Try keeping Calatheas in closed terrariums. Problem solved And other problems you mentioned can be solved easily. E.g. having something the tradescantia zebrina can hold on to
my banana plant is my easiest hands down plant to take care of he the 1 i don’t worry about he has one brown leaf cuz i left him in the sim too long a few times but he produces a new beautiful healthy green leaf about every week and i keep him well watered cuz i put him outside but in the morning he lets me know if i can skip watering when the leafs have drops of water on them. love him.
As a beginner, who has somehow kept two whole plants alive in my house for over a year, I audibly laughed when the first plant was Calathea, because I'm literally watching your channel to find out how to keep this plant from suffering. Gods help me.
I am so pleased to realize I’m no longer a plant beginner, amongst many others I own 2 calatheas, a Boston fern, a philodendron birkin and 2 tradescantia zebrinas and they’ve all been thriving for many months now ! Used to kill even plastic ones a few years back, now my friends come to me for plant advice : I guess I’ve become a real plant parent 🥰
I just bought a rattlesnake calathea. What do you do to keep yours alive? BTW, I also bought a philodendron birkin some months ago and it's gorgeous and growing like mad. Not sure what I'm doing right, but keeping my fingers crossed!
Plants I regret buying: - String of dolphins - I feel like I'm murdering sea life every time I mishandle the plant and one of the little leaves falls off. - Alocasia zebrina - beautiful plant but what a drama queen. Currently dropping two leaves but growing another one. - Spider plant - easy to grow and that's the problem. It's taking over my apartment, send help. - Norfolk pine - bought one on a whim at Walmart for $10 because I wasn't getting a Christmas tree that year. It's survived two years somehow but is constantly dropping branches and looks droopy 90% of the time - Peace lily - was doing really well until it became root bound and I repotted it. Hasn't bloomed in over two years and the leaves are constantly turning brown My peperomias, snake plants, and jade are doing really well though!
My experience is that they can do very well - but are short-lived. Be prepared to fuss over them, and replace every 4-5 years. They are gorgeous while they last.
I recommend a self watering pot and humidifier. I didn't even know it can be hard to take care of. It just needs that pot and you can leave it alone 😄🪴
I found my calatheas just don't like being watered too much and light shouldn't be too crazy hot, they all sit 1-2 ft away from my east facing window, but I live in northern california,, so it doesn't get too hot, but it definitely gets very dry, so I found the best way is to stick humidity loving plants together and I seem to not need a humidifier. I'd like to think I'm a succulent master so they all protect my tropical plants by being on the edges, I just think it's like a small city, catering to every neighborhood's needs to reach their full potential all the while being dependent on each other 😂 I have a problem. 🌿🤪😜 (I love my little jungle tho, stick your head between your plants, it feels like you in a rainforest, it's calming 😅
I wish I would have saw this list when I first started to keep plants! I've had a lot of heartache, but I've found some plants I'm really really good with and I'm happy to stick with those and propagate them and make more plants. :) I've found I don't need rare and exotic plants to make me happy. Just healthy ones!
