Kazan millennials and Gen Z use plant cultivation to fight depression

Surely, you have at least one acquaintance, friend, or relative who decorates their home with «green friends» instead of ornate lamps and decorative compositions. Monsteras, aglaonemas, spathiphyllums, and ficus plants replace pets for home gardeners.

In recent years, the trend of greening apartments seems to be gaining more popularity, videos on growing indoor plants gather tens of millions of views, millennials and Gen Z are buying up flowers in stores, and the most enterprising growers (those who cultivate indoor plants) propagate their plants and sell them on free classifieds services.

The editorial team of 116.RU spoke with a famous blogger from Kazan and several plant growers about why they became interested in a hobby that was previously considered «grandmotherly». And they asked a psychologist why it«s popular again.

“Add your phytosporin to your tea to get smarter!”

33-year-old Margarita Chernyaeva from Kazan is a popular flower blogger. Her account on a well-known social network has 91,000 subscribers. However, she has only been involved with plants for one year. Our interviewee is originally from Zainsk (Tatarstan), and she studied at KSMU (Kazan State Medical University) to become a dentist but did not complete her studies.

— I quickly realized that people«s health is very responsible. And in general, medical studies aren»t for everyone. When I realized what I had «signed up for», I quit. I think that the desire to heal someone actually gave rise to the theme of my flower blog. I«ve worked as a bartender, fitness instructor, professionally danced, accounting assistant, hairdresser. In the end, I became very involved in the beauty industry, — says Margarita.

The girl completed nail courses and even opened her own manicure salon. Things were going well. Then Margarita got married and became acquainted with plant cultivation. She started by «rehabilitating» sick plants.

— I«ve been so passionately involved in growing plants for exactly one year. In childhood, I tried to grow a cactus. It didn»t work out. We moved to a rented apartment where the previous tenant left a few flowers in a pitiful state. No one needed them in the end, and I couldn«t stand their dying appearance. I started searching online for information on treating and repotting plants. I bought soils and pots for them, and that»s how I got drawn into the flower business. That«s when I first became friends with zamioculcas, spathiphyllum, kalanchoe, and eucharis, — shares the blogger.

Margarita has over 100 plants, and these are typically the most popular flowers sold at a discount in supermarkets. She treats them. The most expensive part is the furniture and equipment for compactly arranging the plants. Our interviewee managed to turn plant cultivation from a hobby into a source of income. She does online repotting and plant treatment, films and launches advertising videos.

— Greening definitely affects mental state! When you start «flower fuss», time stops. I«ll say this: it»s the best hobby I«ve ever had! I recommend it! Close ones are surprised, of course, like this: »What?! You grow flowers?! How unexpected!« Such a reaction is probably because, before plants, I led an active party life. Previously, they didn»t pay attention to it, but now they ask questions about their own flowers. I«m pleased — they accepted it, — says our interviewee.

Despite the fact that Margarita seems to be engaged in such a harmless hobby, she still has haters. The girl explains that often «old school» plant growers come to her comments to insert their expert opinions.

— Here, for example, the harshest hater comment: «Add your phytosporin to your tea to get smarter!» Funny? Funny! I didn«t block this person, I let him speak out under my videos. I generally don»t block haters and their comments. I leave them as a memory, for a laugh, — laughs the plant grower.

The «flower doctor» notes that recently more and more people, including youth, are involved with indoor plants. According to the grower, plant cultivation is very popular abroad, while in our country it«s still developing.

— I think it«s related to fashion, trends, like when fitness and fitness girls were popular, for example. Well, and youth, most likely, are tired of living in the race for »successful success«, and plant cultivation really grounds you. Also, I can»t help but note the fact that plants are now being bred in cool ways — interior ones. A concept like «interior plant» has appeared. Demand for interior design has grown, and plants perfectly complement this story. For me now — if there are no plants in a room, it«s an unfinished room, — explains Margarita.

“It«s already like a pet that you can»t leave alone”

37-year-old creator of the KultTorg festival Lilia Yusupova has been growing indoor plants since at least 2010. In her previous apartment, all her windowsills were filled with flowers. Plants have always been in our interviewee«s life, but since she didn»t know how to grow them properly before, they didn«t thrive very well.

— I adored botany. I grew up in a village, so the spring-summer season was occupied with plantings, sowings, and caring for crops. I was familiar with plant cultivation since childhood. Now, living within four walls in an apartment, I want something green. I just really like green space and all this diversity and splendor of plants, — says Lilia.

Lilia has around 150–200 flowers. How much she had to spend on them — she can«t say exactly, as she doesn»t count the money she gave for plants — she doesn«t want to get upset.

