Houseplants to Avoid as a Beginner! 

My diffenbachia was the first plant I ever owned while in a toxic relationship where she never grew more than 3 leaves. The day I left she started to flourish and is now my large and in charge plant. I call her my soul plant; when I'm happy, she's happy.

The Dieffenbachia was nicknamed, yes because it has toxic properties, but there is a MUCH deeper meaning. Slavers in the Caribbean would force feed this plant to slaves to render them 'dumb' (unable to speak) as a punishment. Read up about it, I was shocked when I found out and always correct/inform.

There is nothing boring about the heart leaf philodendron! It's one of my all time favorites. Plus, it's SO rewarding. It grows so fast!

Honestly, for me, it was Pilea peperomioides 😩 I still cannot bring myself to buy another one due to all the seriously unprocessed trauma I have 😂

I agree with all the plants you mention. I would add Fiddle Leaf Fig to your list. I have seen time and time again people's Fig plants dying and or struggling with them and leaves dropping, etc.

Last year I randomly ordered a red maranta offline cause it was so pretty. It was the first plant I’ve bought in a couple years and quickly started going downhill. I decided I was determined to keep it alive and become a plant person so I looked online for plant videos (found all the plant RU-vidrs) and joined so many fb groups. My girl is happily living in my shower and I now have over 100 plants!

I agree with all of these except for Crotons. They do like strong light, even some direct sun if you have it and they don't like drying out ALL the way, but I have 4 that are thriving in my house. I really don't think they're as difficult as people say. I just keep them close to windows and try not to let them dry out too much and they're doing great. and I live in Tempe, so humidity is not the issue.

I love your crazy-plant-mom-librarian look 😭❤️

Alocasia black velvet was one of my first houseplants😅 I bought it with 6 leaves and within a month it was down to two, but here we are three months later and its put out its first leaf with me and even has a pup! The journey was definitely crazy tho😂

The Dieffenbachia was my first long lasting house plant, and they're still going strong five years later; I had absolutely no idea they were such a tough plant to grow! I should probably be more careful with them now that I know this, thank you! Edit: Plot twist; Dieffenbachias aren't meant to look like that... rip

Noooo don't tell people to stay away from Anthuriums, they're gorgeous haha

Croton petra is the only croton that was developed to be an indoor plant. The rest are, as you mentioned, to be grown outside. They like tons of light, warmth, and humidity to get those vibrant colors. I have a petra for about two years now and it is doing well, it is not very colorful due to lack of bright direct light but all in all it has been easy and puts out two to three leaves on a regular basis.

Calathea was my first love when it comes to plants, and they still are my favorites. I never really had any major problems with them, except for my Rattlasnake, which unfortunately hates me and I don't know why. I have like 7 different Calathea currently, and they are all (except my Rattlesnake) doing great. I think the important thing is to go easy on the watering. They hate to be wet. Once you find the right balance (not too dry, but certainly not too wet) you will be ok for the most part. My house is rarely above 55% humidity and they seem to be fine with that. Now Dieffenbachia. is another story. They are marketed as 'easy plants' but they have been a nightmare for me. I don't see myself purchasing another Dieffenbachia as I don't want to go through that emotianl rollercoaster again. I have tried everything to make them happy, and they just aren't. They crisp up and die no matter what. Croton.. I actually have one in a terrarium and it is doing great in there. Probably because it gets plenty of humidity. I did buy one two years ago and it died in less than two months. It hated my house. I agree with you, they are not really suitable as houseplants, but I do think they are beautiful as outdoor trees.

I guess I just have ideal conditions for it because my Dieffenbachia is like the healthiest and least sensitive plant in my collection. My alocasia polly is quite happy as well! Sub tropical climate helps :)

My first house plant was a Calathea Ornata (Cleo), she's a little tricky and I'm still figuring her out but I've enjoyed having a more challenging starter plant just because it's helped me learn how to respond to her needs and she has made those more forgiving plants much easier to understand.

I totally agree 👍 I've been collecting sansevieria since 2012. I started with Sansevieria and Aloe Vera then ZZ Raven. In recent years I ventured out to different plants because I started watching RU-vid channel. Now I am overwhelmed so I am going back to what I am best at. I have about 25 different varieties of Sansevieria and they are my favorite.