I bought a green orange starter plant on line in July. It had five tiny leaves on it. It’s now almost twice as big, with thirteen leaves. No black ones yet. It’s about 10 feet away from a south facing window, under a grow light. I’m keeping my fingers crossed
Hey! I am glad to share my no-‘pro’ experience of my Calatheas! (English is not my native language, but I’ll try to do my best) So, as a beginner knowing nothing about plants it happens that I bought calathea Luisa, Stromanta tri-color, and the few weeks later calathea Lansefolia one of the first to my collection) I had no idea that all calatheas are tricky plants))) I fall in love with my Luisa and Stromanta when I saw them in the plantstore) And only then I start looking for some info about how they should be treated. So i repotted them in new soil and pots, I tried to get rid of all transporting soil - cause I get an advice that if it’s possible I better do it,because transporting soil is ‘empty’ with nutrition for plants 🌱 For repotting I used universal soil bought from the plantstore, nothing special (mix of torf, sand, biogumus, agroperlite and some mineral addings) While I was repotting them I cut all brown/yellow leaves (they had them a bit, it happens in big plants stores that plants don’t get enough attention) After that I bought humidifier, and put all three of my calathea near it. Also I daily spray their leaves with water every morning and evening. Looks like they love it. I try to keep about 65-70% of humidity around them. Also I was keen to overwatering my plants. During summer didn’t had any bad response to that from my calatheas. Shortly in few weeks I balanced myself not to overwater my plants. Now it is almost winter, I reduced watering a bit more. Also, it is important: I put them deep into my leaving room. Far from my south-west windows. About 5-6 meters far. And they VERY appreciated that. Once I put my Luisa closer to the light, and in the evening she responded with rolled leaves, levelled down. Immediately I put her back to the old place, next day she looked like nothing happened. Once I forgot to water them. Busy week, and ONLY THEN very quickly Luisa showed scrunchy yellow rolled leave to me. I cut it, water Plant. She is ok👌🏻 In total: they are very fast showing you if they don’t like something😅 It’s been almost 6 months now. NO brown leaves, no scrunchy endings. They look happy as I am 😊 Hope my story will help someone.
I think Calatheas loves shaded environment. Mine’s a Calathea Ornata, got it from a few months. I don’t spray them and wather it once a week/ once in two weeks (well it’s in a high humidity area even thought I water it with tap-limestone water which is not the best way I know..). Already forgot to water it a few times and it still looks gorgeous. For the moment i don’t have brown/yellow leaves and it looks healthy. So I think the key is a shaded moist exposure. We’ll see at the summer if it still doing well ! (And excuse my English which is neither my native langage too ^^)
I have a calathea orbifolia. The love of my life. Because I live in South africa on the east coast the high humidity and temperatures are ideal tropical climate. Water daily and she's thriving.
At where I live, air humidity constantly stay above 80%, sometimes even get to as high as 95%, and I need three dehumidifiers to get my indoor humidity down to 65%. So all the aroids, orchids, and carnivorous plants live happily after. I struggle with sensitive succulents.
At 75 years young, I am NOT a beginner gardener. I have killed loads of plants in my checkered career.😂 I appreciate your honest videos, and growing tips. I now have the confidence to appreciate the beauty of these troublesome plants, without EVER bringing them home with me again.
I think the secret to growing orchids is finding them the right spot and leaving them there. My orchids took a very long time to bloom again after their first flowers fell off - over 2 years. I stuck with them, watered every other week with a bit of a feed, but otherwise left them alone. They bounced back, grew a lot of new foliage and started to flower regularly :)
This is true. I recently found out it takes nearly a year and a half for the store bought ones to bloom again, I’ve even tried manipulating mine with no luck but finally I’ve got a spike after a whole year and a half of taking care of this baby! I’m pretty excited 😅 I also got 2 kiekis from my other phal so now I have 4 total and it might get a spike too since it’s the same age as the one that has the new spike.
I have one that is 5 years old and I try and do the absolute minimum! It sits on my kitchen windowsill (south facing and very sunny) in a 1" deep flat bowl filled with gravel. As long as I keep this tray filled with water the blooms stay in place. They just stay on the stem and do not die....until the gravel is left dry out for a few days. Then they drop off and I have to keep watering them again until a new stem forms. It seems happy without me doing very much at all so once you find a place your particular orchid likes, keep your distance, keep interference and cross your fingers!
I have loads of orchids and they're in bloom all the time. sometimes they make new buds while they're already in bloom and they can go on for months. Before I've had orchids that didn't bloom for several years but I've moved and I have very bright north and east facing windows that they seemingly love. I think it all comes down to that :) Bright light but no midday sun. I water them little bits of water once or twice per week and feed them every two weeks or so in the summer months.
