c/botany-lovers

The free cactus I grabbed from a garage sale turned into a massive monster in 8 months

I picked up this tiny potted cactus from a table in someone's driveway for free last April. Thought it would just sit there and do nothing like my succulents usually do. But after 5 months of ignoring it on my porch, it shot up to like 18 inches tall and sprouted 3 arms. I had to repot it twice because the roots were trying to bust out the bottom. Has anyone else had a plant they neglected actually thrive like crazy?

A comment on my blueberry bush post made me rethink my pH testing

I posted a picture of my blueberries looking sad and yellow last spring. A guy named Bob replied saying my leaves looked chlorotic and asked if I actually tested the soil pH. I had been using those cheap stick meters from the garden center for years. Bob told me to get a proper chemical test kit from a local extension office. I spent $12 on one from the UGA extension in Athens and found out my soil was at 7.2, way too alkaline. I amended with sulfur in the fall and this year my bushes are dark green and loaded with fruit. Has anyone else had a similar wake-up call about a basic tool they were using wrong?

Used to think moss was just a weed until my 5 day trip to the Olympic rainforest

I always yanked moss off my trees thinking it was killing them. But after standing in the Hoh Rainforest last week watching this insane green carpet cover every single surface, I realized it's actually a whole micro-habitat for bugs and moisture control. Has anyone else had a moment where a specific place totally flipped your opinion on something?

Heard a guy at the nursery say he waters his succulents with ice cubes

I thought he was joking but he said it prevents overwatering and root rot since it melts slow. Anyone tried this or think its gonna shock the roots too much?

Warning about overwatering monsteras - I learned the hard way

I used to water my monstera every 4 days like clockwork. Thought I was being a good plant parent. Then last spring I noticed the leaves turning yellow and dropping one by one. Pulled it out of the pot and found root rot all through the bottom half. Turns out I was drowning it for almost two years. Now I wait until the top 2 inches of soil are bone dry, which is about every 10 to 14 days. My plant bounced back in 3 months and has doubled in size. Has anyone else killed a plant this way or am I the only one who thought more water meant healthier leaves?

Showerthought: People overwater their succulents and call it love

I see it all the time on this forum. Someone posts a sad, mushy succulent and says "I water it every 3 days!" That's overkill. These plants store water in their leaves. I killed 4 echeverias before I learned this the hard way. My neighbor in Portland waterboards her jade plant twice a week. It's rotting from the bottom up and she won't listen. Succulents want neglect, not coddling. Let the soil dry out completely between waterings. Has anyone else had to rescue a plant from someone's overwatering obsession?

Used to baby my orchids with distilled water now I just use tap

I spent two years driving to the store every week buying distilled water for my phalaenopsis because I read online that tap water would kill them. Then a local grower in Portland told me most city tap is fine as long as you let it sit out overnight to let the chlorine evaporate. Has anyone else tried this switch and noticed a difference in their plants?

Just went with peat moss over coconut coir for my seedlings

Had to pick one after reading 20 threads about which holds moisture better. Went with peat moss and 3 out of 8 trays dried out in 2 days anyway. Anyone else find both options overrated?

The greenhouse at the rest stop outside Boise has a cactus growing through the ceiling

The before and after on my peace lily after 3 weeks of filtered water was wild

I switched to using water from my fridge filter instead of tap water and the new leaves came in way greener without any brown tips. Has anyone else seen that big of a difference just from changing water sources?

My neighbor Deb said my garden looks too perfect now I'm second guessing everything

She was dead serious when she said it needs more weeds for the bees and I thought she was joking at first. Then she showed me her patch of clover and dandelions that was absolutely swarming with pollinators. Do you ever have someone say something so simple it just flips your whole approach upside down?

Took me 3 hours to realize my peace lily was mad about the tap water

Thought those fancy plant fertilizers were a scam, but my violets proved me wrong

I spent years just using regular potting soil and tap water on my African violets. They always looked sad and never bloomed more than once a year. Last March, a friend at the local garden center near Omaha convinced me to try a liquid fertilizer for blooming plants, one with a higher phosphorus number. After 6 weeks of using it every other watering, I had 4 blooms on a plant that had given me one flower in 2 years. Has anyone else found a specific fertilizer mix that turned their plants around?

