Opinions Matter

c/botany-lovers

4

benflores•2d ago

Had to eat crow after a master gardener called out my pruning

I used to think cutting back my roses hard in the fall was the right move. Kept them neat and tidy through winter. Last spring at the community garden in Austin, this older guy named Tom watched me hack at a bush and just shook his head. He said I was chopping off next year's blooms and starving the roots. Told me to leave 3 strong canes and stop cutting until late February. I argued with him for five minutes before I finally shut up and listened. That following summer I had double the flowers I ever got before. Now I tell every newbie the same thing. You guys ever get called out by someone who just knew better?

17

schmidt.eva•3d ago

My greenhouse ferns were dying for 6 months until I caught the real problem

I've got a small 8x10 greenhouse in my backyard in Portland, and for half a year I watched my ferns slowly turn brown and crispy. I tried more water, less water, shade cloth, even repotted them with fresh soil. Nothing worked. Then last month I grabbed a cheap humidity meter from the hardware store for $12 and found out my greenhouse was sitting at 30% humidity in the afternoon. Ferns need at least 60% to stay happy. I set up a simple misting system on a timer that kicks on for 30 seconds every hour, and now they're popping out new fronds like crazy. Has anyone else dealt with a humidity issue that seemed like something totally different?

18

the_sandra•5d ago

Found a rare orchid species on a hike last Sunday

I was hiking up near Mount Rainier last weekend and spotted this tiny purple orchid I'd never seen before. Turns out it's a Calypso bulbosa, which is pretty uncommon in that area. I've been studying local flora for about 5 years now and this is my first time seeing one in the wild. The flower was only about 4 inches tall and hidden under some ferns. Has anyone else come across something rare like that on a regular walk?

25

the_drew•6d ago

Picked up a book on carnivorous plants at a garage sale last Saturday

Found this old paperback for 50 cents. Turned out sundews can catch and digest over 500 insects in a single season. That's more than my tomato plants got eaten all summer. Had no idea those little sticky things were that effective. Anyone else find weird plant facts in random places?

23

the_wyatt•7d ago

Vent: My venus flytrap trap count is down to 4 after my cat decided it was a toy

I mean, I left my venus flytrap on the windowsill last Thursday and came back to find my cat batting it around like a mouse toy. It snapped off like 6 of the traps, so now the poor thing only has 4 left. I tried taping a few back on but idk if that does anything. I moved it to a shelf the cat can't reach but now it's not getting enough light. Has anyone else dealt with a pet messing with their carnivorous plants?

7

gibson.robert•9d ago

Appreciation post: the old guy who saved my jade plant

Three years ago my jade plant was dropping leaves like crazy in my apartment in Portland. An old neighbor told me I was watering it wrong and showed me how to feel the soil instead of guessing. Has anyone else had a random stranger fix a plant problem better than any book?

8

finley_wells66•9d ago

I finally fell for that $50 'smart' plant pot scam

Ngl, I bought one of those self-watering pots with the app that tells you when to water. After 3 months the sensor died and my fern was soaked. Has anyone else had these things just stop working?

1

black.mark•9d ago

People keep putting succulents in glass jars with no drainage

I saw three posts today where someone's prized echeveria was rotting at the base because they thought the pebble layer at the bottom counts as drainage, so have any of you actually tested moisture levels down there with a finger or a stick before scrapping the pot altogether?

20

miles581•9d ago

That $60 moisture meter I bought off Amazon? Total garbage.

It kept telling me my ferns were bone dry when they were actually soaked, and I overwatered three of them to death before I figured it out. Anyone else had luck with a specific brand or should I just go back to the finger test?

1

angelas78•10d ago

Spent 6 hours trying to get a single orchid cutting to root. Moss box method finally worked.

I had this phalaenopsis that dropped a keiki and I tried everything. Water, perlite, straight sphagnum. Nothing took for weeks. Then a lady at the garden center in Portland told me to put it in a closed clear bin with damp moss and forget about it for a month. Tried it, roots showed up in 3 weeks. Why did nobody tell me this sooner? Has anyone else had a plant that just refused to root?

3

ellis.rose•10d ago

Had to pick between peat moss and coco coir for my soil mix

I was setting up new raised beds this spring for my veggie garden and kept going back and forth on which moisture retainer to use. Peat moss is cheap and works fine but I read about the environmental impact of harvesting it. Coco coir costs about twice as much per bag at my local nursery but it rehydrates way easier and doesn't get that crusty layer on top. I went with coco coir and after 3 months of watering I can tell my tomato plants are staying more consistently moist between waterings. Has anyone else switched and noticed a difference with root growth?