Shoot, advance plant enthusiasts should avoid calatheas. I said I wasn’t going to buy anymore but I did anyway. They are so beautiful. They do fine outside but I have to bring them in during winter. This year though I’m buying another IKEA cabinet. The ones I have outside are beautiful and putting on a lot of new growth
I have a Potho Njoy and the less I fuss with it the happier it is, especially when I pulled it away from a bright in-direct light. It just sits in, indirect light and is thriving.
I have a calathea. It was developing brown tips. All completely coincidental: I decided to use it randomly for an all-sphagnum moss kokedama (no nursery in my area had coco peat). Since this type of kokedama has to be watered pretty much daily I put it in my shower so the sheet moss didn’t die. i have a frosted glass window in my shower. Not that much light tbh. I shower every night. I had no idea why it was doing well lol. Now i know😂
I have 2 beautiful Calatheas. I have a Calathea Stella and a Calathea Network. My Calathea Network has 0 brown leaves and is currently pushing out 5 new leaves. My Calathea Stella had a couple leaves that had brown tips when i bought her over 6 weeks ago, and has not gotten anymore or progressed to more browning. She is also currently pushing out 3 new leaves. I keep them both in my small bathroom, that has a direct east facing window that has nothing blocking it whatsoever. I have a humidifier on all day long, where they get consistent humidity between 55-65%. When I take a shower the humidity gets to around 99% but all the plants in my bathroom are humidity lovers. They also have a small halo led grow light on them to supplement cloudy days and when the sun reaches the top of the house. The bathroom temperature ranges between 60-77 degrees, never dips below that or above that. So far, so good!! I absolutely adore them.
I just repotted an orchid based on instructions from a guy on youtube who does orchid rehab. I had to unravel the roots and trim off the roots that had rotted. The medium it was in was so soggy, since the pots orchids generally come in have zero drainage. But most of the root system still looked green and healthy! Fingers crossed it will rebloom.
My calatheas are all pretty nice, I love them. I bought an indoor greenhouse on amazon for $30, and they went from crispy and dropping leaves faster than replacing them to keeping nice leaves and no more browning. All my tropicals are loving that greenhouse
Orchids are very picky regarding the place you put them in. I bought some from megastore or even IKEA and they thrived, then I moved and they started a low decline to death 😅 I brought back to my parents the one who survived and after a year they are blooming again 😅 They need the right amount of sunlight (both in time and quality of exposure), the right humidity and the right temperatures. In order for them to bloom they need a period of mildly cooler days
One of the first plants I bought was a Calathea. And yes, it eventually died and consistently had brown edges to the leaves. Boston ferns do wonderfully in Augusta GA though. I would go so far as to say people in my city like them too much. They are used mostly as hanging pots on the front porch and it is very humid and hot in the summer here.
Orchids are literally the easiest plants in my experience. I have two near the south window (in finland tho, so not too much light or heat). Both have bloomed about three or four times now, the other one with only a few months in between! I just water them whenever the roots start turning white and I guess they like the spot. ☺️
I have few problems with calathea, they need decent humidity, filtered water. That’s about it. They like to be moist, but not too much. I let them dry out a bit. Regular water from faucet has minerals and additives that cause browning on the leaves, they also brown if not enough humidity.
I was a beginner and because of this UA-cam channel I got a banana plant as my first plant🪴 and kept it alive and thriving because of the recommended moisture meter and tips from this channel. So hats off to you sir now back to neem oil on my spider mites 😢
😂🙈 Thank you, Mr.Sheffield. Now I know what to expect because I recently bought almost all of these plants. I am a beginner and just bought everything I liked. That was a stupid idea. Now I binge all your videos and become wiser. Manny greetings from Germany.
