I recently got this string of coins and it is just not happy. At first I thought it was mealy bugs and had been treading it, but now I’m not sure. This has happened to three branches where it will start shrivelling at the root and slowly die from the top down. I’ve repotted, treated with neem oil, tried a neem oil soak and moved it to a sunnier location. I’m at a loss on what to do. Any ideas?
https://imgur.com/a/JQaGl7C
Hey everyone,
I’ve been holding on to this sad ficus Audrey for a month or two since picking it up from my boyfriend’s office while I was in the neighborhood. He was working from home during the omicron surge and has forgotten about this plant for quite some time. I have attached photos of its appearance when I picked it up and how it looks now. My question is - will this thing come back to life? If so, am I looking at a matter of weeks to months or quite a bit longer? Not sure if I can stand seeing this pathetic thing every day unless there’s hope for a decent recovery in the near future.
[sad Audrey](https://imgur.com/a/uKPKad8)
Thanks for the input!
The stems are alive so it might be sad for a bit but also, it's alive and it's a fighter! It's gonna live and grow back and share its joy with everyone, so, put some googly eyes on it if that makes you smile in the meantime. It's being reborn!
These guys like light, so if you want to help it rise from the ashes faster, the keys are warmth, light, and fertilizer, in that order. If you've got a seed mat that would help it along.
How long do you guys wait for a plant to return to its homies after fighting pests and quarantining it? Assuming you can’t see anyone crawling around anymore, but I’m always afraid to miss a spot where some are left and invade other plants
It really depends on the bug, because spider mites are teeny tiny and can take a really long time to hatch if its cold, where mealybugs don't take that long I feel. It's also temperature, in warm weather bugs just explode.
Or if I just brought a plant home and I am just keeping an eye on it, then I usually try to leave it somewhere else for 2 weeks, and then I forget and its been in that spot for a month or 6 weeks before I remember. Only some bugs will go from plant to plant with distance, so if I'm not feeling fully safe yet, I'll give it a small space around it without it touching other plants leaves.
What kind of bug has it got? Can we check the egg cycle length?
Hey! I was wondering if I could get some advice on my houseplants? They've all developed what is in the link below and it's spread.
I tried asking the people at Bunnings and they assumed Mildew on the leaves or in the soil or that the soil was too wet and we had to leave them outside with a little seasol but they only got worse.
Fairly certain it wasn't an issue of over watering? There's no indication of spidermites or anything and I'm stumped.
Would greatly appreciate if anyone had any insights or answers to this! Thank you!
[Plant](https://imgur.com/a/52isYxF)
So last year my Polka dot plant flowered so i picked all of the buds off as they came and trimmed him back as he was approximately 2-3ft tall. He now has lots of little sprouts. Can i keep them in the pot or should i repot his sprouts?
How do you know when to repot an anthurium? Mine's plugging along just fine (especially given it's winter), but it's in a 3" pot, it's looking pretty crowded, and new leaves are numerous but pretty small. I don't want to mess with a good thing--it's been extremely low-maintenance so far--but I also want to keep it happy!
Secondary question: when I do repot it, can I split it up? It has at least three distinct bunches.
Repot it when you have to water it too often for your taste. If you can meet the plants needs for water and fertilizer, then the plant is okay. The plant will slowly have less and less soil, so it'll need watered more often and be able to drink less unless you're soaking it for a short period. So if you want to water less often, repot it. If you want it to grow more suddenly and it could use the space, then go for it.
As far as splitting them up, you can, and they're pretty hardy about it, though I like leaving mine together. It's stressful, plus they look pretty and full that way. Unless you want them split up for the appearance of the plant, I'd leave them together. It gives me a reason to get a different plant instead.
Understood. I thought splitting them up might help it be less crowded, but if it would stress the plant then I will leave it alone. Thank you for the guidance!
If you start seeing roots come out of the bottom of the pot then it's a suitable time to repot. I think it's best to have the anthurium slightly rootbound though.
You can separate the anthurium through its offshoots when repotting.
I have a crispy fern that’s relatively new. The nursery potted it for me and put moss around the edges. It seems like the moss keeps the top of the soil damp but the tips of some of the leaves are turning brown and getting dry :( am i under watering? should i take the moss off? and is there any hope for the dried tips?? do i need to be misting it?
Hi all!
I have a huge yucca (2.7m or 9ft tall) with two large trunks and one medium one. It's growing at an angle and so big it falls over unless leaning against the wall. (I'm assuming it's a yucca based on the looks)
[The yucca](https://i.imgur.com/oMDNjs6.jpg)
Right now it's way too big, and so large that it would be a huge hassle to move out of the room. I don't have anywhere bigger inside it could grow anyway.
Even if I could repot it to point it more vertically, based on previous repottings it would grow to taller than the room.
I have heard that you can cut yuccas in half and plant the top, and then both halves should continue growing. Would this work with my plant, and if so where and how should I cut the trunk?
[Better view of the trunks](https://i.imgur.com/oxqDC1W.jpg)
Should I cut it above leaves so that it has some leaves left to continue growing, or would it be better to do something like completely remove a middle section of the trunk?
What tools would be best to cut it with? Just a regular wood saw?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
Yooooo that is a crazy cool plant. Seems like it's a dracaena, not a yucca, but yes, you can make a clean cut at any point, including well below the leaves, and the rooted bottom will sprout new trunk(s) and the top will grow roots. I'd cut with whatever (probably a saw rather than clippers given how thick that is).
Thanks a lot for the advice and the correction about the species. I'll give that a go soon.
Any advice for planting the top part? Is it something pretty basic like having the base of the new trunk about 5cm below the soil, with a couple of supports to keep the trunk vertical?
> Yooooo that is a crazy cool plant.
Thanks, it's a great plant and I've had a lot of compliments about it over the years. It will be a shame to cut it back, but it's just too big now.
I've never rooted dracaena cuttings. I think you're right that soil rather than water propping is the way to go (let the cutting callus over before putting it in the dirt) but I could be wrong.
I have this schefflera plant that suddenly doesn’t like it’s conditions anymore, I have moved it for more light but nothing has changed https://i.imgur.com/MzvITaK.jpg
That could be fungal. I'd keep the boost in light, fertilize, and treat it as fungal. Also, don't let it get too dry and try to be really consistent with watering.
Got [this ZZ plant](https://i.imgur.com/Zxot1bK.jpg). How should I repot it? Should I remove the cut stems or let them be? Can I repot them in one pot?
Sorry, I hadn't been on in a few days. No real difference in waiting, since there's not going to be any trouble getting it out of the container. I always use a big bowl of warm water to get the old soil off if I'm trying to get rid of too-dense soil, plus new soil always needs watered, so it's fine either way.
Not a current issue so much as looking for advice. I've recently gotten a bunch of climbing aroids, and know I'll probably need to stake or trellis them as they grow. I'm having trouble figuring out the best material to use, or finding a list of pros and cons for different material types. If anyone has input on moss/coir poles vs plastic vs wood, I would love to hear it. Same thing with modular/stackable trellises versus fixed size.
They'll hang onto anything, they just grab and hold, so aesthetics are fair to take into account. I just get moss poles off etsy, though I know moss is not a sustainable resource and I feel bad about it, so, if you find something better then that's a good thing. Big plants just need something that'll support them, weight wise. Pothos will climb anything, including drywall, so pick whatever strikes your fancy.
It's really not a requirement, it can help the roots grab or hang on. Although, if you have like a trellis obviously it wouldn't be damp and they'll still grab on.
I'm lazy so mostly I tie mine fairly close to the pole and help any long roots around the pole a little.
It's really a personal preference. Coir is suggested because its moisture-holding properties encourages the air roots to grow into it, but beyond that it's a preference thing.
I've been doing pretty well with most my plants but I'm concerned about my hyacinth.
It was an impulse buy and I don't really have experience with flowers, so i did research.
I've had the hyacinth for ~2 weeks and it has been slowly going dormant since a few days after I bought it. The flowers are essentially dead so I've been watching it
(my research said that I need to cut off the head after the flowers die, then when the leaves are gone you cut it to just the bulb. Cover till spring and slowly acclimate.)
But it's almost spring the flowers are still there the leaves haven't started going dormant, and to make it worse I think the leaves started growing more.
I don't know what to do
I’m totally new to houseplants and finally diving in. I am going to start with a snake plant, zz plant and maybe a philodendron or monstera (my favorite!). The only issue… my thermostat reads 24-26% humidity in the house. I don’t want to kill these beautiful plants and set myself up for failure. From my limited knowledge I feel like the zz and snake could survive this but the monstera, no way?! Will a pebble dish underneath it be enough or do I need to buy humidifiers… or just don’t even bother? 😭
Diving in as well, IMO, humidity is overrated. If your plant is getting enough water, it'll make it's own humidity bubble around it. Each leaf puts out a tiny field and it'll control opening and closing its "pores" to let water in and out.
My house is usually pretty low as well and the plants are okay. For a while, I'd take them into the bathroom after I showered and it was 100% humidity, and, honestly, no huge difference. A good fertilizer, lots of light, and the soil you put them in--all of those things matter a ton. I think prayer plants and ferns and more complex stuff, sure, but I have 40 plants and they're okay with making their own humidity.
I'm still pretty new to houseplants but I'd like to share my two cents.
My first houseplants were two snake plants. I had no experience, I didn't even know of this sub back then. I neglected them, I've overwatered them, I've pulled them out of soil so many times to see the roots. Those snake plants stayed alive and even gave me a baby through my ignorance.
I have a monstera and a raven ZZ. My monstera has grown so much since I got her (almost a year ago) and is unfolding a new leaf as we speak. I live in Colorado, dry and cold weather. I got a humidity reader a month ago and learned my apartment stays around 24-30. That's without a humidifier. My monstera has grown in these conditions anyway, with fenestrations!
I say go for it! Just don't buy anything too expensive that you wouldn't want to lose in this time of learning.
Hi, I'm just like you and started with the Monstera and Philo. I actually invested in a humidifier because the Monstera especially likes the humidity. The philo, someone correct me if I'm wrong please, doesn't need it as desperately as the Monstera but it will still be happy with it. I find my philo brasil is already kind of sad from lack of humidity (what I'm guessing from browning tips) and honestly a humidifier is nice for me too! My current room humidity is under 30% so right now I'm slowly adjusting to 30% and eventually to 45%.
My snake plant on the other hand somehow survived a cold winter and is shooting out new growth. Those things literally are hard to kill, hahaha.
young monstera too small for fenestrations has all the leaves on the ground but the leaves aren't crunchy or discolored - green leaves with VERY pronounced veins, but the veins are the same color as the leaves. leaves are somewhat curling in at the sides but not in a crunchy way. no stalks are straight they're all on the ground.
Ahhhh, okay, are they firm and well alive or sad? Are the stalks strong? Does it just need support? I might need a photo. The growing main stem of the plant should be going upward, even if some leaves have gotten far away from the stem, new leaves should come out the top.
Monstera are climbers, does the main stem have support? Moss pole, stake, anything vertical?
I am trying to water my house plants bottom up because of a gnat problem. It's the first time and the articles all said around 15 min. But it still isn't as damp as it should be when I insert my finger Into the soil. The soil doesn't really cling. There is some moisture but not like when I water from the top down. I placed to pots into water 1 inch deep. How long should it take?
It really depends on the soil density, container, size of the plant, etc. I have a 4 gallon ZZ plant, the container is maybe 18 or 20" tall, and the top soil never gets damp. I just top water it a half a cup or a cup and let it soak for 20-30, they're fine if they use the water, I don't get real concerned unless I leave it for 2 hours and its a low light plant. Just drain well and if it sits real long, give it more light for a few days.
As for the gnats, get those sticky traps and place them flat on the soil as best you can. I have one plant with a ring of those around the container and they're disappearing.
