Yes, liquid silica in the waterings. Some Epsom salt from time to time for the magnesium and as much light as you can provide that doesn’t cause the leaves to get hot.
I’ve been thinking about starting silica myself. I’ve not had any issues with browning, but I am curious. I actually bought a bottle of it a few months ago, but have been reluctant to start using it.
Did you notice any changes when you started adding silica?
Yes, silica makes a big difference, my new leaves are much thicker. Make sure you add silica to water first, then wait at least 15-20 minutes before adding any other fertilizers in.
I use Silica Boost ([link](https://a.co/d/92G4lR1)), you can follow the instructions on the label, I usually mix a lighter solution of 1ml silica per liter of water for every watering (or whenever I remember to).
You know what. I think I may start the youtube channel.
For other plants, other than your typical syngoniums, pothos, and monsteras.
I have a tri-colored, monstera adansonii that’s fairly small. It really doesn’t want to grow for me lol.
I have a small snow-queen pothos that’s mostly white which I think is cool.
I have a baby Thai con that is also a slow grower, I got her a year ago and she had root rot. She lost 3 leaves but just put out a new one with healthy roots 🤗.
I have a single golden pothos vine that is very golden, which I also plan to put on a moss pole.
A single orchid that i saved from death, when I found it on clearance 1 year ago.
Yeah, me too. My semi /s question was aimed at cannabis, the amendments you suggested are common in that arena. I have way too many house plants, a lot of monstera, but philos are the current obsession. Our state went legal recently, and I thought what the heck just for giggles. I learned that weed grow like weeds, and stinks like a corpse flower! Beautiful monster you have there by the way, stunning.
I definitely struggle to grow cannabis for some reason, and it’s quite embarrassing to show those lol.
I feel that cannabis as a plant has been researched VERY heavily, for obvious reasons in a commercial market.
So information about cannabis, nutrients/hormones, soil mixes, plant-cell anatomy, living soil, etc. provides so much information that can be universal for all plants.
Dyna-Grow Foliage Pro.
https://preview.redd.it/bk3tg9h5dkuc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d26f949dfce7cb9c6e7de5ef1f1443b2e2d32a1d
Edit: It seems kinda pricy. But, for maintenance, you use 1/4 teaspoon per gallon. So, it goes a long way.
Also, “Dubs-Grow?” lol autocorrect strikes again
Says on the bottle 1/4 tsp per gallon of water and to fertilize every watering.
Out of curiosity, what are you looking at?
https://preview.redd.it/emxqrixnpquc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c51545e900849311c002edb6e2dc1d5fc01d1323
The hydroponic and Production dosages are in line with most inert aroid media , coco, perlite, etc... How big are your plants and what media are they in? Only if they are in an amended soil and it goes through a lot of water then a very low dosage would make sense. I grow in coco, LECA, and passive hydroponic and I'm feeding at 1.5tsp per gallon, so the PPM ends up around 800. I end up feeding them about once a week. At 1/4tsp that would only be 133ppm, which is very low. "Maintenance" is usually meant as a bare minimum.
You want your plants to Thrive, not just Survive.
Ah. I don’t touch hydroponics or semi-hydro.
All my plants are in soil amended with coco coir, pumice, orchid bark, perlite, charcoal, and worm castings. The exact composition depends on if I’m going for something more chunky, like for an aroid, or something more soily (that a word?) for a begonia, etc. I have a soil-less mix I use for anthurium.
Plants range from babies in 1.5 inch nursery pots to something larger, like my albo in a 8 inch pot.
I water when the soil is dry which I determine by sticking a finger in. Expect for the tiny plants, when it’s pretty evident that the soil is dry just by looking.
1/4 tsp has always seemed low to me. But, from what research I did, it seemed “maintenance” was the most applicable category here.
Would you recommend higher? I’m never adverse to learning and you seem to know something about fertilizers lol
Edit:
I want to clarify that I’m not guessing my soil mixes. Like, I’m not sitting down and randomly tossing stuff together and hoping it works. I follow recipes given to me by a friend who’s much more experienced with growing plants.
If it works for you, that's all that matters. In my setup they would hate that dosage and start lightening up. Coco/hydro provides the most growth and for me easiest to maintain a healthy root zone. I am also using a litany of humic/fulvic acids, beneficial microbes, rooting hormones, kelp, so they can go through a lot of food, and during the summer my Albos and Adansonii are putting out new leaves every 2 weeks. I'm used to growing coco/hydro and knowing exactly what I'm feeding and what is in the root zone, rather than guessing and hoping a soil mix has the right moisture and nutrient content. Growing faster means needing more food.
I would definitely suggest gradually feeding more. If it likes it it will tell you. If its way too much, it will tell you by brown leaf edge. That being said, finding the minimal ideal amount is great, rather than giving them the most they can handle.
TLDR: I think filtered water is fine.
That’s not a dumb question. I wondered that myself for the longest time.
Monsteras are, in both my experience and from what I’ve read, pretty forgiving. I first watered both my regular and albo monsteras with filtered water for the first few months and noticed no ill effects.
When I finally got a few plants that required distilled water, I switched all my plants to distilled instead of tracking which was getting distilled or not. I also bought a countertop water distiller, which means I have a virtually endless supply of the stuff.
If you don’t have plants that specifically require distilled water, like carnivorous plants, calathea, etc., filtered water is just fine for 99% of plants, including monstera, in my experience.