I've grown my Calathea's succesfully by following a few simple guidelines (last count I had 10): * Never, ever use tap water! I invested in a Brita water filter, and now use this for all my house plants. * Invest in a good humidifier (not the cheap aroma types), I keep the humidity constantly above 60%. * Invest in a moisture probe (I water my Calathea when the probe reads a 2). * Group the Calathea together and away from strong light! This helps with the humidity and provides dappled light. Hope this information helps, It's certainly helped me, I get no crisp, brown leaves or edges (so far!) and the Calathea seem to thrive in the environment I give them.
to keep calatheas happy is of course the humidity and consistent watering, but most common reason for brown leaves especially on the tips, is due to tap water. These plants are very sensitive to minerals in the water and the best thing to do is to use distilled or rain water.
I've had a calathea beauty star for a few months and he was doing SO WELL, growing and no crispy leaves! Until I noticed spidermites yesterday.. so I've ordered neem oil and will wipe the leaves with rubbing alcohol for the next week, fingers crossed I can save him. I'm always surprised when people say they struggle with orchids. I just water them once in a while with rainwater, occasionally fertilize, and they do just fine and bloom.
a little tip for Calathea in very dry environment and hard water: clean the roots, put it in a self watering pot(or make one with vase and nursery pot) but instead of soil or leca, use spagmoss, then just leave it to do its thing, super effective
My Nanna has so many orchids across her patio windowsill that bloom every year. All she does is drench the bark every Saturday morning, like clockwork and they're beautiful
Orchids are rainforest plants and ideally want a humid environment to flourish. I managed to get one from Tesco to flower. Its a funny plant that doesn't want to sit in water but craves to be moist. A strong water completely submerging the pot when your substrate is dry helped mine along. If you have an orchid that is looking worse for wear a few days in a food bag really works wonders. That was a great tip I found on another UA-cam channel. Keep up with the informative content.
The orchid is very easy to care about and also to rebloom. What most people do not know is that orchids need a cool period. Just put it in a shadow place in your garden and bring it back in September or October before it gets too cold outside. The cool period during fall will be enough to bring it back to bloom during Winter.
Am a beginner and one of the plants that I bought beginning of this year was a Calathea coz I loved the beautiful leaves. Kept it indoors and before long the leaves turned brown and started dying one by one until only 2 miserable looking leaves were left. I thought it was a goner. Placed the pot outside getting indirect sunlight and behold! I saw new leaves. I cut off the brown, sickly leaves, water twice a week, give it 2 hours early morning sunlight, then indirect sunlight for the rest of the day, spray daily and voila, the leaves are growing rapidly! I now have a bushy Calathea plant, with no brown leaves. Am sooo proud of myself. 😁😊
Plants that are impossible to grow indoors in Finland... seriously, even professional plant lovers agree! 1. 20 - 30 cm tall diffenbachia. Apparently, these are grown very quickly by the suppliers with nutrient rich soil, ideal plant lights, humidity, etc. But after you get them home, they will deteriorate as the big leaves dry up and then you will have a thing resembling a small tree with tiny leaves. The bad part is that twiggy will live forever with a few tiny leaves... :P 2. Syngonium - Foget this one. It has been put through rapid growth like #1. 3. Arbicola schleffera - So pretty with their lobe leaves and Charlotte or Janine are my favorite with their pretty variegated leaves. Why is this thing hard to keep? Because it wants consistenly moist soil, but no moisture around the stem. Overwater it just one time and it will reward you by dropping branches! If the humidity isn't perfect, the leaves will start to get pitted and the lighting has to be perfect too. I've only had the natural plant, not the ones with twisted stems and trimmed to look like tree with a round top. Maybe those bigger ones are easier to keep. 3. Calathea Dottie. This is one of my favorites, but it is very fussy one. Direct sunlight and you will fry the leaves. Not enough indirect sunlight and the plant will suffer. Keep the soil perfectly moist. Wait one day too long and Dottie will blow you love kisses with dry leaves (usually the new ones). It won't even warn you by curling first. A gorgeous plant, this one needs meticulous care and I think it's worth it. 4. Purple Jewel. Easy to grow, this plant is a fungal gnat magnet! Why? Because it's a crawler and little roots will appear on its stems. If you put it on a shelf or in a hanging pot so it's gorgeous stems and leaves can grow downwards, make sure it's in a room all by itself. Wear a Hazmet suit and have an airlock where disinfectant sprays the suit all over before you take it off. If you really need a plant in this family, get the Purple Heart. It grows like a bush with beautiful dark purple leaves and no problem with fungal gnats! 