c/botany-lovers

My friend told me my plant light was too far away and I didn't believe her

I had my new Monstera under a grow light in my Denver apartment, but it just wasn't growing. My friend came over, pointed at the light about four feet above the plant, and said, 'That's your problem, it's starving for light up there.' I moved it down to about a foot away last month, and I've already seen two new leaves unfurl. Has anyone else had to fix their light distance after getting stubborn about it?

Appreciation post: A stubborn rhododendron in my client's yard in Bellingham made me rethink fertilizer

I kept trying to force-feed it a standard 10-10-10 mix for a full season with zero new growth. My client, an older guy named Frank, finally said, 'Kid, that soil is pure clay, it's just locking it all up.' He was right, I tested the pH and it was a solid 8.2. Anyone else have a plant that forced a total method change on you?

Appreciation post: My fiddle leaf fig finally put out a new leaf after 8 months of nothing

I moved it to a spot with morning light in my Phoenix apartment and started using a specific liquid fertilizer my neighbor recommended. This week, a perfect, shiny green leaf unfurled and I was so happy I texted a pic to my mom. Has anyone else had a stubborn plant just decide to grow again out of the blue?

My indoor fern collection was dying until I saw a humidity chart for Seattle

I kept my Boston ferns in a dry room for two years, thinking they just needed more water. A chart at the UW Botanic Gardens showed they need 60% humidity, which my house never hits. Now I run a humidifier and they're finally thriving. Do you guys adjust for your local climate or just follow general plant care rules?

My neighbor just called her cactus a 'desert fern' and I had to bite my tongue

She was showing me her new plant, a little prickly pear, and said it was a type of fern that doesn't need much water. I had to gently explain that cacti are a whole different family, and ferns would die in that pot's soil mix. It happened right after I helped her pick it out at the local garden center, so the info was fresh. Does anyone else have a funny story about plant mix-ups they've had to correct?

I finally stopped killing my indoor plants after a friend called me out

My buddy came over and saw my sad fiddle leaf fig in the corner. He said, 'You're treating it like a cactus, but it wants a humid bathroom.' I moved it to the guest bath about two months ago, and it's put out three new leaves already. Anyone else have a plant that totally turned around after a simple location change?

Rant: I tried growing herbs from seeds vs buying starter plants and the difference was huge

Last spring, I tried to grow basil and cilantro from a seed packet I got at the store. After a month, I had like three tiny sprouts. I got impatient and bought a $5 starter plant from the garden center. That thing was huge in two weeks. The starter plant just had a way better root system already going. I wasted so much time with those seeds. Has anyone else found that starting from plants is just way easier for beginners?

My attempt at a winter sowing experiment with milk jugs ended in a soggy, moldy disaster last month.

Hot take: My $30 grow light from the hardware store beats my friend's $200 'full spectrum' panel for my basil.

His fancy light gave leggy, weak growth while mine produced bushy plants with twice the leaves in the same 6-week window. Am I missing something, or is the marketing just that good?

Found my old plant journal from college and the page count shocked me

I was cleaning out a box in the garage yesterday and found this green notebook I used back in 2012. I started it for a botany class, just to keep notes on the lab plants. I flipped through it and counted the pages I'd actually filled with sketches and observations. It was 47 pages. That number hit me because I remember thinking I'd never keep it up after the class ended. But looking at it now, I see notes on the spider plant I got for my dorm, a pressed leaf from a red maple on campus, and even a messy drawing of a mushroom I found. It's not fancy, but it's proof I was into this stuff way before I had a real garden. It's funny how a simple notebook can show you who you really were. Has anyone else found an old record of their plant interest that surprised them?

Had to pick between a $200 grow light or a south-facing window for my new monstera

Went with the window to save cash, but now I'm worried about winter light. Anyone else ditch tech for a natural setup and regret it?

TIL my neighbor's sad little fern was a total glow-up story

Honestly, I saw it last spring looking all brown and crispy, but after she moved it to her bathroom for more humidity, it's now this huge, green monster. Anyone know if that trick works for a peace lily that's looking droopy?

Finally got my ghost orchid to bloom after two years of trying

I bought this tiny ghost orchid seedling from a special grower in Florida back in early 2022, and it just sat there, not dying but not growing either. The problem was the humidity. I tried a cloche, a humidifier, everything. It turns out it needed a very specific mix of air flow and moisture that I just couldn't get right in my normal house. I ended up building a small, clear acrylic box with a computer fan and a fogger on a timer, which felt like overkill for one plant. It took me about two years from getting it to finally see that first weird, white flower last week. Has anyone else had to build a whole mini climate for a picky plant?

