Humans are not the only being that enjoys the benefits of crystals. Did you know that struggling to grow or wilting plants can be revived using crystals? It may sound like a crazy idea, but in our new Get Your Hands Dirty series, Alessia Resta will teach us the connection between crystals & plants and how crystals can boost your garden & bring cosmic harmony into your home.
Whether you are a first-time plant owner or you are a green-thumbed goddess, growing and keeping your plants healthy and lively has its own challenges. It can be a truly rewarding experience, but it can also be frustrating when your plants don’t thrive. It’s not a good sight to see stunted growth and wilted leaves, so those who struggle to keep their plants alive will try almost anything and everything to help revive and save their dying plants.
Alessia Resta of Apartment Botanist shares that using crystals for plants can be your miracle grow in boosting plant energies, raising vibrations, and unblocking energy blocks. It may sound odd, but when you understand the connection you have with your plants and the connection between crystals and plants, using crystals and precious healing stones for your plants is a harmless and surefire way to save your plants.
Resta believes that pairing crystals and plants can ease stress and cultivate abundance since crystals and plants have a deep, everlasting connection. They absolutely work best when paired together. Crystals extrude undeniable positive energy, and together with plants, both can create an electrifying and living environment in your home. Even if you do not believe in the healing energies of crystals, they can add a decorative flair to your garden. If you need to hit the refresh button on your home décor, adding vibrant crystals can create balance, beauty, and harmony in your home.
OMYSA: How did your plant journey start? Have you been a plant collector even before the pandemic began?
ALESSIA RESTA: My life with plants began years ago during my time in college at the School of Visual Arts. I was studying sculpture and specifically bio-art. It was the mix of biology and art, and that’s when the plant blinders came off. I started noticing and appreciating plants, especially their forms and patterns. I loved creating terrariums; they felt like little worlds and landscapes.
At the time, I didn’t have the tools and knowledge about plant care, so I, unfortunately, killed a lot of plants. Once I graduated, I started my laser cutting and design business that had me cooped up in the apartment a lot! I started craving that connection with nature, a happy distraction. So in 2017, I created my Instagram, @apartmentbotanist. I started collecting and documenting plants in my apartment in New York City. I started teaching myself through research and trial and error.
I now own over 200+ plants that I tend and care for in my home. Like many plant parents sprouted from the pandemic, I yearned to nurture nature into my space.
O: You have mentioned that you are working from a crystal sale?
AR: Crystals, minerals, and gemstones have been an interest of mine since I was a child. According to my Mom, I used to take the rocks from the neighbor’s front yards in Brooklyn. She may have, years later, found a backpack full of rocks!
One surprise that happened because of the pandemic was growing my crystal collection, which eventually became a business. It has been such a joy to connect with many people who share my love of plants and crystals! Every Sunday (6 PM EST), I, with my Mom (@mamabotanist) and boyfriend, Micah, sell crystals live on @apartmentbotanist.
O: Do you think pairing crystals and plants can ease stress and cultivate abundance?
AR: Absolutely! A common theme among plant parents is the sense of calm and happiness they feel looking at and caring for their plants. Whether you enjoy crystals just for their beauty or if you collect crystals for their empowering properties, they extrude undeniable positive energy. Together plants and crystals can create a living and electrifying environment in your space.
O: Do you pair specific crystals with certain plants? Are there different effects or results? I’m curious how this thing works because it’s all new to me, and I’m pretty sure our readers would love to know too!
AR: When it comes to crystal placement, you can have a lot more fun and freedom here!
I love tucking crystals all around my plants, and if crystals are water safe, like Quartz, I love putting them on the top of the plants’ soil. I will also intuitively place crystals next to plants that I feel have similar personalities and characteristics. The biggest thing you do want to be careful of is crystals and moisture. A lot of crystals can get damaged if wet or exposed to too much light. That is something you want to consider when you place them.
A good trick is that if the Crystal name ends in “ite” it’s most likely not okay to be exposed to the elements. You can place crystals in certain areas of your space depending on the meaning or energy of the crystal. Place higher active energy in places like your living room and kitchen (clear quartz, clusters, and amethyst), creative and focusing energy around your work and desk area (fluorite, azurite, and sodalite), grounding and soothing crystals in your bedroom (stilbite, garnet, and kunzite) and protective crystals around your entryway (selenite, malacite and crazy lace agate).
Placement, as I described, is a great place to start, but the fun with crystals is that it is personal, and you should always go with what feels right!
O: For a plant owner with more than 175 plants in a 750 square feet NYC apartment, how do you arrange and care for all of them
AR: The best way to accomplish synergy among the plants is to arrange or group plants with similar care needs. Becoming familiar with your space and what it has to offer naturally (ranging from light, and drafts, etc.) and how your space functions with you (where you can put a humidifier, will this plant get knocked over in an active spot in your house?) is crucial and will help plant parents navigate what plants might be best for different areas in their home.
I went through many trials and errors when I started, and it took time to understand my space. Once I understood which plants could thrive in different areas of my apartment, I solidified a routine of care.
O: How do you stay on top of being a plant mom? Do you have a plant care routine or schedule?
AR: I break down my care routine into parts: monthly, weekly, and daily.
- Daily involves looking and inspecting. Refilling humidifiers and spending time with the plants, and making sure everything is looking and doing okay.
- Weekly involves mainly watering. I will also prune if plants need to and check up on my propagations.
- A monthly routine typically involves planning or gathering supplies for and generally consists in repotting a few plants if they need to be. If there are pests, I’ll pick a day to take care of all at once and monitor and treat.
O: How do you make sure your plants and pets are safe from one another?
AR: The only real challenge I face is with physical space. My big dog Zeus tends to damage plants if he runs by them and if the plants happen to be in tail whipping range. My primary solution is to try and keep them out of his way and higher up, so they are out of happy butt range! Luckily, my two dogs, Pachino (Shih Tzu) and Zeus (Weimaraner,) are both easygoing when it comes to my plants.
O: We know you have almost 200 plants in your home, but do you have a plant wish list? If yes, what are the dream plants you’d want to add to your collection?
AR: With plant prices on the rise, it’s been harder to source plants! So even though it might be a while before I ever complete my wish list, here is my current.
- Variegated Philodendron billietae
- Philodendron Whipple way
- Philodendron snow drift
- Philodendron strawberry shake
- Monstera sierrana
I just recently scratched off a few wishlist plants, which were the Variegated Monstera adansonii, Philodendron lynamii, Variegated ZZ plant, and the Philodendron Felix
With the popularity of plants on the rise, I hope that more and more plants become accessible and more affordable. Keeping and caring for plants should be something that everyone should enjoy because it is so rewarding!
Check out our Plant Care blog to learn more about different houseplants and tips on how to keep your plants alive and healthy.