5. Calathea White Fusion. This plant needs humidity - a LOT of it ALL the time. A pebble tray is a must! If you have other calathea, put your Fusion in the middle because it will get even more humidity when the other Calathea aspirate. You might also consider putting glass or plexiglass around it. I bought big decorative lantern, removed the top, put Fusin & pebble tray in there, which is loved! However, there will come a time when Fusion gets to big, so now you really have to find a spot where it will get all the humidity it wants. Indirect sunlight is a must for this one, but rather dim indirect light please. If it's too bright, the white part of the leaves will burn. For the person who like to tinker, I recommend an automatic mister that sprays a fine water mist all around the plant without drenching it. If you ever build one, let me know. I love White Fusion, but this is NOT a beginner's plant unless you live in the American deep south or a tropic place where the natural environment is exactly what is needs to flourish. That said, I don't have any problems with my other Calathea. One thing: Calathea Ornata is a spider mite magnet. Check the underside of the leaves every day and if you find any tiny white dots, simply cover the top and bottom of the pot with a thin plastic bag and using hand-held shower head with water at room temperature, spray the back side of the leaves. If the plant is small, you can turn it upside-down, just make sure the plastic covering the pot is secure. If your calathea is large, just put the pot on a rack in your shower and spray each leave individually by turnin up the backside of the leaf with one hand while you spray water with the other. Note: a misting bottle is not usually forceful enough to wash off the spider mites, but if you have one that can shoot a spray, use it. Most window washing solutions come in a plastic bottle with a good spray top, so if you have one that you can rinse out, try that. 6. Alocasia Black Velvet. Taking care of this is just like Calathea Dottie. Good luck! An easier and just as pretty alternative is Alocasia Silver Dragon. It's a "normal" no-fuss verion of it's black cousin. I love the Black Velvet after really digging into the research to find its place of origin on the cliffs in Sabah (Borneo). The discovery was documented in the 1800's and verified by a group of scientists who ventured to Bornea and spotted it growing high up on the cliffs. One more thing: if you have a "dream plant", be patient. My dream plant is Jay Vanini's "Blue Anthurium", which was sold post-auction for a suprisingly low price: around 600 USD. When I have some extra cash, well...
Hi Mr Sheffield, I purchased a Chlorophytum Orchidastrum online a month ago. Once I received it, I put it on my West facing window sill and left it there, I live in Surrey and don't experience much direct sunlight just like Sheffield! And it seems to be thriving and has no black leaves.
I bought a calathea warscewiczii from Ikea a few years ago. Beautiful plant, dark velvet leaves with a purple underside - and it absolutely thrived in my care for a good year or so. But then it just started dying. I had changed nothing with my care for it and it just withered away. Turns out the little divas don't like tap water. I bought a new one a month ago, this time I have an RO-filter for my aquariums and terrariums, so this time it should fair better for me. I hate difficult plants, but calathea warscewiczii is one of the prettiest plants ever, so I think it's worth another shot ✨
I have a rattlesnake and a peacock calathea that do not have brown leaves. They are grouped together with four other plants (three of them are large plants) and kept moist. And I use the water conditioner you recommended. I have had my beautiful tiger fern (varigated Boaton fern) for three years now, I water her frequently and I don't move her around my apartment. The fern that is my nemesis is the Maidenhair. I just cannot keep her alive and I have tried multiple times for decades! There are no Tradescantia, String of ___, Definbachia, or Aglaonema in my collection and only one Antherium, the Luxurian. I will never purchase a P. Birken or a Pilea Peperomioides, because I think they can easily become ugly. I have a lot of Pothos and Epriprinum, but one that I don't own is the Njoy. I have two mini moth orchids. One that I have had for two years and it rebloomed and the other that I bought this past Spring. It has two flower spikes and just recently started to loose her blooms. My late father once had an outstanding orchid collection, so orchids have a special place in my heart.
