Houseplant Enthusiasts?

[Senswitch]

Is anyone else a houseplant enthusiast? Have tips/tricks. helpful resources, planting ideas, discuss problems/diseases/pests, etc.?

 

Does anyone else find fellow houseplant enthusiasts attractive, or is it just me?

[Matt-1666]

Quite a useful tool is a machine that checks the humidity and ph of your soil.i can send you a link to one on amazon.in the uk it was like 17 pounds. Stops you overwatering and allows you to ajust the ph of the soil easily

[Do****]

What’s that thing called

Thermostat with air humidity thing is cool aswell

Love me some houseplants and cacti

[me****]

I run a plant care business

[me****]

  10 hours ago, DonDante said:

What’s that thing called

Thermostat with air humidity thing is cool aswell

Love me some houseplants and cacti

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Hygrometer

[Senswitch]

Favorite things to grow? I love growing Philodendrons. I'm having some trouble with one of my Monsteras. It's sending new growth at the base, but the leaf tip dies, and they are stunted after that. I saw some mites on it yesterday and treated it. Hopefully that will solve the issue.

[Senswitch]

Does anyone have any good methods for getting rid of mealy bugs?

[An****]

  3 hours ago, Senswitch said:

Does anyone have any good methods for getting rid of mealy bugs?

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I’ve heard coffee grinds work but there is a natural product something earth and for the life of me I cannot recall. Complete brain fart sorry

[MidnightShivers]

  3 hours ago, Angelbaby865 said:

I’ve heard coffee grinds work but there is a natural product something earth and for the life of me I cannot recall. Complete brain fart sorry

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Coffee grinds are acidic for the soil so depends on the plant. Google it. Be happy. Grow stuff. Entice your partner with your green thumb!

[Senswitch]

  5 hours ago, Angelbaby865 said:

I’ve heard coffee grinds work but there is a natural product something earth and for the life of me I cannot recall. Complete brain fart sorry

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No worries! I'll start perusing the internet. Lol! Thank you.

[Do****]

  Yesterday at 07:55 AM, Matt-1666 said:

Quite a useful tool is a machine that checks the humidity and ph of your soil.i can send you a link to one on amazon.in the uk it was like 17 pounds. Stops you overwatering and allows you to ajust the ph of the soil easily

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What’s that thing called I mean

[Do****]

  13 hours ago, Senswitch said:

Favorite things to grow? I love growing Philodendrons. I'm having some trouble with one of my Monsteras. It's sending new growth at the base, but the leaf tip dies, and they are stunted after that. I saw some mites on it yesterday and treated it. Hopefully that will solve the issue.

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With my Monstera that happens all the time, I just cut off dead and tend to the new branches, it gets bigger in the end still

[Do****]

Maybe it adjusts to it surroundings or changing humidity or lightcycles?

[Senswitch]

Has anyone had trouble with pests? I've owned plants for YEARS and never had any issues until I moved to Austin a while back. I was buying plants the first sign of trouble was a minor aphid population that I took care of, then the spider mites came in and killed a few plants despite my best efforts. Then the mealybugs arrived on a star jasmine that I had purchased. I didn't even know what they were until they started showing up on other plants and I did some research. But with A LOT of management, they are finally on their heels.....

...and NOW I have thrips. Those were the mites that I saw on my Monstera. I'm actively treating them, but they must have gone unnoticed for a while because I found them on my Ph. 'Silver Sword' cuttings, a Ph. 'Pink Princess'. and my 'Baltic Blue' pothos.

Has anyone discovered a way to have pest-free plant ownership? Or am I just doomed to do battle with these little buggers for as long as I own plants?

Edited June 6, 2024 by Senswitch

[Do****]

There’s a number of things:
Natural barriers
Like water keeps walking things away

By adjusting the plant environment you can make most pests unable or at least uncomfortable being there, it’s mostly about temperature and moist

I spray my tropical plants with water (all my plants are outside on the terrace or balcony) to keep pests away for example because they don’t like it too moist, plants do tho

Cleanliness is important, and a healthy microbiom in the earth, don’t have dead leaves and such lying around, tend to dead branches because it attracts pest aswell

In my experience pests prefer weak plants

Another trick of mine are plants that literally smell or by pheromones keep pests away

Works the other way around aswell, I have a lot of leafbug problem
So I use plants they prefer on the cornerof the balcony and they go there mostly, I have a few on other plants sometimes but I just drown them in water

Finally there’s pesticides but me, if you want to smoke or eat your plants or have cats like I do, that’s to avoid.

But there’s also smelly stickers that have like glue on them to attract pests who end up sticking to it

Neem oil to add to the water sometimes works (for thripes for example)

And of course natural predators, just buy bugs that eat your pests or nematodes or larvae, there’s usually something in nature that will devour a certain type of pest


Hope this helps

[Senswitch]

  10 minutes ago, DonDante said:

There’s a number of things:
Natural barriers
Like water keeps walking things away

By adjusting the plant environment you can make most pests unable or at least uncomfortable being there, it’s mostly about temperature and moist

I spray my tropical plants with water (all my plants are outside on the terrace or balcony) to keep pests away for example because they don’t like it too moist, plants do tho

Cleanliness is important, and a healthy microbiom in the earth, don’t have dead leaves and such lying around, tend to dead branches because it attracts pest aswell

In my experience pests prefer weak plants

Another trick of mine are plants that literally smell or by pheromones keep pests away

Works the other way around aswell, I have a lot of leafbug problem
So I use plants they prefer on the cornerof the balcony and they go there mostly, I have a few on other plants sometimes but I just drown them in water

Finally there’s pesticides but me, if you want to smoke or eat your plants or have cats like I do, that’s to avoid.

But there’s also smelly stickers that have like glue on them to attract pests who end up sticking to it

Neem oil to add to the water sometimes works (for thripes for example)

And of course natural predators, just buy bugs that eat your pests or nematodes or larvae, there’s usually something in nature that will devour a certain type of pest


Hope this helps

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I knew about most of these, but they're always helpful reminders! I don't have a balcony anymore, but I'm hoping that will change soon. I've never had a problem with leaf bugs. That's so interesting.

 

I havent tried misting my plants, I'll start tomorrow.

 

And it took me forever to figure out the water reservoir trick. Lol! Thank you!!!

[Do****]

You’re welcome fellow plantdad :)