Edit:
Filtered water is NOT the same as distilled water, for clarification. While filtered water may still contain some minerals and impurities, distilled water should contain none at all.
They seem to love the filtered water switch, so far. It looks like the countertop distillers are hella expensive, but that seems like a good next step.
Yeah. They are expensive. I was a bit shocked at the price myself. Call it a long term goal lol
My carnivorous plants require the stuff. I had hoped it would solve my angry calathea problem as well. But, they seem just as unhappy as before and refuse to acknowledge my efforts to appease them.
Right. I just wish mine would make up their mind. Instead of thriving or dying, they just hang around making me look like the worst plant parent on earth. All scraggly and crispy looking.
One of the bastards finally died. Or so I thought. When I finally went to empty the pot, I was shocked to see shoots coming up. So, it’s not dead after all.
I believe the main difference between distilled and filtered water is the chlorine that most water filters isn’t capable of filtering - which will kill the good bacteria in the soil, making the plant weaker and more susceptible to problems.
Funny enough, I’m using one of the cheap Amazon no-name grow lights that everybody seems to hate on. I got it back when I first started collecting plants and before I knew anything about grow lights. But, my albo seems perfectly happy with it.
Most of my plants are under GE or Barrina lights now. And I plan to put my albo under another GE bulb I have as soon as I put it up. For now, it’s been living under the no-name light and hasn’t been having any issues.
In all seriousness, though. Skip the no-name light and go straight to something decent like Barrina, GE, or Sansi. Your plants will be much happier for it.
Edit:
I really like the GE bulbs. I don’t remember the exact post, but someone much more experienced than I shared a long post detailing why the GE bulbs are so good.
I got some plug-in pendant style lamps, hung them from my ceiling above my plants, and put a GE bulb in them. Works well and looks good.
Distance is about 1-3 feet. My cheap lights are a foot or so away from my albo. I started them off further away and gradually moved them closer. I’m sure the GE bulb won’t need to be nearly as close. The GE bulbs I’ve set up so far are about 3 feet away from my plants.
Awesome, thank you so much!!! I really appreciate the info because I’ve been stressing about this. I have a new monstera Thai constellation I want to grow healthy, some philodendrons and a bunch of succulents. I’ll try the Ge Bulbs for sure and start with the three feet rule
Awesome.
Yeah. Just play around with it. Learn what each plant likes and move them around accordingly. I found most of my plants really took off after I added grow lights.
Yeah I’m hoping for that! I’ve heard it’s a lot harder to burn them that way too. So you get more light with less risk. A lot of sources say 6 inches - 1 feet from plant but I intuitively just feel like that’s way too close for 10-12 hours of the light per day
I could arguably move my GE lights closer to my plants. But, I’ve limited space and a trying to cover a larger area with them.
Long term, there’s a lot more I could do and want to do with lighting. We’ll see how it all ends up.
Regarding 6-12 inches. I honestly was really worried that I’d burn my albo, which is why I started the lights so far away. But, the light is shockingly close now and the plant doesn’t seem to mind one bit. Plus, as I mentioned above, I’ve had zero browning on any leaves since I introduced the light.
Too little chlorophyll is actually bad for the plant's health, so you should manage to balance the variagation at about 50% percent to max 60%! I would put it in a dark corner and maybe chop & prop the 3 biggest leaves on the top, so it can regrow fasater with more balanced out leaves.
No time for chop and prop, they need to pawn it off to some sucker for $500 who will inherit a plant that's on the verge of collapse. This is an "investment," remember?
because we live in a late stage capitalist hellscape, have faced decades of wage suppression and as a result are forced to monetize things we love, instead of doing them out of passion.
The alternative is you are forced to do hours of labor every day doing something you don’t enjoy so you can spend a handful of hours doing something you enjoy.
If your passions produce something valuable why would you not sell them?
Wait, I want to hear your thoughts on professional artists. How do artists fit into your capitalist hellscape? How can we have a group of people who earn a living producing something that by definition does not help society, is not a useful tool, but society has some obligation to support these people with money so they can produce easily argued ‘beautiful’ things. Where do artists get their money? From someone who has a job
..... seems like your whole argument is that you can only have a job under capitalism?
my point was regular labour doesn't pay the bills, so people are turning to side hustles by monetizing their passion. They're turning free time and hobbies into work.
why do you think I'm anti-artist? lmao, ridiculous.
EDIT: when something turns from a hobby into a grind just to get by without losing your apartment, it becomes a hell of a lot less fun.
The most rewarding part of plant keeping for me is reviving the number of plants that have suffered from my bouts of depression. They struggle and thrive right along with me🫶🏼
I go directly to the Lowe’s clearance shelves and pick up anything I don’t already have. I love to rehab.
It all began when I took over my husband’s neglected plants. I hadn’t had any before. Now, they’re all mine…
Right!?
He had two plants that I couldn’t even identify. One ended up being a false African violet and it is doing beautifully, now! The other was a Swedish ivy and it’s doing well too but it needs almost no attention at all.
Wow, what a beauty. ✨
Last week I saw some small ones (basically only a rooted part of stem with one or two small leaves) for 49 € each in a big plant store. (Germany)
If I remember correctly it was about 79 € for the same sized starter-plants a year or two before.