In Australia the pothos Njoy is called, Snow Queen. This has been the most carefree plant I've ever owned. There is a trick to keeping it though, which I never set up - it was how I purchased it from a reputable local family-run nursery. They used an orchard-like mix, heavy on the bark - but the trick was taking the long stems, and wrapping them in the available soil in the pot, so they re-rooted. From day 1, it created the humidity the main plant needed around the roots, while maintaining the free-draining conditions of the bark. While the extra rooting from the buried stems, took up any excess moisture. I barely had to water it - sharing the same watering schedule as my zz plant. When I did see the occasional burned leaf, I wondered if my luck had finally turned. Then I happened to get up a little earlier in the morning, and chanced upon the direct sun it was copping, that I wouldn't normally see. When I re-positioned the plant, no more burnt leaves. This plant hates direct sunlight.
My snow queen has been set and forget and it has thrived. Beyond tripled in growth in the past three months! It is the same, sat right at the back of its hanging pot, with the vines re-rooting at every node and then draping over the edge. There is also an abudance of vines, about 7 in the 25cm round coconut mesh hanging basket. In the most boring cheap potting mix and it is thriving! I'm surprised to learn it can be so troublesome. It is watered once a week, and is fertilised with worm tea every 3 back but I will fertilise it less frequently come the 'cooler' months. It does get some early morning direct light since theres so much white varigation and I am yet to notice any crispy moments. Some points to make; it gets well into the high 30C's with very high humidity - it is very regularly 80% plus consistently, in a very tropical area. It lives outdoors under the back patio that traps the warmth and humidity in all afternoon but is protected from harsh sun and winds. honestly love it
@@SP-rc8kx Thanks for sharing your experience too. Interesting that our plants were set up the same. I imagine you can adapt a Snow Queen to outdoors conditions (as in your case) but if it's been indoors as mine has, then it's susceptible to burning easily. But good to know you've had success outdoors with morning light.
Just bought today a Boston Fern 😢. We'll see how it goes. As for Phals, I had some of them for 10 yrs. I was successful with them, they would bloom over and over again until...I took them out to breath some air, but ...they catched some invisible bug and died . Now I am experiencing bonsais and indoor plants. Thank you for this valuable information.
Orchids are my pride and joy. I just love them and have had very few failures. When the plant finishes flowering don’t cut off the stalk, some times they reflower on the same stem, only remove it once it has turned brown and dries. I tend to repot most of my orchids into glass trifle bowls usually putting two to three plants in together. I can’t give you the science behind this, they just grow better. The big leggy roots are your indicator of how the plant is doing. They should be plump with a green tip. They will go thin if both over watered or under watered. I try to clean the leaves once a month and water once a week, but not too much. Really the less you fuss over them the better. I keep mine in the same area as my succulents and they seem to get along just fine. I do have one that’s sulking because I put him on the piano and I guess he didn’t get enough light, or he just doesn’t like my playing, anyway he’s not happy, so I need to move him back to full sun I think. Not sure if any of this is of any use to you. But please don’t give up on orchids, they can be so rewarding. Polly xxx
What about when there's two stems in the pot and after dropping the flowers, one starts browning and the other doesn't? I started cutting the stem, removing the brown dead part, but soon I was left with a stub that was already touching the pot content. The other stayed just fine for the full length of it. Is there something I should conclude from that?
@@Gabooli if it’s just finished flowering, I would give it a rest. If it needs repotting, repot it. I tend to let mine get a bit pot bound before moving up a pot size, or in my case, trifle dish. At least that’s what works for me.
I Keep my Calathea in my portico, it has a low to medium filtered light. In the summer time I ensure that no afternoon sunlight streams though on the leaves., this can mean slightly moving its position. The Calathea keeps nice and healthy without the browning leaves this way. Thank you for all your helpful videos. Much appreciated.