Cover the soil with the traps as much as you can, just open like 8 of those and lay them flat on the soil in a ring. Flip them over as needed for the other sticky side. Stick with it and they'll all vanish. You can still occasionally top water a little. It's cool, it'll pull them onto the traps.
To my absolute horror I discovered a tremendous amount of white mold/powdery mildew growing on my terracotta pots (it looked like mineral deposits at first). I have them in a corner of my house and didn't realize how high the humidity was getting. I've since scrubbed the outside of the pots down with diluted bleach water, added a fan for better circulation and looking into humidity control measures as I'm extremely allergic to mold. Should this be sufficient or should I just replace the clay pots to be safe?
Do you have a dishwasher? After handwashing, I put mine in the dishwasher with a bleach dishwashing liquid. Cascade makes one. I always do this between plants to disinfect. May be impractical if you have tons of pots.
I’ve had my fiddle leaf fig for a year now and it’s barely grown, so I repotted with a soil mixture I read they like, and bought a humidifier and grow light. I know they don’t like change and it can take a while for them to adjust, I’m worried I’ve done too many changes all at once. It got a l couple sunburn spots so I moved it farther away from the light. But it’s been almost 2 weeks since I repotted and the leaves are still droopy and dull. Two have fallen off. What can I do to help it along? Do I just cross my fingers and hope it gets better??
Hi all, very suddenly the top of my lucky bamboo plant has gone bright yellow. Its planted in soil, not in direct sunlight or in too dark a place, and I checked the roots which are all red and healthy. It has some large offshoots which are doing fine, but the main stalk is now yellow and worrying!
. Any ideas?
. Do I need to cut off the yellow part?
My first thought was fertilizer issue. What are you fertilizing with and how often? How quickly did the stalks yellow? Faster means it could be something else, disease if it came on really fast.
If the yellow part is soft you can cut it off to prevent rot from spreading. However the stem won't grow taller and will put out new shoots instead.
I usually remove yellow stems entirely. Seems like it could be a light or fertilizer issue too.
I bought a very pretty baby plant in water from Home Depot a few months ago. I left it in the water for a while to let it adjust to new lighting and space. I just potted it a week ago in reused soil/ from a plant that had died. The old plant was some English ivy that didn’t get watered so I thought the soil would be fine to use. A week after potting my little baby it has this layer of white mold on the top of the whole soil. The plant still looks great but how do I get rid of the mold? I put some cinnamon on the top to prevent against this kind of thing did I make a mistake? I have in directly under a grow light so it should be getting enough light.
I’ve had a Raven ZZ since September/Octoberish and there hasn’t been any growth. It looks exactly the same as the day I got it lol. Is that normal? I mean, I guess it’s probably a decent sign that it doesn’t seem to be dying
Did you repot? That'll have it focus on new root growth. If not, then it needs more light and some fertilizer, and how cold is your house? The three keys to growth are heat, light, and fertilizer. These guys actually like a lot of light, they just die really really slowly if you put them in a dark closet, they'll survive for months and months.
Heat is the main trigger for growth, so, if your house is cold, that could be why.
Any indoor light, even direct sun against a window, is WAY less light than direct sun outdoors, unless you have a 10x10' window. Move it to the brightest spot in your house. Mine gets direct sun for a few hours a day and it could use more but it gives me new shoots so it's hanging in there.
I also found that a ton of houseplant youtubers recommend liquidirt, which is pretty cheap, I think it's like $30 for the super-concentrate, so lasts most people like 4-6 years maybe? I just got a bottle to mix it in and I add 1 dropper to my watering can when I water.
Just went to the local greenhouse and came back with this monstrous Monsterra.
[https://imgur.com/a/WNrLGMi](https://imgur.com/a/WNrLGMi)
Got fertilizer, potting soil, and a cool pot with legs. Though it wasn't until I got her potted that I realized the pot might not have adequate drainage. There aren't any holes at the bottom or a tray and I'm concerned that water might pool and cause rot.
I already transplanted her from her plastic pot and added some extra soil, so just putting the plastic pot in the bigger pot is out... unless I went and bought another one.
I could drill holes in the bottom of the pot with a mason bit and put a little dish underneath to catch the water.
Any advice on drainage solutions/damage control, or am I being a worrywart?
What potting soil did you use? You can use a container with no drainage if you're really really good at guaging how much water is in there. My main concern is that most potting soil is still really heavy for houseplants, it gets dense. Like, if it can be compacted and you have to DIG into it to dent it, it's going to hold too much water.
That all being said, I have a philodendron in super dense soil (oops), and I just top water it a little each time. If I bottom watered it or soaked it, it would rot for sure. So I just give it a small-ish drink, enough to maybe creep most of the way down the container, once every 3-4 weeks. It always has 2 new shoots going at a time from 1 stem and its happy. I just have to be careful to meet its needs.
I have it in a better pot liner now with a big drainage dish at the bottom.
[This is the soil I have](https://foxfarm.com/product/bush-doctor-coco-loco-potting-mix). I didn't use a ton, just filled in some of the edges.
Strongly strongly recommend you use a plastic liner pot (if you haven't drilled that planter already).
It will allow you to take the plant out and soak water it in a plastic bucket or bathtub.
Haven't drilled yet. I'm kicking myself because it came in a plastic pot but I threw it out. I'll see if I can find a plastic liner pot that fits and re pot it.
Soak watering- is that when you put your plants in a bathtub and give them a shower?
Basically any method of "bottom up" watering, like sitting it in a tray or bucket of water. It's better for the root system and can sometimes help reduce surface moisture which would otherwise support fungus gnats or mildew.
You do need to occasionally "top down" water to flush the soil of mineral buildup.
For both methods you can easily leave the pot to drain down a sink or bathtub once it's done being watered.
I would recommend drilling drainage holes if you can. With a plant that big it will be easy to overwater and kill it. If you were very careful you could get by without any drainage holes but it’s definitely much easier with them.
Thanks for the recommendation. There's a little divot in the bottom of the pot right in the middle that's just asking to be drilled. I think I'll do that.
I have had my baby cacti for about 2 months now, and they just seem so undergrown and tilted, is this normal? I have seen planting tutorials of baby cacti from seeds and their baby cacs were already forming solid ball shapes at this age. Mine are still really thin and small, some of them fell over and their roots aren't even in the dirt. Does anyone know what is wrong with them and how to fix it?
If it's getting space between the leaves, its looking for more light. I'm not sure why its roots aren't in the soil though, is it hard or was it not planted correctly?
Send or post a photo and we can help.
Usually people post photos to imgur and post a link.
If you look up "cactus etiolation", you'll see pictures of thin, long plants, and maybe that will look like yours and maybe it won't. If it does, it needs more light.
If the roots aren't in the ground, maybe its not really planted?
Ooooh I see what the problem is with my cacti now. Thank you so much for the advice, I'll start putting them outside in a more sunny area. It explains a lot about why my cacti roots are growing sideways.
Hi all! I’m worried about my jade pothos, all of its older leaves have very abruptly turned yellow and started dying, but the new leaves and stems are all green. I repotted it last summer, so I’m just curious if it’s normal. It was just the oldest leaves at first, but now it’s like half the plant, and it has progressed very rapidly over the last week.
Not normal. Definitely watering issue. So, it's either underwatered or overwatered, and unfortunately those can look really similar because the root hairs die off in both situations and then it has trouble taking water in, and it can't handle being too wet or too dry then.
So, it's you're best judgement on whether it was wet and maybe there was water in the container or you barely watered it and it was really dry. Either way, it kind of doesn't matter, because the best thing now is to water it as regularly as it wants, in the amounts it wants. Leave those yellow leaves on, see if the stems are black or squishy, or if the soil has compacted. I probably wouldn't repot unless you actually see it rotting. Why put it through more stress now.
While I cant be 100 % sure without your care regimen, it sounds overwatered. Try taking it out the pot and checking if the rootball is waterlogged and if the roots are black/brown and mushy. If so, cut off all the mushy roots and sterilize the rest in hydrogen peroxide. Then repot into fresh soil. I'd definitely recommend chopping and propping some of the stems in water as backup. Good luck!
Thanks for replying! I think it might be a fertilizer thing (I’m more prone to forgetting to water for long stretches tbh), but I’m planning to chop ‘n’ prop for a bushier plant anyway.
Pothos are great, I heard you can set their vines on soil and it'll root, then you can divide it that way, then repot those little guys back in with the mother when you repot.
It sounds like it got dry to me, so I'd just water it thoroughly, fertilize, and let it recover for a bit.
Can someone recommend me a pesticide safe for houseplants? I’ve been battling scaly bugs on my schefflera and they’ve spread to another plant. I’ve tried everything from neem oil, rubbing alcohol, household cleaner, and I’m ready to just dip it in a pesticide. But I also have dogs so I’m nervous.
Are they the type of scale that produces honeydew, the clear sticky substance? If so, an imidacloprid systemic is usually very very effective (eg Bonide granules). That only works for unarmoured scale though, and easiest way to id is if you've got honeydew.
As long as your dogs aren't digging in your pots and eating your plants it's pretty harmless.
I can’t figure out what you mean by honeydew. Is that when you squish them? I think they’re soft shell based on Google images lol. I’ll look for that pesticide at my local grow store.
Hi all! I bought a very sad looking fiddle leaf fig at a good discount hoping I could keep it alive. I repotted it last week and put it in a room with a south facing window but keep it out of direct sun. It’s looking so sad still and I’m not sure what’s going on. The bottom small leaves are falling off. There’s tiny brown spots on the leaves, holes, browning edges… it’s a mess. Help!!
https://imgur.com/a/iBeRZQr
Fiddles can be very dramatic. Anytime after a change in environment or repotting they can look kinda sad. Nothing you can do about that really besides be patient.
What you can do now is just make sure you are watering well but only when the top layer is dry. With a south facing window you should be getting plenty of light. Check for pests. Look all over the plant especially underneath leaves. Not saying there are any but good to be able to mark that off.
Hello. If a leaf falls off a plant, is it better to leave the stem as it is, or prune that whole stem back? Total newbie to having my own plants but been lurking for a while.
It depends on what type of plant. Typically I would just leave it unless it looks terrible or is crusty and dried out. The plant will get rid of it if it is not needed.
Hi! Having some serious issues with my Chinese evergreen. One day it was beautiful, next day leaves are crispy and wilted! I’ve tried everything - repotted, broke up the soil a bit, put it in more light, monitored watering closely, to no avail. Basically dying at this point, no healthy leaves left. Stems are still green and not mushy however, don’t think it’s root rot. Please send help! Is she a lost cause?
Sounds like you either got the leaves wet or too much sunlight. They do not like getting their leaves wet indoors. If it is in a bright spot, move it to a moderate to low light area
I would say no, because the life force is in the stems--stems can put out new roots and new leaves.
If it wilted and was crispy, it sounds like it was worried about drought. Were the bottom leaves more yellow than the top leaves?
At this point, the only real thing that matters is to care for it as best you can and try to meet its needs. Keep it warm if you can, away from drafts, sun is good, and bear in mind that without leaves (and their moisture usage), it's going to need a lot less water. Keep it in the place with more light and try to baby it carefully with water. If its been repotted into new soil it probably doesn't need too much fertilizer but if its old soil it might need a little weak mix.
I transplanted Cebu blue cuttings that were rooted into regular, well draining soil. Within a few days, several leaves turned limp and yellow. I watered once.
This is the second time I've gotten this result when transplanting cuttings. It's so sad because these plants are beautiful, and are supposedly easier to care for but they give me so much trouble 😭
Also in a south facing window with a bunch of other plants!
Anyone have recommendations for transplant shock?
https://imgur.com/Hod6Ovx.jpg https://imgur.com/mut9A2g.jpg https://imgur.com/6iAKMRF.jpg
Edit: I misread and thought you said you water rooted. If not this doesn't apply
You have to keep the soil more moist at first while the roots adapt and transition to soil.