I love Croton, I have many varieties, never had an issue with this plant. I learned as a beginner way back when that Croton doesn’t want to dry out ever, likes moist soil always, but not sipping wet. Mine are north and west window and flourishing,

My crotons are doing great with combination of grow light + west facing window. I had most of these plants as a beginneer (couple years ago), I think I overall did well /avoided most of these issues because I live somewhere with medium tempatures (no extremes) and good humidity (San Francisco). Most crotons are pretty cheap so good to just see if they work imo, they so beautiful.

most of my plants are calathea and my first one was an ornata, they haven’t died and they’ve put out lots of growth! i love them and have had such good luck

I have a Mamey Croton with beautiful red leaves and it is THRIVING. I’ve gotten sooo much new growth in the past two weeks. I have it under my LED grow strips on my shelving unit for 12+ hours every day. I water it when the top two inches of soil are dry, otherwise these plants can be verrry dramatic (like Peace Lillies) when they need to be watered. As long as you have good grow lights, if you want a Croton, get one!

The best Beginner plant for me was the Peace Lily. I was a super overwater-er when I began and with the Peace Lily being basically a bog plant it was one of the first plants I didn’t kill from overwatering. Now, with the Domino Peace Lily available with some fun variegations and her being an even more stable plant, this might be Perfect for the new over-loving (over-watering) plant parent. Only big rule with them: no direct sun, they burn within hours ♥️🪴🚿🤗

I would say Anthurium Clarinervium is the exception to the Anthurium rule 😁 I got mine quite early on and as anthurium go they don't need as much humidity. I got mine in the early days. And they are on the lowest end price wise for Anthurium and I think they're are great starter anthurium 😊

I have a Dieffenbachia that was gifted to me in my 1st apt. I've had it for 20 years. They seem to last through everything, to me anyway.

Pro tip, just move to an exteremy humid city. You will now be happy for the sticky summers knowing it will help your plants trive

As a beginner, I also had difficulty with begonias, although the cane varieties are generally easier than rex or rhizomatous begonias.

Crotons are beautiful OUTSIDE plants, go to the islands and you see them everywhere outdoors pretty much like Azalea here in North Carolina. Unless you have a sun room or skyline I wouldn't suggest growing them inside. I love Crotons and have several of them in my frontyard. I love their vibrant colors. 🌱

I love croton. Have 2 types, and they grow well. You are right about light! But it doesn't need more than a succulent.

I’m absolutely obsessed with my prayer plant. She is incredibly happy just doin her thing. I do however have her still in a nursery pot and that pot it’s on a bowl of Leca and water… she’s been such easy care that way.

Great list. One of my first plants was a Rattlesnake Calathea, which I had heard was one of the easier ones. I did a bunch of research on the genus and ended up amending the soil after about six months. It completely took off and i had to repot it two more times the following spring because it was growing so much! I ended up passing it on to downsize a bit, but it ended up being a great first plant for me. I learned a lot! But I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone. 🙂

The secret to dumb canes is bright light and never over water. Even my mother grew one plant into 8 plants about 7 ft tall. You do have to cut them back when they get leggy.

Hey Becca! I have two dieffenbachias and I find them incredibly easy but that's only because they're in semi Hydro I think! They were one of my first plants to acclimate with no problems to its new medium. 😁

I've been a plant parent for less than a year, and I did have some hard times with Alocasias in the beginning, but I have over a dozen beautiful varieties now! as long as they get a ton of warmth and bright light, and is kept moist (I water mine often), they do vv well. they do love pests, so they do take a little more attention, I often have to be on the lookout for spider webs!

GREAT advice for our newbie friends and I agree with ALL of this!! 🙌

I’m pretty new to plants, and a croton was one of the first I bought. It’s doing really well, unless I accidentally leave it in full sun, then the youngest leaves go completely limp. I have it near, but not directly in, an east window and recently had to repot it because the roots were growing out of the drainage holes.

One of my first plants was the calathea ornata. That plant died a slow horrible death. I tried everything for this darn plant, even brought it in the shower so it could get a blast of humidity. Nothing worked to make that plant happy. I'm glad I bought a second and much easier plant that day otherwise I may not have loved collecting as much as I do.

I have loved all of your videos and definitely appreciate your advice: Weird though: was surprised to hear about the croton! I'm a new plant mom and my second plant was a gold dust croton that is still the most beautiful plant! It's about 3 - 4 feet away from a north - mostly west window and it's thrived for the last 3 months. I've lost one leaf a month ago, but it's doing great. We will see how it goes.

