To want a houseplants that just bloody lives

[Purplerayhan]

That's all. No matter how much I read the instructions and follow them, source from proper garden centres, read up on the best plants for the room THEY JUST KEEP ON DYING. Even a sodding cactus went to the great compost heapnin the sky. I see other people's rooms with lush plants and I'm jealous.
And yes, I do have other things to be thinking about. No, I don't have much of a life. Yes, I talk to them but th singing might have finished them off.
Grrrrrrr!
YABU - clearly you're the Harold Shipman of horticulture, suck it up
YANBU - they are bottomless pits of promise and money, get over your hatred of plastic flowers

[WinoLino]

I love this thread!

Furiously googled Elm as I live near Norwich, only to discover I used to go in there all the time not knowing what it was called

I've got loads of plants and most are doing well. However recently had to get rid of a pothos due to root rot and I've got a furry feather which is dying I think (brown droopy leaves), we have put it in the bathroom for some moisture but also think it's overwatered.

We seem to do well with Boston ferns.

My weeping fig is also dropping leaves, apparently they don't like to be moved!

I do think though, even with the most experienced of plant person, it's a lottery and some just die no matter what care they receive.

Maybe we need a plant group on here? 🌿🌱

[NotJosieGrosieAnymore]

Ahaha that’s funny!

I’m nowhere near Norwich but think I found them randomly online when I was looking for a philodendron after googling unkillable plants! They seem reasonable in price (though i don’t have anything to compare them to) and offer lots of lovely unusual plants. I got my Pilea peperomiodes from there for a decent price, and is still alive! Winning.

We deffo need a houseplant section if there isn’t one already. I’m so happy at no longer killing my plants that I need to share the joy!

Just don’t mention Calathea. That’s a swear word in my house 😂 Stupid diva plant.

[Whitney168]

Noooo, Calatheas are dead easy. When they're thirsty they look dead, just soak them in the sink for an hour and they'll be great. Mine get a soak most weekends, definitely thirsty plants.

[SchrodingersImmigrant]

@Whitney168

Noooo, Calatheas are dead easy. When they're thirsty they look dead, just soak them in the sink for an hour and they'll be great. Mine get a soak most weekends, definitely thirsty plants.

Watering tip😂

www.instagram.com/reel/CHsvKH7gwiM/?igshid=1tk7gqugxsvfo

[NotJosieGrosieAnymore]

@Whitney168 I still have so much guilt! Mine was absolutely beautiful and I feel like I murdered it. It’ll take a long time before I can go there again! 😂

[Whitney168]

LOL

I am trying to get in to the habit of using rainwater from the water butt for houseplants - and I also tend to have a watering can of tap water sitting around so the chlorine goes off too. Not 100% compliance, but mostly I don't use fresh tap water.

[Cattermole]

Mother Of Thousands aka Mexican hat plant.
The Boy Mole grew some from seed and gave them to my mum as part of a little succulent garden.
She now has literally hundreds of the bloody things. I mean, she was in HOSPITAL for 6 weeks, no one went into her flat, they thrived.

[fabulousspider]

Don't get a mexican hat plant! I understand they are highly invasive and a pest to get rid of if they took over your garden or whatever!!

[Cattermole]

Don't worry @fabulousspider, mother hasn't got a garden :-) but the buggers are indestructible...

[YNK]

Can you check the Carbon Monoxide levels in your house?

Low CO will kill plants but it's worth it if they are the 'canary in the mine' that leads you to resolving a problem.

[EvilPea]

If it’s a dark spot it’s got to be a fern.
I’ve got a green lady fern by my front door, it gets dappled shade all the time and seems to be doing well. It’s a pretty thing.
My spider plant and asparagus fern seem to do well in the bathroom.
I had air plants that were doing amazingly well, I used to drown them in rain water twice a week and hang them upside down to drip dry. But then they just randomly died within a few months of each other.

[WinoLino]

@NotJosieGrosieAnymore yeah it's a lovely shop, they also sell gorgeous cards and petty things for gifts/the home.

I think my furry feather is a calathea? Maybe someone with more knowledge can advise. Should we start our own plant thread on here? Maybe in time we can do swaps etc

[WinoLino]

Pretty not petty 😂

[WinoLino]

I'm wondering if this photo will work...

[WinoLino]

Some of my most thriving plants live here, but I'm no good at knowing which way the garden faces, they get some light but not full on if you see what I mean. The hanging one is always so happy

[noname55]

I think my peace lily will outlive me. I've not had much luck with anything else!

[ginghamtablecloths]

Could you be killing your plants with kindness Purple, that is, overwatering them? My garden is pretty fab (on the whole) and from seeing that you couldn't possibly tell how bad I am with houseplants - I even managed to kill a spider plant and 'living stones' - they're meant to be pretty indestructible - mine weren't.
But I have kept an aloe alive - mustn't speak too soon - and I only water it a little once month, every fortnight in summer. It's in a little terrarium which may help. I love to see healthy plants but find it difficult to manage this so caved in and bought a small plastic plant from the supermarket last week.

[Whitney168]

I should unsubscribe from this thread ... it has just made me (MADE, I tells ya!) order a nice new pot and a Boston Fern.

[WinoLino]

@Whitney168 I love a Boston fern

[NotJosieGrosieAnymore]

@WinoLino that is a beautiful display!

Is the one in the brown pot a fern? I think I need to go up a few experience levels before I can attempt ferns.

Does anyone have experience of Lithops/living stones? Got some from Amazon so may not have been great specimens to start with, but now they seem to be precariously treading the fine line between life and death....not quite there yet but I’m scared one more watering will finish them off. I do love them though.

[SBAM]

@WinoLino any advice on keeping Boston ferns? I’ve got two recently and they’re not looking too happy, but I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. They’re both in rooms that are reasonably bright but not right by the window and I water every week or two when the soil looks dry.

[NewYearNewTwatName]

My Orchid loves being neglected, it flowers continuously, and is massive now, it lives on the soith facing kitchen windowsill. Along with a cactus one of the DC bought at a fete years ago.

We need to find a cactus expert because we don't know what to do with it anymore. its monstrous keeps sprouting more and more arms, is now 2 foot tall and and with all the extra arms 2 an half foot wide. but the arms are so long and heavy they are dropped downwards.

[TwistofFate]

I'm good with anything that thrives on neglect, my house is full of spider plants and a succulent called Burro's tail. Anything that needs to be cosetted, misted or watered regularly dies.

[katewitch]

Are you over-watering or under-watering? Very little will survive on top of a shelf in a room with a north-facing window as its so little light, 'low light' tend to need more than you think... but plants are super lovely once you've cracked them

Anyway, my recommendations based on my personal Plant Habit are...

Low light, if you underwater: ZZ Raven, Snake Plants
Moderate Light, if you underwater: Pothos (Devil's Ivy), ZZ, any Tradescantia, Snake Plants
High Light, if you underwater: Monstera Deliciosa, Snake Plants, Neon Pothos

Low light, if you overwater: Peace Lily (Maybe), Calatheas, but they also need humidity
Moderate light, if you overwater: Peace Lily, Boston Fern (also likes humidity and needs more light that you'd think)
High Light, if you overwater: Nothing, step away

Basically, if your problem, is overwatering, just step away

If it's underwatering, set reminders in your phone or similar.

If it's your north-facing room and a light issue, remember that low light doesn't mean no light! I can only have them right next to my window in my north-facing living room, anywhere else and even the hardy tradescantias start looking dodgy

[katewitch]

Darn, bold fails... but the advice still stands