How Do You Take Care of Eucalyptus Stems in the Shower?

Here on the blog, we talk a lot about the benefits of adding eucalyptus to your shower, but sometimes it’s important to get back to the basics of the how’s as well as the why’s. After all, it’s harder to enjoy the benefits of your eucalyptus bundle if you don’t know how to take care of it. Luckily, the steps aren’t too hard! Today, we’re specifically focusing on caring for the cut eucalyptus stems in your bundle as properly nurturing this part of your bundle will lead to better health for your bundle as a whole. Read on to dive into the details of how to nourish your eucalyptus stems.

Why are the eucalyptus stems so important?

Before we get started, you may be wondering why eucalyptus stems specifically are worth focusing on in caring for the bundle as a whole. It’s a common misconception that eucalyptus bundle care should focus primarily on keeping the leaves green and therefore be accomplished by caring for the leaves themselves; however, the leaves stay green because of the care afforded to the stems. Therefore, the stems are where the health of the eucalyptus bundle is found and are vital to its longevity.

Stems are responsible for the transport of water and nutrients within the plant. The cutting at the bottom of the stem absorbs water and nutrients and moves these materials up to the leaves, promoting their green hue and overall health. Even when the cuttings are not placed in water, the stems still serve these vital functions for the remainder of their lifespan. Stems also serve to establish the structure of their branch. With unhealthy stems, you may begin to see your eucalyptus bundle wilt or grow limp prematurely.

Although the stems are not the visual focal point of a eucalyptus bundle, they fill several important roles in the continued functioning of the eucalyptus bundle and should be cared for accordingly!

How should I care for my eucalyptus stems?

Now that we have established why eucalyptus stems need to be cared for, let’s discuss what practices are best for maintaining healthy eucalyptus stems, and by extension, a healthy bundle.

Trim the stems upon receiving your bundle.

The rationale for this one isn’t too hard to understand. Trimming the stems gives your stems a fresh opening to the outside world and a new lease on life. Just like you would do with a bouquet of flowers, trimming the stems a modest amount - such as one inch - can help your eucalyptus bundle to last as long as possible. This reinvigorates the leaves and provides a fresh opening for them to intake water and nutrients through.

Cut the stems diagonally.

While trimming the stems at all will help your eucalyptus, cutting them at a diagonal will give them that extra push to health. While there’s plenty of gardening know-how behind this, take it from me that it’s just better for the stem’s anatomy to have a diagonal cut rather than a straight-across one.

eucalyptus soaking in white mug

Submerge the stems in water before installing the bundle in your shower.

This one may feel counterintuitive. After all, won’t the stems be surrounded by water once they’re in the shower? The answer is yes, but they really shouldn’t be submerged in water or else the scent of the eucalyptus leaves will get used up too quickly. However, it’s a universal fact that plants still need water. Therefore, place the stems in a cool container of water overnight before adding the bundle to your shower in order to give it the best foundation possible to last the longest in your shower. Be careful to only submerge the stems and not the entire bundle!

Hang your bundle strategically and properly.

This tip is more about the health of the entire bundle, but it applies to the stems as well. Your goal should be to hang the eucalyptus bundle out of the direct flow of water but still close enough to the shower head for the steam to release the characteristic eucalyptus fragrance. This is why many people choose to hang their bundles over the showerhead - it’s out of the direct line of water but also close to the source in order to maximize the scent.

Inspect your stems for signs of mold, growths, or other issues.

This is more of an ongoing tip, but make sure to check the stems of your eucalyptus bundle for any signs of mold, irregular growths such as fungus, or other problems. If one specific stem is having one of the above problems, you may want to trim it to avoid it spreading to the rest of the bundle. Essentially, this is part of recognizing that many problems with your plant can start with the stems; if you can start with the stems, you will have a better chance of being able to prevent losing your entire bundle to an invasive mold or fungus.

Are care practices for eucalyptus stems similar to the practice for other types of bundles?

Now that you know how to care for your eucalyptus stems, you may be wondering if you can apply this knowledge to the other bundles that Self-Care Shower offers such as lavender, rosemary, and myrtle bundles. While each plant varies, the basic stem health practices are generally advisable for most bundle situations.

The biggest tip that applies universally is to soak the stems in water before adding them to the shower. This will give them the head start that they need to thrive for as long as possible in your shower. If you’re looking for more information on dried lavender specifically, check out this informative post from a blog that focuses on lavender. As a whole, these good practices will be useful for all shower bundles!

At Self-Care Shower, we feature a variety of eucalyptus bundles perfect for hanging in your shower or bathroom area to elevate your bathing experience. We also offer combination bundles such as a lavender and eucalyptus bundle, a rosemary and eucalyptus bundle, or the classic eucalyptus bundle. The eucalyptus plant is full of benefits from reducing inflammation to bringing peace and relaxation into your life through the practice of aromatherapy and so much more. Not only will eucalyptus make your bathroom smell fresh and clean, it will provide many extra benefits and with a bit of care will last for several weeks! You can bring the winsome scent of eucalyptus into your bathroom with a Self-Care Shower eucalyptus bundle, sustainably hand-picked and grown in the United States!

Image Sources:

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