Awesome video . I wish this video existed b4 I purchased many of the mentioned plants. Another one to add is the fiddle leaf fig. Very educational and hopefully people will listed 2u. Keep up the great videos.

I love my African mask so much. She’s got my heart and soul. I bought her and repotted immediately, and have her with a ton of plants for humidity. I also have a Croton that’s thriving and amazing, but she’s definitely not for a starter plant person. She’s always in my south facing window and doing amazing.

Thanks for the video! I actually started off about 2 years ago with Dracaena, spider plants and Monstera but ended up giving them away and now I am super happy with various kinds of Calatheas and Philodendron. The one type of plant I keep struggling with are succulents 😅 my North Western windows are just not right for those. Starting my plant journey near the Dutch border did make experiments and gaining experience more affordable and the quality of plants better than other parts of Europe 🙃

You are very correct especially about the croton, I'm from the Caribbean and crotons grow magnificently here in brilliant full sun, they aren't meant for a sad corner next to a couch in an apartment, nice video.😊😊

I have no idea what I'm doing right, but my Alocasia African Mask is doing really well. I was given a bulb for free last winter and it's sprouted 4 huge leaves and 7 babies in my medium light, average humidity apartment.

I got 2 red flamingo flowers very early in my plant collecting days and thanks to living in Florida, they are thriving in my front porch. I love how easy they are in Florida. Started off in little 4-6” pots and now they are now just massive, in 12” pots and Ive done nothing but water them every few days xD

Most calatheas live in a very humid rainforest with 90-100% humidity, which kills spidermites & thrips. When my calathea got thrips, I put it in my shower 3-4 days in a row, showers it twice a day, and the thrips naturally dies

Solid list! I avoid most Ferns & Ficus as well. Peace lillies are great beginner plants... also a bird of paradise I found to be a good starter plant. BOP taught me lots about watering/fertilizing. By the time I gave the beat up plant away, it had grown probably 3-4 ft in a year under my care, despite my shotty care routine. Also love Agleonema for beginner plants - gives you that tree/shrub look without all the pests!

My first two plants were a Calathea makoyana and an Alocasia frydek…. Oops. It’s been 3 weeks now and they both seem to be doing okay (I’m sure the Virginia humidity is helping since it’s always over 65% in the room they’re in). I’ve also been filtering the water I give the Calathea. Both have put out new growth and I haven’t seen spider mites yet so honestly counting it all as a win thus far!

Perfect to watch while I'm getting ready!

Hey Becca, you're such a ray of 🌞, just love you and how well you take care and pride in your plants!

I’m so surprised to hear your first pick! My family has about 15 Dieffenbachias trees in our home, split between my office and our foyer. The original plant had been passed down through my family for generations, and we’ve since propagated her over and over again. We have three XXL pots with 2/3 huge trees each, partially held up by posts for stabilization but truly gigantic, and then my personal, original propagation who is about four feet tall, with two branches in one pot. Finally, we have about 7 smaller/medium propagations who have plenty of full beautiful leaves each already! Honestly, they’re our pride amongst our/my plant collection. 💚

I have a Croton (I'm a fairly new beginner) and its held on really well as an indoor plant. Its in a south facing window and its just living its best life 😊 it tells you when it needs water by the leaves and its held up great with the light. Much easier than a succulent!! Lol

I never had issues with a croton, I placed mine near a window and I’ve had it 2-3 years and it’s still growing. I had more issues with monsteras

Croton was my first house plant. It was dying in a grocery store with like 5 leaves and its growing amazingly ..I love mine

Me staring at my happy croton: 👁️👄👁️ Haha really though, it's by a south window with no obstructions and I'm on the 16th floor. My alocasia polly is also somehow doing well too. I also have a happy v. string of pearls. I think it's all due to my south window. Meanwhile, I'm stressing over a hoya pubicalyx and dracaena fragrans 😂

Crotons are pretty easy to grow. You don’t need sunlight at all, to make them happy. I live in the northern hemisphere, with north & east facing windows. I have two crotons growing under light, I use 4000k led bulb. Nothing else. And they are nearly 90cm tall, still pushing out more growth 🍀

I love the motherly knowledge your dropping. Yes, my darling, it’s pretty and it looks fun but listen to me. There is heartbreak ahead and I want you to learn from my mistakes. As a mom I can appreciate this so much!

