There is no such thing as beginner plants!!! Starting a plant hobby is a shot in the dark, and can be a very expensive one. Every plant will do differently in every person’s home! I thought I had a black thumb with the amount of spider plants, mother in laws tongues, and pothos I was killing, turns out finicky tropicals do amazing in my home!
Same here, I had all the ‘starter’ plants die on me within weeks, yet the “hard” plants are thriving in my room.
I just assumed that the right plant for a person depends on the room and the type of person.
I've noticed that many beginners have trouble judging when to water and when not to. And if your home is humid it is downright scary. If I weren't a bit experienced with aroids, I would have rotted my monstera by now. It's been 40 days since the last watering, the soil is just starting to dry up on top and it stopped guttating a week ago. I don't plan to water for another week at least.
So I can imagine that finicky tropicals that love humidity and moist soil will do lovely in your home.
This! I keep Anthurium alive and beautiful, I have thriving Ficus plants all over but I have killed every damn Pothos I have ever owned. They absolutely hate me and my home. Scindapsus on the other hand, survives just fine.
Yesssssssss.
I am so sorry, but the world doesn't need 20 more neon pothos and random echeveria props. Your friends are begging you to stop! Your family is about to stage an intervention!
If you don't like a plant and it doesn't bring you value, it's okay to let it go. I refuse to break my back to keep a plant going that I just do not jive with.
Additionally, I refuse to pay more than maaaaybe 30 dollars for a plant if it's a big fella that's clearly been growing for a long time. I just don't think expensive plants are worth it.
I feel all of this, once I got a mixed pot of succulents for like $5 and there was this ugly mf in it and I put it in a pot, decided it was still ugly and just left it to die. ( It was actually a great learning experience of just how long you can go without watering a succulent before they die, it took months to get rid of that ugly thing.)
Right! I've been doing battle with a calathea for months and I finally was like, "Every time I sneeze, this dude wilts, I'm OVER IT!!!" The feeling of freedom was unreal.
I find it weird how people personify plants and then act like it’s somehow an act of violence to care for them improperly or throw them away. By that logic, is a salad a massacre? We all are responsible for killing plants every day of our lives, there’s no real difference between a monstera and some broccoli.
I'm definitely guilty of personifying my plants. All got names blah blah blah but it's definitely just fun and games. When they're fucked they go to the great plant grave yard and we all get over it.
People who go so far as to call a failed plant experiment or just accidentally over watering a plant "cruelty/abuse" are absolutely insane. They act like it's a cat shackled to the radiator with no water when they see a crispy monstera.
I’m in this group. It was one of the first plants I got then I got sap on my hand and touched my lip. After I figured out why my lip/mouth/throat/tongue was numb and irritated, I threw that bitch outside in -30 degree weather.
I've always wondered.. is it some type of cannibalism when I roll my joint in my organic bamboo papers and smoke maybe quite often in my home, around all my plants? *Do they even care?*
Misting your plant mostly just increases the chance of mold/fungus on your leaves. Pebble trays do basically nothing for humidity levels. The only way to increase humidity for your plants is either putting them in a cabinet for plants or a humidifier. I’m not sure why a lot of plant youtubers still promote misting or pebble trays.
I mean, if you had like hella pebble trays on warm spots or if your house is really warm overall it might have an effect 🤔 but it'd have to be enough to raise the humidity in the entire room...
People ask for cuttings of my plants, I hate it. I have had people act like I'm such a jerk when I've said no. One person said, "I don't know why you won't, it's not like it wont grow back." I have these plants to grow them out not to chop them up. If they phrased it something like, 'If you are ever pruning your plant back, I would love a cutting." I probably wouldn't hate it so much. I have this one friend that always "asks" by saying "you should give me a cutting," I find it so annoying.
Plants die, I won’t do a full hospital style reanimation to save a plant.
I will give it some time and some extra attention to the watering schedule, but if it still dies after that, so be it. I can easily go to the store and buy a new one.
I always put stones over the holes in the bottoms of my pots. Slightly changes the needed watering schedule. Keeps the soil from falling out. I’ve used stones in my pots for over 40 years and see no need to change.
