind to introduce yourself to the community so people can know you better?
Growing up I always loved the way I felt around nature which led me to study to become an Environmental Scientist.
I love being outdoors peacefully connecting to nature and I try to surround myself with nature as much as possible (hence why I filled my home with house plants haha!
Interviewer: You always had a special connection with nature! But how did houseplant journey start? When did you get your first plant?
I've always loved plants but my love for house plants came about when I first got a place of my own. Started with some cacti and some herbs and now 1.5 years later I have 134 plants!
Interviewer: 134 plants plants in only 1 year and a half? That's a lot of plants! What's the thing you wish you knew when you started growing plants?
I wish I knew how much work house plants actually are! I came into this thinking it would be the easiest thing ever - and ended up losing a lot of my plants last winter.
Interviewer: Yes, depending on where you live, winter can be frosty and fatal for houseplants. Do you have favorite plant?
Pothos - neon pothos, jade pothos, satin pothos, any variety of pothos is my favorite.
I love them for their trailing aspect and they are SUPER resilient. Also, they are constantly putting out growth which makes me so so happy. They are quite easy compared to other plants.
Interviewer: Do you follow any strategy keep your houseplants happy?
Theres no strategy... Just listening to the plants needs! I don't feel like plant tips are always accurate as plants always react different to different environments.
I like to go around everyday misting my plants and checking for signs that my plants need extra care!
Interviewer: And is there any plant you can't keep alive?
IVY!!! They always seem to die on me and I wish I knew why lol but I've had 6 different ivys and they always hate me for some reason.
Interviewer: Wow! I would've never said that! Here in Spain where I live Ivys are plants that survive quite well! As Environmental Scientist do you have to travel around? If so, how do you prepare your houseplants before traveling?
I do have to travel a lot for work. When I do, I leave a bunch of posted notes next to each plant instructing hubby how to care for them! haha He's been a great babysitter!
Interviewer: Have you got any bad experience buying somewhere?
I've had a couple of bad buying experiences shopping for plants at my local grocery store..key thing before bringing home any plants - CHECK FOR PESTS!!
Interviewer: Where do you usually get your plants from?
My plants are literally from everywhere. Anywhere I find a good deal - I snag!!
I don't like buying expensive plants because they do die!! So I like shopping for deals, and if there's a plant I really really want - I will wait until I find it for a good price!
Interviewer: You mentioned you have a babysitter when you travel. Is that a person you share flat with? How does he/she deals with your plant obsession?
I share my place with my boyfriend and he is very supportive of this crazy obsession of mine! I'm very lucky that he treats me to new plant babys quite often.
Interviewer: Plants sometimes die as you mentioned. But sometimes they get killed! Do you have any pets?
No pets, thankfully - I cant imagine having to deal with them destroying my plants!!
Interviewer: What would you like to have that doesn't exist related to plants? It could be a tool, an app, something about the plant shops, the community, etc.
LOL maybe this is far stretched - but a device that would completely remove pests from plants would be nice...lol
Interviewer: We all love to have our feed with plenty of plant images. What bloggers or youtubers do you like?
I follow a lot of great plant people but a few of my favorites are @spiritplants @onceuponaphilodendron @torontoplant.girl
Interviewer: For those people who want to follow your plant journey, where can they find you Rita?
People can find me at my Instagram account @jerseyplantbabe where I share all the time images and videos of my plants!