💡Thought Shares

c/botany-lovers

32

margareto26•1d ago

Unpopular opinion: Monstera leaves don’t actually need misting

I see so many people in here spraying their Monsteras daily and I used to do it too until I read a study from the University of Florida that said it barely raises humidity. It actually can cause leaf rot if water sits in the stem joints for too long. Has anyone else stopped misting after finding this out?

5

cora518•1d ago

Spent 6 hours trying to fix a drooping peace lily before I figured out the problem

I have a peace lily in my living room in Portland that started drooping bad last month. I kept watering it more and moving it around trying different light spots. After six hours of messing with it I finally realized the pot had no drainage holes and the roots were rotting. Has anyone else wasted a whole afternoon on a simple plant care fix?

26

ruby_jones•2d ago

I roasted vertical gardening as a gimmick until I tried it on my own 8x10 deck

For 2 years I said those tower planters were a waste of space for small yards, but after putting one up last June I grew 40 pounds of tomatoes in a 3 foot circle. Anyone else eat their words on a plant trend they swore was just for Instagram?

22

tarabell•22d ago

I finally stopped babying my fiddle leaf fig and moved it outside

For two years I kept my fiddle leaf fig inside near a south window in Portland, spraying leaves, checking soil moisture like a maniac. Last spring I said forget it and put it on my covered porch where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade. It grew 3 feet in 4 months and the leaves are dark green and huge now. Has anyone else had a plant perk up after you stopped fussing over it?

13

michaeltorres•22d ago

I wasted $150 on that fancy soil moisture meter that everyone raves about

I bought this digital soil moisture meter from a big online store because every plant group said I needed one to stop overwatering my ferns. Turns out it was completely wrong on all three of my pots - said the soil was dry when it was literally soaked through. I checked by sticking my finger in the dirt and the meter was off by like 40 percent each time. After a week of using it I killed a maidenhair fern that cost me $25 and that's when I tossed the thing in the trash. Anyone else find those meters to be total junk or did I just get a bad one?

28

knight.dylan•24d ago

Old timer at the community garden told me I was coddling my seedlings too much

He said to quit babying them with filtered water and hand warming the soil because roots need to toughen up to survive transplant shock, and after losing half my tomatoes last season I finally tried his method this spring and they're way sturdier now, has anyone else had to unlearn all the gentle stuff they thought was helping?

8

allen.kai•24d ago

Had to choose between a fiddle leaf fig and a monstera for my dark living room

I moved into a new apartment in Portland last month and my living room barely gets any direct light. I stood in the nursery for 20 minutes weighing a fiddle leaf fig against a monstera deliciosa. The guy working there told me flat out the fiddle would drop every leaf in a week with that little sun. I grabbed the monstera and it's already pushed out three new leaves with crazy fenestrations. Has anyone else had a plant they wanted to work out just totally fail because of their space?

4

hall.joel•27d ago

Found out 90% of soil tests at nurseries in my area are wrong

I was at a local garden center last month and got to talking with the owner. He told me most of the soil tests people bring in from big box stores are useless because they don't sample deep enough. Said we should be digging 6 to 8 inches down, not just scraping the top. Has anyone else run into this with their test kits?

18

wilson.joseph•1mo ago

Serious question, what's up with all the bird nests in public parks?

I was at a city park in Denver last weekend and counted 8 active nests just in the trees around one picnic area. Has anyone else noticed more birds building in busy spots lately?

32

ray_martinez82•1mo ago

Am I the only one who thinks misting plants is a total scam sometimes?

I tried misting my calathea three times daily for two weeks straight after all the plant gurus online swore by it, but the leaves still got crispy tips and I even saw some mold pop up on the soil. Meanwhile my buddy does nothing to his same plant and it looks perfect just sitting in a humid bathroom. Is high humidity really the answer or are we just making extra work for ourselves for no real gain?

32

sage_green•1mo ago

Just realized why my local botanical garden feels different in summer

I stopped by the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island last weekend and something clicked. Those big mossy logs they have scattered around the forest floor actually had tiny ferns sprouting out of the cracks. It made me think about how most people just walk past the small stuff, like the way certain plants only show up when the humidity hits 70% or higher. Anyone else notice how the undergrowth changes completely between June and August?

15

margareto26•1mo ago

I found a cheap way to keep my orchid blooming again by using an old ice cube tray

My moth orchid dropped all its flowers after about 6 months and I thought it was done for. Tried a few different watering schedules and nothing worked. Then my neighbor told me to try putting three ice cubes on the bark once a week instead of pouring water in. Been doing it for 2 months now and I see a new flower spike starting. Anyone else tried this trick or have a different method that worked better?