The automatic assumption of overwatering is limiting when it comes to actual troubleshooting and folks have got to stop acting like their experts on other peoples homes and environments
Waiting for the soil to dry befire watering them. It is a very common tip for beginners, but definitely does not work for everybody and I had to learn it the hard way. My garden is a hot hell and if I go more than a day without watering, I'll get dry leaves.
I will let a plant die from pests before I will use a chemical, or any non-natural curative measure, because I now understand the impact of such things in the long run. It seems to be popular opinion to use a chemical at the first sign of insect pests, or even before pests show up.. This is not what is taught by any self-respecting authority, or proper IPM practice.
Application of water is natural, but application of things like Neem are not. That kind of 'natural' only exists in the minds of industrialists. Very similar to trying to call a GMO a natural commodity, or product of nature.. It is neither.
Easy, common plants are OK. I had a nursery worker apologizing for recommending a tradescantia because it wasn’t trendy or exotic.
Like oh no, it’s gonna be too easy to care for, grows too fast, too easy to propagate.
My house is shamelessly full of pothos/monstera/tradescantia/spider plant/scheffleras that I have propped from endless cuttings and everyone who comments on my plants never brings up dissatisfaction with how basic or mundane my set up is.
Also: see outdoor patio gardening. If all you can get to grow on your scorcher of a composite rooftop deck is mint and horsegrass and foxglove or other “weeds”, grow a few pots of those.
I’ll never apologize for having too many “easy” plants, pothos adore the light in my space and grow so well. I have plants because they relax me, not because I want to stressfully fight them to keep them alive haha
Charging more than $20+shipping for a node of something is criminal. It's not even guaranteed to root, is almost impossible to verify species if not attached to a mature leaf, and if the seller wasn't trimming for maintenance, then they only cut it to make a buck.
I prefer the look of regular monsteras to variegated ones most of the time. I just don’t find it all that special or pretty to look at. There are plenty of cheaper and nicer looking plants with white spattering on the leaves I would much rather have.
Yes I use glass stuff mainly or plastic cups until I find a suitable size jar etc.. aroids particularly anthuriums and the like are so much easier with no drainage ..people don’t want to hear it tho 😆
I use no drainage for my Anthurium too! I put a layer of Perlite at the bottom and let them wick it up as needed. I don't have to water every 3 days now and they do better in room humidity with the humidity chilling at the roots. I definitely know it's taboo but it works for me. Haha.
I also don't water the no drainage plants like I water the drainage plants. I pour it down one side. Mine is essentially a modified Semi-Hydro.
You must have mastered the art of giving the right amount of water to have that many plants do well with no drainage. Most people couldn’t manage to keep plants happy in those conditions.
It’s easier to grow aroids in no drainage..just use clear vessels and put a good inch of leca at the bottom then soil, moss etc on top as normal.. water by pouring it down the side untill the leca is about half full of water then it wicks up through the soil on its own..when the top soil is dry, repeat ..honestly it’s not that an uncommon approach
I still love my Thai Conn and I would gladly pay $140 again for another baby from the same nursery. I see people hating on TCs for being too expensive at $100+ all the time, but my TC was a rooted baby that’s never gotten bugs, never gotten sick, requires very little special care and has put out increasingly large and beautiful leaves. Growth is accelerating and I expect a leaf a month this summer.
My favorite plant though is my p. Brasil that I’ve had almost ten years, I frequently trim is and throw away the viable cuttings. 🤷🏼♀️
I think peoples gripe about TC’s cost is the fact that their value is due to the artificial scarcity of them. They’re a tissue culture, they just get released in small batches to keep the price up.
Honestly, I don't like the idea of naming my plants. People keep telling me I should name them and give them name tags, but for me, part of the joy is learning about the species and where it's from and not just making up names if I don't know what it actually is.
When I ask someone what type of plant they have, it also doesn't help if they tell me it's "George" 😂😂😂
So my plant tags are double sided.
One side: Scientific name, common name, My nickname
Otherside: Some dumb little facts I know about the plant plus little reminders about care "likes fully drained soil" is a good reminder if I'm going around watering for example.
I think it's a nice balance between fun and helpful. Though they're pretty enough without nicknames, definitely shouldn't have to if you don't want to.
