So important the last thing about being more conscious of the conditions we have to grow them. I only get plants that can be thriving in my ambient environment (I only add lighting) because I don’t want to have a tent or a closed cabinet in which I can’t really enjoy them because plants wouldn’t be at an easy sight access so I couldn’t really appreciate their beauty and engage as much with them. Surprisingly, most plants do their thing and size up, flower and just be ❤!
@friskymp I don't have cabinets or greenhouses so I totally understand what you mean. I like to be able to touch all my plants too, and cabinets get in the way of that😂 I will say I have my more finicky plants in my bathroom for extra humidity and it helps so much. Cheers 💚
Absolutely! Being mindful of our plant’s needs and environment is crucial. 🌱💡 Enjoying them without extra setups makes them even more beautiful. Thriving plants are the best reward! ❤
yes! It’s like a more intimate relationship with the plants: getting to know them, care for them, compensating humidity, preventing pests, loving them, being patient (mostly when it first arrives home and adaptation time) to be rewarded with growth and falling in love again with them. Even though they don’t have nervous systems, nor feelings, I’m sure they somehow sense / know they are loved
Thanks memo for starting this conversation! First of all, I watch a lot of RU-vid plant influencers talk about how the plant in their hands has some sort of pest, and as soon as they finish talking about it and doing plant care to it, they never wash their hands before starting a conversation about the next plant in their hand, I just cringe so bad that they don’t know to stop 🛑 and wash their hands between plants when at least one of them has pests! Second, indirect light is exactly what it says, the opposite of direct light! Third, Memo, I really appreciate you taking the time to talk about these things and hopefully you have ignited some fire in the plant community as having pests in your house on your plants really is not okay! Doing everything possible to remedy and at the very least, try some kind of prevention measures, is the best care for your house plants! Lastly, just my personal preference, I want all of my houseplants living in my home and not inside of tents and cabinets etc, again, just my own opinion, I feel like we are creating some sort of a plant zoo, just doesn’t seem right to me! However I am ever so grateful for Memo and starting difficult conversations within our community, thanks Ginger
Thank you for mentioning cabinets. When this trend appeared a few years ago, my husband laughed like crazy, they reminded him those glass/metal cabinets in medical room in his elementary school.
Thanks, Ginger! Pests and indirect light can be tricky topics. It’s so important to wash hands between plants to avoid spreading pests. Creating a plant zoo is definitely not for everyone. Appreciate your thoughtful insights! 🌿🧼
Ginger, I agree about the plant zoo term for sure. I like my plants to be out so I can see them daily and talk to them individually.....no, I'm not nutty just loving and caring to my plants :)) The people with cabinets also have a link in the description with a code so they get a kick back from everyone that buys one. Generally, most of those plant influencers are gifted a cabinet to sell them in their video. I do understand some of the tent enclosures because they actually put tiny cutting in there and sell them when it's time to sell to the public. Therefore, it's a business so I get that. I feel as though most of the plant people feel themselves that they have too many plants but can't help their addiction at this point. My heart goes out to them!
@@jackiewhitney5031Hi there, I feel ya! I have been trying to unravel this concept of the plant game too! On one hand I can see how a person would want the free stuff like cabinets and tents to grow seedlings and sell them. On the other hand, I don’t see why people would make a plant video and use endorsements from tea, coffee, bedding etc for plant videos. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t knock getting free stuff, just keep it in perspective for the type of videos you are interested in sharing with the plant community! Ya know what I mean though Jackie? Thanks 😊 Ginger
Great video. I struggle with indirect light. And low light for that matter. So I buy easy and cheeper plants. I still feel horrid when they die. But at least it’s not as bad. I’m struggling with how much to water plants. Not one answer for that either. I do keep learning and that’s super fun. Thank you!
@@Houseplantygoodness OH yes. I am in California. I had scale on one of my plants and i cut it all the way back (rare ish carnivorous plant). I did not want it to travel to my other plants. I did just what you said about washing my hands and everything. I even put the scale leaves in a plastic bag then threw it away. Anyway that is how I dealt with them. They get really hard and the never go away. Anyway i you know what you are doing more then I do. Thank you for the great video. :)
You’re so correct about those things Memo! When I first started with plants, I got so confused about bright indirect light. Would love a pt 2. Thanks for sharing Memo!