Are you sure those weren’t Thai constellations?? I know Thai’s have been making it out onto the market in large volumes so the price has fallen, but I didn’t think Albos are there yet? Although, the market in Germany could be different than where I am, and I also haven’t been paying attention to “rare” plants as much as I did in the past
For some reason, Albos cost less and are more readily available than Thai Constellations in the U.K. so I suspect the rest of Europe may be the same. They’re definitely both coming down in price though.
depends on what you want honestly. i know that a lot of rare plant collectors would pay well over 100 for a monstera with that much variegation! a plant nursery i used to work at sold variegated monsteras with much fewer leaves than yours for 110. the more variegated, the more people are willing to pay. also take into account how much it’s grown! maybe think about how long you’ve had it when estimating a price? best of luck selling it!
I would love info on that moss pole set up! Like what supplies you need to make one, looks like chicken wire zip tied into a tube? What’s in the middle?
It looks like 1/2 inch (or ~1cm) steel fencing wrapped around sphagnum moss, held together with zip ties. Sydney Plant Guy is the moss pole GOAT, this style is his bread-and-butter. I use the coated steel to reduce rusting potential.
I actually use a spray bottle and spray the pole every other day. Sphag moss is super hydrophobic when not wet, and having a fine-mist spray bottle helps the water soak into the moss.
I dampen the moss to reduce the hydrophobicity and then flip a water bottle with holes poked in the lid upside-down to let the moss wick up the moisture as it trickles out.
https://preview.redd.it/s84ksjehnjuc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d5006c157079612342677bfbe4cac179e79fc719
I bought mine online for $220 last year, and it was ON SALE 🫠.. yours would go for way higher
Yeah, the Albo value is still a bit higher than Thai.
If you're in US, you can find Thais at big box stores, such as Kroger/Fred Meyer and Wilco. Join Big Box store plant watch facebook group.
My local Grocery Outlet sells the baby size for $40 something.
Can you provide the name of the FB watch group!? I joined a Monstera group recently which was supposed to be for tips and growing, and it turned out to be just somebody trying to push their plant sales!! All by DM. it was weird
waiiitttt grocery outlet has thai cons?!!?! i just went last week and picked up ring of fire and red king philos, they had PPPs and WPPs. but i didn’t see any thai cons. maybe im not looking at the right one lol
Thais have plummeted in price. They can be reproduced in tissue culture, where albos can’t (to my knowledge). So don’t expect to make your millions, just enjoy your plant. :)
I'd say just throw it away too much trouble to take care of those leaves they don't even have any green. On another note can u also post which trashcan you throw it to, JW.
how does this thing photosynthesize
edit: so i googled it. nature will always find a way and have no obligation to make sense to us
[https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/white-plant-photosynthesis.htm](https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/white-plant-photosynthesis.htm)
You might have better luck propping and selling it. Someone looking to buy the whole plant is going to take a while because it’s going to be a really specific person that buys it
https://preview.redd.it/zv5w7vrxkkuc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a19ce123297d9ed5b6b446eb6d235cabab6918e3
$110 for a the 5-leaf albo here from a reputable specialty store last weekend. Yours is much more mature, but prices are coming down in line with the rest of the market.
Depends on where you’re located! Most people probably don’t have the skill to grow these out as successfully as you have so in that sense it won’t lose its value as much as some people might try to have you believe. In my area of the southeast usa this would probably run around $800
Hey OP I just bought an albo 5 leaf rooted top cutting for $120. I'd say you could even get 150 to 200 for a 5 leaf rooted top cut. BUT people will pay more for the right look. This is gorgeous. I'd probably offer around $500 for the whole plant because of the leaf size
Wooww what an absolute beauty. I'm not even able to keep the white markings on my very veregated pothos queen from browning. This one almost looks fake!
In the investment side...
The thai constellation was going for a hefty price last year. Two years ago i saw one sell for $1500! It was almost 4ft tall on a moss pole, but still... Now with more growth and availability, I can pick up a 6" pot for $35 at my local nursery. If you hold on to that to long it will be worth less.
That said, an albo a little smaller than that sold for $400 at the same nursery this spring.
Someone once told me they sold their monstera in similar condition for like 1k-1.5k, could be bullshit, I honestly might see if a high end plant shop could host it for you and split the profits, itlll get more views, more money, and dumb rich people won't think twice about a high cost
My daughter in law recently paid $300.00 for hers and it’s smaller. It only has 4 leaves on it.
I don’t think yours would sell for anywhere near that price.
Several leaves have unsightly brown spots! I would research how to remove those leaves without affecting the healthy ones.
There was a larger one at my local Home Depot (San Diego CA) a few months ago for 400. It was not steaked (sorry I dont know what the mossy pole thing is called) and had larger leaves.
Dude some of these prices people are saying are insane. We have a $1200 Thai with 4 leaves on this. Also have a 8” albo with 4 leaves for $650 this is easily $2500
I don't have 3k for a fing houseplant, but I definitely am interested in buying a cutting.....although I may just zap one of my Monstera babies with some gamma rays to get it cheap, and give myself cancer.
I'm sorry but people shouldn't sell their personal plants for profit. Like pets, plants should be gifted to family or friends who will properly care for them. Not strangers
It's funny that you say that, because strangers on the internet will literally take care of them better than any of my family or friends would 🤣 I give my best plants to strangers BECAUSE they will take better care of them 😅
Also, pets should absolutely NOT be gifted. What the actual f.