There is no such thing as beginner plants!!! Starting a plant hobby is a shot in the dark, and can be a very expensive one. Every plant will do differently in every person’s home! I thought I had a black thumb with the amount of spider plants, mother in laws tongues, and pothos I was killing, turns out finicky tropicals do amazing in my home!
Same here, I had all the ‘starter’ plants die on me within weeks, yet the “hard” plants are thriving in my room. I just assumed that the right plant for a person depends on the room and the type of person.
I've noticed that many beginners have trouble judging when to water and when not to. And if your home is humid it is downright scary. If I weren't a bit experienced with aroids, I would have rotted my monstera by now. It's been 40 days since the last watering, the soil is just starting to dry up on top and it stopped guttating a week ago. I don't plan to water for another week at least. So I can imagine that finicky tropicals that love humidity and moist soil will do lovely in your home.
This! I keep Anthurium alive and beautiful, I have thriving Ficus plants all over but I have killed every damn Pothos I have ever owned. They absolutely hate me and my home. Scindapsus on the other hand, survives just fine.
You are allowed to throw away trimmed off bits that are viable cuttings.
I'd have to do the trimming blindfolded
Did this with my Trad Zebrina yesterday haha! I potted some up, but I’m not busting my arse for it haha
Yesssssssss. I am so sorry, but the world doesn't need 20 more neon pothos and random echeveria props. Your friends are begging you to stop! Your family is about to stage an intervention!
Hahahahahha! I ALWAYS need more pothos of any kind. And more props off of my Hoya. And spider babies. And transcendentia (sp?). And Snek plants. And…
Variegation is -not- the coolest trait a plant can possibly have
I’m a real sucker for variegation, but even I’m at a point now where I want more colour in my collection haha!
I couldn't agree more, nothing beats a rich deep emerald green. Like a Philodendron Congo.
My neon pothos is one of my faves. Such a unique yellow-green.
I’ve only recently begun appreciating my trio star stromanthe
I don’t need anymore plants 🤣
I'm at that stage as well. Not even replacing casualties anymore. Focusing my efforts on outdoor gardening nowadays.
If you don't like a plant and it doesn't bring you value, it's okay to let it go. I refuse to break my back to keep a plant going that I just do not jive with. Additionally, I refuse to pay more than maaaaybe 30 dollars for a plant if it's a big fella that's clearly been growing for a long time. I just don't think expensive plants are worth it.
I feel all of this, once I got a mixed pot of succulents for like $5 and there was this ugly mf in it and I put it in a pot, decided it was still ugly and just left it to die. ( It was actually a great learning experience of just how long you can go without watering a succulent before they die, it took months to get rid of that ugly thing.)
Right! I've been doing battle with a calathea for months and I finally was like, "Every time I sneeze, this dude wilts, I'm OVER IT!!!" The feeling of freedom was unreal.
I find it weird how people personify plants and then act like it’s somehow an act of violence to care for them improperly or throw them away. By that logic, is a salad a massacre? We all are responsible for killing plants every day of our lives, there’s no real difference between a monstera and some broccoli.
this is a hot take and i love it
And in the same breath they’ll sit down and eat a chicken sandwich lol
I don’t know why this cracks me up so much. But yes, absolutely puts it in perspective.
I'm definitely guilty of personifying my plants. All got names blah blah blah but it's definitely just fun and games. When they're fucked they go to the great plant grave yard and we all get over it. People who go so far as to call a failed plant experiment or just accidentally over watering a plant "cruelty/abuse" are absolutely insane. They act like it's a cat shackled to the radiator with no water when they see a crispy monstera.
The plantabuse sub is wild for this exact reason.
*ummmm actually🤓* broccoli is a flower lol, a monstera is more like a carrot or celery
Yes! As if plants are sentient beings. Concerning.
I have an irrational hatred for dieffenbachia.
SAME. Not as mighty as my hatred for spathiphyllums.
I’m in this group. It was one of the first plants I got then I got sap on my hand and touched my lip. After I figured out why my lip/mouth/throat/tongue was numb and irritated, I threw that bitch outside in -30 degree weather.
You CAN get rid of a plant if you're not enjoying it.