Thanks again for another entertaining and well reflected video! You’re absolutely right, the light situation is extremely confusing when starting off with houseplants and honestly, I still don’t really get it. I use grow lights everywhere to make sure they get enough light - but then that’s entirely a different science, because the distance to the grow light…I have no clue what I’m doing. I wish someone made a video clearing this up, and how much light (intensity and duration) makes most sense for what kind of plant. It’s a bit embarrassing but when I started I just left the lights on 24/7, just to be on the safe side, totally ignoring nature‘s rhythm and that plants can’t just close their eyes to take a nap. Needless to say they didn’t thank me with the growth I expected, some even gave me deformed leaves which I guess is the middle finger in the plant world. Another topic is the moisture and frequency of watering, which of course depends on size of plant, pot, plant-pot-ratio, root system, vessel, medium, temperature and so on. Not to mention what anyone thinks the word “moist”really means. And of course you can go wrong in so many ways, even with a moisture meter. If you don’t measure in the right place you might still drown your plants. I gave up on them after just two weeks and lots of emergency repots. Humidity! Drove me crazy in the beginning, I am totally relaxed about it now. And despite so many warnings I swear on spraying wildly around my green flatmates (with distilled water only!) daily and they seem to love it. Hardly any stuck leaves- not counting the baby Melano-cry-some, of course) and with my humidifier constantly running, I have an average humidity of 60% and no trouble at all. I just put the obliqua and some of the others that like more humidity close to the foggy area. Thrips are another story. Something I underestimated dramatically. They even seem to enjoy the humidity. And all plants, no exceptions. They avoid the pothoses if they can, but there’s always one sacrificial thrip hiding in there to assure the survival of the tribe, I guarantee it. You just can’t find it. Honestly, I believe some things about plant care can only be described, there’s no recipe, and that‘s part of the fun. Although I think there is still some room for improvement in the description sector, especially in the logic department. I always need a reason why (better not put a small plant in a big pot, for example). If I don’t see why, I’ll disobey 😂 …and rot all the plants. Thanks for being such a logical explainer, Memo, I really appreciate and enjoy it very much ❤
Thanks, Maika! Light and moisture are definitely complex topics. It’s all about finding what works best for your plants. Thrips are the worst! 😅 Your plant care journey sounds thorough and passionate. Keep up the great work! 🌿💡
My method with the grow lights is stick it here and hope it makes a difference 🙈 So far it has, but no doubt it’ll stop working randomly and I’ll have to move the light to some obscure place and drill more holes 😂
.. Wow Memo, you made my day 🤗 😂 .. Many of our so called houseplants, are not houseplants at all, but plants found in their native habitat and brought into our homes all the way back in 1850's - 1870's.. Many of them are now disappearing from nature and that's why they make tissue cultures too.. Most of our "houseplants" was found and named by botanical doctors someone way back in 1850's, and that goes for some of our most "common" and ordinary plants.. .. And that's why I can recognise plants on pictures from my great grandparents house, pictures from their youth way way back in 1910 or so.. Today they are sold as "new species" .. And then you actually talked about this too 😂
About thrips. Their favorite food is a flower's pollen. When you walk through the shop and see yellow powdery tracks on the petals of African violets - that's it, they ate enough from this plant and went to have fun somewhere nearby. So, any plant from this shop might have these visitors. Just be aware of this fact. I had had a horrible powdery mildew invasion several times, I had to get rid of whole shelves of sick plants. Then I discovered that the source was apartment's workers coming to fix something. Their workshop (aka garage) was thickly covered with it. No need to say how happy I was to move out of that apartment.
Plant hygiene is so SO important. I always wash my hands after I deal with infested or outdoor plants. If I'm re-using a pot, even if it's been empty in the garage for months I wash it with dish soap and a sponge before potting something new in it. I also have the process of stripping every new plant I get down bare root and gently washing the ~entire~ plant with dish soap and tepid water. Haven't had a single pest in my indoor collection in over 2 years since I started doing this
Hi friend! i will say my bubble has been burst on several topics, but one thing I've always wondered about is the DYI ikea cabinet builds people keep posting, do you really need it to be air tight all the way around? spending more money on caulk than the cabinet itself seems excessive to me. also, drilling holes for cables and then repainting the entire cabinet for rust protection seems like a terrible idea when you can just put wires through the door? either way! good video as always, I hope one day pink plants will be easier to grow!
