c/botany-lovers

23

terrybennett•13h ago

Accidentally cooked my mini monstera with a grow light I left on for 72 hours

I got one of those cheap $25 Amazon full spectrum lights for my monstera peru last month and left it on over a weekend trip. Came back Monday morning and the top leaves were all crispy and brown, like they got sunburned. Learned the hard way that these things need a timer or at least a 12 hour max, even if they say "full day" on the box. Anyone else melted a plant with a budget light setup?

13

vera_campbell•2d ago

Found a wild violet patch in my backyard after 3 years of neglect

Last week I noticed this small patch of purple flowers near the fence, and I realized it's wild violets that popped up on their own. I used to fight them with weed killer back in 2021, but after my surgery last summer I just let the yard go. The soil is finally healthy enough that they came back stronger than before. Has anyone else had plants return after you stopped messing with things?

17

campbell.tara•2d ago

My philodendron started yellowing 3 days after I repotted it

I repotted a big philodendron in my kitchen last Tuesday, used a standard potting mix with extra perlite, and now half the leaves are yellow. Did I shock it from changing pots or did I mess up the soil ratio? Anyone fixed a plant after a repotting disaster like this?

14

hayden_butler27•3d ago

Switched from store bought to keeping my own compost pile for my roses

Honestly, I thought buying those bagged mixes at the garden center was fine for years. Then I started my own compost pile six months ago with kitchen scraps and yard clippings. The difference is night and day - my roses have way bigger blooms and darker leaves now. Plus I saved like $40 a month not buying that premium soil stuff. Has anyone else noticed a huge jump in plant health after going DIY?

16

piper_reed•3d ago

Hot take: That garden center worker who called me out on my pruning actually saved my roses

Last spring at a local nursery in Portland, this older lady watched me grab loppers and said 'you're gonna butcher those bushes with that attitude.' She pulled me aside and showed me how to cut at a 45 degree angle just above the bud, not straight across like I'd been doing for 3 years. Has anyone else had a random stranger fix a bad habit you didn't know you had?

9

the_riley•4d ago

I finally switched from plastic pots to terracotta for my succulents

Used to think plastic was fine since it's cheaper and lighter, but after losing 3 succulents to root rot in my kitchen window, I swapped to terracotta last spring. The difference in drainage is night and day, plus they just look better sitting on the sill. Anyone else notice their plants perk up after making the switch?

11

danielhenderson•4d ago

PSA: Stop tossing your orchid roots that look dead and gray

After I accidentally left a phalaenopsis in its pot too long last month, I peeled back the moss and found a bunch of shriveled roots, but when I soaked them for 20 minutes they plumped right back up and now the thing is pushing out a new leaf.

22

jennifer965•4d ago

TIL I've been pruning my roses wrong for 3 years - old way vs new way

I used to just chop off dead branches at random times (you know, whenever I remembered to do it). Then my neighbor, who grows prize-winning roses, told me I was cutting at the wrong angle and the wrong time of year - she said early spring is key. Now I use sharp bypass pruners (not anvil ones) and cut at a 45 degree angle just above an outward-facing bud. Has anyone else had a pruning habit they had to completely unlearn?

8

elizabethn56•4d ago

My greenhouse mentor told me I was overwatering my succulents

She pointed at my jade plant and said 'those leaves are begging you to stop.' I cut back to once every 3 weeks instead of weekly and now they actually have color again. Anyone else get called out for loving their plants too much?

17

paige427•5d ago

Serious question about watering succulents - who's actually right?

I keep seeing people online say you should water succulents once a week, but my grandma has been growing hers for 30 years and she waters maybe once every 3 weeks. She lives in Phoenix and her jade plant is massive. I tried the once a week thing and my echeveria rotted in like 2 months. Is the internet just wrong about this or is there a trick I'm missing? Has anyone else had better luck with a specific watering schedule?

3

julia_carter70•5d ago

Picked a Hoya over a Monstera for my living room and now I am doubting my choice

Last month I went to the local nursery looking for a big statement plant for my north facing living room. I had my heart set on a Monstera deliciosa, they had a beautiful one for $45. But then I saw a Hoya pubicalyx with these long vines trailing down, also $45. I stood there for 15 minutes trying to decide. I went with the Hoya because I read they handle lower light better. Now a month later, the Hoya is fine but it has not grown an inch and I keep looking at pictures of Monsteras online. Has anyone else regretted picking a slower growing plant over a faster one?

12

elizabeth900•7d ago

Changed my mind about buying those expensive grow lights

Saw a guy on Facebook last month use cheap LED strips from the hardware store and his succulents are doing way better than mine after I spent $120 on a fancy setup, so what am I missing?

7

the_jamie•8d ago

I used to baby my orchids with distilled water and a mist bottle, then I switched to tap water dunking after a neighbor showed me her 10 year old phalaenopsis

For 3 years I was treating my orchids like little princesses. Only distilled water, spray bottle mist on the roots every other day, the whole routine. They barely bloomed. Then last spring my neighbor Mrs. Chen, who grows them in her bathroom, told me she just sticks them under the tap for 30 seconds when they look dry. I thought she was crazy but tried it. Now 4 of my 5 orchids have flower spikes right now. The one I still baby is the one not doing anything. Anyone else ditch the fancy care for just letting them be?