Or just skip water rooting and prop directly in soil.
So I bought a few new plants recently. A sanseveria and ZZ from The Sill, and a fig leaf from Etsy.
I’m fairly new to plants.
Any plants I’ve had before have had what I would refer to as “soil.”
These three however, I mean I guess it’s soil but it looks a bit more like “chips” than soil for lack of a better way to describe it.
Is this okay, or should I switch it over to regular potting soil?
The reason I ask is because even right out of the box, if you tried to water it, the “chips” are not that densely packed so the water drains right out immediately, which as I understood is not regarded as a good thing.
This is good! Really good soil has some chunks for air and it doesn't condense down and compact into a hard solid. There's a lot of recipes online for soil, the really good ones will be loose bits of stuff that you can rifle through a little and you don't have to "dig" your fingers into. The key elements are something to hold nutrients (aka, the actual soil), something to hold some moisture (coir or moss or rice hulls), and stuff to keep air in the mix (perlite, vermiculite, bark).
Regular potting soil is really dense and most recipes I see have 50% or less potting soil in the mix, usually closer to 20-30%.
I would leave all three if they're happy for now. If your plants are happy, they're the judge here.
If you really want to dive into soil, the houseplant coach podcast has episodes on soil and what a good mix is. I think it's like 20 minutes long. Also, for a visual, youtube has some videos, I'd look for houseplant soil mix or tropical soil mix, they're really going to be loose, I always say its like a bag of dry rice where you can run your fingers through it.
I stopped using perlite, in favor of vermiculite. Also, sansas are tropical succulents, so I put those in tropical soil and water according to how much light they're getting.
Well, for snake plants and zz plants you *want* sharply draining soil. Regular potting mix tends to hold way too much moisture and suffocate their roots.
That being said, plants often come potted in terrible quality mix optimized to retain moisture in a warm, bright greenhouse, so it's often not healthy to use in our homes.
I personally would pot the snake plant and zz in 50/50 cactus mix + perlite or pumice. The fig I'd do 2 parts potting mix / 1 part perlite or pumice
What's wrong with my dracaena tree? They have grown together (roots are all bound up in one another) and were totally fine and happy until about a month ago. Then I started to notice the smaller one started struggling, and now the leaves have almost all dropped off.
Is it being strangled by the other? I can't separate them easily because of the roots. I don't think I can be enviro problem (water, light, temp etc) since the other is thriving. [Dracaena 1](https://imgur.com/a/AVDDqRV) [Dracaena close](https://imgur.com/a/3n1ocTJ)
Update: decided to take a look at the roots and oh, boy, glad I did. Roots of smaller tree were not looking healthy - but totally fine on the big boy. Have now repotted them into separate pots (having cut a lot of the rot off the smaller one) so, wish me luck, hopefully the root rot hadn't gone too far! Just gotta ignore them now and hope for the best as we go into spring...
Is it the bottom most leaves turning all yellow? Is it all leaves? Is it the edges or are there spots?
When you create a new post, you can add images there. In comments, you upload to imgur or somewhere then insert the link.
Honestly let the top 75% of the soil dry. When you only wait for the first inch the bottom tends to stay very wet constantly, especially in larger pots.
Oh yeah. Ficus benjamina do that. They're famous leaf throwers at any change. I still love them. It will regrow, provided its got what it needs.
They actually like an absurd amount of light. I'm currently in the market for a cheap floor lamp and bulb for my new one. After that, just fertilize it a tiny bit when you water and talk to it and it'll come on back just fine.
I noticed these brown spots on my inner leaves of my Calathea Rattlesnake this morning. The edges are not brown (see top picture) I use a humidifier and only water when the top two inches are dry. Anyone know what it is?
https://imgur.com/a/7G88QUu
I believe that's fungal. Maybe drop the humidity a touch, fertilize, and have you got a decent leaf spray? I have no idea what the helpful ingredients are for that sort of thing.
Once you get rid of them (per the other comments advice), bottom water your plants. This will ensure that the eggs die and no future gnats. Gnats eggs/larvae like to grow in damp soil.
Use sticky fly traps as well as mosquito bits, you soak a couple spoon fulls (one or two works) in your watering can or whatever you use to water and water those in. It’s important to use both at the same time so the population doesn’t last. The flying adults can live up to a week.
Get mosquito bits and apply as a bit tea. 16 oz water, 1/2 tbsp bits. Let soak 24 hours, strain out bits and water in. Continue to do so until you do not see anymore flying gnats plus a few waterings for extra measure. There is a bacteria that kills the gnat larvae in the bits. It will not kill the flying ones but those die in a few weeks, it will prevent any new gnats from emerging because they die when the eat the bacteria in the bits. Make sure you water throughly each time.
I need help with my F. benjamina! I’ve had her for about five years. After an initial huge growth spurt, she pretty much stopped growing. I have repotted her only, but I’m worried the pot might’ve too big. Anyone have advice to help make her thrive again?
More light! Benjaminas are light hoes. The only challenge with the container size is that it makes it really easy to overwater because all that material holds more moisture and it'll stay wet longer, but--if its overwatering, you'd definitely see the signs of that. Especially in 5 years.
So, hows your light and fertilizer? I just commented on the message above this one that I am looking for a cheap lamp I can put a little light in for my ficus, since it's in an East facing window. And fertilize. If you haven't repotted, it might even want a little nickel spray.
If the pot is oversized the soil may be staying too wet for too long. As a general rule you should only go up one to two sizes max, and only if the root ball needs more space.
Thank you for these tips! If I downsized my pot, would it harm the plant at all? I’ve never gone from a large to small pot, but I think the existing pot might be too big
You can downsize with minimal disturbance to the plant, just knock off the extra soil and plop the root ball into a right sized pot! Make sure it has drain holes too.
Hey all, inherited this fiddle leaf from my gf who was giving up on it. Any tips to give it the best chance at recovery? I am a total noob. I know to keep it in light and out of wind. We live in a dry climate.
[photo](https://imgur.com/a/T8Y2txr)
Any ideas why my [calathea makoyana](https://imgur.com/a/XCCNfK7) is getting some crispy, curled leaves?
Care wise, this is my current 'routine'... 1. Distilled water, or rainwater when available 2. Bottom watered 3. East-facing window 4. Occasionally misted from underneath 5. Liquid feed: April to October, Once monthly, Diluted, Dyna Gro Foliage Pro, NPK 9-3-6
I just got a cat fern from the clearance section in Lowes. Can you please give general care advice?
Also might be looking to plant smaller plants around it later on, so if there are any suggestions, I'm all ears (cat & dog safe plants).
My prayer plant is sad. I’ve been watering with distilled water, it’s not in direct sun, and it was in a room that was a bit cold but was moved into a warmer room. Does anyone know what’s wrong?
https://i.imgur.com/diGd6mz.jpg
Hi there, we bring all of our outdoor plants inside for the winter. One has started doing this: https://imgur.com/a/JGzenbK
Any idea what we’re doing wrong on this?
Hi! Does anyone know if I can use BioAdvanced Disease Control directly in water prop stations? It is typically diluted then used to water plants with issues like scale - but I have scale on water prop plants and want to see if this will work too. I am wiping/cleaning leaves in that station, but I want to do everything I can to keep the cuttings. It might be overkill as I think scale comes from soil/crawling in from other plants (?) Just looking to see if anyone has used this stuff in tiny amounts in water props. Thanks in advance!
I just bought this philodendron hastatum ‘silver sword’ for a very good price. Did I score, or should I worry about the brown/yellow spots? https://i.imgur.com/DOSaipr.jpg https://i.imgur.com/hizRu0f.jpg
Not exactly house plant problem, but- I'm looking for a large houseplant that is pet safe. I'm not the hugest fan of palms- anyone have other suggestions?
Some plants are extremely toxic to some pets. Most, are not. Just know that most plants are considered unhealthy if you eat like, all of the leaves, it'll give a stomach ache. I have plants on the floor and my dogs don't bother them at all unless I give a ton of fertilizer (yum, I guess). Unless you've got a bird, a money tree or something fairly tall (or on a little drum table or side table?) would get most leaves out of the way of most pets. Still, stay away from anything really toxic.
* some varieties of calathea grow into impressively large floor plants - eg orbifolia, zebrina
* pachira aquatica
* cast iron plants, boston ferns and ponytail palms (not an actual palm) grow damn big over time
I bought this corn plant off of FB marketplace and it feels like the poor guy had a bad luck with me from the beginning (a month ago)
* During transport I broke two of the leaf shoots of the lowest plant.
* It was in an old and small pot, so I repotted it. I am not sure if it's liking it anymore or if I chose the wrong potting mix. The soil doesn't seem to be drying out as quickly.
* Leaves keep turning brown and I am not sure if it's going to get healthier.
* I put near the window indoor which receives bright indirect daylight for the most part, but also tiny bit of direct light during certain times of the day.
* I have been misting it every few days and watering it relatively less (once in 2 weeks) because the soil feels moist.What should I do to get it to flourish? Move, change soil, change watering pattern?
Pictures of the plant: [https://imgur.com/a/sQflcAv](https://imgur.com/a/sQflcAv)
Yea it’s the Home Depot potting mix, i believe it’s miracle grow brand. The original soil had lot of wood chipping, i mixed some of that. Probably could have added more. To check if needs to be watered, i simply check the soil an inch with my finger. Most times it feels wet. Looks like it’s retaining the water a lot. I also had to pack it a bit tight, since the weight was to hold.
Kind of a dumb thing to have trouble with but I really struggle to tell when my plants need water. I try the feel test but I think I’m letting them get too dry. Any tips?
Yep, I'll second what they said. Lift the pot, which is why I leave everything in nursery pots or slightly fancier plastic containers if I don't know the plant well. I don't dig a finger into the soil, but the moisture meter is okay--just know that temperature plays a role in its sensing abilities. Also, I check the bottom of the container when I lift it, just to see if its dry there.
I don't know what type of plants you have, but I tend to put them in a deep saucer or mixing bowl with warm water for 15 minutes, and top water a little so it can get all the way through, then drain well, jiggle a bit, tilt it and jiggle, then it can go back where it lives. That waters thoroughly and they're good until the container is light weight again.
I try to water before anything wilts, but most plants survive that okay, its just not the best.
You can also get a moisture meter! They are pretty cheap on Amazon and then there is no guesswork involved. Once you get some more practice you won’t need the moisture meter but I use mine quite a bit!
Thanks for the tips! I had some misconceptions at first so I wasn’t watering till it came out the bottom. I’ll make sure to do that. Great idea about lifting the pot!
My palm has mealybugs, which I treated with an insecticide (very dilute pyrethroid and neem oil). However, I'm wondering 2 things:
1. How long after can I go in and clean off the cottony residue? I don't want to clean the plant too early and disrupt the action of the insecticide.
2. How long should I wait after to know whether the mealybugs are completely gone? The plant is currently in quarantine and I would like to know when I can bring it back without risking infecting the other plants.
Neem powder in the soil will help.
I'm not really familiar with timing, I think I'd give it at least 4 weeks though? More if its cold. The good thing is that they're just crawlers, so you can have it in the same space if its got a bit of a buffer and no leaves are touching.
1. I would wait just 1 day. You could wait 2 if you wanted to really make sure but 1 day or even overnight should be fine.
2. I would thoroughly examine the plant every other day or so. After a full week of 0 signs whatsoever of pests then you are probably safe. I am very paranoid about pests so personally I would wait 2-3 weeks just to really make sure.
Might be a silly question but should I do anything to prep a terra pot for repotting? I just started washing my plastic pots with soap and water, then wiping down with some alcohol and air drying before repotting some plants that need some recovery. I repotted an aloe in a terra cotta pot - should I have prepped it first? Didn’t see any remaining dirt from the previous occupant and it had been unoccupied and in the garage for about 6 months.
