5 expert tips for thriving houseplants 

Great video and thanks for sharing my lighting table! I wanted to hear more at the end - haha!

I was a fool and bought one of those plants from the bargain bin at the store. I had it in a very sunny spot with southwest facing windows. I watered it regularily, it got lots of sunlight. But the plant wasn’t growing. I was ready to pull my hair out. I got myself a light meter and realized I wasn’t getting enough sunlight. I renovated the windows and put another hole in my s/w wall to let more light in. After that I was getting 1400fc for half the day. But after a few weeks I still didn’t notice any change. I called my mother and she came over to look at it and help me out. She took one look at it and said “this plant is made of plastic.” Lesson learned!

Very informative and thanks for revealing the secret of that dang cactus soil 😩 Very interesting about the light meter. I might look into that 🤔

Getting seemingly well established plants for slightly higher prices than the clearance sales has done wonders for me. I check if they've been in their pots for a while and are producing new roots, leaves or flowers. Then compare the selection of plants to each other. Just doing this has made my home become an oasis of thriving plants instead of a morge. These have almost always stored up enough energy and resilience to handle the moving and adapting to your home climate and will almost always thrive after a short pause. Where as most of the clearance ones begin their slow decent of withering away, regardless of my efforts.

I got thrips bringing a plant home from another plant enthusiast 😭 battled them for MONTHS and I think I finally might be free. Lesson learned. Probably.

Looking forward to your upcoming deep-dive into DLI metering

Informative, as always! Thank you. Your pothos is to die for!!!!

I know I’m probably gonna jinks myself but I’ve had really good luck with discount plants. Just picked up a blue cebu and a monstera Peru for six bucks each. Gave them a leaf wash and will keep an eye on them. Fingers crossed

I love all your videos. When I new one comes out I get so excited to see what knowledge you will share.

I started follwing you about a year ago, right before that I did the thing you said not to, I bought a Monstera at Walmart. Using your tips over the past year my plant has doubled it's size. Now I am faced with the question is this two plants and do I need to split it. I have already re potted it in better soil conditions a few months ago and it really reacted in a positive growth after that with much bigger leaves.

Thank you Lee, very informative!!! Your pothos and monstera are absolutely beautiful!! My monstera will not give me any holes in my leaves even though its in front of my east facing patio door, so I really admire yours!!!

Ohhh mannn 🥴 I’ve definitely learned my lesson SLOWLY but surely with all the clearance/ rescue plants I have! This is really great advice! Wish I had known sooner! Haha!

Unrelated but DARN LEE??? YOU BEEN LIFTIN? Arms lookin swole in that shirt. Great video! Didn't know the clearance rack was such a hazard but makes total sense. You got me really thinkin about getting a legit light meter instead of the phone app ones 👀

I love getting cuttings!

Lee, my nursery plants are always in worse shape and they really shouldn't be BC it's locally owned and operated and they have a massive staff. I did realize though that a lot of the plants I thought were REALLY BAD based on looks, were actually very healthy and pest free BUT shredded up BC they were putting them too close to their parrot! Once I recognized that the parrot was just shedding up what he could reach I stopped feeling like I was being ripped off. I only realized this was the issue BC my own bird shredded an orchid up and it healed looking the same. This damage is unsightly but doesn't seem to kill the plants (I assume BC in the wild most of these plants would have similar issues with the local tropical birds?) When I buy from the grocery store, I get plants that are only a day or two in stock and if it's somewhere longer like Walmart I look at them like crazy and don't hesitate to basically empty the shelf to check them ALL for pest damage! I do put them back so I'm not a complete jerk but it's my money and my collection so I'm going to look at the stock well 🤷‍♀️ I don't have space to quarantine and I know from when my grandma had a nursery that quarantine really only helped if you need what plant was patient 0 and began treatment before even bringing it in. I also learned that a vast majority of pests come in on pests... Which seems accurate since the plants around my dogs crate and food and water are the ones needing treated for spider mites etc the most. He rubs on them when he comes in! 🤬

I need dis quality content

Really glad you cut yourself off there at the end because you were losing me ! 😂

Brought mealy bugs home on a big box store Monstera. Luckily I quarantine new plants so they didn’t spread to my other plants. I failed to eradicate them so in the trash it went. Lesson learned.

Thanks for another GREAT video! Also, did you get a new camera?

Great information but coming to the end of the video,I was lost. Simplify.

Was that an Orchid Bark pole you made at 3:56?

💜💜

My monsteras leaves are all brown and dry, don't know why I'm the kiss of death to plants 😢

😊 I have a full light window that has direct light for about 5 hours a day. I am having a hard time finding some plant to live there. Even the pony tail palm I have there is experiencing some sun stress. Any suggestions for other plants? It has to stand on a stand because my dog will eat the dirt.

Clearance rack? I'm not wealthy enough for that. I get all my plants from the dumpster outside the rich peoples florist store. Sometimes they live.

Do a whole video breaking down the light info! This is such a niche community, so it would be appreciated.

@Kill This Plant I agree but unfortunately I’m economically challenged. Therefore I’m a clearance dumpster diver. 🥀Cheers!

Rule number 1, Don't overwater your plant. Rule number 2, Do Not overwater your plant. Rule number 3, Overwatering your plant kills it.