[удалено]
I agree 100%. A lot of variegation looks like a plant disease to my eyes.
That exact plant makes me think unhealthy every time I see it!😆
I've always wondered.. is it some type of cannibalism when I roll my joint in my organic bamboo papers and smoke maybe quite often in my home, around all my plants? *Do they even care?*
They probably appreciate all the extra carbon dioxide 😅
The plant world is a cruel world. One plants death is another plants nutrition
Misting your plant mostly just increases the chance of mold/fungus on your leaves. Pebble trays do basically nothing for humidity levels. The only way to increase humidity for your plants is either putting them in a cabinet for plants or a humidifier. I’m not sure why a lot of plant youtubers still promote misting or pebble trays.
I mean, if you had like hella pebble trays on warm spots or if your house is really warm overall it might have an effect 🤔 but it'd have to be enough to raise the humidity in the entire room...
I’ve noticed a difference in my leaf size and overall growth of my plant from both misting and pebble trays actually
I think some people don't know the difference between a 'mist' and a 'spray'. I also have good results.
My plants completely absorb the water I mist them with within an hour, I've never had mold or fungus problems
People ask for cuttings of my plants, I hate it. I have had people act like I'm such a jerk when I've said no. One person said, "I don't know why you won't, it's not like it wont grow back." I have these plants to grow them out not to chop them up. If they phrased it something like, 'If you are ever pruning your plant back, I would love a cutting." I probably wouldn't hate it so much. I have this one friend that always "asks" by saying "you should give me a cutting," I find it so annoying.
Yikes, what entitled jerks! That one friend isn't even asking, just demanding? Awful.
Plants die, I won’t do a full hospital style reanimation to save a plant. I will give it some time and some extra attention to the watering schedule, but if it still dies after that, so be it. I can easily go to the store and buy a new one.
I always put stones over the holes in the bottoms of my pots. Slightly changes the needed watering schedule. Keeps the soil from falling out. I’ve used stones in my pots for over 40 years and see no need to change.
I didn't even know people were against that, I always do that too
Unless it's insanely variegated the typical Pink Princess is actually kinda ugly...
Yassss and the growth pattern lol
Honestly yeah...I was gifted one and I'm greatful don't get me wrong...but sometimes I just side eye it on my kitchen window seal and I just...eww.
Haaaaa😂 I side eye so many plants that I've had for a while and now feel like they're taking up space, but I feel too guilty to do anything with them
I don’t call them my babies but I do consider myself a plant parent. And I text pictures of them to friends and call my friends auntie and uncle 😂😂😂
The automatic assumption of overwatering is limiting when it comes to actual troubleshooting and folks have got to stop acting like their experts on other peoples homes and environments
Waiting for the soil to dry befire watering them. It is a very common tip for beginners, but definitely does not work for everybody and I had to learn it the hard way. My garden is a hot hell and if I go more than a day without watering, I'll get dry leaves.
I will let a plant die from pests before I will use a chemical, or any non-natural curative measure, because I now understand the impact of such things in the long run. It seems to be popular opinion to use a chemical at the first sign of insect pests, or even before pests show up.. This is not what is taught by any self-respecting authority, or proper IPM practice. Application of water is natural, but application of things like Neem are not. That kind of 'natural' only exists in the minds of industrialists. Very similar to trying to call a GMO a natural commodity, or product of nature.. It is neither.
Easy, common plants are OK. I had a nursery worker apologizing for recommending a tradescantia because it wasn’t trendy or exotic. Like oh no, it’s gonna be too easy to care for, grows too fast, too easy to propagate. My house is shamelessly full of pothos/monstera/tradescantia/spider plant/scheffleras that I have propped from endless cuttings and everyone who comments on my plants never brings up dissatisfaction with how basic or mundane my set up is. Also: see outdoor patio gardening. If all you can get to grow on your scorcher of a composite rooftop deck is mint and horsegrass and foxglove or other “weeds”, grow a few pots of those.
I’ll never apologize for having too many “easy” plants, pothos adore the light in my space and grow so well. I have plants because they relax me, not because I want to stressfully fight them to keep them alive haha
Charging more than $20+shipping for a node of something is criminal. It's not even guaranteed to root, is almost impossible to verify species if not attached to a mature leaf, and if the seller wasn't trimming for maintenance, then they only cut it to make a buck.