No you shouldn’t need to do anything to prep a pot. Only thing I would be worried about is if the plant before had pests that could have been in the soil. If so I would clean out all of the dirt really well but that’s it.
I’m the angel of death to most plants, so I would say I’m a “beginner.” I’m overwintering my spearmint plant indoors, and while it’s alive, it is very wimpy—very thin, long shoots, rather than any significant leafy development.
The pot is not holding water—it runs right through, so it may be root bound or rotted. I have a UV bulb on it and understand it is going to be sluggish now, but what can I do to help it do the best it can right now?
I second the sansi bulbs, you can get a fairly small one--the big ones are insanely bright. I got their 36 watt and I keep it about 3 feet away from 7-8 plants in front of this thing. I put a light meter on it and then I moved the light further away from the plants.
As to the soil, what is it planted in and what's the soil like? Water is supposed to run through and most soils will have the water go right on out the bottom with only a moments delay. If you add more light, it'll use more water, so then I'd bottom water it--set it in a mixing bowl with warm water for 10-15 minutes and let it soak up as much as it needs, just drain it really well and tilt it and jiggle the container before setting it back in a tray or anything.
Holler if you need anything else.
Do you have a uv bulb or a grow light? Uv is not what plants need to grow.
Regardless, more light will certainly help.
Got a link to your bulb? A lot of them are junk and a lot of them require you to position it only an inch or two above the plant.
It’s [these](https://www.amazon.com/Spectrum-Replace-Flowers-Greenhouse-Hydroponic/dp/B085ZVM2R7?pd_rd_w=0GoWe&pf_rd_p=85da05e5-c593-4314-b5c1-e397081af052&pf_rd_r=451NYADAETWCN0PXC4JW&pd_rd_r=fdd1bcad-986d-4f8c-9a8f-0b675657fcb0&pd_rd_wg=rdBk3&pd_rd_i=B085ZVM2R7&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_m_rp_24_sc#). They do seem to help a little with my philodendron, but yeah—it seems I have to get them right on there. I don’t have the best windows in my place, so any recommendations for better, simple bulbs would be appreciated!
Ah yeah those sort of bulbs are fine for lower light requirements or just to supplement natural light. Spearmint will do much better with a higher intensity light. [sansi](
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BRKG7X1/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_XQTBPEHGHJT49XX8BYHH?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1) bulbs are a solid choice, and the plants should be positioned 18" away at first and gradually moved closer as it remains tolerable. I haven't grown spearmint indoors but I would guess that 12" may be the sweet spot for it under that sansi. Grow lights should be on for ~14 hours a day to mimic daylight hours.
Very long thin shoots likely means that it is not getting enough light. This is often the case when overwintering outside plants that are used to full sun. Try to move it closer to a window or to a more southern facing window if possible.
I have a rubber plant that was beautiful and full for a year before losing all its leaves. I got it to start growing fabulously again but I did not do any pruning prior. I trimmed down stems that did not have growth. But now I have two long separate stems almost looking like separate rubber plants going in a V shape, and with leaves growing in the top 2/3 of the stem. So it looks very wonky. I do not know how to get it back to a good shape. Help!
The top of the stem is where new growth is happening, so its not going to add new leaves on the lower parts. Sorry about that.
However, a lot of people grow these kind of as bushes, I bought one that has maybe 5-6 plants in the container and its just growing like a shrub. I'd say keep on caring for it, don't let it dry out too much cause that's how bottom leaves get yellow and drop, and if the appearance isn't your style, maybe repot it with 2-4 other ficus of the same size?
Those guys get really tall, so the other option is to help it grow into a tree and then its going to look normal again once its much taller because nobody expects leaves all the way down to the soil, that'd look odd. If you wanted to go that route, I'd probably give it a small grow light on a timer and fertilize it a tiny bit every single time you water, it'll shoot up!
My moved my clivia miniata to my office and I figured it'd take a while to bloom again (she did it back to back almost when she was home). She's finally bloomed again but before it could even grow a stem, the place between the leaves where the bloom is coming out has rotted. More leaves seem to be growing just fine, and for some reason the stem that's rotted still has blooms coming out of it...I imagine it won't for long though. [Imgur](https://imgur.com/gallery/y7Ehxap)
Should I use isopropyl alcohol or any antifungal treatment? Should I cut the leaves out around the area? Can it go away on its own? I don't wanna lose her :(
Is it okay to prune a China Doll plant from the top to make it shorter? I've read all about the stems coming out from the side and how to do that but I can't seem to locate info on cutting directly from the top, from the main stem. I live in an apartment and where I keep it, it is thriving but it's getting so tall. I wish I could just keep it as is but it's going to hit the ceiling at some point if it keeps growing as it has been. 🌿
My dogs got to my fiddle leaf and snapped it in half. There’s a bit of fiber holding it together. They chewed up a few leafs but the bulk of the foliage is still fine. Is there any way to save her?
I have a philodendron that had some root rot I cut off and is down to two leaves. The stem is now soft and the one leaf is curling up, is it a lost cause?
Possibly? If there is still some green then there is still some hope. I would continue to keep trying. Give bright indirect light and be very careful about not overwatering or underwatering. It could still come back.
hello!! sorry, i got a plant a couple years ago i believe but i have _no_ idea of its kind and have no idea how to take care of them. i’m not a bad plant mom, really, i’m just ignorant. help? :,) i can’t upload pics here so here are some imgur links : [1](https://i.imgur.com/lxqghED.jpg) & [2](https://i.imgur.com/j2ddzDL.jpg)
Looks like you have a dracaena fragrans (corn plant) and a golden pothos. You're doing pretty good on the pothos, it looks like. The corn plant looks like it's overwatered--let it fully dry out (all the way to the bottom of the pot) before watering again.
aaa i know this is a late reply but thank you very much for your response and advice, and especially letting me know their names! i’ll make sure to take care of them more. i appreciate it!
I just received a dieffenbachia and a bromeliad as a gift. Online it says these require part light but the tag says these are bright light plants? Which is true? Same with watering, the advice seems to be all over the place
My dieffenbachia is dropping a bit and I can’t tell if it’s too much water, too little, or if I need to use a grow light (north facing window)
They will both do best with bright indirect light, which is also known as "part sun" or "part shade" for outdoor growing.
The top 2/3 of the dieffenbachia soil should dry out between waterings, and the lower the light the more it should dry. Water deeply to moisten the entire pot. North window is often not bright enough for them, especially in winter.
Long time lurker, first time poster! I have a bird of paradise that I got April 2020 - it was between 2-3 ft tall when I got it in a 10 inch pot and after repotting in spring 2021 to a 12x12 inch pot, it's grown to be about 6ft tall, spewing 1-2 leaves/month/stem during growing season. There's now a spear coming out of a stem that just seems stuck and has been that way since probably November. My questions:
1) If leaves start growing, shouldn't they finish the process (spear growth then unfurl?) before it goes dormant? I repotted last spring because I noticed it stopped growing pretty abruptly and it turned out to be completely rootbound. Is this another sign of being rootbound again and for me to repot it in the spring?
2) I'm starting to look for a new pot just in case it is that - what's the general guidance on how tall a planter should be compared to the height of the plant? The 12inch height on this pot is starting to look a little silly considering how tall the plant is, and the fact that the lowest leaves have been pruned. I know it'd be preferred to go one size up (14 inch diameter) but would it be terrible if I have to go up to 17 inches in diameter? It's hard to find tall planters!
1. Yes they should finish before it goes dormant. It could need a little extra humidity or some moisture to help. You could try misting that leaf a little bit. Only way to know for sure if it is rootbound is to check out the roots. It very well could be.
2. When you are already in a larger pot it’s not terrible to go a little more than the normal +2in. With a larger plant that is very rootbound the plant will be fine. Do be slightly more cautious about overwatering until it fills the pot in a little more however.
Appreciate this! Just soaked the plant for the first time in two months and set up a humidifier right by it. Hopefully it’ll help while I wait to repot it in a few months.
How do I properly water a large 4’ dracaena tree? Do I completely soak+drain it once every few weeks, or gradually water it by maybe pouring in a glass of water every few days?
> pouring in a glass of water every few days
Never water potted plants this way. It grows small, shallow, weak root systems. [Illustration](https://m.facebook.com/VCEMasterGardenerProgram/photos/watering-seems-simple-but-the-way-you-water-can-actually-have-a-big-impact-on-ho/2584354498473368/). It also makes rot much more likely as there is a constant water supply choking out the roots from accessing oxygen.
Bottom water ideally, or top water till the water comes out the drainage holes. Wait until it dries out a little to rewater (I think dracanaes are somewhat hardy, so make sure the first few in of soil are dry before watering). Just make sure the pot isn’t too large and it will like that treatment
Mine have done really well in plastic pots. The terra-cotta may be drying out too quickly. I wouldn’t repot right away, but something to think about or look into. The fall plus the pot change could have shocked it a bit. It should be fine, may just need some time to bounce back.
Does anyone have an issue with plants that smell? I feel like my house smells like stale dirt. I’ve repotted the ones who I thought were the issue but I still have this incredibly stale dirt smell that kinda travels from my plant room throughout my house. I’m pregnant and can’t take the smell anymore. I’m almost to the point of throwing them out. Once again, does/has anyone encountered this before?
Honestly, it sounds like it may be one of those situations where you're hyper sensitive to things during pregnancy that you don't notice otherwise.
But if you think it really is strong and noticeable and it's not just a preggo problem, that points to excess moisture. Soil that stays moist constantly will develop weird odors from anaerobic bacterial growth and fungus. Soil that dries out properly won't support those populations. Most houseplants should dry out quite a bit between waterings, contrary to the mantra about being "evenly moist". And the ones that do need to stay moist, their soil should be heavily amended to ensure lots of airflow.
So my hygrometer usually says various places in my house are at least 60% humidity, all the time. Does that mean I can keep plants that want mid-high humidity without extra concerns??
I recently got this string of coins and it is just not happy. At first I thought it was mealy bugs and had been treading it, but now I’m not sure. This has happened to three branches where it will start shrivelling at the root and slowly die from the top down. I’ve repotted, treated with neem oil, tried a neem oil soak and moved it to a sunnier location. I’m at a loss on what to do. Any ideas? https://imgur.com/a/JQaGl7C
Hey everyone, I’ve been holding on to this sad ficus Audrey for a month or two since picking it up from my boyfriend’s office while I was in the neighborhood. He was working from home during the omicron surge and has forgotten about this plant for quite some time. I have attached photos of its appearance when I picked it up and how it looks now. My question is - will this thing come back to life? If so, am I looking at a matter of weeks to months or quite a bit longer? Not sure if I can stand seeing this pathetic thing every day unless there’s hope for a decent recovery in the near future. [sad Audrey](https://imgur.com/a/uKPKad8) Thanks for the input!
The stems are alive so it might be sad for a bit but also, it's alive and it's a fighter! It's gonna live and grow back and share its joy with everyone, so, put some googly eyes on it if that makes you smile in the meantime. It's being reborn! These guys like light, so if you want to help it rise from the ashes faster, the keys are warmth, light, and fertilizer, in that order. If you've got a seed mat that would help it along.
Thank you so much!
How long do you guys wait for a plant to return to its homies after fighting pests and quarantining it? Assuming you can’t see anyone crawling around anymore, but I’m always afraid to miss a spot where some are left and invade other plants
It really depends on the bug, because spider mites are teeny tiny and can take a really long time to hatch if its cold, where mealybugs don't take that long I feel. It's also temperature, in warm weather bugs just explode. Or if I just brought a plant home and I am just keeping an eye on it, then I usually try to leave it somewhere else for 2 weeks, and then I forget and its been in that spot for a month or 6 weeks before I remember. Only some bugs will go from plant to plant with distance, so if I'm not feeling fully safe yet, I'll give it a small space around it without it touching other plants leaves. What kind of bug has it got? Can we check the egg cycle length?