My first plant was phalaenopsis.Then I bought a ficus.Then I fell in love with croton.And now i have over 100 plants...

Your content is so rich of information that I couldn’t see somewhere else. Most impressing thing is the way you explain and giving examples, like the example of a new car 😂

Not a beginner, but I LOVE your sit down chatty videos. I agree with your choices and would add Ficus in general. 🙂

Dieffenbachia and the Alocasia Polly Elephant Ear they died on me. I think plants that needs alot of sun and humidity and in a glass case with glow lights I cannot buy those types. I cannot provide there needs. Those i have hard time with are the Peperomioides pilea and the scindapsus pictus the leaves keeps curling on them i gave them all they need i end up giving them away. I usually have succulents and cactus those i know how to look after and know them. Since I started having hoya plants i am getting gnats do they like this plant or something? Also the njoys and pothos? I never had pests or gnats when I just had succulents and cactus. Thank you.

Yes I stopped because I was thinking that I was doing something wrong Thank you for sharing

Very informative & I def think your right. I love these beginner tips . I’ve been struggling with this plant mom thing. But I’m going to follow your advice just take your time collecting plants. You so right us new plant moms see something pretty and want to get it lol but know nothing about it. But all plants have their own specific ways to be cared for & im learning that 💕

Agree with all of these! I bought the pinstripe calathea and the alocasia polly way too early and they did not last long at all. Now when I look at both of these in stores I just don’t even find them attractive anymore. Left a very bad taste. Luckily I waited like you to get an orbifolia until I had more experience and it’s doing so well!

My first plant was an alocasia poly! I am in Florida so I think that’s helped me out but proud to say I’ve had her for over a year now and she’s always growing 💚

This year I am trying the croton with a grow light in a self watering pot. Next year I want to try Metallica alocasia. Great advice/ video.

Excellent class. Im a beginner. Thank you

I have an Alocasia Polly (African mask plant) that was accidentally sent to me incorrectly by costa farms! I love it so much but it sure is dramatic.

Surprisingly my calathea I bought at the beginning of my plant journey are still alive, a little ugly, but alive nonetheless 🤣

The alocacia and croton one! I love them so much and I really hope I can be able to keep one. I have a croton and he’s doing really well actually. But I also live in an area with very high elevation and lots of intense sun

Awe Leo is adorable !! What type of dog is he ? Great video and excellent knowledge 😁🌱🌿💚

It’s so interesting to read the comments and see how people all over the world do with various plants! I haven’t had that much trouble with my calathea and maranta, and I live north of the Arctic circle, which means cold, dark and dry air. I do have grow lights, but not for my calathea. My maranta leuconeura is one that I regularly just forget about and it looks beautiful 😂 Anthurium generally grow really well for me, especially the clarinervium, and I have several. I think the point is that people need to do research before buying plants, always. And there is a learning curve. Plants will die along the way, but my best tip for beginners is to get a handful of super cheap ones so people don’t lose a lot of money, try to get them thriving and work from there

Hello, I’m not sure why you didn’t like the diffenbachia?

Alocasia are my favorite ever since the beginning!

I got into plants a few months ago. I went crazy and bought a ton of plants online. Surprisingly, my Dieffenbachia, Calatheas, and Alocasias are all thriving. The one plant I did somehow kill was a ZZ plant lol.

I love my dieffenbachia. I’ve had it for years and propagated many from it. 💚

I read somewhere that full sun inside is equivalent to part shade outside. Crotons barely have a chance inside

Totally agree with this list

It is all true Becca!!! Your words need to be posted in all Plant shops.

I’m a beginner and I have some of the plants you mentioned. A little research (other than from you) you can learn about their needs. And the plants that you say not to purchase, and then add the comments that you don’t even think they are pretty, I find ridiculous. Example- the Croton and Anthurium, just to name a couple you mentioned.) I hate that people will be discouraged from buying some of these beautiful plants. There’s a lot of helpful info out there from others on RU-vid, FB, and Google, for example that people can learn from.

Omg so on point

I was waiting for you to mention Begonias its the most challenging plant for both beginners and even the best of plant enthusiasts

I'm a new plant parent and I currently have 4 of the 5 that you mentioned. I agree with your list😳🤣

Hi like your channel! keep it up the good work! id like to know what kind of medium your plants are potted in (peat for example) and what sort of feeds do you use and how often, please if i may. :) would love to hear back from you.