21

tyler_burns66•29d ago

My neighbor's 30-year-old jade plant fell over during a storm last night

I helped her prop it back up and she started talking about how she got it as a cutting from her grandmother's plant in 1993. She said plants are just time travelers that outlive the people who planted them. Has anyone else had a conversation with an older gardener that made you look at a common houseplant differently?

4

jones.angela•29d ago

My prized orchid collection took a dive off the shelf last Wednesday

I had this beautiful shelf of 15 orchids in my sunroom, all in perfect bloom. Then my cat decided to chase a fly right into the middle of it. The whole thing came crashing down around 3 in the afternoon, pots everywhere, roots dangling, two blooms snapped clean off. I spent the next hour repotting everything and trying to save what I could. Anyone else ever had a plant disaster thanks to a pet?

18

diana829•1mo ago

My aunt in Oregon made me rethink how I prune roses

She told me I was cutting them back way too late in the season and showed me her blooms that were twice the size of mine. Has anyone else had a family member drop some gardening wisdom that totally changed their approach?

6

noah914•1mo ago

Just realized I've been watering my succulents completely wrong for 3 years

I used to water them just a little bit every few days because I thought too much water would kill them. Turns out they want a good soak and then to dry out fully. I killed like 5 nice echeverias before I figured this out. Anyone else make this mistake when they started with succulents?

23

diana829•1mo ago

I finally stopped watering my succulents every week like a lunatic

For two years I killed every succulent I bought. My friend who runs a nursery in Tucson told me most people drown their succulents and I was doing it every 7 days like clockwork. Turns out they only need water once every 3 or 4 weeks depending on the pot size. Has anyone else been overwatering their plants this whole time without realizing it?

5

patp79•1mo ago

The community garden behind the old laundromat had something odd growing

I was walking my dog past the fenced-off lot on 5th Street last Tuesday and noticed a weird purple vine climbing up a dead oak. Has anyone else seen a plant that looks like a cross between morning glory and poison ivy popping up in neglected urban spots?

25

morgan915•1mo ago

Dropped $200 on a fancy moisture meter for my soil and it was a total scam.

The thing reads the same number no matter if the dirt is bone dry or soaking wet. Anyone else get burned by those cheap Chinese gardening gadgets on Amazon?

26

kevin218•1mo ago

Frustrated with the mess at my local botanical garden last Sunday

I went to the Smithville Botanical Gardens last Sunday with my wife, hoping for a nice walk through the rose section. But half the plants had wilted flowers just hanging there, not trimmed back at all. The signs were faded too, some so bad you couldnt even read the names. Why do places charge $15 admission if they wont keep up basic maintenance? Has anyone else seen their local gardens go downhill like this?

1

linda_murphy•1mo ago

Gave my monstera a moss pole six months ago and it just threw its first fenestrated leaf

I kept thinking the aerial roots would grab on by themselves but after 3 months of nothing happening I finally tied it up properly myself. Turns out the plant needed a solid 8 weeks after that to settle in and actually grow up the pole. Did anyone else's monstera take forever to figure out a moss pole or was mine just being dramatic?

21

robert_roberts•1mo ago

Overheard someone at the nursery say 'collecting pothos is just basic' and it got under my skin

I was at Armstrong Garden Center last Saturday grabbing some soil, and this woman said to her friend that collecting pothos is for beginners and not 'real' botany. I mean, I have like 12 different pothos varieties in my living room and they're all thriving. My marble queen has leaves the size of my hand. Why does everything have to be rare or hard to keep alive to count? Has anyone else run into people gatekeeping what plants are worth growing?

25

white.seth•1mo ago

Nearly killed three of my ferns before I caught the mistake

I’d been misting my Boston ferns every morning for two years, but last month I noticed brown tips spreading fast. Turns out, the tap water in Austin has too much chlorine for them, and I should have used filtered water the whole time. Anyone else find their plants hate the local water supply?

22

nguyen.dylan•1mo ago

Didn't realize air roots on my monstera were actually important

I was trimming back the aerial roots on my monstera for months because I thought they looked messy. Found a video from a guy in Oregon who said those roots help the plant absorb moisture and nutrients from the air, not just anchor to things. Has anyone else accidentally wrecked their plant by cutting stuff they didn't understand?

2

gonzalez.vera•1mo ago

My neighbor keeps calling her pothos a philodendron and it's driving me nuts

I mean, the leaf shape is totally different if you look close, and they need different light. She moved it to a sunny spot because she thought it was a philodendron and now the leaves are getting pale. Has anyone else had to gently correct a friend on plant ID?

21

miles581•1mo ago

Was watering my pothos wrong for like 2 years

I noticed the leaves were all yellow and droopy no matter what I did. My friend came over and saw me dumping water right into the center of the pot and said 'you're supposed to soak the soil from the bottom, not drown the stem'. Has anyone else had a basic care routine completely backfire on them?