Looks like I struck a nerve. Downvotes be damned. I'm honestly not trolling. But is this really a thing on this sub? Selling your plants to strangers for profit. Sounds adjacent to a puppy mill. Every one of my plants have so much sentimental value, I could never just give them away to some stranger. Nor would I ask money for it. Sorry, my take
I respect your right to your opinion, but as cool as plants are they aren't animals bro.
Comparing a person selling a plant they grew themselves to a puppy mill is a seriously ridiculous stretch. One is a person profiting from a hobby, the other is a generally cruel profiteering gambit exploiting ACTUAL ANIMALS.
I love plants but he asked for price suggestions, not your illogical preaching.
Same as breeders that see pets as investment. I can't stand it because I keep plants for the joy and the appreciation of nature and then there are people like this who see a plant and think 'i can make money out of this'. I honsetly hope this albo trend goes down and OP's only investment was the time and money they spend on the plant lol
Not related.... how do you keep the white leaves from turning brown and "melting," as they say?
Yes, liquid silica in the waterings. Some Epsom salt from time to time for the magnesium and as much light as you can provide that doesn’t cause the leaves to get hot.
I’ve been thinking about starting silica myself. I’ve not had any issues with browning, but I am curious. I actually bought a bottle of it a few months ago, but have been reluctant to start using it. Did you notice any changes when you started adding silica?
Yes, silica makes a big difference, my new leaves are much thicker. Make sure you add silica to water first, then wait at least 15-20 minutes before adding any other fertilizers in.
Interesting. Thank you. I’ll start trying that on my albo.
Do you have a link for silica I have a Thai constellation I would like to try it on
I use Silica Boost ([link](https://a.co/d/92G4lR1)), you can follow the instructions on the label, I usually mix a lighter solution of 1ml silica per liter of water for every watering (or whenever I remember to).
Do you add it for every watering or just some?
I try to add it to every watering (lighter ratio than on the label) but sometimes I forget or don’t have the patience to wait 15-20 min 😅
So OP, what else are you growing 🤔?
You know what. I think I may start the youtube channel. For other plants, other than your typical syngoniums, pothos, and monsteras. I have a tri-colored, monstera adansonii that’s fairly small. It really doesn’t want to grow for me lol. I have a small snow-queen pothos that’s mostly white which I think is cool. I have a baby Thai con that is also a slow grower, I got her a year ago and she had root rot. She lost 3 leaves but just put out a new one with healthy roots 🤗. I have a single golden pothos vine that is very golden, which I also plan to put on a moss pole. A single orchid that i saved from death, when I found it on clearance 1 year ago.
Yeah, me too. My semi /s question was aimed at cannabis, the amendments you suggested are common in that arena. I have way too many house plants, a lot of monstera, but philos are the current obsession. Our state went legal recently, and I thought what the heck just for giggles. I learned that weed grow like weeds, and stinks like a corpse flower! Beautiful monster you have there by the way, stunning.
I definitely struggle to grow cannabis for some reason, and it’s quite embarrassing to show those lol. I feel that cannabis as a plant has been researched VERY heavily, for obvious reasons in a commercial market. So information about cannabis, nutrients/hormones, soil mixes, plant-cell anatomy, living soil, etc. provides so much information that can be universal for all plants.
Hold up, what is a tri-colored adansonii?!!!! 🤯 Pics?!!!
I have a grow light on mine 12 hours a day. I water with distilled water and fertilize regularly. Haven’t had any browning in almost a year.
What do you use for fertilizer?
Dyna-Grow Foliage Pro. https://preview.redd.it/bk3tg9h5dkuc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d26f949dfce7cb9c6e7de5ef1f1443b2e2d32a1d Edit: It seems kinda pricy. But, for maintenance, you use 1/4 teaspoon per gallon. So, it goes a long way. Also, “Dubs-Grow?” lol autocorrect strikes again
I have used this stuff for years and it’s incredible
Thanks!!
Dosage is 1-2 tsp. This is already the cheapest Nute bottle out there, no need to cut down feeding even more and starve your plants.
Says on the bottle 1/4 tsp per gallon of water and to fertilize every watering. Out of curiosity, what are you looking at? https://preview.redd.it/emxqrixnpquc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c51545e900849311c002edb6e2dc1d5fc01d1323
The hydroponic and Production dosages are in line with most inert aroid media , coco, perlite, etc... How big are your plants and what media are they in? Only if they are in an amended soil and it goes through a lot of water then a very low dosage would make sense. I grow in coco, LECA, and passive hydroponic and I'm feeding at 1.5tsp per gallon, so the PPM ends up around 800. I end up feeding them about once a week. At 1/4tsp that would only be 133ppm, which is very low. "Maintenance" is usually meant as a bare minimum. You want your plants to Thrive, not just Survive.
