c/botany-lovers

Showerthought: My rush to get a century plant to bloom cost me ten years

I watered it too much and it rotted. Now I have to start all over with a new one.

I learned ferns love indirect light after moving them to my bathroom.

I called a monstera a philodendron and the whole room went quiet

Last month, I went to my first big plant club meeting in the city. I brought my favorite houseplant, a lush green thing with big leaves. When a person next to me asked what kind it was, I said philodendron without thinking. Suddenly, everyone stopped talking and looked at me. A nice lady across the table softly said it was a monstera, not a philodendron. My cheeks got really red, and I wanted to hide. After a minute, people smiled and started sharing their own mix-up stories. It was a funny way to learn more about plants. Has something like this ever happened to you at a plant event?

Propagation panic: my cuttings became a mushy mess

I was pumped to grow new pothos plants from some vines. I screwed up by leaving them in water forever, and they totally rotted. What's the trick to keeping cuttings alive?

Update: Defying the 'wait for spring' rule for my orchids

I repotted my orchids in fall instead of spring, and they rewarded me with blooms by New Year's.

My brother and I turned a basement leak into a fern nursery.

When our basement got a little wet, my brother had the idea to use the spot for ferns instead of just drying it out. We ordered some spores online and now we have a whole bunch of different ferns growing there. At first, our mom was not happy about the mess, but she started helping with the water spray. Now every week, we all look at the ferns together and see how they are doing. It brought us closer as a family, which was a nice surprise. I never thought I would care so much about plant stuff, but here I am. My dad even learned the names of all the ferns, which is pretty cool. It shows how a simple plant hobby can change family time.

Warning: A stranger at the nursery criticized my plant choices.

What's the best way to respond to unsolicited botanical advice?

Update: The 'low light' plant I bought is now etiolated and leggy.

Followed the care tag and it still got all stretched out.