12

ray_martinez82•1mo ago

Appreciation post: My friend's sad fiddle leaf fig turned into a monster after one simple change

I mean, it was dropping leaves like crazy for months in her dark apartment corner. She moved it right in front of her east-facing window in Denver about 8 weeks ago, and now it's pushing out 5 new leaves at once. Has anyone else seen a plant completely flip like that just from more light?

3

parker_palmer44•1mo ago

PSA: I used to think talking to plants was a dumb joke until my basil grew twice as big

My neighbor in Austin said she chats with her garden every morning, and I laughed. But after my own basil started struggling, I tried it for a week and the new growth was insane. Has anyone else had a weird tip like that actually work?

11

hollyl25•1mo ago

Rant: That 'rare' orchid I bought online was a total scam

I just lost $85 on what was supposed to be a Dendrobium spectabile seedling from a seller on a plant forum. The pictures looked amazing, and the seller had a few good reviews. It arrived looking okay, but after a month it started to rot at the base. I tried everything to save it, but it was a goner. I reached out to the seller for a refund or replacement, and they just ghosted me. Now I'm out the money and have an empty pot. I feel so stupid for not being more careful. Has anyone else gotten burned by a shady online plant seller and have tips for spotting them?

9

ryan_shah38•1mo ago

Finally got my orchid to rebloom after 18 months of nothing

Turns out it needed a much bigger temperature drop at night than I was giving it, like a solid 15-degree difference. Anyone have tips for managing that indoors without freezing yourself out?

13

karen361•1mo ago

My whole seed starting setup got wrecked by a single power surge last month

I had about 200 seedlings under grow lights in my basement, all set up on a timer. A storm hit and the power flickered, which fried the timer and left the lights off for two full days. By the time I checked, everything was wilted and the soil was bone dry. Has anyone else had their gear fail like this and found a good surge protector for grow lights?

18

matthewdixon•1mo ago

A friend pointed out my overwatering killed a whole tray of heirloom tomato seedlings

I was trying to grow some 'Brandywine' tomatoes from seed in my basement setup, and a buddy who works at the local nursery in Springfield saw my sad, yellow plants. He told me flat out, 'You're drowning them, they need air at the roots more than water.' I switched to only watering when the soil felt dry an inch down, and the next batch is way healthier. Anyone else have a simple tip that saved a plant project?

27

laura_schmidt82•1mo ago

Rant: My fiddle leaf fig kept dropping leaves until I moved it three feet to the left

I had this fiddle leaf fig in my living room for about eight months and it was just sad, losing a leaf every few days. I tried adjusting water and even bought a specific fertilizer, but nothing helped. Finally, I read a comment on a plant forum from someone in Seattle who said their fig only thrived after being placed directly in front of an east-facing window. Mine was near a north window. I literally just picked it up and moved it three feet to the left to catch the morning sun. Within two weeks, it stopped dropping leaves and put out two new ones. Who knew such a small change in light could fix everything? Has anyone else had a plant totally turn around from just a simple spot change?

19

keith900•1mo ago

Serious question, did anyone else's peace lily completely give up after repotting?

Mine went from lush to half-dead leaves in under a week, and I'm sure it's because I used that cheap potting mix from the hardware store. What brand of soil actually works for you?

7

the_mary•1mo ago

Update: My attempt at a 'fast compost' pile in my backyard went very wrong

I followed a guide online that said to use a 3:1 ratio of grass clippings to kitchen scraps, turning it every three days. After two weeks, the whole thing started smelling like rotten eggs and got so hot it killed the worms I added. I learned you need way more brown material, like dry leaves, to balance it out. Has anyone else in the Phoenix area had this happen with a new compost setup?

29

joel_clark37•1mo ago

I finally got my hands on a variegated Monstera cutting after waiting months.

The seller in Tampa shipped it wrapped in damp moss, but a cold snap delayed the package for three days. When it arrived, the single leaf was completely black and mushy from the cold. Has anyone had success reviving a cutting that arrived in such rough shape?

15

nathan901•1mo ago

PSA: I lost about $80 on those 'rare' cactus seeds from an online seller that never sprouted

Looking back, I should've checked the seller's reviews more closely instead of just getting excited about the listing photos... anyone know a legit source for astrophytum seeds?

19

danielnelson•1mo ago

My new $80 moisture meter gave me a reading of 'bone dry' for a plant sitting in a puddle.

I was trying to figure out why my peace lily looked so sad, and after three days of trusting the meter, I finally just stuck my finger in the soil and found it was soaked (which, you know, is the opposite of dry).

1

victor779•1mo ago

PSA: The plant swap at the old library last month changed my whole watering routine

I picked up a little spider plant from a lady named Carol who told me she only waters hers with leftover tea. I tried it on my own sad one, just cold black tea from my morning cup. After about three weeks, the thing put out six new shoots. I always thought tea would hurt it, but I guess the tannins are good? Has anyone else tried something weird like that with their houseplants?