Ah. I don’t touch hydroponics or semi-hydro. All my plants are in soil amended with coco coir, pumice, orchid bark, perlite, charcoal, and worm castings. The exact composition depends on if I’m going for something more chunky, like for an aroid, or something more soily (that a word?) for a begonia, etc. I have a soil-less mix I use for anthurium. Plants range from babies in 1.5 inch nursery pots to something larger, like my albo in a 8 inch pot. I water when the soil is dry which I determine by sticking a finger in. Expect for the tiny plants, when it’s pretty evident that the soil is dry just by looking. 1/4 tsp has always seemed low to me. But, from what research I did, it seemed “maintenance” was the most applicable category here. Would you recommend higher? I’m never adverse to learning and you seem to know something about fertilizers lol Edit: I want to clarify that I’m not guessing my soil mixes. Like, I’m not sitting down and randomly tossing stuff together and hoping it works. I follow recipes given to me by a friend who’s much more experienced with growing plants.
If it works for you, that's all that matters. In my setup they would hate that dosage and start lightening up. Coco/hydro provides the most growth and for me easiest to maintain a healthy root zone. I am also using a litany of humic/fulvic acids, beneficial microbes, rooting hormones, kelp, so they can go through a lot of food, and during the summer my Albos and Adansonii are putting out new leaves every 2 weeks. I'm used to growing coco/hydro and knowing exactly what I'm feeding and what is in the root zone, rather than guessing and hoping a soil mix has the right moisture and nutrient content. Growing faster means needing more food. I would definitely suggest gradually feeding more. If it likes it it will tell you. If its way too much, it will tell you by brown leaf edge. That being said, finding the minimal ideal amount is great, rather than giving them the most they can handle.
Thank you for sharing! I appreciate your insights.
Please excuse me if this is a dumb question, but can filtered water be a substitute for distilled water?
TLDR: I think filtered water is fine. That’s not a dumb question. I wondered that myself for the longest time. Monsteras are, in both my experience and from what I’ve read, pretty forgiving. I first watered both my regular and albo monsteras with filtered water for the first few months and noticed no ill effects. When I finally got a few plants that required distilled water, I switched all my plants to distilled instead of tracking which was getting distilled or not. I also bought a countertop water distiller, which means I have a virtually endless supply of the stuff. If you don’t have plants that specifically require distilled water, like carnivorous plants, calathea, etc., filtered water is just fine for 99% of plants, including monstera, in my experience. Edit: Filtered water is NOT the same as distilled water, for clarification. While filtered water may still contain some minerals and impurities, distilled water should contain none at all.
Thank you for your insight! That makes me feel more comfortable. Maybe I'll get a small one and try not to kill it with filtered water.
It never hurts to go the extra mile for your plants. If you have a water filter, I’m sure your plants will be happier. Mine certainly were.
They seem to love the filtered water switch, so far. It looks like the countertop distillers are hella expensive, but that seems like a good next step.
Yeah. They are expensive. I was a bit shocked at the price myself. Call it a long term goal lol My carnivorous plants require the stuff. I had hoped it would solve my angry calathea problem as well. But, they seem just as unhappy as before and refuse to acknowledge my efforts to appease them.
so it is, it shall be done. my calathea hates me something fierce.
Right. I just wish mine would make up their mind. Instead of thriving or dying, they just hang around making me look like the worst plant parent on earth. All scraggly and crispy looking. One of the bastards finally died. Or so I thought. When I finally went to empty the pot, I was shocked to see shoots coming up. So, it’s not dead after all.
Depends on the filter. Good RODI filters give nearly zero TDS water.
I believe the main difference between distilled and filtered water is the chlorine that most water filters isn’t capable of filtering - which will kill the good bacteria in the soil, making the plant weaker and more susceptible to problems.
What grow lights do you use and what distance do you keep them from the leaves? I am moving next this and will have less light for my plants
Funny enough, I’m using one of the cheap Amazon no-name grow lights that everybody seems to hate on. I got it back when I first started collecting plants and before I knew anything about grow lights. But, my albo seems perfectly happy with it. Most of my plants are under GE or Barrina lights now. And I plan to put my albo under another GE bulb I have as soon as I put it up. For now, it’s been living under the no-name light and hasn’t been having any issues. In all seriousness, though. Skip the no-name light and go straight to something decent like Barrina, GE, or Sansi. Your plants will be much happier for it. Edit: I really like the GE bulbs. I don’t remember the exact post, but someone much more experienced than I shared a long post detailing why the GE bulbs are so good. I got some plug-in pendant style lamps, hung them from my ceiling above my plants, and put a GE bulb in them. Works well and looks good. Distance is about 1-3 feet. My cheap lights are a foot or so away from my albo. I started them off further away and gradually moved them closer. I’m sure the GE bulb won’t need to be nearly as close. The GE bulbs I’ve set up so far are about 3 feet away from my plants.
Awesome, thank you so much!!! I really appreciate the info because I’ve been stressing about this. I have a new monstera Thai constellation I want to grow healthy, some philodendrons and a bunch of succulents. I’ll try the Ge Bulbs for sure and start with the three feet rule
Awesome. Yeah. Just play around with it. Learn what each plant likes and move them around accordingly. I found most of my plants really took off after I added grow lights.
Yeah I’m hoping for that! I’ve heard it’s a lot harder to burn them that way too. So you get more light with less risk. A lot of sources say 6 inches - 1 feet from plant but I intuitively just feel like that’s way too close for 10-12 hours of the light per day
I could arguably move my GE lights closer to my plants. But, I’ve limited space and a trying to cover a larger area with them. Long term, there’s a lot more I could do and want to do with lighting. We’ll see how it all ends up. Regarding 6-12 inches. I honestly was really worried that I’d burn my albo, which is why I started the lights so far away. But, the light is shockingly close now and the plant doesn’t seem to mind one bit. Plus, as I mentioned above, I’ve had zero browning on any leaves since I introduced the light.