DIY IKEA cabinets can be a bit much. Air tightness seems excessive. Wires through the door sound like a simpler solution. Pink plants are a dream! Thanks for watching! 🌿😊
This video is so important Memo 💛 Some people say that calatheas are too close to your patio door or windows, that they need more shade. My windows and door are 100% east, and the light is limited by the many trees in the yard... so yes they must be taped to my windows. These same people will say that calatheas, ZZ plants or other plants called "shade or indirect light" do not grow quickly, give them light and they will grow 🤦♀️😆 People put them in dark corners, the photosynthesis doesn't mean anything to them 😆 We really need a video on brightness Memo, "shade and "indirect light" plants also need this video, they are tired of surviving or dying in a secluded corner.
This is the perfect video for people at the start of their plant grower experience. I figured at all of these but it took me 6 months of trial and error to realize this.. would have saved me some time if I knew beforehand
I'm very new to plants and I find this both useful and relatable. I come from a family of plant people, but I'd never kept a plant alive that wasn't a Pothos. Now we've moved house and inherited a nice front garden from the previous owners which has inspired me, and my mom lives nearby and keeps giving me bits and pieces from her collection. So I'm learning both a new environment and new things about plants in general and how particular plants interact with this environment. It's fascinating, really, and I'm enjoying experimenting, and some are even succeeding! Having said that, I live near the Mediterranean (as in, 5 minutes away from a dip), but also on a mountain, so both humid and windy. It being summer, however, around here an A/C is a must, so the outside conditions don't necessarily match the inside, and the inside isn't consistent because we don't cool the entire house, just whichever room we're in, and we open the windows daily to get fresh air in, so giving any plant a consistent environment is difficult. And are pest coming in when we air out the place? We also have cats who insist on having a say on where plants are allowed to be located. Also, direct sun down here is not the same as direct sun in Canada, for instance (nor is the water, for that matter). Point is, I noticed if I watch a dozen or more videos about a particular plant, I can get a general gist of what successful caretakers tend to do in common, and I can try to go from there and attempt to replicate the conditions in my own environment, but I have to keep in mind that it can't be like following a recipe. So, trial and error, and trying not to overwhelm myself by attempting too many new plants at once. Is this a long-winded way of saying I appreciated the down-to-earth, realistic approach in this video? I guess it is!
I use an app called Photone, which measure PPFD, so one can get a reasonably accurate measurement of what *useable* light a plant is receiving. With a 2600k bulb, for instance, it's easy to get a very high foot candle/lux reading, but it's nearly zero for PPFD. This has been an incredibly useful resource for me. Cheers, ya salty old dog 😁
That sounds like an excellent tool for measuring light accurately! 🌿📱 Photone seems like a great resource to ensure your plants are getting the right kind of light, I need to have a look into it. Cheers to finding what works best and yes I love the salty dog moniker Dave, I will keep that one 😂 I hope you are keeping well! 😁
No.1 is soooo correct. I cringe whenever watching famous plant youtubers doing plant tour, finding pests as they go along, then proceed recording, touching all the rest of their plants. Like, am I only the one thinking this is cross contamination? Not to mention they have their long hair all down almost touching the plant or the table they sat the plant in. 🙈🤯 And also, my biggest thrips infestation was when I came back after visiting a sunflower farm in the summer. I was like, I didn’t bring new plant in for ages, but my collection got attacked by thrips. As a plant parent, you learn from your own experiences (wouldn’t say just mistakes).
@@iamthegirlwiththeredbow8 exactly all of what you stated and another cringing moment is when they ( RU-vid plant influencer's) repot a plant in a dirty encrusted pot. I scrub my pots with bleach and run them in my dishwasher.
@@Houseplantygoodness I can only assume that was the culprit because I didn’t bring in any new plant at the time. I went to a sunflower farm, took some pics for Insta, brought home some cut sunflowers with me, next thing I know, I have thrips infestation in my collection. We definitely bring these pests in, one way or another.
@@metsl1870 and yet they constantly remind you, wipe scissors/shears with alcohol before each use. Don’t mean to be rude about it, but just pointing them out so we can also learn from others.