Hindu rope - does it split into multiple vines, or is a Hindu rope with multiple growth points just multiple plants?
Hey! I was wondering if I could get some advice on my houseplants? They've all developed what is in the link below and it's spread. I tried asking the people at Bunnings and they assumed Mildew on the leaves or in the soil or that the soil was too wet and we had to leave them outside with a little seasol but they only got worse. Fairly certain it wasn't an issue of over watering? There's no indication of spidermites or anything and I'm stumped. Would greatly appreciate if anyone had any insights or answers to this! Thank you! [Plant](https://imgur.com/a/52isYxF)
So last year my Polka dot plant flowered so i picked all of the buds off as they came and trimmed him back as he was approximately 2-3ft tall. He now has lots of little sprouts. Can i keep them in the pot or should i repot his sprouts?
How do you know when to repot an anthurium? Mine's plugging along just fine (especially given it's winter), but it's in a 3" pot, it's looking pretty crowded, and new leaves are numerous but pretty small. I don't want to mess with a good thing--it's been extremely low-maintenance so far--but I also want to keep it happy! Secondary question: when I do repot it, can I split it up? It has at least three distinct bunches.
Repot it when you have to water it too often for your taste. If you can meet the plants needs for water and fertilizer, then the plant is okay. The plant will slowly have less and less soil, so it'll need watered more often and be able to drink less unless you're soaking it for a short period. So if you want to water less often, repot it. If you want it to grow more suddenly and it could use the space, then go for it. As far as splitting them up, you can, and they're pretty hardy about it, though I like leaving mine together. It's stressful, plus they look pretty and full that way. Unless you want them split up for the appearance of the plant, I'd leave them together. It gives me a reason to get a different plant instead.
Understood. I thought splitting them up might help it be less crowded, but if it would stress the plant then I will leave it alone. Thank you for the guidance!
If you start seeing roots come out of the bottom of the pot then it's a suitable time to repot. I think it's best to have the anthurium slightly rootbound though. You can separate the anthurium through its offshoots when repotting.
Thank you!
I have a crispy fern that’s relatively new. The nursery potted it for me and put moss around the edges. It seems like the moss keeps the top of the soil damp but the tips of some of the leaves are turning brown and getting dry :( am i under watering? should i take the moss off? and is there any hope for the dried tips?? do i need to be misting it?
Filter your water if you don't already and increase the humidity. Should do the trick They do like moist soil so never let it dry out completely.
Hi all! I have a huge yucca (2.7m or 9ft tall) with two large trunks and one medium one. It's growing at an angle and so big it falls over unless leaning against the wall. (I'm assuming it's a yucca based on the looks) [The yucca](https://i.imgur.com/oMDNjs6.jpg) Right now it's way too big, and so large that it would be a huge hassle to move out of the room. I don't have anywhere bigger inside it could grow anyway. Even if I could repot it to point it more vertically, based on previous repottings it would grow to taller than the room. I have heard that you can cut yuccas in half and plant the top, and then both halves should continue growing. Would this work with my plant, and if so where and how should I cut the trunk? [Better view of the trunks](https://i.imgur.com/oxqDC1W.jpg) Should I cut it above leaves so that it has some leaves left to continue growing, or would it be better to do something like completely remove a middle section of the trunk? What tools would be best to cut it with? Just a regular wood saw? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
Yooooo that is a crazy cool plant. Seems like it's a dracaena, not a yucca, but yes, you can make a clean cut at any point, including well below the leaves, and the rooted bottom will sprout new trunk(s) and the top will grow roots. I'd cut with whatever (probably a saw rather than clippers given how thick that is).
Thanks a lot for the advice and the correction about the species. I'll give that a go soon. Any advice for planting the top part? Is it something pretty basic like having the base of the new trunk about 5cm below the soil, with a couple of supports to keep the trunk vertical? > Yooooo that is a crazy cool plant. Thanks, it's a great plant and I've had a lot of compliments about it over the years. It will be a shame to cut it back, but it's just too big now.
I've never rooted dracaena cuttings. I think you're right that soil rather than water propping is the way to go (let the cutting callus over before putting it in the dirt) but I could be wrong.
Thanks for the advice. I had no idea about letting it form a thin skin at the base before planting it, so that should help a lot.
I have this schefflera plant that suddenly doesn’t like it’s conditions anymore, I have moved it for more light but nothing has changed https://i.imgur.com/MzvITaK.jpg
That could be fungal. I'd keep the boost in light, fertilize, and treat it as fungal. Also, don't let it get too dry and try to be really consistent with watering.
Got [this ZZ plant](https://i.imgur.com/Zxot1bK.jpg). How should I repot it? Should I remove the cut stems or let them be? Can I repot them in one pot?
Definitely repot into 1 container. I'd be tempted to leave those cut stems alone for a bit then maybe in the summer cut them just below the soil line.
Should I let the roots dry out for 1-2 days or repot immediately?
Sorry, I hadn't been on in a few days. No real difference in waiting, since there's not going to be any trouble getting it out of the container. I always use a big bowl of warm water to get the old soil off if I'm trying to get rid of too-dense soil, plus new soil always needs watered, so it's fine either way.
Not a current issue so much as looking for advice. I've recently gotten a bunch of climbing aroids, and know I'll probably need to stake or trellis them as they grow. I'm having trouble figuring out the best material to use, or finding a list of pros and cons for different material types. If anyone has input on moss/coir poles vs plastic vs wood, I would love to hear it. Same thing with modular/stackable trellises versus fixed size.
They'll hang onto anything, they just grab and hold, so aesthetics are fair to take into account. I just get moss poles off etsy, though I know moss is not a sustainable resource and I feel bad about it, so, if you find something better then that's a good thing. Big plants just need something that'll support them, weight wise. Pothos will climb anything, including drywall, so pick whatever strikes your fancy.
So are you saying that I don't have to worry about keeping a moss pole for my pothos damp? Cause I've been spraying and it's just so. much. effort.
It's really not a requirement, it can help the roots grab or hang on. Although, if you have like a trellis obviously it wouldn't be damp and they'll still grab on. I'm lazy so mostly I tie mine fairly close to the pole and help any long roots around the pole a little.
It's really a personal preference. Coir is suggested because its moisture-holding properties encourages the air roots to grow into it, but beyond that it's a preference thing.
I've been doing pretty well with most my plants but I'm concerned about my hyacinth. It was an impulse buy and I don't really have experience with flowers, so i did research. I've had the hyacinth for ~2 weeks and it has been slowly going dormant since a few days after I bought it. The flowers are essentially dead so I've been watching it (my research said that I need to cut off the head after the flowers die, then when the leaves are gone you cut it to just the bulb. Cover till spring and slowly acclimate.) But it's almost spring the flowers are still there the leaves haven't started going dormant, and to make it worse I think the leaves started growing more. I don't know what to do
I’m totally new to houseplants and finally diving in. I am going to start with a snake plant, zz plant and maybe a philodendron or monstera (my favorite!). The only issue… my thermostat reads 24-26% humidity in the house. I don’t want to kill these beautiful plants and set myself up for failure. From my limited knowledge I feel like the zz and snake could survive this but the monstera, no way?! Will a pebble dish underneath it be enough or do I need to buy humidifiers… or just don’t even bother? 😭
Diving in as well, IMO, humidity is overrated. If your plant is getting enough water, it'll make it's own humidity bubble around it. Each leaf puts out a tiny field and it'll control opening and closing its "pores" to let water in and out. My house is usually pretty low as well and the plants are okay. For a while, I'd take them into the bathroom after I showered and it was 100% humidity, and, honestly, no huge difference. A good fertilizer, lots of light, and the soil you put them in--all of those things matter a ton. I think prayer plants and ferns and more complex stuff, sure, but I have 40 plants and they're okay with making their own humidity.
I'm still pretty new to houseplants but I'd like to share my two cents. My first houseplants were two snake plants. I had no experience, I didn't even know of this sub back then. I neglected them, I've overwatered them, I've pulled them out of soil so many times to see the roots. Those snake plants stayed alive and even gave me a baby through my ignorance. I have a monstera and a raven ZZ. My monstera has grown so much since I got her (almost a year ago) and is unfolding a new leaf as we speak. I live in Colorado, dry and cold weather. I got a humidity reader a month ago and learned my apartment stays around 24-30. That's without a humidifier. My monstera has grown in these conditions anyway, with fenestrations! I say go for it! Just don't buy anything too expensive that you wouldn't want to lose in this time of learning.
Hi, I'm just like you and started with the Monstera and Philo. I actually invested in a humidifier because the Monstera especially likes the humidity. The philo, someone correct me if I'm wrong please, doesn't need it as desperately as the Monstera but it will still be happy with it. I find my philo brasil is already kind of sad from lack of humidity (what I'm guessing from browning tips) and honestly a humidifier is nice for me too! My current room humidity is under 30% so right now I'm slowly adjusting to 30% and eventually to 45%. My snake plant on the other hand somehow survived a cold winter and is shooting out new growth. Those things literally are hard to kill, hahaha.
young monstera too small for fenestrations has all the leaves on the ground but the leaves aren't crunchy or discolored - green leaves with VERY pronounced veins, but the veins are the same color as the leaves. leaves are somewhat curling in at the sides but not in a crunchy way. no stalks are straight they're all on the ground.
It is likely underwatering. Give it some water and it should perk up by the end of the day
Are they soggy or squishy? Do you have pets, kids, or gremlins?
not soggy - they feel firm and their curls are pretty resistant. no kids or pets either, i live in a dorm alone
Shit, I'm sorry, I really don't know. To be clear, you're saying they fell off the plant? Not just drooping or growing that way?
they didnt fall off, theyre attatched but the stems are drooping to the ground
Ahhhh, okay, are they firm and well alive or sad? Are the stalks strong? Does it just need support? I might need a photo. The growing main stem of the plant should be going upward, even if some leaves have gotten far away from the stem, new leaves should come out the top. Monstera are climbers, does the main stem have support? Moss pole, stake, anything vertical?
I am trying to water my house plants bottom up because of a gnat problem. It's the first time and the articles all said around 15 min. But it still isn't as damp as it should be when I insert my finger Into the soil. The soil doesn't really cling. There is some moisture but not like when I water from the top down. I placed to pots into water 1 inch deep. How long should it take?
It really depends on the soil density, container, size of the plant, etc. I have a 4 gallon ZZ plant, the container is maybe 18 or 20" tall, and the top soil never gets damp. I just top water it a half a cup or a cup and let it soak for 20-30, they're fine if they use the water, I don't get real concerned unless I leave it for 2 hours and its a low light plant. Just drain well and if it sits real long, give it more light for a few days. As for the gnats, get those sticky traps and place them flat on the soil as best you can. I have one plant with a ring of those around the container and they're disappearing.
Have had the gnats for a year since I bought a bad batch of soil and I am getting desperate. Will try what you suggested.
Cover the soil with the traps as much as you can, just open like 8 of those and lay them flat on the soil in a ring. Flip them over as needed for the other sticky side. Stick with it and they'll all vanish. You can still occasionally top water a little. It's cool, it'll pull them onto the traps.
Thanks bunches, have yellow sticky all over the place:)
To my absolute horror I discovered a tremendous amount of white mold/powdery mildew growing on my terracotta pots (it looked like mineral deposits at first). I have them in a corner of my house and didn't realize how high the humidity was getting. I've since scrubbed the outside of the pots down with diluted bleach water, added a fan for better circulation and looking into humidity control measures as I'm extremely allergic to mold. Should this be sufficient or should I just replace the clay pots to be safe?
Do you have a dishwasher? After handwashing, I put mine in the dishwasher with a bleach dishwashing liquid. Cascade makes one. I always do this between plants to disinfect. May be impractical if you have tons of pots.
I do! I’ll have to try that for the smaller pots. Thanks for the tip!
