Many Harding students who keep plants in their rooms are being faced with a decision when quarantined to either take their plants with them or to leave them behind to be taken care of by someone else.
In a poll via this writer’s instagram account, 59% of students said they have plants in their room, while 41% said they did not. In another poll for the plant owners who had been quarantined this semester, 27% said they took their plants with them, and 73% said they had left their plants in their room.
Senior Hannah Hall was required to quarantine this semester after one of her roommates tested positive for COVID-19. She decided to leave the majority of her plants in Searcy while she returned home, as she had several larger plants that would have been more difficult to transport home with her.
“I would recommend to someone who is required to quarantine to leave their plants in their dorm room or house if there is someone who will be remaining there — if they are a trustworthy caregiver,” Hall said. “I personally think it is best to minimize the number of times that plants are moved from place to place. If there is no one remaining in the place where the plants are, I would definitely recommend taking them to the Heritage, Kendall or your home.”
The situation for junior Laura Gail Beebe was a little different than Hall’s, however. She left her four plants behind in her room because she did not have time to grab them before she returned home to quarantine.
“My plants were not the top priority of things that I needed to bring home with me,” Beebe said. “But, depending on the plant, you can definitely leave it in your room. If it is a succulent, then set it near the window and water it and it should be fine.”
According to healthline.com, taking care of plants has several benefits to one’s mental health. Keeping plants in your room has been shown to lead to lower levels of anxiety and reduced stress levels, and plants can act as a mood booster.
Junior Scott May took one plant with him to quarantine so his roommate would not have to worry about taking care of it, but said that the plant made his temporary room feel more like home.
“I recommend bringing your plants because it helps your quarantine room feel like your normal room,” May said.