I had around 55 African violets. 2 of them were my grandmother’s that passed a few years ago. I ended up getting a rescue African violet. It was such a terrible mistake. I lost my entire African violet collection due to thrips. 😢😢😢. Never again.

This man knows his plants. Good advice. I will be sending my customer to this channel.

That Monstera is beautiful. Thanks for the tips.

Thanks for the advice! I think I should invest in some standing grow lights instead of hanging. My monstera and climbing philo will probably appreciate it 😂😂

Thanks for the helpful tips, esp about buying healthy plants. Thanks for sharing Lee!

I'd like to know how you position your plants and why. If I put my monstera right in front of my window it may produce gorgeous leafs but only my neighbours get to see them full on.. :/

3:35 pot head 😂🪴

Thanks for this video. Very informative ❤

Always amazing content and tips! Thank you so much!!

I got my first inner fenestration on my most recent monstera leaf - thanks to your tips.

I've saved many plants from the bargain bin and they've rewarded me with exceptional growth. I like to save them from the garbage. They're living things after all.

Oh man. I was so close to buying just a random monstera to test prop bc I’m scared of ruining my beloved… glad I didn’t but it was still on my mind. Crisis averted!

All my IKEA and home depot plants have died. My IKEA monstera came with root rot, and now I'm propagating 6 cuttings of that one monstera. What other places would you recommend to get plants from? I just want a plant to survive for once ):

Thanks, this video has been very informative. my plants do well outside but i have to bring them in the fall.

Your videos are best

Hello I have a Monstera and don't know what to do the leaves are leaning and I don't know if I should repot the plant or something 🤔

Thanks 😊

I'm obsessed with how beautiful these rare plants are! I've got 3 Thai Constellations that I grew from tissue culture - what a challenge! As an artist on a budget, I can't always afford the real thing, so I've started making realistic versions of any rare or expensive plant I like, without breaking the bank. haha.

I noticed you dont have moss poles but stakes on your beautiful monstera, should I avoid moss poles? i need it to be less maintenance

You can get good plants from clearance racks, but you have to be careful to select healthy ones. My $1 zz plant was only there because its root ball had gotten so big it had shattered its pot (it's now 3 feet tall, lives in a 2 gallon pot and needs repotting again soon), my paddle plant has nearly tripled in size (it was $3), and I picked up an orchid in perfect condition for $1 because I happened to be there right after Mother's Day just as the clearance stickers were being put on (orchids are often put on clearance just because they've finished flowering). Not all my rescues have gone so well, and you do have to keep an eye out for pests, but it's possible to get perfectly healthy plants from clearance.

That ending 😂 I was shocked to see how much light I could acclimate my plants too and how beneficial more light actually is for most of my plants. Great content. Thanks.

The bit about soil mix components is super enlightening for me... Thanks you!

Now you have thrips! HOLLERING😂💀😭

I love the information very informative . you've peaked my interest in the lighting factor, would like more info about it 😉

I always find that most houseplants need more light than what the store tags claim! So I tell friends to give more light, and to acclimate them slowly to their new amount of light.

Lee, or anybody who can answer this question and know for certain that the answer is 100% accurate, when you refer to *sand*, what type of sand are we talking about. Beach sand, construction sand, sandbox sand. I live in NC, and I have plenty of very compacted driveway sand. Is that usable in a DIY potting soil recipe? The nice guys or girls at Lowe's, although trying hard to be helpful, don't have a clue. Maybe a landscaping company would know, but I'd probably have to commit to buying a dump truck full. Thanks in advance for answers you can provide! ❤ 😊

How is this the first video on my feed when I just bought a clearance philodendron at Lowe’s 😭

First

very helpful video! can you tell me which grow light is the one you glimpse when showing the monstera? it is the kind of tall and elegant growlight i am looking for but I can't find any around, I would appreciate it very much, thanks! also, a video dedicated entirely to grow light would be interesting not many can be found, just a few mentions here and there and usually little importance is given to grow lights from an aesthetic point of view but I think for many of us plants are part of the decor so why use lamps that look like they are dedicated to plant nurseries? :D

I love this channel. So much information. Thank you

I assume with aritificial lighting I don't need to stress to much about that number?? Watering part is what I always struggling with, I just ran out of soil so when I restock I'll grab the pro-mix HP and use that going forward. Thanks for all the great knowledge share and for always looking cute while doing it 😊

I like to think I'm rescuing a plant from certain death. I quarantine them in an outside room for 40 days so I think that covers all things. If they don't start thriving in that time I'll ditch it but I always give mistreated life a chance. I've been doing that for 50 and haven't had a problem.

As long as you use insecticidal soap and repot as soon as you buy it you good I most of my collection is from clearance and I saved all of them and I was beginner and pest free just fungus knats

Healthy orchids that are done flowering and slightly thirsty succulents, for example, are plants that I'll get on clearance, but yes, even then I'm looking for healthy specimens whose price is knocked down. And agree that soil mix tailored to you and your situation is v important. And that light is so important that it's difficult for a non-photosynthesiser to comprehend. 💚🪴💚

The ending is exactly how my brain works when I start trying to figure out all the ways to measure light readings. 🫠 Music plays, brain tunes out, annnnnd we’re done. FC is great but then you find out that it doesn’t exactly work that way for grow lights since it doesn’t measure usable light, and then I check out. Also, have you ever compared the proper light meter with using a light meter app on your phone? I’ve just been using an app and wonder how accurate they are.