I used to live in Ecuador, with the best conditions, humidity etc , and still my plants died haha thanks for bringing these kinds of topics to attention.
You're not weird Memo...you're enriched and also the best planty person out there. Also, could you pleease tell Claire about the big transfer. I told her months ago and she's still do it. 😢
Interesting subject. Especially calathea and other plants. Fittonia for example. Also, new plant parents dont need all the stuff they see on youtube videos. loved it.
I've only ever had scale when my mother in law bought home a reduced plant from b&q, I didn't know how to get rid of them but the first thing I tried was fairy liquid and I think alcohol and hydrogen peroxide, that seemed to work pretty well and I have never had issues with them since
As a calathea fanatic: so true :-) When I was selling my calatheas and wrote in the ad the full warning and requirements for good conditions, it inspired a long discussion of beginners that just bought a calathea and thought it must be easy. I didn´t sell a single plant with that honest warning 😀 So I made it more mild and send a at least a long list of care instructions to everyone who was interested in buing them to be able to sell any of them 😀 I think omitting the warning that these plants are difficult must be intentional - otherwise they wouldn´t sell so well.
Bright indirect light, I always thought of it to "as close as possible from the window unless it's full south window." Except my snake plant, all my plants are pretty close to the windows. In winter, I supplement light, and this summer I'm obliged to do so too, not only because it's mainly grey and rainy, but also because they're doing renovations and there's a big scaffolding in front of all my windows, with a platform in front of my living room, so very little light. So all my grow lights are on every day. As dor the white fusion, I knew it's a tricky one from the start because of two french plant youtubers. But it's so pretty I bought it anyway. It's still there and finally growing again from nearly nothing left. XD
Bright indirect light can be so confusing! 🌿 Supplementing with grow lights is a great idea, especially with renovations going on. Your dedication is inspiring! 🌱💡
I often read plant tags and see bright indirect light! In my head I’m saying what the hell does that mean 🤣 My fav though is water your orchids with one ice cube a week 🤣🤣🇨🇦
Thank you for saying those truths. I think more people should talk about them. Especially your last point, as in not every plant is a houseplant. I only have two words: Anthurium regale 😂 As for scales: I always use predatory mites, but they are not effective against scales. But I found an insecticide that you administer by watering your plants. The insecticide then gets sucked up by the plant and only harms the insects that snack on the plant, not the ones that just live on it. I cannot recommend a brand, as I am not from UK (I'm from Germany), but maybe you have something similar.
Love this! Totally thought about the transfer of pest from plant to plant. But I starting panicking so I stopped because thinking back about how many plants I’ve touched after an infected one was overwhelming. After that discovery though from my experience I would only take care of a few plants in an evening instead of putting my hands in all of them, repotting them all and touching them all. So yah I’ve decided to not continue plant care after I’ve touched or treated an infected plant. Also something to mention is a few things but one I think of now is repotting after bringing a plant home. Instead leave it afew days to acclimate because of the shock. Also not trimming a bunch of leaves, repotting, messing around all in one session. Less is more when bringing home a plant maybe trim leaves one day wait a few then, repot after a few weeks. Also cleaning all the soil off of the roots when repotting is NOT necessary, unless it’s completely needed. But I’ve found it keeps the plant healthier when I don’t disturb the roots as much when repotting.
I have the issue of having greenhouses outside and a huge garden and living in the countryside and we walk pests in daily 🤷♀️ it happens, aslong as you keep it under control its all good
@Houseplantygoodness just you wait this year one of the greenhouses will be setup up for houseplants 💜💜💜💜 I'll send you some photos when I can, unfortunately due to becoming a new mum some of the plants I have been having to use systemics which I don't like but it's just due to lack of time and money to get predatory mites
The book you showed I bought in the late 70"s. I followed that book back then and have had much success with it. I'll have to dig it back out to see if moss poles and 20 different potting mixes are in there/ Life was so much simpler back then, huh? Keep making these honest videos.
Hey Memo! My rule of thumb for bright indirect light is: If your phone flash can over power the light level, then it is not bright indirect light. Understanding how the light level changes throughout the day is far more important than the instantaneous measurement. My take on calathea is that it’s an easy plant if you are consistent, but being consistent is hard.
