6 Cheap Under $20 Buys That Make Your Plants Happy

I’m pretty minimalist when it comes to gardening tools and plant supplies. Plants have simple lives: Sun, water, soil, and room to grow are all they need, and I appreciate that I don’t need to spend much money to keep them growing contentedly. However, there are a few houseplant accessories that are really nice to have, and the best part is that they don’t cost a bunch of money. Here are six items under $20 that will make your plants happy.

If you ever find yourself needing to stake a houseplant, chopsticks are the answer. They’re the perfect length for many potted plants and you probably already have a handful in your kitchen junk drawer (and if not, they’re still cheap to buy). If you need more length or a thicker support, you can easily hot glue two together.

For plants that crave humidity, you need a mister, and I’m personally in love with this beautiful little number from Target. Yeah, you can get a plastic spray bottle for like $0.98, but this one doesn’t need to be hidden away in a cabinet and leaving it out by your plant stand serves as a visual reminder to actually use it.

I’ve already mentioned my love for these watering spikes, but they’re worth bringing up again. If you’re heading out of town (or if you’re just plain forgetful about watering), these nifty things will keep your houseplants happily hydrated for a couple of weeks at a time. You’ll need to save an old wine bottle, or beer bottle for small plants, to act as a water reservoir. The water in the reservoir slowly soaks through the porous terracotta clay, providing water straight to the plants’ roots.

Trust IKEA to produce a watering can beautiful enough to double as decor. It has a sleek look that’s simultaneously modern and timeless. For the price point, you might expect something a bit flimsy, but the VATTENKRASSE watering can is made of galvanized steel with a white powder coating to prevent rust, meaning it’s durable and made to last.

There are tons of fertilizers out there and it can be really confusing to figure out which one to buy. Neptune’s Harvest fish and seaweed emulsion will work for just about any houseplant (and garden vegetables, for that matter), and being a liquid, it’s super easy to mix and apply. Plus, Neptune’s Harvest is made with all organic materials, making it a safe choice for your home and the environment.

For snipping off dead blooms and trimming back leggy plant growth, get yourself an all-purpose hand pruner. This model from Corona Tools has a ¾-inch cut—big enough to take on large houseplants and trees while still having enough precision to use on tiny stems. The nonstick-coated steel blade is easy to clean and the grip is super comfy, too.