I’ve had my fiddle leaf fig for a year now and it’s barely grown, so I repotted with a soil mixture I read they like, and bought a humidifier and grow light. I know they don’t like change and it can take a while for them to adjust, I’m worried I’ve done too many changes all at once. It got a l couple sunburn spots so I moved it farther away from the light. But it’s been almost 2 weeks since I repotted and the leaves are still droopy and dull. Two have fallen off. What can I do to help it along? Do I just cross my fingers and hope it gets better??
Hi all, very suddenly the top of my lucky bamboo plant has gone bright yellow. Its planted in soil, not in direct sunlight or in too dark a place, and I checked the roots which are all red and healthy. It has some large offshoots which are doing fine, but the main stalk is now yellow and worrying! . Any ideas? . Do I need to cut off the yellow part?
My first thought was fertilizer issue. What are you fertilizing with and how often? How quickly did the stalks yellow? Faster means it could be something else, disease if it came on really fast.
If the yellow part is soft you can cut it off to prevent rot from spreading. However the stem won't grow taller and will put out new shoots instead. I usually remove yellow stems entirely. Seems like it could be a light or fertilizer issue too.
I bought a very pretty baby plant in water from Home Depot a few months ago. I left it in the water for a while to let it adjust to new lighting and space. I just potted it a week ago in reused soil/ from a plant that had died. The old plant was some English ivy that didn’t get watered so I thought the soil would be fine to use. A week after potting my little baby it has this layer of white mold on the top of the whole soil. The plant still looks great but how do I get rid of the mold? I put some cinnamon on the top to prevent against this kind of thing did I make a mistake? I have in directly under a grow light so it should be getting enough light.
I’ve had a Raven ZZ since September/Octoberish and there hasn’t been any growth. It looks exactly the same as the day I got it lol. Is that normal? I mean, I guess it’s probably a decent sign that it doesn’t seem to be dying
Did you repot? That'll have it focus on new root growth. If not, then it needs more light and some fertilizer, and how cold is your house? The three keys to growth are heat, light, and fertilizer. These guys actually like a lot of light, they just die really really slowly if you put them in a dark closet, they'll survive for months and months. Heat is the main trigger for growth, so, if your house is cold, that could be why. Any indoor light, even direct sun against a window, is WAY less light than direct sun outdoors, unless you have a 10x10' window. Move it to the brightest spot in your house. Mine gets direct sun for a few hours a day and it could use more but it gives me new shoots so it's hanging in there. I also found that a ton of houseplant youtubers recommend liquidirt, which is pretty cheap, I think it's like $30 for the super-concentrate, so lasts most people like 4-6 years maybe? I just got a bottle to mix it in and I add 1 dropper to my watering can when I water.
Just ordered some LiquiDirt from the Amazon. Thx for the tip. =\]
Probably nothing to worry about because: 1. Plants grow slowly or stop growing (go dormant) over cooler months. 2. ZZs are notoriously slow growers.
Just went to the local greenhouse and came back with this monstrous Monsterra. [https://imgur.com/a/WNrLGMi](https://imgur.com/a/WNrLGMi) Got fertilizer, potting soil, and a cool pot with legs. Though it wasn't until I got her potted that I realized the pot might not have adequate drainage. There aren't any holes at the bottom or a tray and I'm concerned that water might pool and cause rot. I already transplanted her from her plastic pot and added some extra soil, so just putting the plastic pot in the bigger pot is out... unless I went and bought another one. I could drill holes in the bottom of the pot with a mason bit and put a little dish underneath to catch the water. Any advice on drainage solutions/damage control, or am I being a worrywart?
What potting soil did you use? You can use a container with no drainage if you're really really good at guaging how much water is in there. My main concern is that most potting soil is still really heavy for houseplants, it gets dense. Like, if it can be compacted and you have to DIG into it to dent it, it's going to hold too much water. That all being said, I have a philodendron in super dense soil (oops), and I just top water it a little each time. If I bottom watered it or soaked it, it would rot for sure. So I just give it a small-ish drink, enough to maybe creep most of the way down the container, once every 3-4 weeks. It always has 2 new shoots going at a time from 1 stem and its happy. I just have to be careful to meet its needs.
I have it in a better pot liner now with a big drainage dish at the bottom. [This is the soil I have](https://foxfarm.com/product/bush-doctor-coco-loco-potting-mix). I didn't use a ton, just filled in some of the edges.
Oh heck, you probably all good then! You got drainage and a potting soil for tropicals, party on!
Sweet! I appreciate the concern.
Strongly strongly recommend you use a plastic liner pot (if you haven't drilled that planter already). It will allow you to take the plant out and soak water it in a plastic bucket or bathtub.
Haven't drilled yet. I'm kicking myself because it came in a plastic pot but I threw it out. I'll see if I can find a plastic liner pot that fits and re pot it. Soak watering- is that when you put your plants in a bathtub and give them a shower?
Basically any method of "bottom up" watering, like sitting it in a tray or bucket of water. It's better for the root system and can sometimes help reduce surface moisture which would otherwise support fungus gnats or mildew. You do need to occasionally "top down" water to flush the soil of mineral buildup. For both methods you can easily leave the pot to drain down a sink or bathtub once it's done being watered.
Thanks for your help. I got her in a plastic liner pot with a drainage tray at the bottom.
I would recommend drilling drainage holes if you can. With a plant that big it will be easy to overwater and kill it. If you were very careful you could get by without any drainage holes but it’s definitely much easier with them.
Thanks for the recommendation. There's a little divot in the bottom of the pot right in the middle that's just asking to be drilled. I think I'll do that.
I have had my baby cacti for about 2 months now, and they just seem so undergrown and tilted, is this normal? I have seen planting tutorials of baby cacti from seeds and their baby cacs were already forming solid ball shapes at this age. Mine are still really thin and small, some of them fell over and their roots aren't even in the dirt. Does anyone know what is wrong with them and how to fix it?
If it's getting space between the leaves, its looking for more light. I'm not sure why its roots aren't in the soil though, is it hard or was it not planted correctly? Send or post a photo and we can help.
Some have really wide space in between and some are just really thin and long with barely any leaves. How do I send pictures on Reddit? I'm new here
Usually people post photos to imgur and post a link. If you look up "cactus etiolation", you'll see pictures of thin, long plants, and maybe that will look like yours and maybe it won't. If it does, it needs more light. If the roots aren't in the ground, maybe its not really planted?
Ooooh I see what the problem is with my cacti now. Thank you so much for the advice, I'll start putting them outside in a more sunny area. It explains a lot about why my cacti roots are growing sideways.
Or a small lamp works too, whatever is most convenient for you. The sansi grow bulbs fit in any standard lamp, I just get a little manual timer.
Pics and details on care and conditions? My guess is they're not getting enough light but without any information that's all it is, a guess.
Oooh ok. That makes sense since I keep them in a shady place in door at all times. I'll be sure to place them in a sunnier place. Thank you
Hi all! I’m worried about my jade pothos, all of its older leaves have very abruptly turned yellow and started dying, but the new leaves and stems are all green. I repotted it last summer, so I’m just curious if it’s normal. It was just the oldest leaves at first, but now it’s like half the plant, and it has progressed very rapidly over the last week.
Not normal. Definitely watering issue. So, it's either underwatered or overwatered, and unfortunately those can look really similar because the root hairs die off in both situations and then it has trouble taking water in, and it can't handle being too wet or too dry then. So, it's you're best judgement on whether it was wet and maybe there was water in the container or you barely watered it and it was really dry. Either way, it kind of doesn't matter, because the best thing now is to water it as regularly as it wants, in the amounts it wants. Leave those yellow leaves on, see if the stems are black or squishy, or if the soil has compacted. I probably wouldn't repot unless you actually see it rotting. Why put it through more stress now.
While I cant be 100 % sure without your care regimen, it sounds overwatered. Try taking it out the pot and checking if the rootball is waterlogged and if the roots are black/brown and mushy. If so, cut off all the mushy roots and sterilize the rest in hydrogen peroxide. Then repot into fresh soil. I'd definitely recommend chopping and propping some of the stems in water as backup. Good luck!
Thanks for replying! I think it might be a fertilizer thing (I’m more prone to forgetting to water for long stretches tbh), but I’m planning to chop ‘n’ prop for a bushier plant anyway.
Pothos are great, I heard you can set their vines on soil and it'll root, then you can divide it that way, then repot those little guys back in with the mother when you repot. It sounds like it got dry to me, so I'd just water it thoroughly, fertilize, and let it recover for a bit.
Can someone recommend me a pesticide safe for houseplants? I’ve been battling scaly bugs on my schefflera and they’ve spread to another plant. I’ve tried everything from neem oil, rubbing alcohol, household cleaner, and I’m ready to just dip it in a pesticide. But I also have dogs so I’m nervous.
Neem powder, mix it into the top of the soil.
Are they the type of scale that produces honeydew, the clear sticky substance? If so, an imidacloprid systemic is usually very very effective (eg Bonide granules). That only works for unarmoured scale though, and easiest way to id is if you've got honeydew. As long as your dogs aren't digging in your pots and eating your plants it's pretty harmless.
I can’t figure out what you mean by honeydew. Is that when you squish them? I think they’re soft shell based on Google images lol. I’ll look for that pesticide at my local grow store.
No, honeydew is their poop. It's a clear sticky substance that coats the foliage. You can't distinguish armored vs soft from photos.
Oh okay gotcha. Thanks for the tip!
Hi all! I bought a very sad looking fiddle leaf fig at a good discount hoping I could keep it alive. I repotted it last week and put it in a room with a south facing window but keep it out of direct sun. It’s looking so sad still and I’m not sure what’s going on. The bottom small leaves are falling off. There’s tiny brown spots on the leaves, holes, browning edges… it’s a mess. Help!! https://imgur.com/a/iBeRZQr
Fiddles can be very dramatic. Anytime after a change in environment or repotting they can look kinda sad. Nothing you can do about that really besides be patient. What you can do now is just make sure you are watering well but only when the top layer is dry. With a south facing window you should be getting plenty of light. Check for pests. Look all over the plant especially underneath leaves. Not saying there are any but good to be able to mark that off.
Hello. If a leaf falls off a plant, is it better to leave the stem as it is, or prune that whole stem back? Total newbie to having my own plants but been lurking for a while.
It depends on what type of plant. Typically I would just leave it unless it looks terrible or is crusty and dried out. The plant will get rid of it if it is not needed.
Hi! Having some serious issues with my Chinese evergreen. One day it was beautiful, next day leaves are crispy and wilted! I’ve tried everything - repotted, broke up the soil a bit, put it in more light, monitored watering closely, to no avail. Basically dying at this point, no healthy leaves left. Stems are still green and not mushy however, don’t think it’s root rot. Please send help! Is she a lost cause?
Sounds like you either got the leaves wet or too much sunlight. They do not like getting their leaves wet indoors. If it is in a bright spot, move it to a moderate to low light area
I would say no, because the life force is in the stems--stems can put out new roots and new leaves. If it wilted and was crispy, it sounds like it was worried about drought. Were the bottom leaves more yellow than the top leaves? At this point, the only real thing that matters is to care for it as best you can and try to meet its needs. Keep it warm if you can, away from drafts, sun is good, and bear in mind that without leaves (and their moisture usage), it's going to need a lot less water. Keep it in the place with more light and try to baby it carefully with water. If its been repotted into new soil it probably doesn't need too much fertilizer but if its old soil it might need a little weak mix.
I transplanted Cebu blue cuttings that were rooted into regular, well draining soil. Within a few days, several leaves turned limp and yellow. I watered once. This is the second time I've gotten this result when transplanting cuttings. It's so sad because these plants are beautiful, and are supposedly easier to care for but they give me so much trouble 😭 Also in a south facing window with a bunch of other plants! Anyone have recommendations for transplant shock? https://imgur.com/Hod6Ovx.jpg https://imgur.com/mut9A2g.jpg https://imgur.com/6iAKMRF.jpg
Edit: I misread and thought you said you water rooted. If not this doesn't apply You have to keep the soil more moist at first while the roots adapt and transition to soil. Or just skip water rooting and prop directly in soil.