19

felix824•8d ago

Debate: Did that $60 moisture meter save my ferns or burn them?

I bought a digital moisture meter for $60 off Amazon last spring because I kept overwatering my ferns. First two weeks it seemed great, soil readings were consistent and my plants looked happy. But after a month I noticed the roots on my Boston fern were starting to rot, and when I double checked with my finger the meter was saying dry when the soil was actually soaked. So is this thing a lifesaver for precise watering or a trap that makes you trust a gadget over common sense? Has anyone else had a cheap meter lead them wrong?

20

the_hugo•8d ago

Just realized I was watering my ferns all wrong for 2 years

A lady at the garden center told me I was drowning my Boston ferns because I watered them every day. She said to wait until the soil feels dry an inch down, not just spray the leaves. I switched to that method about 3 months ago and now they actually look green instead of yellow and droopy. Has anyone else had a simple habit change like this totally fix a plant?

5

hannahw30•9d ago

Showerthought: I used to buy all my plants from big box stores, now I only trade cuttings with people from this forum

It just kind of hit me the other day while I was watering my monstera. Like 3 years ago I would drop $40 at Lowe's on a snake plant or whatever was on sale. But then last summer someone on here gave me a cutting of their pothos and it just clicked. Now I'm part of like 3 local plant swap groups and my whole collection came from trades. I've maybe spent $12 total on soil and pots since then. Has anyone else gone full circle like this?

24

the_margaret•10d ago

Found a plant growing in my air conditioner vent last month

I went to turn on my AC last week and heard this weird rustling sound. Pulled off the vent cover and there was a little fern growing inside the ductwork, probably three inches tall with actual roots. I have no idea how it got there or how long it had been living off the humidity and dust. My roommate joked that I should start a vertical garden business in our ventilation system. Has anyone else found plants growing in super weird spots like this?

10

danielhenderson•10d ago

That one Tuesday when all my cuttings finally rooted

I had been waiting on some monstera cuttings I took back in February to show roots, and for weeks nothing happened. Then last Tuesday I checked them and every single one had at least 2 inches of roots growing. The water was still clear and I hadn't changed it in 4 days, which I usually do every 3 days. Has anyone else had a moment where everything just clicked at once with their propagation?

1

park.robin•13d ago

Ngl I used to think pruning was just hacking stuff back

Watched a video of a guy in Oregon who thinned out a cherry tree and it fruited twice as much the next season. That before and after shot convinced me to actually learn proper cuts instead of just trimming whatever looked messy.

32

norathomas•14d ago

That trick with soaking seeds before planting actually works on 3 types I tried

I have always struggled getting those older packets of seeds to sprout, especially my morning glories and sweet peas. After watching a YouTube video from a guy in Oregon, I started soaking them in warm water for about 8 hours before putting them in the soil last spring. Out of 20 seeds I tried it on, 17 popped up within 10 days, which is way better than my usual 50% rate. Has anyone else had success with specific seeds that need this treatment?

2

the_lucas•14d ago

Just realized I spent $80 on fancy potting soil that was basically just bagged dirt from the hardware store

I bought three bags of that premium organic mix from a local nursery in Portland, and after a month my seedlings still looked sickly compared to the ones my neighbor grew in regular compost he made himself. Anyone else fallen for the overpriced soil hype and have a cheap alternative that actually works?

2

jessicaflores•14d ago

That botany lover meetup at the community garden felt off

I went to the monthly thing over at the Jenkins Road community garden last Saturday and something bugged me. There was this guy who kept touching the plants without asking anyone first. He even plucked a leaf off someone's rare fern and just held it for like five minutes. I get that people get excited about specimens, but it felt more like he was treating the place as his own personal collection. A few other folks looked uncomfortable too but nobody said anything. Is it just me or do these meetups need some basic rules about handling other people's plants? Has anyone else run into this kind of thing at a botany gathering?

20

jordan_young•15d ago

I finally stopped ignoring that one piece of advice about overwatering

I used to water my pothos every Monday like clockwork, but after my aunt in Phoenix told me I was drowning the roots, I cut back to every 10 days. The leaves stopped yellowing and now it's trailing like crazy. Has anyone else had to unlearn a habit they thought was right?

22

price.tara•16d ago

Stop watering your succulents every week like they're thirsty teenagers

I killed 4 echeverias in 6 months before I realized they need a soak maybe once every 3 weeks, not weekly sprinkles. How often are you actually checking the soil before you water?

28

jennysullivan•17d ago

Appreciation post for the lady at the plant swap who corrected my pruning technique

I was butchering my rosemary bush for 2 years until she showed me to cut above the leaf node and now it's actually bushy instead of leggy, so has anyone else had a random stranger fix a gardening mistake you'd been making forever?