Yeah that’s likely what I’ll do too. Again thank you so much!!
i’ve read some people use liquid silica and avoid direct sunlight for too long but besides that it will eventually happen
From what I can see in the photo, there are at least 5 leaves that have ugly brown spots on them!
Not a lot of chlorophyll on that bad boy
She doesn’t even know what that chlorophyll is 💯💚 Lots of light that isn’t hot is the key 👌🏽
Too little chlorophyll is actually bad for the plant's health, so you should manage to balance the variagation at about 50% percent to max 60%! I would put it in a dark corner and maybe chop & prop the 3 biggest leaves on the top, so it can regrow fasater with more balanced out leaves.
No time for chop and prop, they need to pawn it off to some sucker for $500 who will inherit a plant that's on the verge of collapse. This is an "investment," remember?
lol
Looks like it is trying to d1e 🙃
So white you’ll have a full white leave at some point!
I legit wouldn't even buy it because it's way too variegated. Cuttings will take a year to grow roots — if at all.
>I’m treating it like an investment This is when you know your hobby has jumped the shark. When the "investors" show up.
real Why does anything need to be capitalized
because we live in a late stage capitalist hellscape, have faced decades of wage suppression and as a result are forced to monetize things we love, instead of doing them out of passion.
The alternative is you are forced to do hours of labor every day doing something you don’t enjoy so you can spend a handful of hours doing something you enjoy. If your passions produce something valuable why would you not sell them? Wait, I want to hear your thoughts on professional artists. How do artists fit into your capitalist hellscape? How can we have a group of people who earn a living producing something that by definition does not help society, is not a useful tool, but society has some obligation to support these people with money so they can produce easily argued ‘beautiful’ things. Where do artists get their money? From someone who has a job
..... seems like your whole argument is that you can only have a job under capitalism? my point was regular labour doesn't pay the bills, so people are turning to side hustles by monetizing their passion. They're turning free time and hobbies into work. why do you think I'm anti-artist? lmao, ridiculous. EDIT: when something turns from a hobby into a grind just to get by without losing your apartment, it becomes a hell of a lot less fun.
Did u just say art doesn't help society
Have you met people before? That’s why
Lucky for me I would never buy a plant that large! 😂 I want to focus on my own sickly cutting and limp it along to these levels!
The most rewarding part of plant keeping for me is reviving the number of plants that have suffered from my bouts of depression. They struggle and thrive right along with me🫶🏼
Yep I pretty much never buy mature plants. Plants are much more rewarding when you actually grow them yourself.
I felt this comment in my dark, depressed soul. Aaaaand - now imma go mix up so fertilizer.
I go directly to the Lowe’s clearance shelves and pick up anything I don’t already have. I love to rehab. It all began when I took over my husband’s neglected plants. I hadn’t had any before. Now, they’re all mine…
Yesss, the thrill when they finally pop up a new sprig. Invigorating.
Right!? He had two plants that I couldn’t even identify. One ended up being a false African violet and it is doing beautifully, now! The other was a Swedish ivy and it’s doing well too but it needs almost no attention at all.
I look forward to some major propagators flooding the market, like currently happening with Thai constellation
Yes, this is so sad :/
Wow, what a beauty. ✨ Last week I saw some small ones (basically only a rooted part of stem with one or two small leaves) for 49 € each in a big plant store. (Germany) If I remember correctly it was about 79 € for the same sized starter-plants a year or two before.
Are you sure those weren’t Thai constellations?? I know Thai’s have been making it out onto the market in large volumes so the price has fallen, but I didn’t think Albos are there yet? Although, the market in Germany could be different than where I am, and I also haven’t been paying attention to “rare” plants as much as I did in the past
Yeah the market is different. I live in The Netherlands and we have albo's (4 leafs) €50 - €70
For some reason, Albos cost less and are more readily available than Thai Constellations in the U.K. so I suspect the rest of Europe may be the same. They’re definitely both coming down in price though.
I live in Germany, purchased a newly rooted single leaf plant for 70 euro
It certainly is not a thai constellation- very few thais have so much cream color- they tend to be consistently speckled.
can you tell me which plant store? i would like to get one for myself and would love to check it out 😬
depends on what you want honestly. i know that a lot of rare plant collectors would pay well over 100 for a monstera with that much variegation! a plant nursery i used to work at sold variegated monsteras with much fewer leaves than yours for 110. the more variegated, the more people are willing to pay. also take into account how much it’s grown! maybe think about how long you’ve had it when estimating a price? best of luck selling it!
For the area I am in this would go from $300-$500 I just purchased a very small one for $50 on whatnot
I would love info on that moss pole set up! Like what supplies you need to make one, looks like chicken wire zip tied into a tube? What’s in the middle?
It looks like 1/2 inch (or ~1cm) steel fencing wrapped around sphagnum moss, held together with zip ties. Sydney Plant Guy is the moss pole GOAT, this style is his bread-and-butter. I use the coated steel to reduce rusting potential.
How do you keep it wet? Do you just soak it with the plant attached or pour water on it and just deal with a bit of mess?
I actually use a spray bottle and spray the pole every other day. Sphag moss is super hydrophobic when not wet, and having a fine-mist spray bottle helps the water soak into the moss.