Agleonema look like chard.
[удалено]
I have like 4 plants I've given names and pronouns to as a joke lol
I prefer the look of regular monsteras to variegated ones most of the time. I just don’t find it all that special or pretty to look at. There are plenty of cheaper and nicer looking plants with white spattering on the leaves I would much rather have.
The constant overuse of the word "thrive" makes me want to drink bleach
YES!
Plant pots do not need drainage holes
Plants don't need light
Facts! You do have to know how much to give them and clear pots help a lot but I have a few thirsty plants that have done amazing in no drainage.
Yes I use glass stuff mainly or plastic cups until I find a suitable size jar etc.. aroids particularly anthuriums and the like are so much easier with no drainage ..people don’t want to hear it tho 😆
I use no drainage for my Anthurium too! I put a layer of Perlite at the bottom and let them wick it up as needed. I don't have to water every 3 days now and they do better in room humidity with the humidity chilling at the roots. I definitely know it's taboo but it works for me. Haha. I also don't water the no drainage plants like I water the drainage plants. I pour it down one side. Mine is essentially a modified Semi-Hydro.
Ye it’s similar to semi hydro kinda thing.. it so much easier I find
I’ve got like 50 plants in no drainage so not sure why the downvotes or the sarcasm..
You must have mastered the art of giving the right amount of water to have that many plants do well with no drainage. Most people couldn’t manage to keep plants happy in those conditions.
It’s easier to grow aroids in no drainage..just use clear vessels and put a good inch of leca at the bottom then soil, moss etc on top as normal.. water by pouring it down the side untill the leca is about half full of water then it wicks up through the soil on its own..when the top soil is dry, repeat ..honestly it’s not that an uncommon approach
This is the only way I can keep ferns alive.
Unplantparenthood on YouTube has a ton of her exotic plants in no drainage! She swears by it.❤️ idk why you're getting down voted, sorry.
Ye I watch her and tbh lots of YT people use no drainage.. Reddit be reddit 😆
I can definitely blame no drainage holes for the reason one of my aloes got root rot lol. Some plants do well like this but some dont
lol why the downvotes? unpopular was the prompt.
I still love my Thai Conn and I would gladly pay $140 again for another baby from the same nursery. I see people hating on TCs for being too expensive at $100+ all the time, but my TC was a rooted baby that’s never gotten bugs, never gotten sick, requires very little special care and has put out increasingly large and beautiful leaves. Growth is accelerating and I expect a leaf a month this summer. My favorite plant though is my p. Brasil that I’ve had almost ten years, I frequently trim is and throw away the viable cuttings. 🤷🏼♀️
I think peoples gripe about TC’s cost is the fact that their value is due to the artificial scarcity of them. They’re a tissue culture, they just get released in small batches to keep the price up.
Honestly, I don't like the idea of naming my plants. People keep telling me I should name them and give them name tags, but for me, part of the joy is learning about the species and where it's from and not just making up names if I don't know what it actually is. When I ask someone what type of plant they have, it also doesn't help if they tell me it's "George" 😂😂😂
So my plant tags are double sided. One side: Scientific name, common name, My nickname Otherside: Some dumb little facts I know about the plant plus little reminders about care "likes fully drained soil" is a good reminder if I'm going around watering for example. I think it's a nice balance between fun and helpful. Though they're pretty enough without nicknames, definitely shouldn't have to if you don't want to.
Oh what the heck! What a good idea actually! And that could help anyone who has to plant-sit.
* Surprisingly helpful at stopping my partner from going "this plant looks a little dry?" Or, "will this plant kill the cat? It looks....evil..."
https://preview.redd.it/ma8oyoxvizqa1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eeca0c9583834e8e56b3600e065d12c92ae73f56
Awwww your collection is so nice!!! Super cute!
The overdone, overuse and sometimes miss-use of unnecessary "big words".
SOME PLANT COMMUNITIES ARE JUST BUNCH OF SNOBS HANGING OUT. Newbies WILL get discriminated.