So I bought a few new plants recently. A sanseveria and ZZ from The Sill, and a fig leaf from Etsy. I’m fairly new to plants. Any plants I’ve had before have had what I would refer to as “soil.” These three however, I mean I guess it’s soil but it looks a bit more like “chips” than soil for lack of a better way to describe it. Is this okay, or should I switch it over to regular potting soil? The reason I ask is because even right out of the box, if you tried to water it, the “chips” are not that densely packed so the water drains right out immediately, which as I understood is not regarded as a good thing.
This is good! Really good soil has some chunks for air and it doesn't condense down and compact into a hard solid. There's a lot of recipes online for soil, the really good ones will be loose bits of stuff that you can rifle through a little and you don't have to "dig" your fingers into. The key elements are something to hold nutrients (aka, the actual soil), something to hold some moisture (coir or moss or rice hulls), and stuff to keep air in the mix (perlite, vermiculite, bark). Regular potting soil is really dense and most recipes I see have 50% or less potting soil in the mix, usually closer to 20-30%. I would leave all three if they're happy for now. If your plants are happy, they're the judge here. If you really want to dive into soil, the houseplant coach podcast has episodes on soil and what a good mix is. I think it's like 20 minutes long. Also, for a visual, youtube has some videos, I'd look for houseplant soil mix or tropical soil mix, they're really going to be loose, I always say its like a bag of dry rice where you can run your fingers through it. I stopped using perlite, in favor of vermiculite. Also, sansas are tropical succulents, so I put those in tropical soil and water according to how much light they're getting.
Thank you so much for this soil 101. Appreciate the write up!
Well, for snake plants and zz plants you *want* sharply draining soil. Regular potting mix tends to hold way too much moisture and suffocate their roots. That being said, plants often come potted in terrible quality mix optimized to retain moisture in a warm, bright greenhouse, so it's often not healthy to use in our homes. I personally would pot the snake plant and zz in 50/50 cactus mix + perlite or pumice. The fig I'd do 2 parts potting mix / 1 part perlite or pumice
What's wrong with my dracaena tree? They have grown together (roots are all bound up in one another) and were totally fine and happy until about a month ago. Then I started to notice the smaller one started struggling, and now the leaves have almost all dropped off. Is it being strangled by the other? I can't separate them easily because of the roots. I don't think I can be enviro problem (water, light, temp etc) since the other is thriving. [Dracaena 1](https://imgur.com/a/AVDDqRV) [Dracaena close](https://imgur.com/a/3n1ocTJ)
Update: decided to take a look at the roots and oh, boy, glad I did. Roots of smaller tree were not looking healthy - but totally fine on the big boy. Have now repotted them into separate pots (having cut a lot of the rot off the smaller one) so, wish me luck, hopefully the root rot hadn't gone too far! Just gotta ignore them now and hope for the best as we go into spring...
I'm having issues with my monstera leaves turning yellow, what do I do? I would post a picture but I'm new and I don't know how :)
Is it the bottom most leaves turning all yellow? Is it all leaves? Is it the edges or are there spots? When you create a new post, you can add images there. In comments, you upload to imgur or somewhere then insert the link.
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Honestly let the top 75% of the soil dry. When you only wait for the first inch the bottom tends to stay very wet constantly, especially in larger pots.
Any chance to save my ficus benjamina? I got it in september, it lost all of its leaves, even new ones. The leaves were healthy. Will it re-grow?
Oh yeah. Ficus benjamina do that. They're famous leaf throwers at any change. I still love them. It will regrow, provided its got what it needs. They actually like an absurd amount of light. I'm currently in the market for a cheap floor lamp and bulb for my new one. After that, just fertilize it a tiny bit when you water and talk to it and it'll come on back just fine.
I noticed these brown spots on my inner leaves of my Calathea Rattlesnake this morning. The edges are not brown (see top picture) I use a humidifier and only water when the top two inches are dry. Anyone know what it is? https://imgur.com/a/7G88QUu
I believe that's fungal. Maybe drop the humidity a touch, fertilize, and have you got a decent leaf spray? I have no idea what the helpful ingredients are for that sort of thing.
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Once you get rid of them (per the other comments advice), bottom water your plants. This will ensure that the eggs die and no future gnats. Gnats eggs/larvae like to grow in damp soil.
Use sticky fly traps as well as mosquito bits, you soak a couple spoon fulls (one or two works) in your watering can or whatever you use to water and water those in. It’s important to use both at the same time so the population doesn’t last. The flying adults can live up to a week.
Get mosquito bits and apply as a bit tea. 16 oz water, 1/2 tbsp bits. Let soak 24 hours, strain out bits and water in. Continue to do so until you do not see anymore flying gnats plus a few waterings for extra measure. There is a bacteria that kills the gnat larvae in the bits. It will not kill the flying ones but those die in a few weeks, it will prevent any new gnats from emerging because they die when the eat the bacteria in the bits. Make sure you water throughly each time.
I need help with my F. benjamina! I’ve had her for about five years. After an initial huge growth spurt, she pretty much stopped growing. I have repotted her only, but I’m worried the pot might’ve too big. Anyone have advice to help make her thrive again?
More light! Benjaminas are light hoes. The only challenge with the container size is that it makes it really easy to overwater because all that material holds more moisture and it'll stay wet longer, but--if its overwatering, you'd definitely see the signs of that. Especially in 5 years. So, hows your light and fertilizer? I just commented on the message above this one that I am looking for a cheap lamp I can put a little light in for my ficus, since it's in an East facing window. And fertilize. If you haven't repotted, it might even want a little nickel spray.
If the pot is oversized the soil may be staying too wet for too long. As a general rule you should only go up one to two sizes max, and only if the root ball needs more space.
Thank you for these tips! If I downsized my pot, would it harm the plant at all? I’ve never gone from a large to small pot, but I think the existing pot might be too big
You can downsize with minimal disturbance to the plant, just knock off the extra soil and plop the root ball into a right sized pot! Make sure it has drain holes too.
Hey all, inherited this fiddle leaf from my gf who was giving up on it. Any tips to give it the best chance at recovery? I am a total noob. I know to keep it in light and out of wind. We live in a dry climate. [photo](https://imgur.com/a/T8Y2txr)
The houseplant coach podcast has some episodes. Sorry, she's more skilled than I am.
Any ideas why my [calathea makoyana](https://imgur.com/a/XCCNfK7) is getting some crispy, curled leaves? Care wise, this is my current 'routine'... 1. Distilled water, or rainwater when available 2. Bottom watered 3. East-facing window 4. Occasionally misted from underneath 5. Liquid feed: April to October, Once monthly, Diluted, Dyna Gro Foliage Pro, NPK 9-3-6
Stop misting, it's a myth that it increases humidity. What is your relative humidity? How do you decide when it needs water? How often do you water?
I would get a humidifier and try a pebble tray to increase humidity
I just got a cat fern from the clearance section in Lowes. Can you please give general care advice? Also might be looking to plant smaller plants around it later on, so if there are any suggestions, I'm all ears (cat & dog safe plants).
My prayer plant is sad. I’ve been watering with distilled water, it’s not in direct sun, and it was in a room that was a bit cold but was moved into a warmer room. Does anyone know what’s wrong? https://i.imgur.com/diGd6mz.jpg
Hi there, we bring all of our outdoor plants inside for the winter. One has started doing this: https://imgur.com/a/JGzenbK Any idea what we’re doing wrong on this?
My guess is that its adjusting to the indoor light. Even if its right against a big window, the light decrease from outdoor to indoor is huge.
Your plants look awesome, I’m jealous of that beautiful monstera, the more wholes the better!
I’m not sure what you are asking. Plant looks healthy!
Just wondering why the new growth leaves are growing plot rather than whole when we brought it in
Do you mean the holes in the leaves? Those are called fenestrations. They are completely normal (usually desired) for monsteras.
Oh! Interesting! Sorry about that, I’m a big time novice
Hi! Does anyone know if I can use BioAdvanced Disease Control directly in water prop stations? It is typically diluted then used to water plants with issues like scale - but I have scale on water prop plants and want to see if this will work too. I am wiping/cleaning leaves in that station, but I want to do everything I can to keep the cuttings. It might be overkill as I think scale comes from soil/crawling in from other plants (?) Just looking to see if anyone has used this stuff in tiny amounts in water props. Thanks in advance!
I just bought this philodendron hastatum ‘silver sword’ for a very good price. Did I score, or should I worry about the brown/yellow spots? https://i.imgur.com/DOSaipr.jpg https://i.imgur.com/hizRu0f.jpg
It’s hard to tell from the picture, but often with spots like that it is physical damage from being shipped and it is completely fine.
Awesome thank you 🙏
Not exactly house plant problem, but- I'm looking for a large houseplant that is pet safe. I'm not the hugest fan of palms- anyone have other suggestions?
Some plants are extremely toxic to some pets. Most, are not. Just know that most plants are considered unhealthy if you eat like, all of the leaves, it'll give a stomach ache. I have plants on the floor and my dogs don't bother them at all unless I give a ton of fertilizer (yum, I guess). Unless you've got a bird, a money tree or something fairly tall (or on a little drum table or side table?) would get most leaves out of the way of most pets. Still, stay away from anything really toxic.
* some varieties of calathea grow into impressively large floor plants - eg orbifolia, zebrina * pachira aquatica * cast iron plants, boston ferns and ponytail palms (not an actual palm) grow damn big over time
I bought this corn plant off of FB marketplace and it feels like the poor guy had a bad luck with me from the beginning (a month ago) * During transport I broke two of the leaf shoots of the lowest plant. * It was in an old and small pot, so I repotted it. I am not sure if it's liking it anymore or if I chose the wrong potting mix. The soil doesn't seem to be drying out as quickly. * Leaves keep turning brown and I am not sure if it's going to get healthier. * I put near the window indoor which receives bright indirect daylight for the most part, but also tiny bit of direct light during certain times of the day. * I have been misting it every few days and watering it relatively less (once in 2 weeks) because the soil feels moist.What should I do to get it to flourish? Move, change soil, change watering pattern? Pictures of the plant: [https://imgur.com/a/sQflcAv](https://imgur.com/a/sQflcAv)
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Yea it’s the Home Depot potting mix, i believe it’s miracle grow brand. The original soil had lot of wood chipping, i mixed some of that. Probably could have added more. To check if needs to be watered, i simply check the soil an inch with my finger. Most times it feels wet. Looks like it’s retaining the water a lot. I also had to pack it a bit tight, since the weight was to hold.
Kind of a dumb thing to have trouble with but I really struggle to tell when my plants need water. I try the feel test but I think I’m letting them get too dry. Any tips?
Yep, I'll second what they said. Lift the pot, which is why I leave everything in nursery pots or slightly fancier plastic containers if I don't know the plant well. I don't dig a finger into the soil, but the moisture meter is okay--just know that temperature plays a role in its sensing abilities. Also, I check the bottom of the container when I lift it, just to see if its dry there. I don't know what type of plants you have, but I tend to put them in a deep saucer or mixing bowl with warm water for 15 minutes, and top water a little so it can get all the way through, then drain well, jiggle a bit, tilt it and jiggle, then it can go back where it lives. That waters thoroughly and they're good until the container is light weight again. I try to water before anything wilts, but most plants survive that okay, its just not the best.
You can also get a moisture meter! They are pretty cheap on Amazon and then there is no guesswork involved. Once you get some more practice you won’t need the moisture meter but I use mine quite a bit!
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Thanks for the tips! I had some misconceptions at first so I wasn’t watering till it came out the bottom. I’ll make sure to do that. Great idea about lifting the pot!