— It happens that in a month I don«t buy anything. It happens that I buy 1–2 plants, earlier I bought everything indiscriminately. Then I realized that with some plants I»m just not friends, I don«t understand them, how they need to be grown. <…> Now if I buy something, it»s not such popular plant species as before. Last year I went to a flower festival, and additionally we visited several flower shops, I spent about 15,000 rubles ($150 at current rates) on plants. At the past GreenMarket in October, I spent 2,300 rubles ($23) on plants, — shares Yusupova.

Lilia rarely sells her «green friends» and generally doesn«t set out to earn money from selling plants. Sometimes she puts them on the market when a flower has grown too much. At the same time, according to our interviewee, one needs to understand that plant cultivation isn»t all pros; there are pitfalls here too.

— When you already have a large collection, you need to monitor it. It«s already like a pet that you can»t leave alone for long, if some parasites appear — it«s a big alarm, because you need to allocate time and spend your money again on buying medicines. There are many nuances that make your head spin. I sometimes think, why do I even have so many plants? Probably, I»m replacing shopping addiction with their purchase, — explains the festival founder.

“The cost of one plant can reach five figures”

Another interviewee, 27-year-old Zilya Sabitova, says that she has been involved with plants since school. She started with cacti, and during her student years, she decorated her university dorm room with vines. She has been growing indoor flowers for over 15 years.

— Plants are structured so complexly, filigree, and ingeniously that they evoke my admiration. Through plants, I can awaken life with my own hands and share it with others. I have around 200 plants. Currently, alocasias, hoyas, and anthuriums predominate in the collection. They are quite popular among collectors, and the cost of one plant can reach five figures. This hobby includes additional expenses: light, pest control means, soils. So it can be quite costly, but it«s possible to earn from the hobby as well, — says Zilya.

As Sabitova shares, this year she managed to sell over 200 plants, including cuttings and tubers. According to Zilya, there are groups of plants that are actively bought up. The grower is sure that plant cultivation is now gaining momentum, including among youth.

— Many link this to the 2020 lockdown, when it was just us and the room, and we wanted it to be joyful. Besides, millennials have finally built careers, life has calmed down, and there«s time for hobbies: running, yoga, books, blogging, plants, sewing. The world is so noisy now that everyone is looking for a hobby where thoughts calm down, — explains Sabitova.

“Germinating «roots» from the soil is a real antidepressant”

40-year-old Dilyara Zakirova has been passionate about growing and collecting plants since 2020. She liked that there were home flowers on the windowsill. At first, her mother and grandmother gave them to her, and then the girl started buying plants herself. Now she has over 300.

— At the beginning of collecting, I took everything that came along. Naturally, not all became «friends», so now I buy more consciously. I didn«t count my expenses on them. Probably about 50,000 rubles ($500 at current rates) per year. Two years ago, I noticed that I»m no longer scared or sad about the upcoming autumn and winter, since many plants are growing at home and they also need my attention and care, so «no to bad mood», — says Dilyara.

23-year-old Ilya from Kukmor (Tatarstan) has been growing plants for 6 years. Now in his own collection, there are about 50 pots of various flowers: from geraniums to spathiphyllums. He doesn«t put anything up for sale, he does indoor flowers solely for the soul.

— I started with flowers around age 17–18. And I came to it absolutely intuitively. The first «test subjects» were lemons and my mom«s Chinese rose. Well, and then others appeared. Some I bought, some were given to me, and a few I snatched from clinics and MFCs. Many can»t wrap their heads around the fact that a guy grows flowers. But it«s my peace of mind! — explains Ilya.

Our interviewee says that many in his circle are involved in plant cultivation. And not only girls but also guys grow them.

— I notice a trend that many Gen Zers are now turning towards indoor plants. Probably, the pandemic and all subsequent events in the country could have influenced youth. Firstly, digging in the soil, germinating «roots» from the ground — is a real green antidepressant. Secondly, it«s developing the ability to care for something. Do you know what happiness it is when some weakling sprouts and puts out a new leaf? Well, I know, — shares the guy.

Why do they grow plants?

The editorial team of 116.RU decided to find out what might be connected with the hype for growing plants among Gen Z and millennials from clinical psychologist Mikhail Korob. According to him, people engage in plant cultivation for various reasons: some simply like it, some had a mother or relative who grew plants, some find peace in it, and a person might enjoy seeing the fruits of their labor.

The psychologist explains that many get plants instead of an animal. Moreover, plant cultivation, according to Korob, can serve as a way to cope with anxiety.