Great list! I’ve bought and successfully killed all of these when I first started 😂 I tried again of course and figured them out by now. Also, I wouldn’t recommend buying cheaper plants from overseas, aka importing, for beginners simply due to the acclimation process. Another thing I did in the beginning and my imports died since I didn’t know much about acclimation or propagation to save them I’ve they weren’t doing well.

thanks for the heads up on the alocasia! siren song indeed

My red maranta was one of my pretty early plants and she is not fussy. She keeps growing and growing. I just moved and it's not putting out new growth yet with the move but I think I only have one leaf that got mad about it

I love how real you are and it never feels like you're looking down on people that are new to plants or have less knowledge

I'm not a begginer, but not an expert too. Few months ago couldn't resist and bought alocasia amazonica. And it thrives in my bathroom, started blooming. So I would say that you can buy whatever you want if you can give conditions that plant needs

i currently have 8 plants and one of them is a purple anthurium. i bought it as a baby and even though I don't live in a humid place and don't own an air humidifier, shes doing great 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 first it had 10 blooms (last autumn when I got it) but now it has 6 blooms and grew a lot of leaves! i think shes pretty good, at least looks very healthy to me. A week ago I bought a full grown pink anthurium to keep it company and they look so cute together! :) and yesterday I ordered some anthurium potting mix (for moving the baby not-so-baby-anymore anthurium) and a black anthurium :) they will make a very cute family I am very I love with them and I wish they could grow bigger

My Croton somehow survived my first year of houseplant collecting. I now have it in a southwest corner room with huge windows AND a grow light. It also has a humidifier. Flipping drama queen. 🙄

lovely advice and very informative, im from a tropical country so most plants mentioned r actually easy to care for here😁. tho yes i do agree with the pest problems on certain plants. N its true that its actually difficult to take care of this plants in country that r dry and cold.

My parents had a calathea houseplant for 20 years. They never fertilized it, never repotted it, and only watered it once a month maybe. I have no idea how it survived so long. xD

I was told at the beginning that Dieffenbachia was easy and it most definitely is not. I couldn’t keep it happy in my house.

In my experience I absolutely agree. I fell for the calathea early on. Just to see it 'pray' been a couple years since and I am not even going to consider another yet. Plenty of others are keeping me interested/occupied and learning about. Also I've not done it, mostly because of the expense, but I'd avoid any plant w an unstable variegation. Watching a plant IMHO reverting is harder to deal w than watching one die. Thank you for another great video. ❤🌱

Thanks for the good tips. Yeah when I was first starting out I bought a white fusion calathea. So beautiful in the beginning, and I thought I was super cool and could keep it happy. Haha, then it got spider mites, and I was like super upset and sad. Thank god there are easier calatheas that aren’t as fussy. Snake plants are the best I think, though they don’t grow super fast which could make them boring too lol.

I will agree with you on some of these such as Calatheas - Maranta's (Prayer Plants). I am on my 2nd plant. But my Dumbcan, Croton and Anthurium (Flamingo Flower) are doing fine. Knock on wood. I find Alocasia's difficult. As well as that Swiss Monstera you have behind you. Very difficult.

I agree with you on that advise for newbies because it can just really ruin their plant journey all together.

Any tips and tricks for Dieffenbachia? I got into plants after lots of people sent arrangements to me for something about 4 months ago and that was one of the ones in there. I haven't really had much issues with it so far, but if there is any tricks anyone has to keeping it alive I would love the advice!!

Loved this video, can you make a beginner plant video what kind to get

Love me some heartleaf philodendrons. They have pretty varieties and they are just simple enough!! Plus you get to see your plant grow new leaves often. How exciting! I have 4 different ones. Super low maintenance and can accept a variety of lighting situations which make them versatile and almost unkillable. My favorite kind of plant. Expecially if you dont understand what kind of lighting you have which for me was really hard to understand in the beginning. Scindapsus are really simple too. Maybe even more simple and they are crazy pretty!

My easiest plant has been my thanksgiving cactus. Potted inbhalf bark, half potting soil and I water if / when I remember. It blooms every year.

I was so surprised to see all the croton hate in the plant community because I hadn’t had any issues with mine, then I realized it was because I had mine planted in an outdoor garden in zone 9. I will say they drop leaves like crazy in the winter, especially with the crazy temps we’ve been getting in Texas the past few years.