My jade plant drooped for 2 weeks before I figured out the real problem

I had this jade plant on my kitchen windowsill that suddenly got all limp and sad looking. I watered it more, then less, even moved it to a different spot. After 2 weeks of watching it get worse, I finally noticed the pot had no drainage hole. The roots were basically swimming in old water. I repotted it into a terra cotta pot with proper drainage holes and it bounced back in about 5 days. Has anyone else had a plant go downhill from something as dumb as a pot without holes?

Hot take: most people in this sub overwater their succulents so bad it's basically drowning

I killed 3 echeverias in 6 months before a guy at a nursery in Phoenix told me to wait until the leaves wrinkle, and now I water mine maybe once every 3 weeks even in summer.

Had a neighbor push me on soil vs. hydroponics, now I get the hype

I used to think soil was the only way to go for botany lovers like us, but after my neighbor in Portland showed me his basil setup, I switched to a simple DWC system. The growth rate was double in just 3 weeks with zero soil mess. Has anyone else found a method that made them question their whole approach?

Spotted my rubber plant dropping leaves for months before I figured it out

Turns out I was overwatering by like double the amount it needed because I kept poking the soil and thinking it felt dry deeper down. Anyone else have a plant that hid its real problem behind fake healthy leaves?

If you visit the arboretum in Springfield, watch out for the new ivy near the entrance

I was there yesterday and noticed they planted some aggressive English ivy along the old stone wall. It's already starting to climb up the back of those rare magnolia trees. Has anyone else seen this problem spreading?

Met a retired botanist at the Seattle arboretum who showed me how to identify ferns by their spores

Was walking through the Washington Park Arboretum last Sunday and this older lady just started talking to me while I was staring at a sword fern. She pulled out a hand lens and showed me the sori underneath the frond. Said most people just look at the leaves but the real story is on the underside. She spent 20 minutes pointing out different spore patterns on like 8 different ferns. I never paid that much attention to ferns before but now I can't stop checking every one I walk past. Has anyone else had a random plant person change how you see something common?

Hit 200 plants in my apartment last weekend and I'm not sure how I got here

I was just moving some pots around to water everything and decided to actually count them all. Ended up at 203 plants total in a 1-bedroom in Portland. That's including the 15 succulents on the windowsill and the 3 monsteras I bought because they were on clearance at the nursery. I honestly didn't think I had that many until I lined them all up. Has anyone else hit a milestone like this and realized their hobby kinda took over their whole living space?

Shoutout to the lady who stopped me from tossing 10 year old seeds

I was about to throw away this bag of wildflower seeds I found in my garage from like 2013 and a customer at the bar grabbed my arm and said wait no don't. She told me to soak them in warm water for 12 hours and then plant them and I swear 7 out of 10 actually sprouted last spring. Has anyone else tried reviving old seeds like that or did I just get lucky?

That one week my greenhouse hit 110 degrees and I lost 12 seedlings in one afternoon

I had this perfect week planned for my new heat-loving succulents, then my thermometer hit 110 inside the greenhouse on a Tuesday. It was my fault - I forgot to crack the vents before I left for work in downtown Austin. Has anyone else had a temp spike wreck a whole tray of plants like that?

Watered my peace lily with tap water for a year. Big mistake.

Found out last month my peace lily was dying because of tap water. The leaf tips were all brown. Looked like it got burned. I live in Phoenix where the water is hard as a rock. Three months of filtered water later and it's pushing out new leaves like crazy. My neighbor swore by distilled water but I thought she was being extra. Guess I was wrong. Anyone else deal with hard water killing their houseplants?

Dried lemon balm vs. fresh in tea... no contest

After 3 tries with my own dried stash i finally caved and bought fresh lemon balm from the farmers market in Portland last weekend. The flavor is just so much brighter and actually smells like lemon instead of hay. Anyone else find the dried stuff a total letdown?

Talked to a master gardener at the farmers market and it threw me

I was at the Saturday market in Oakville picking up some basil plants when an older guy with dirt under his nails started chatting me up. He said he's been growing the same variety of tomato for 42 years and never once bought a hybrid. He told me I was overthinking my potting mix by adding all those fancy amendments. Kinda made me wonder if I'm just wasting money on stuff I don't really need. Anyone else ever get called out by a random old timer and actually change how you do things?