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Rooting For You!

Cultivating Student Wellness One Plant at a Time

Katie Maxfield

Wittenberg University

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Background

Campus-wide “First Six Weeks” initiative
Goal: help students connect, feel at home early
Library asked: how can we engage with what we already have?

Call for Events

The library has a lot of greenery
Need to trim overgrown plants

Overgrown Plants

Why not give away plants to promote student wellness and belonging?
Wellness theme: incorporating library’s new wellness collection

Rooting For You!

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Planning

Potting Party

Seeding the Idea

Growing Partnerships

Submitted our event for the First Six Weeks program
Email announcement to faculty & staff with call for donations (plants, cuttings, pots)

Made cuttings of library plants & donated “mother plants”
Library staff held a potting party to repot cuttings

Reached out to other wellness-focused campus offices (e.g. student counseling) to invite them to participate in the event

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Propagating Plants from Cuttings

Often faster and easier than growing plants from seed
Budget-friendly
Sustainable – reuse healthy overgrown plants rather than buying new ones
Great for community building – gardeners are often happy to share cuttings

https://mindfulofthehome.com/water-propagation-tips/

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Swedish Ivy

Spider Plant

Devil’s Backbone / Mother of Thousands

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Supplies

Plants / Cuttings

Source cuttings from gardening enthusiasts
Could also start from seed (will take more time)
Purchase branded growable planters from swag companies

Soil (potting mix or seed starter with coconut fiber)

Containers

Glass jars for propagating cuttings
Pots for planting. Get creative! Could include: plastic nursery pots, thrifted planters, mugs, solo cups, soda cans, plastic food containers
Drainage holes (with saucer) are ideal; alternatively, add a small amount of rock/gravel to bottom of container

Optional: Rooting hormone, plant labels

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For supplies, if you don’t already have plants you can take cuttings from, consider reaching out to the campus community or even local gardening groups for donations. Many people are happy to share what they have, especially if they know it's going to support student wellness. You can also supplement your supply with affordable starter plants from local nurseries or big box stores if your budget allows. Starting plants from seed is also an option, though it is more difficult and time-consuming than taking a cutting. Finally, I've found that some swag companies sell branded growable planters, if you want a simpler, all-in-one solution.

Next, you will need soil – either potting mix or a lightweight seed starter with coconut fiber.

And finally, you'll need containers. Typically you would use glass jars filled with water to put your cuttings in so they can develop roots. Then for the actual planting, you can really use anything that can hold soil. We largely used inexpensive plastic nursery pots, which you can see in the top picture; but you could also use old mugs, solo cups, plastic food containers like a large yogurt container... we had one staff person bring in a bunch of plants in La Croix cans – you can see that in the bottom picture. Ideally, planters should have a drainage hole to avoid water accumulating in the bottom, but you can also put small rocks or gravel in the bottom of a container that doesn't have holes, to keep the soil from getting soggy.

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Chalkboard sign placed outside the library

Graphic shared on social media and email

Some of our plants taking over the library conference room shortly before the event

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The Event

Tables staffed by Tiger Counseling, Weaver Chapel/Campus Ministries, & Human Resources – information & swag
Table showcasing the library’s circulating wellness collection

Light Therapy Lamp
White Noise / Sound Machine
3 different Fidget Kits

Library staff on hand to recommend plants and offer care advice

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Outcomes

Students were thrilled – some asked to adopt multiple plants
430+ plants given away in 2024
Faculty engagement – one professor offered extra credit for keeping a plant alive all semester
Requests for a sequel – “Will you do this again next year?”
Now a tradition – planning is underway for our third annual event

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Tips for Success

Leave plenty of time (for both you and your donors) to propagate plants and gather supplies

Start early!

01.

Get creative with what you have

02.

Reach out to campus wellness offices, biology department, other promotional partners

Build partnerships

03.

Spread the word early and often – social media, flyers, & event listings – but word of mouth is best of all

Promote it widely

04.

And supplement with inexpensive supplies to save money

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To wrap up, I wanted to provide a few tips for success if you want to try something like this at your own institution. First, I would really recommend starting planning early, because it takes time for plants to grow and to collect donated materials. Second, get creative with what you have - there are lots of affordable and DIY supplies that you can incorporate to keep costs low. Third, build partnerships to encourage participation across your campus and to make the event more meaningful for students. We partnered with campus wellness offices, but you could also partner with academic departments such as the biology department, or perhaps a student organization or other groups that can help promote the event. And finally, make sure students know it's happening – whether that means posting on social media, posting flyers, or promoting it alongside campus partners for additional word of mouth.

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Thanks !

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