And also, I agree about the pests! I’m super careful when I find them. I immediately isolate and treat. I then wash my hands and change clothes to treat any plants in the area as well. Sanitise surfaces and walls etc helps. I’m a bit of a worrier and tend to treat my plants once a month with products to avoid the worst of the pests, but they still get some on occasion if I’ve been a bit lazy, or windows open in summer etc
@@Houseplantygoodness my first experience with pests was so dramatic! I think I cried 🤣 Now I’m like “oh look, thrips again!” Then I do my process and get on with my day. To be honest, if a plant isn’t particularly hard to purchase again, I’ll just fling it in the bin 🙈 I’ve currently got thrips on my pallidiflorum and I want to throw them out so badly, but they’re so hard to find and expensive when you do find them 😭
Essentials 101. Most importantly, evaluate one's living space especially when living in an apartment considering lighting provided, Ammendments- good gravy realize the costs-necessary verses fad, invest in various sizes of clear pots, and thift for cover pots. Also, can we speak on plants thriving in Ambient Conditions - not everyone desires to have Greenhouses and/or in Cabinets.
Essentials 101 is right! Evaluating living space and understanding costs is so important. Thriving plants in ambient conditions can be so rewarding! 🌿💡
@@simplydee4522 OMG 😆 I love ❤️ the clear pots and I love 💗 thrifting for the cover pots as well!! It’s so satisfying when you can find the perfect cache pot for your favorite plants right?!!, thanks Ginger
Oh you’ve got the curse of the aurea too. I was told to let it dry out completely between waterings, and although that drives me crazy, mine is starting to perk up. I feel like it needs more water, but against all my instincts it’s a cactus in disguise. I’ve melted two with my love. 💀 I am an impulse plant parent. And I admit my entire collection is inspired by a Star Trek garden. I’m the one looking for the alien plants. It’s me. I’m in heaven with the variegated and hybrid aroids available now.
Oh, heck, yeah! Rarely have I heard anyone really getting into appropriate lighting to maintain the variegation along with good genetics for a variegated plant.
Absolutely, Laura! Variegation truths coming up soon! Thanks for the suggestion! 🌿 Funnily enough the videos I filmed for this week are on variegation, but not from this angle, so will definitely line this up for a future video
Would you believe there are STILL people out there (Pintrest) that swear on their lives the "Pink Congo" is real? I got called a "liar" and "stupid" , and told I needed to "learn how biology works" simply because I explained the scam to someone who asked if it was real. 🙄 Also, I'm 100% with you. Nothing is one size fits all, specially when it comes to plants. I follow a lot of planty creators, but 99% of ya'll live in extremely different weather conditions than me, so I just take your advice test it out and make variations according to what suits my plants' environment best. To be honest, tho, sometimes the exact same plant, grown in the exact same environment (literally side by side), will react differently. It's happened to me a million times. 🤷🏽♀️
With the light, I wish I could remember who said it,but it makes sense to me.theu said ask your self, how much sky can your plant see without the sun seeing your plant.
I'm not going to jump into the shower or wash my clothes every time I might have a pesty stowaway on board. I have OCD and I do not need another ritual that will rule my life. Take it all with a grain of salt, people. I'm looking at you, my fellow perfectionists. Don't get me wrong, this is a great video, with great advice, just don't stress too much about your plants. Btw, Memo, I love your shirt, you're always so stylish!
I'm not obsessed with houseplants, but hot damn I love fragrant garden plants. Your advice that not all plants areneant to be houseplants reminds me of my obsession for Sandalwood. Why haven't I ever seen it, why can't I find it for sale on the internet? My mother was a landscape architect for 30+ years and told me "Sandalwood? No. Impossible." Turns out Sandalwood is a parasitic tree, so not only do you have one fussy tree to grow, you have two. It's also very slow growing, and unfortunately in all of its native habitats the trees will get poached before they can propogate.
I think calathea are pretty, but I just can’t be bothered with their tantrums! I have a few friends who love them, but they buy one and expect to kill it. They then just buy another one and admire it until they kill that one 😂 I know a lot of people who buy houseplants and believe the label when it says “guaranteed for x amount of weeks”. Some people are just wanting a pretty coffee table plant for a short while. Not everyone gets the bug like we all have and invests every penny into keeping these dramatic green things from the brink of death 😬😆
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