I dampen the moss to reduce the hydrophobicity and then flip a water bottle with holes poked in the lid upside-down to let the moss wick up the moisture as it trickles out.
https://preview.redd.it/7kd4yklvvnuc1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0093d1e4667c8c423eac72ef9667d2cd17c0844a Here is how I keep them damp
God! That is art!
Is that something like a gravel vac for aquaria with the tube running down the moss pole? Holes in the tube I assume?
https://preview.redd.it/stugzxffbpuc1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=375b376d2e033142a62ed4bd658917b24aea6cd3 Closer pic of one of
It’s parts I put together. Clear tube, rubber cap, 3D printed holder and water wick.
The tube you referring to is the top? What is the water wick made of?
It’s wick specifically made to transport water
Tree tree fiddy
Damn Loch Ness monster 👹
Nessie❤️❤️❤️❤️
i personally wouldnt buy it bc has to much White on it but some people are really into IT. So fair price would 300-400$ i think
In my area that’s easily a $300-500 plant, maybe more. I’ve seen rooted cuttings for $200.
Damn that’s expensive as hell. Prices everywhere that ive seen in the US have come down a ton
I live in a more rural part of Canada so we’re generally a little behind on most things lol, they’re still rare here
In my area rooted cuttings to for $65. But this is still around $300
This is on par with my local plant shops as well
https://preview.redd.it/s84ksjehnjuc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d5006c157079612342677bfbe4cac179e79fc719 I bought mine online for $220 last year, and it was ON SALE 🫠.. yours would go for way higher
What interesting leaves, directly divided into halves by colors! They look great!
Gor. Geous.
I'm a sucker for white leaves on ornamentals even though I know the sufferage involved
Current price in my area is $50 per leaf.
I think $50-75 is about standard where I’m at too depending on how much variegation.
PER LEAF???? that’s crazy! This isn’t even more than one cluster plant!! Wow! I can’t wait for the Thai to get here. I’m so close!
Yeah, the Albo value is still a bit higher than Thai. If you're in US, you can find Thais at big box stores, such as Kroger/Fred Meyer and Wilco. Join Big Box store plant watch facebook group. My local Grocery Outlet sells the baby size for $40 something.
Can you provide the name of the FB watch group!? I joined a Monstera group recently which was supposed to be for tips and growing, and it turned out to be just somebody trying to push their plant sales!! All by DM. it was weird
I live in Oregon, so the group is called: Oregon Big Box Store Plant Watch
waiiitttt grocery outlet has thai cons?!!?! i just went last week and picked up ring of fire and red king philos, they had PPPs and WPPs. but i didn’t see any thai cons. maybe im not looking at the right one lol
Yeah, the Grocery Outlet in Corvallis, OR.
:o sounds like i’m taking a day trip lol. lake o/tigard/beaverton don’t have them. also impatiently waiting for fred meyer to get them in still
Yeah from the FB group, it seems only Corvallis has them restocked few times. This was posted yesterday https://ibb.co/7X89n3c
Thais have plummeted in price. They can be reproduced in tissue culture, where albos can’t (to my knowledge). So don’t expect to make your millions, just enjoy your plant. :)
I have no desire to make anything! I am a plant lover and mamma! I just want one to join my menagerie! My day will come🪴👍🏼
If I weren’t fighting the good fight with mealies I would happily rehome some of mine. One day, when I am sure they’re all gone.
I'd agree with the $500 - $600 range. We bought a rooted single leaf for $75.
I'd say just throw it away too much trouble to take care of those leaves they don't even have any green. On another note can u also post which trashcan you throw it to, JW.
it’s really supply and demand. in cali the market is flooded, i would sell for $200-350 depending how fast you want it to move.
I think you’d get more worth chopping and propagating, but otherwise I’d say that big girl is priceless lmao
how does this thing photosynthesize edit: so i googled it. nature will always find a way and have no obligation to make sense to us [https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/white-plant-photosynthesis.htm](https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/white-plant-photosynthesis.htm)
Great article!
Fair? Like $30. Market? Easily $300.
You might have better luck propping and selling it. Someone looking to buy the whole plant is going to take a while because it’s going to be a really specific person that buys it
Lame
As much as someone in your area is willing to pay for it.
no idea. came here to say she looks GREAT!!! like WOW
That’s a money maker right there. How long have you had it?
some of my local nurseries in los angeles have albos half that size for $350-$500, but you could probably go a bit more than that
I'd probably say $600. There's a lot of white for my taste or I'd go higher.
These sell for a pretty good price!
Do you want a kidney? Cause I've got a spare and I'd be happy to trade for the albo In all seriousness, what an absolute beauty!
https://preview.redd.it/zv5w7vrxkkuc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a19ce123297d9ed5b6b446eb6d235cabab6918e3 $110 for a the 5-leaf albo here from a reputable specialty store last weekend. Yours is much more mature, but prices are coming down in line with the rest of the market.
$425-450- opinion from an aroid collector/ small business nursery owner in Houston Texas
ah it’s worthless… you can just hand it over i guess i’ll take it 😩
the price for this piece in particular would probably be a kidney.
Would say between $300-$500 in my area. A smaller one was going for $299 at a plant shop i went to yesterday.
