Absurd advice—vent

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Household Management

Absurd advice—vent

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother

Wed, Nov 20 2019, 3:16 pm

I just read on a website advice of what to do with outdoor potted plants in winter. They suggest putting all the pots in a bathtub to corral all the dirt and leaves and make watering easy. But avoid shower/tub combos because you still need to shower.

My gripe? They write this as if multiple bathrooms with unused tubs are a given. Yes, this is America and yes, lots of people have way more house and way more bathrooms than they need, but the article just blithely advises this as if everyone has at least one spare tub rattling around. I, like most of my neighbors who haven’t built on to their houses, happen to have just one full bathroom and it has a shower/tub combo.

It’s not that I think the idea is bad, it’s that I resent the tone of the article. They don’t say “if you happen to have a tub nobody uses, here’s a way to make it earn its keep.” They just say “use a bathtub” as if it goes without saying that you have one to spare.

chanatron1000

Wed, Nov 20 2019, 3:27 pm

I feel like this is advice that applies to nobody. If you're the type of person who has several spare bathtubs lying around, you probably don't take care of your own plants.

Gulabi

Wed, Nov 20 2019, 3:30 pm

chanatron1000 wrote:

I feel like this is advice that applies to nobody. If you're the type of person who has several spare bathtubs lying around, you probably don't take care of your own plants.

Hahaha hahaha I really did just burst out laughing at this! Love.it Laugh

Amarante

Wed, Nov 20 2019, 3:31 pm

Frankly I think the idea is ludicrous whether or not one has a spare tub because I wouldn't want a bunch of outdoor plants in any room of my house.

FWIW, there are lots of people who don't take baths so they might have a tub which is never used. Many master baths have a separate tub of some kind. So there are many homes that do have a tub in the master that is never used at all - it's not just a "rich people's house" as typically homes that were built after the 1980's would have a separate tub.

You can trace the history of indoor plumbing from the number and kinds of bathtubs that are in a home. For example, in the 1960's master baths are typically very small - maybe only with a shower - because just having an ensuite was considered to be luxurious. Then the idea of a master bath become typical and so the master bath became larger with a separate tub and if possible two separate sinks.

But increasingly because adults don't take baths it is not uncommon for the tub to be ripped out if a bathroom is renovated and a large walk in shower installed.

But I still wouldn't want to store plants in the tub indoors.

amother

Burlywood

Wed, Nov 20 2019, 4:21 pm

Amarante wrote:

Now it is. His and Hers master bathrooms.

rgr

Wed, Nov 20 2019, 4:27 pm

Is there even sunlight in a bathtub?

Amarante

Wed, Nov 20 2019, 4:39 pm

rgr wrote:

Is there even sunlight in a bathtub?

Depends on the bathroom. Many bathrooms have windows especially in either old homes (which predated mechanical ventilation Very Happy

) or newer suburban homes which typically have large bathrooms.

I grew up in the first kind of home in a Brooklyn and the bathroom had a window. This was also before kitchens had hoods so ventilation would be when my mother opened a window to get rid of smoke in the kitchen Very Happy

I think the whole idea of plant in a spare tub is just ludicrous on so many levels as who wants to shlep plants indoors? Typically plants winter as you specifically plant stuff that works in your climate or you replant them in the Spring like tulip bulbs or whatever.

The only person I know who brought a plant inside was a neighbor who was Italian and the grandfather had a beloved fig tree that he would bring inside every winter. But when I grew up in Brooklyn, the landscaping was suited for the Northeastern winters. We had those large concrete planters on each side of the "stoop" and as I recall they would be planted with whatever flowering plants my Bubbe liked each Spring.

amother

Bronze

Wed, Nov 20 2019, 5:00 pm

DH brings plants inside every fall and puts them back out in the spring. The bigger plants go on the floor of our eating area in the kitchen on top of cardboard to protect the floor. The smaller plants that need less light go on a folding table near the window in our den. Obviously these are only plants that are in pots already, not ones that were planted in the ground.

amother

White

Wed, Nov 20 2019, 5:14 pm

We only have one bathtub but we never use it because it's too expensive (more water than showering) . So I could use that advice Smile

FranticFrummie

Wed, Nov 20 2019, 9:48 pm

The obvious answer is to turn your spare bedroom into a greenhouse. Duh!

What do you mean you don't have a spare bedroom?

Feh, peasants. wondering

zaq

Thu, Nov 21 2019, 9:17 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

The obvious answer is to turn your spare bedroom into a greenhouse. Duh!

What do you mean you don't have a spare bedroom?

Feh, peasants. wondering

Merrymom

Thu, Nov 21 2019, 9:23 pm

I highly doubt the author means everyone reading this should do this. It's more like a suggestion if it works for you. I've heard this mentioned before and I'm an obsessive plant lover. It never crossed my mind to follow this advice, since my bathtub is used pretty much on a daily basis (never mind how many trips I'd have to make with all my plants).

Page 1 of 1