Join the Sacred Elements Community for subscriber exclusive promos, discounts, tips, tricks and more.... Sign up here!

Sign in

Community Resources

WHY DO MARIMO SINK AND FLOAT?

Why do Marimo sink, and what makes them float? Excellent question friends. Here's what we have learned.

Marimo’s an excellent choice for beginning houseplant enthusiasts and long time plant parents alike. Since Marimo need very little attention, they are the perfect plants for kids who want their very own houseplant, a wonderful gift for newlyweds as they are a symbol of love, a lovely heirloom plant that can be passed down from generation to generation.

Plant Care Tonics Instructions to Use

We are thrilled to share our favorite holistic plant medicines with you! All are crafted with the utmost regard for the health of our earth and your plants. Here’s Karina’s advice on best ways to use them...

Zebra Mussels and Marimo

You may have heard the alarming news that an invasive, destructive species of freshwater mussels have been hitchhiking their way across the globe on Marimo. Zebra Mussels reproduce quickly and alter food webs by overconsumption of plankton. This in turn increases harmful algae overgrowth and wreaks havoc in waterways, causing an imbalance to our ecosystem.

Celebrating Love

The word aphrodisiac comes from the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite who represents love, passion, fertility, beauty and sexual pleasure. We thought a post centered around those qualities in nature would be a lovely way to celebrate the holiday with you. Enjoy friends!

ALL ABOUT MARIMO!

Vibrant green balls of velvety, soft, bounce, what’s not to love?
Once you’ve seen them, pet them, watched as they delicately collect the teeny, tiniest air bubbles on their furry green surface, you have no choice but to be smitten. It’s not hard to imagine why they became a symbol of love.
The history of these sweet orbs trace back to Lake Akan, Japan...

SCENTS THAT REPEL MOSQUITOS, FLIES AND PESKY INSECTS, NATURALLY

Most of us know that lighting a citronella candle keeps mosquitos at bay on a warm summer evening, but did you know many other plant oils also work to repel mosquitos, gnats, no-see-ums (which incidentally is the most appropriately named bug of all time) and other pesky bugs, including, you guessed it, my favorite oil of all time--Neem Oil?! But let’s first dive in and cover a few other wonderfully effective plant oils before going into the benefits of Neem, once again.

Self Care January?

Welcome to a new decade my friends and welcome to self care January. …or so I thought this blog would begin when I started writing it a few weeks ago. But wow! That sure did not happen. In fact, crafting this blog post became that nagging chore I kept avoiding because I refuse to write about something I’m not authentically living. So here we are, on the first day of February, and I just began to practice some much needed self care.

SPIDERS, NATURE'S NATURAL PEST CARE

If you gathered up all the spiders in the world and placed them onto one gigantic scale, they would weigh more than 25 million tons. To put that into perspective, that’s more than five million average sized elephants or 478 Titanics. Wow.

KEEPING PLANTS HEALTHY IN THE HEAT

As summer gets into full swing here in the Pacific Northwest, I remember (generally after our first day in the 90’s) that my plants in the house and in the garden need a little extra attention staying cool if I want them to thrive throughout the next few months of heat.

ZERO WASTE COMPOST TEA AND SMOOTHIE FOR YOUR GARDEN AND HOUSEPLANTS

After so many requests for this recipe, we wanted to share how taking kitchen scraps like banana peels, eggshells, coffee grounds and onion skins can quickly turn into a compost tea or blend up a compost smoothie to feed your garden soil. Please note that these four ingredients are common foods our family uses weekly, so if you don’t drink coffee or are vegan and don’t eat eggs, no problem! Just use what you have. For instance, replace coffee with tea leaves and garlic skins with onions to get similar benefits from your food scraps!

NEW TO NEEM? THIS ANCIENT REMEDY PACKS A BIG PUNCH!

The fast-growing Neem tree is native to the subtropical regions of the world like India and Southeast Asia and is a vital resource. Virtually every part of the tree is useful! Bark, resin, seed, wood, leaf, flower and stem are used as ingredients in cosmetics, hair products, medicines, dental hygiene, as a source of food, honey, for pet care, as a fertilizer and insect repellent.

3 WAYS TO KEEP BUGS OUT OF INDOOR PLANTS

Plants, including houseplants, are an integral part of the natural world. Insects are also an integral part of the natural world. So, it’s only natural that they go hand in hand.

TOP 5 WAYS TO REMOVE FUNGUS GNATS

Who knew I’d be wishing for fruit flies? Crazy thought, I know. But fruit flies can be easily lured and trapped using a few drops of wine or a piece of banana peel at the bottom of a glass, a paper funnel placed inside with the tiny hole near the bottom of the inside of the glass, (making sure the top of the funnel is as wide as the mouth of the glass to avoid escapees) and voila! They are trapped until you carry the glass outside to lift up the paper funnel and release them into the wild. You have a cruelty free way of dispensing of countless fruit flies in your kitchen!