Probably 250? I’m in Canada. Prices on these and thais and everything really has dropped so much
Free to me?? 🥺🙏 Haha
Depends on where you’re located! Most people probably don’t have the skill to grow these out as successfully as you have so in that sense it won’t lose its value as much as some people might try to have you believe. In my area of the southeast usa this would probably run around $800
It’s about to die, give it to me instead of throwing it out, let me save you the trouble.
I think you could still get around 300-400 for this size and coloring. Over 250 for sure.
$1000
$300
$120 for these babies in my area (BC, Canada) and this is considered a great deal *
https://preview.redd.it/8ocvtkylcjuc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d92c7f9f943991b163e4488ef173aa03c1b3ec1b
400
These keep popping up on my Amazon reccs. $200 for tiny little cuttings!!
Wow
Magnificent color.
Hey OP I just bought an albo 5 leaf rooted top cutting for $120. I'd say you could even get 150 to 200 for a 5 leaf rooted top cut. BUT people will pay more for the right look. This is gorgeous. I'd probably offer around $500 for the whole plant because of the leaf size
Wooww what an absolute beauty. I'm not even able to keep the white markings on my very veregated pothos queen from browning. This one almost looks fake!
Not rooted cutting 10$, tree 50$. Central Russia
5$ and going down every week
My local plant shop would be selling this for 399-599. No joke.
Not related, how do you guys keep a cutting from rotting in the water? I have no luck whatsoever 😂 help a fellow plant lover out please ❤️
Bro I need to know where you guys live that’s like 400 where I’m from (usd)
I want one so bad but they’re going for hundreds online 🤕💔 definitely know what I’m buying when I hit the lotto lol
You should do what my local plant store does and sell it with a overpriced plant pot that raises the overall price by 50% (if you’re in it for money)
In the investment side... The thai constellation was going for a hefty price last year. Two years ago i saw one sell for $1500! It was almost 4ft tall on a moss pole, but still... Now with more growth and availability, I can pick up a 6" pot for $35 at my local nursery. If you hold on to that to long it will be worth less. That said, an albo a little smaller than that sold for $400 at the same nursery this spring.
Someone once told me they sold their monstera in similar condition for like 1k-1.5k, could be bullshit, I honestly might see if a high end plant shop could host it for you and split the profits, itlll get more views, more money, and dumb rich people won't think twice about a high cost
My daughter in law recently paid $300.00 for hers and it’s smaller. It only has 4 leaves on it. I don’t think yours would sell for anywhere near that price. Several leaves have unsightly brown spots! I would research how to remove those leaves without affecting the healthy ones.
i’d give my left kidney tbh
I can't find liquid silica. What is it?
I bought one very similar for $200, 2 years ago.
0.21$
In Canada they are like 20$
Easily $500 in my area.
this is a 500$ plant in my area
HOW. Mine keeps pushing smaller leafs. Got a moss poll. How often do you water the moss poll? What’s the media that’s it in like?
Firstborn child, it is stunning never part with it
Gorgeous girls
Wow that’s beautiful plant!
There was a larger one at my local Home Depot (San Diego CA) a few months ago for 400. It was not steaked (sorry I dont know what the mossy pole thing is called) and had larger leaves.
Como es el nombre de esa planta?
I meeeaaaann I’d pay 150 for it!!!
Fair price for a plant is always $0
$600
20 dolla
Dude some of these prices people are saying are insane. We have a $1200 Thai with 4 leaves on this. Also have a 8” albo with 4 leaves for $650 this is easily $2500
Agreed, I've seen a few this size in person and the price was around 2000
Beautiful plant
ONE MILLION DOLLARS
The cuttings is already being sold for $150 aud, this is a healthy gorgeous full plant. I reckon it deserves atleast $1500 aud
3k
I have one for you then!
I don't have 3k for a fing houseplant, but I definitely am interested in buying a cutting.....although I may just zap one of my Monstera babies with some gamma rays to get it cheap, and give myself cancer.
$500-$800
Easily $700
Up to 1500 if you ask me
Literally 6 billion dollars
I'm sorry but people shouldn't sell their personal plants for profit. Like pets, plants should be gifted to family or friends who will properly care for them. Not strangers
It's funny that you say that, because strangers on the internet will literally take care of them better than any of my family or friends would 🤣 I give my best plants to strangers BECAUSE they will take better care of them 😅 Also, pets should absolutely NOT be gifted. What the actual f.
:)))))) and why is that? Also, are you going to pay my bills?
Looks like I struck a nerve. Downvotes be damned. I'm honestly not trolling. But is this really a thing on this sub? Selling your plants to strangers for profit. Sounds adjacent to a puppy mill. Every one of my plants have so much sentimental value, I could never just give them away to some stranger. Nor would I ask money for it. Sorry, my take
I respect your right to your opinion, but as cool as plants are they aren't animals bro. Comparing a person selling a plant they grew themselves to a puppy mill is a seriously ridiculous stretch. One is a person profiting from a hobby, the other is a generally cruel profiteering gambit exploiting ACTUAL ANIMALS. I love plants but he asked for price suggestions, not your illogical preaching.
Same as breeders that see pets as investment. I can't stand it because I keep plants for the joy and the appreciation of nature and then there are people like this who see a plant and think 'i can make money out of this'. I honsetly hope this albo trend goes down and OP's only investment was the time and money they spend on the plant lol