c/botany-lovers

Pro tip: hand watering my vegetable garden beats drip lines every time

I know everyone says drip irrigation is the way to go for efficiency, but after trying a system for my tomatoes and peppers in Austin last summer, I saw way more issues. The lines got clogged with our hard water in under 2 months, and I couldn't spot pests or disease early. With a watering can, I check each plant for 10 minutes every morning and catch problems before they spread. Has anyone else ditched automated systems for something simpler?

Warning: I saw a neighbor's garden get wrecked by a new plant last week

Three years ago she planted what she thought was a nice ground cover from a local nursery, but it spread under the fence and choked out half my vegetable patch in Portland last month, so has anyone else dealt with a plant that just takes over everything?

My old greenhouse in Phoenix was a total mess of random pots

Now I group plants by their water needs after a cactus drowned next to a fern. How do you organize your collection?

Shoutout to the volunteer who labeled the weeds at the city park

I was walking through Miller Park last weekend and saw little signs stuck in the ground next to what most people call weeds. One said 'Broadleaf Plantain, a useful medicinal herb'. It was just a simple laminated card on a stick, but it totally changed how I saw that patch of grass. Now I'm looking at common yard plants in a whole new way. Has anyone else found a cool, simple way to learn about local plants in public spaces?

My epic battle between a rare orchid and my cat's favorite sunbeam spot

So I found this amazing Dendrobium spectabile at a plant show in Portland last month, a real weirdo with twisty petals. The only spot in my apartment with the right light was this one perfect window ledge. Problem is, that's also where my cat, Gizmo, has claimed his afternoon sunbeam for the past three years. I had to choose: upset the plant's needs or upset the furry overlord. I picked the plant, thinking I could just move his bed. Big mistake. For a solid week, Gizmo gave me the cold shoulder and then started 'pruning' the orchid with his teeth when I wasn't looking. I had to get creative and rig up a hanging shelf above his spot with some macrame I learned from a YouTube video. Now the plant gets light and the cat gets his sun, but I live in fear of the whole thing crashing down. Anyone else had to do some wild interior design to keep both their plants and pets happy?

Finally picked a spot for my new fiddle leaf fig

For the last month, I've been going back and forth between putting it in my bright but drafty front window or the dimmer, warmer corner by the heater. I chose the corner, figuring stable warmth was better than a cold draft, even with less light. After 3 weeks, it's put out two new leaves and hasn't dropped a single old one. I check the soil every 4 days and it seems really happy. Has anyone else had a plant do better in a spot you thought was less than ideal?

My plant ID method shifted after a rainy hike in the Blue Ridge

I used to just snap a picture with my phone and hope for the best. Now I carry a small notebook and sketch the leaf shape and note the soil type, which helped me correctly spot a painted trillium last spring. What small change made plant spotting easier for you?

Choosing between a grow light for my peppers or a new potting bench

My indoor pepper plants were getting leggy, so I had to decide between a $45 LED grow light or building a new bench for my patio. I went with the light, and after two weeks the plants are way bushier and have more buds. Has anyone else seen a big change from adding a simple grow light to their setup?

I spent $150 on a smart plant monitor and it's been a huge letdown

Everyone in here seems to love those gadgets that tell you when to water, but mine just gave me wrong info for months. It kept saying my fiddle leaf fig was fine, but the leaves were clearly drooping. I followed its alerts and nearly killed a plant I've had for two years. Has anyone else found these things more trouble than they're worth?

My neighbor told me to water my new fern every single day

I followed her advice for a week and the leaves started turning yellow and dropping. Turns out it was way too much, and I should have been checking the soil moisture first. Has anyone else had a plant care tip backfire like that?

Visited the Denver Botanic Gardens yesterday and honestly, their new 'zero-water' native plant section looks kind of sad.

My neighbor told me my old potting mix was killing my ferns

She pointed at my Boston ferns last spring and said, 'That dense garden soil is holding too much water, their roots are drowning.' I switched to a 50/50 blend of peat moss and perlite for all my indoor ferns. The difference after two months was huge, with way more new growth. What specific mix do you all use for moisture-loving plants?

My new propagation station just hit 50 baby plants!

I started with a single spider plant from my mom in Chicago last spring. Now my whole kitchen windowsill is full of little pots and jars with cuttings and pups. How do you guys keep track of everything once your collection gets this big?

I finally got my hands on a variegated monstera cutting in Seattle, but it started turning brown after just two days in water.

I moved it to a small pot with a 50/50 mix of perlite and peat moss, kept it in my bathroom for humidity, and now I'm wondering if anyone else has saved a cutting that looked doomed that fast.

My sister said plant people are too quiet about the good stuff

We were at her place in Austin last weekend and she pointed at her fiddle leaf fig. She said, "You all get so deep into Latin names and soil pH, but you never just say 'look how happy this thing is'." It hit different because she's right. We focus on the science and forget the simple joy of a thriving plant. Do you think botany lovers talk too much about care and not enough about the feeling?

I was watering my ferns wrong for months and nearly lost them

I used to just give them a quick splash from the top every other day, thinking that was enough. After about two months, the fronds in my Boston fern started turning brown and crispy. A friend in Portland told me to feel the soil an inch down and only water when it's dry, and to soak the pot in the sink for 10 minutes. I switched to that method three weeks ago and the new growth is finally green and healthy. Has anyone else had to completely change their watering routine for a specific plant?

Showerthought: My $45 'self-watering' pot murdered my favorite fern

I mean, the sensor was supposed to be smart, but it just kept drowning the poor thing for a week straight. Anyone know a reliable brand that actually works for ferns?

So I dropped $60 on a soil moisture meter and it's a game changer

I kept killing my peace lily, overwatering it every time. Got this little probe thing online, stuck it in the pot, and it told me the soil was still wet when I thought it was dry. That was three months ago and the plant has put out four new leaves. Anyone else have a simple tool that saved their favorite plant?

I always figured talking to plants was a bit silly, but my basil changed my mind.

I started chatting with my struggling basil plant while watering it each morning for a week, just as a joke. The thing perked up and doubled in size, while the silent one next to it stayed scrawny. Has anyone else had a plant seem to respond to something like that?

Spent a week trying to save my fiddle leaf fig after my cat knocked it over. The drama was unreal.

My neighbor's prize orchid had a fake flower glued on it

She was bragging about this 'rare bloom' for months, a big purple thing. I finally got a close look last week and saw the hot glue gun strings. Took me a full 20 minutes of very careful poking with tweezers to get it off without her noticing. Has anyone else ever found a plant that was secretly a craft project?

Showerthought: My grandma's garden felt like a whole other room in the house.

I remember my grandma's backyard was full of rose bushes and veggie patches we all pitched in on. These days, my own place has maybe three potted plants because life just moves too fast. It's kinda sad how we lost that shared green space, you know?

Just realized chemical pesticides do more harm than good in my garden.

Bees suffering pushed me to try organic pest control.

My tomato plants get blight every time I plant them

I've read all the tips, but those nasty spots show up without fail.

DAE feel like a proud parent when their kitchen herbs are ready to use?

My cilantro finally took off and it made my tacos way better than store-bought.