4 Steps To Heal Houseplants From Thrips

Let’s just jump right in. Thrips are the most persistent and annoying houseplant pest I’ve dealt with in my many years of plant parenthood. Yes, even more annoying then those damn fungus gnats that fly right into your face.

5 WAYS TO KEEP HOUSEPLANTS HAPPY IN THE WINTER

When the suns shines less intensely and temperatures drop, the natural world slows down. Winter has set in. This is our quiet cue to slow down and rest more during these shorter days and longer nights. The same is true for your houseplants. Offering your plants proper care during the winter season isn’t a huge amount of work, but it can make all the difference for growing a thriving houseplant collection come springtime!

HOW TO USE MOSS WITH YOUR HOUSEPLANTS

When we recreate the natural environment for our houseplants we offer them a chance to thrive in an environment similar to their native habitat. Let’s imagine where our tropical houseplant types grow naturally. Picture that collage of lush green foliage and chances are you’ll envision moss too! Did you know that moss grows on every single continent in the world? These highly adaptable and ancient plants have been around for over 250 million years and can thrive anywhere plants that photosynthesize grow too. Luminescent mosses have even been found growing inside caves!! Certain types can survive extreme temperatures as high as 100ºC (212º F) and manage to live through temps below -272ºC (-457º F). They can withstand droughts by going dormant and can hold over 20 times their weight in water. MOSS IS SO COOL!

How To Grow, Care For And Propagate Monstera Deliciosa

I brought my first monstera home years ago, thrilled at the shape of their aesthetic leaves and excited to add this ‘easy care’ tropical houseplant to my collection of mostly succulents and cacti. It was the first step towards expanding my plant parent knowledge and understanding the needs of an entirely different type of plant.

4 REASONS TO BRING PLANTS INTO THE SHOWER

As many of you know, I love recreating the natural environment of houseplants. One super easy way to do this is by bringing your plants into the shower before, during or after you shower. The ambient humidity helps houseplants like calathea, maranta, monstera, alocasia, air plants, and ferns feel right at home! It’s also an excellent opportunity to check for pests and rinse off their leaves to remove any excess build up of dust or neem oil (if you’re treating them for pests with our Sacred Duo, Organic Leaf Tonic + Soil Tonic).

Planting Without Drainage Holes

If you are anything like me, you have an heirloom or vintage vessel in your world just begging to be put on display. And, if you’re anything like me you look at said vessel and think, "Wouldn’t it be more amazing with a plant nestled inside?”

BATTLING MOTHS? NEED HELP? HERE'S A NATURAL REMEDY

Last week we received an email asking whether the Leaf tonic in my Sacred Duo would work to treat clothes moths. We immediately got to researching and were excited to share what we learned!

6 Tips For Marimo Moss Balls

Marimo moss balls aren’t actually moss, but algae? Aegagropila linnaei to be precise. These unique creatures can live up to 200 years, are native to lakes in Scotland, Ireland, Estonia and are a national treasure in Japan! Their folklore tells a tale of two lovers who were forbidden to be together. Heartbroken, they both fell into the water and drown and their hearts became the first Marimo. Because of this sweet story, Marimo are often given as gifts to signify love and commitment.

DELICIOUS MONSTER(A)

Monstera Deliciosa, so called for its gigantic leaves and delicious fruit may be my favorite plant of all time-- shhhh don’t tell the others! Its name literally means Delicious Monster. Pretty great, huh?

HOW TO: Propagate + Care For Burro's Tail Sedum

Before you start cutting, I encourage you to take a moment to study the structure of your burro’s tail/donkey sedum. Does it have a stem that has some leaf loss? Can you see the stem exposed between those plump little leaves? This type of leaf separation happens for two reasons, either the sedum isn’t getting enough light and is stretching towards the sun, or the plant has been bumped and the leaves have fallen off (which is VERY COMMON so just know--you are not alone). Sedum Morganianum are among the most delicate and fragile of leaves, which is why I’m here to walk you through a few simple steps and (hopefully) keep your plant intact and happy!

+Categories

+Sacred Elements Guidebook

A manual that will lead you to connect with the natural world, and encourage you to make it a daily ritual.

You’ll find Karina’s signature plant life imagery, sensory guided experiences and meditations, plant care tips, step by step guidance to create your own sacred space, and ways to live more sustainably.

*20% of the proceeds of every Sacred Elements Guidebook sold will go to organizations that supporting small, independent farmers and educate children to grow their own food.

Subscribe

Join our community and get notified when a new article is published!

Botanicals

Organic & Heirloom Seeds

Plant Care

Exclusives