Vent: My orchid was dying and I tried something weird with a banana peel

My phalaenopsis hadn't bloomed in over two years, and the leaves were getting limp. I read online about using banana peels for potassium, so I chopped one up, soaked it in a gallon of water for three days, and used that to water it. Honestly, I thought it was nonsense. But about six weeks later, I saw a new flower spike starting. Has anyone else tried this kind of kitchen scrap fertilizer with their houseplants?

I used to think talking to plants was silly, but my basil changed my mind

My basil plant in the kitchen was looking really sad, so as a joke I started chatting with it while watering. After about two weeks of this, it perked up way more than my other herbs that got the same light and water. Has anyone else had a plant seem to respond to something like that?

My neighbor insists his new cactus needs a big drink every day

He's going to kill it with that much water, especially in our humid Georgia air. I learned from the Atlanta Botanical Garden that most cacti need the soil to dry out fully between waterings, even in summer. Has anyone else had to gently correct a friend's overwatering habit?

My attempt to root a jade plant cutting in water instead of soil gave me a weird, fuzzy white root system after two weeks.

Turns out it was a happy colony of beneficial fungi forming a mycorrhizal network, which I only identified after posting a blurry photo to a plant ID group, so has anyone else had a cutting do something that looked wrong but was actually a good sign?

Just found out how many types of oak trees are in my own county

I was reading an old field guide from the local library and it said there are 14 native oak species just in Cook County. I always thought it was maybe three or four... like the big ones you see in parks. The book had these tiny drawings of the acorns and leaves, and they all look so different. Has anyone else been shocked by the plant variety right under their nose?

Unpopular opinion: I think the native plant push in California is getting too extreme

I was at a garden club talk in San Jose last month and the speaker said we should NEVER plant a non-native species, not even in a private yard. That just feels wrong to me. My grandmother's hydrangeas from Japan are a huge part of our family's garden and they don't hurt anything. Has anyone else felt pressured to rip out plants they love just because they aren't local?

Felt like a monster choosing which of my two Monstera deliciosa to give away

My apartment's just too small, so I had to pick between the one I grew from a cutting and a bigger one I bought in Denver. Kept the cutting because it felt more 'mine', but man, I still miss that big, glossy leaf on the other one. Anyone else get weirdly sentimental over a specific plant?

My friend in Portland showed me how to keep a fiddle leaf fig alive for over a year now.

I finally gave in and tried my aunt's advice to talk to my fiddle leaf fig every morning for a month, which I thought was total nonsense until I saw three new leaves pop up last week.

Has anyone else had a plant respond to something you were sure was just a silly old wives' tale?

Spotted a weird trick with coffee grounds at the Portland Japanese Garden

Honestly, I was just walking through the Portland Japanese Garden last weekend, checking out their moss garden like I always do. Tbh, I saw one of their gardeners sprinkling used coffee grounds around the base of a big, old Japanese maple. I asked him about it, and he said they've been doing it for about 3 years now. He told me it's not really for the acid, but the grounds help keep slugs away from the tender new leaves in the spring. Ngl, I was kinda surprised because I always heard coffee grounds were just for acid-loving plants. He said they just get them from the garden cafe and let them dry out first so they don't mold. Has anyone else tried using coffee grounds for pest control on their ornamentals, or is this just a weird Portland thing?

My new indoor grow light setup cost me $300 and I'm not sure it was worth it

I finally pulled the trigger on a full spectrum LED panel for my indoor herb and succulent collection after my plants got all leggy over the winter. The thing is huge, like two feet by four feet, and it makes my spare room look like a spaceship, lol. It definitely made my basil and mint grow like crazy, but my jade plant and some other succulents started getting these weird, bleached spots on the leaves after about three weeks under it. I had to move them back to the window and now I feel like I bought this expensive light just for a few pots of herbs. Has anyone else had plants react badly to strong LEDs? I'm wondering if I need to dial the timer way back or if some species just can't handle it.

Changed my mind about those expensive 'rare' philodendron cuttings online

I saw a listing for a 'mint variegated' philodendron gloriosum cutting for $85. The seller had great photos, so I bought it. The cutting arrived with one tiny leaf that had a single pale spot, and it rotted within a week despite my sterile setup. I'm out the cash and have nothing to show for it. Has anyone actually had luck with these high-priced, hype-driven cuttings, or is it mostly a gamble?