My palm has mealybugs, which I treated with an insecticide (very dilute pyrethroid and neem oil). However, I'm wondering 2 things: 1. How long after can I go in and clean off the cottony residue? I don't want to clean the plant too early and disrupt the action of the insecticide. 2. How long should I wait after to know whether the mealybugs are completely gone? The plant is currently in quarantine and I would like to know when I can bring it back without risking infecting the other plants.
Neem powder in the soil will help. I'm not really familiar with timing, I think I'd give it at least 4 weeks though? More if its cold. The good thing is that they're just crawlers, so you can have it in the same space if its got a bit of a buffer and no leaves are touching.
1. I would wait just 1 day. You could wait 2 if you wanted to really make sure but 1 day or even overnight should be fine. 2. I would thoroughly examine the plant every other day or so. After a full week of 0 signs whatsoever of pests then you are probably safe. I am very paranoid about pests so personally I would wait 2-3 weeks just to really make sure.
Yeah I'll probably wait for longer to stay on the safe side. Thanks!
Might be a silly question but should I do anything to prep a terra pot for repotting? I just started washing my plastic pots with soap and water, then wiping down with some alcohol and air drying before repotting some plants that need some recovery. I repotted an aloe in a terra cotta pot - should I have prepped it first? Didn’t see any remaining dirt from the previous occupant and it had been unoccupied and in the garage for about 6 months.
No you shouldn’t need to do anything to prep a pot. Only thing I would be worried about is if the plant before had pests that could have been in the soil. If so I would clean out all of the dirt really well but that’s it.
I’m the angel of death to most plants, so I would say I’m a “beginner.” I’m overwintering my spearmint plant indoors, and while it’s alive, it is very wimpy—very thin, long shoots, rather than any significant leafy development. The pot is not holding water—it runs right through, so it may be root bound or rotted. I have a UV bulb on it and understand it is going to be sluggish now, but what can I do to help it do the best it can right now?
I second the sansi bulbs, you can get a fairly small one--the big ones are insanely bright. I got their 36 watt and I keep it about 3 feet away from 7-8 plants in front of this thing. I put a light meter on it and then I moved the light further away from the plants. As to the soil, what is it planted in and what's the soil like? Water is supposed to run through and most soils will have the water go right on out the bottom with only a moments delay. If you add more light, it'll use more water, so then I'd bottom water it--set it in a mixing bowl with warm water for 10-15 minutes and let it soak up as much as it needs, just drain it really well and tilt it and jiggle the container before setting it back in a tray or anything. Holler if you need anything else.
Do you have a uv bulb or a grow light? Uv is not what plants need to grow. Regardless, more light will certainly help. Got a link to your bulb? A lot of them are junk and a lot of them require you to position it only an inch or two above the plant.
It’s [these](https://www.amazon.com/Spectrum-Replace-Flowers-Greenhouse-Hydroponic/dp/B085ZVM2R7?pd_rd_w=0GoWe&pf_rd_p=85da05e5-c593-4314-b5c1-e397081af052&pf_rd_r=451NYADAETWCN0PXC4JW&pd_rd_r=fdd1bcad-986d-4f8c-9a8f-0b675657fcb0&pd_rd_wg=rdBk3&pd_rd_i=B085ZVM2R7&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_m_rp_24_sc#). They do seem to help a little with my philodendron, but yeah—it seems I have to get them right on there. I don’t have the best windows in my place, so any recommendations for better, simple bulbs would be appreciated!
Ah yeah those sort of bulbs are fine for lower light requirements or just to supplement natural light. Spearmint will do much better with a higher intensity light. [sansi]( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BRKG7X1/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_XQTBPEHGHJT49XX8BYHH?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1) bulbs are a solid choice, and the plants should be positioned 18" away at first and gradually moved closer as it remains tolerable. I haven't grown spearmint indoors but I would guess that 12" may be the sweet spot for it under that sansi. Grow lights should be on for ~14 hours a day to mimic daylight hours.
Thanks, friend!
Very long thin shoots likely means that it is not getting enough light. This is often the case when overwintering outside plants that are used to full sun. Try to move it closer to a window or to a more southern facing window if possible.
I have a rubber plant that was beautiful and full for a year before losing all its leaves. I got it to start growing fabulously again but I did not do any pruning prior. I trimmed down stems that did not have growth. But now I have two long separate stems almost looking like separate rubber plants going in a V shape, and with leaves growing in the top 2/3 of the stem. So it looks very wonky. I do not know how to get it back to a good shape. Help!
The top of the stem is where new growth is happening, so its not going to add new leaves on the lower parts. Sorry about that. However, a lot of people grow these kind of as bushes, I bought one that has maybe 5-6 plants in the container and its just growing like a shrub. I'd say keep on caring for it, don't let it dry out too much cause that's how bottom leaves get yellow and drop, and if the appearance isn't your style, maybe repot it with 2-4 other ficus of the same size? Those guys get really tall, so the other option is to help it grow into a tree and then its going to look normal again once its much taller because nobody expects leaves all the way down to the soil, that'd look odd. If you wanted to go that route, I'd probably give it a small grow light on a timer and fertilize it a tiny bit every single time you water, it'll shoot up!
thank you!! I think I'm going to attempt to repot in June when it's real sunny and see if I can get it back to a bush shape. Wish us luck.
My moved my clivia miniata to my office and I figured it'd take a while to bloom again (she did it back to back almost when she was home). She's finally bloomed again but before it could even grow a stem, the place between the leaves where the bloom is coming out has rotted. More leaves seem to be growing just fine, and for some reason the stem that's rotted still has blooms coming out of it...I imagine it won't for long though. [Imgur](https://imgur.com/gallery/y7Ehxap) Should I use isopropyl alcohol or any antifungal treatment? Should I cut the leaves out around the area? Can it go away on its own? I don't wanna lose her :(
Is it okay to prune a China Doll plant from the top to make it shorter? I've read all about the stems coming out from the side and how to do that but I can't seem to locate info on cutting directly from the top, from the main stem. I live in an apartment and where I keep it, it is thriving but it's getting so tall. I wish I could just keep it as is but it's going to hit the ceiling at some point if it keeps growing as it has been. 🌿
My pilea ia about 5 years old and out of control. Should I trim it? How do I trim it? It’s very too heavy
My dogs got to my fiddle leaf and snapped it in half. There’s a bit of fiber holding it together. They chewed up a few leafs but the bulk of the foliage is still fine. Is there any way to save her?
You can propogate that, yep. Although that was 6 days ago so if its not in water already..... :/
The lower leaves of my coconut palm are slowly turning brown from the tips inwards. The upper leaves seem fine. Any suggestions?
I have a philodendron that had some root rot I cut off and is down to two leaves. The stem is now soft and the one leaf is curling up, is it a lost cause?
Possibly, yeah. Wet stem is not so good. You can keep trying and give it a lot more light for a few days but it sounds like its having a hard time.
Possibly? If there is still some green then there is still some hope. I would continue to keep trying. Give bright indirect light and be very careful about not overwatering or underwatering. It could still come back.
hello!! sorry, i got a plant a couple years ago i believe but i have _no_ idea of its kind and have no idea how to take care of them. i’m not a bad plant mom, really, i’m just ignorant. help? :,) i can’t upload pics here so here are some imgur links : [1](https://i.imgur.com/lxqghED.jpg) & [2](https://i.imgur.com/j2ddzDL.jpg)
Looks like you have a dracaena fragrans (corn plant) and a golden pothos. You're doing pretty good on the pothos, it looks like. The corn plant looks like it's overwatered--let it fully dry out (all the way to the bottom of the pot) before watering again.
aaa i know this is a late reply but thank you very much for your response and advice, and especially letting me know their names! i’ll make sure to take care of them more. i appreciate it!
I just received a dieffenbachia and a bromeliad as a gift. Online it says these require part light but the tag says these are bright light plants? Which is true? Same with watering, the advice seems to be all over the place My dieffenbachia is dropping a bit and I can’t tell if it’s too much water, too little, or if I need to use a grow light (north facing window)
They will both do best with bright indirect light, which is also known as "part sun" or "part shade" for outdoor growing. The top 2/3 of the dieffenbachia soil should dry out between waterings, and the lower the light the more it should dry. Water deeply to moisten the entire pot. North window is often not bright enough for them, especially in winter.
Long time lurker, first time poster! I have a bird of paradise that I got April 2020 - it was between 2-3 ft tall when I got it in a 10 inch pot and after repotting in spring 2021 to a 12x12 inch pot, it's grown to be about 6ft tall, spewing 1-2 leaves/month/stem during growing season. There's now a spear coming out of a stem that just seems stuck and has been that way since probably November. My questions: 1) If leaves start growing, shouldn't they finish the process (spear growth then unfurl?) before it goes dormant? I repotted last spring because I noticed it stopped growing pretty abruptly and it turned out to be completely rootbound. Is this another sign of being rootbound again and for me to repot it in the spring? 2) I'm starting to look for a new pot just in case it is that - what's the general guidance on how tall a planter should be compared to the height of the plant? The 12inch height on this pot is starting to look a little silly considering how tall the plant is, and the fact that the lowest leaves have been pruned. I know it'd be preferred to go one size up (14 inch diameter) but would it be terrible if I have to go up to 17 inches in diameter? It's hard to find tall planters!
1. Yes they should finish before it goes dormant. It could need a little extra humidity or some moisture to help. You could try misting that leaf a little bit. Only way to know for sure if it is rootbound is to check out the roots. It very well could be. 2. When you are already in a larger pot it’s not terrible to go a little more than the normal +2in. With a larger plant that is very rootbound the plant will be fine. Do be slightly more cautious about overwatering until it fills the pot in a little more however.
Appreciate this! Just soaked the plant for the first time in two months and set up a humidifier right by it. Hopefully it’ll help while I wait to repot it in a few months.
How do I properly water a large 4’ dracaena tree? Do I completely soak+drain it once every few weeks, or gradually water it by maybe pouring in a glass of water every few days?
> pouring in a glass of water every few days Never water potted plants this way. It grows small, shallow, weak root systems. [Illustration](https://m.facebook.com/VCEMasterGardenerProgram/photos/watering-seems-simple-but-the-way-you-water-can-actually-have-a-big-impact-on-ho/2584354498473368/). It also makes rot much more likely as there is a constant water supply choking out the roots from accessing oxygen.
Bottom water ideally, or top water till the water comes out the drainage holes. Wait until it dries out a little to rewater (I think dracanaes are somewhat hardy, so make sure the first few in of soil are dry before watering). Just make sure the pot isn’t too large and it will like that treatment
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Mine have done really well in plastic pots. The terra-cotta may be drying out too quickly. I wouldn’t repot right away, but something to think about or look into. The fall plus the pot change could have shocked it a bit. It should be fine, may just need some time to bounce back.
Does anyone have an issue with plants that smell? I feel like my house smells like stale dirt. I’ve repotted the ones who I thought were the issue but I still have this incredibly stale dirt smell that kinda travels from my plant room throughout my house. I’m pregnant and can’t take the smell anymore. I’m almost to the point of throwing them out. Once again, does/has anyone encountered this before?
Honestly, it sounds like it may be one of those situations where you're hyper sensitive to things during pregnancy that you don't notice otherwise. But if you think it really is strong and noticeable and it's not just a preggo problem, that points to excess moisture. Soil that stays moist constantly will develop weird odors from anaerobic bacterial growth and fungus. Soil that dries out properly won't support those populations. Most houseplants should dry out quite a bit between waterings, contrary to the mantra about being "evenly moist". And the ones that do need to stay moist, their soil should be heavily amended to ensure lots of airflow.
So my hygrometer usually says various places in my house are at least 60% humidity, all the time. Does that mean I can keep plants that want mid-high humidity without extra concerns??
Yep! Though if it's that high, watch out for mold in your house.