I tried three times to keep a prayer plant. This time I've had some success. 9 months in with minimal dry tips and new growth regularly. I watch the soil closely and run a humidifier.
I have one, and it's just beautiful 😍 I just put it near a window that gets afternoon sun, use my moisture meter for when it needs water, really it has been beautiful, I also turn it when it needs to
To get a phalaenopsis orchid to rebloom, you need to drop the temperature a bit at night which makes the phalaenopsis orchid think it is winter (in its natural habitat, night temperatures drop slightly during winter which triggers flowering). Some other orchids don’t have conditions for flowering and flower quite a lot
I put a boston fern in my upstairs bathroom under a plantlight, out of drought and spray it multiple times a day. Keeping the soil moist is easy enough having a moisture meter stuck into the soil and checking every time nature calls. Wouldn't dream of keeping it anywhere else in my house it being such a dandy for care.
I have four calathea in perfect condition. Some have been there for years. When purchasing, I tear the roots and plant in half and put new earth in the pot to give the roots space. I give them a little bit of rinse water from my coffee machine once or twice a week. Tap water has too high a pH. They are also really in the shade. (Important for all plants with white in the leaves.) Three meters from the south-facing windows. No direct sun rays. No perlite on the surface, this reflects the sun's rays. They also love a humid environment and grow extra well if you place them over a bowl of water, in a tall glass vase or near a nebulizer. Once I used a big nebulizer for a week or two. Then green flowers came into my calathea.
Hate to boast but we're a uk based household full of orchids! Our oldest, (currently in full bloom) is over 8 years old! the trick is in the location you put them in. Put them in a bathroom that gets reglular use from showers and baths but also has access to a window for natural light and airflow and forget about watering them (maybe a little during summer). moisture in the air is enough to keep them happy.
Great message!!! I finally learned the "secret" to having gorgeous plants is choosing the easy ones! When I find one that agrees with my lifestyle & home atmosphere, I buy more of that same type. Now, I have lots of beautiful, healthy plants, all over my home, and people think I've got some plant magic going on. Thank you!
Absolutely true...other than the pothos shown here, I lost all the plants shown in the list 😭😭😭 in the past 3 years.. Good that I started watching this channel for the past 1 month
Boston ferns are great in Louisiana. Have them on your porch. In the fall, give them a crew cut, put them in the garage. In the spring, in a couple weeks they’re gorgeous!!
totally cant agree that orchids look ugly when not in bloom. personally i honestly love the shape of a lot of their leaves. learning that theyre a plant that doesnt just live and die by their bloom and they can actually live quite a while when well cared for has made me really warm up to them even as someone who isnt really much into flowers
With Phalaenopsis orchids you’re probably missing the slightly cooler rest, not cold, but only slightly cooler; this will prompt these to rebloom! Overall I find Orchids, especially Cattleya-related species, to be very easy, also because I have a first person view of their roots (as I tend to rot soil grown plants).
@@SheffieldMadePlants A bright spot on a windowsill with a bit of morning or evening sun and about a shot glass of water each week should already be enough to rebloom most Phalaenopsis from the garden centre. Of course, if you want your plant to look as good or better than when you bought it, it takes a bit more work, but it's a very forgiving houseplant.
I'm so glad I watched this video before buying a big, full Boston Fern for my office! It certainly would not get the humidity it wants there (far from it), so then I thought "Ok, what about my east-facing bathroom?" and it seems the potential for exposure to cold air via the window and the sunlight through that window would probably not do well for it either... This video spared me some disappointment. Also explains why my calathea started to dry up pretty much immediately after buying...
I find the Birkin to be one of the easiest to take care of. I often let it get bone dry, and it doesn't have the best light, but has continued to produce new white leaves over the last year. It's weird that we had such a different experience.
My first plant was a Calathea but did hours of research after buying it. It's thriving with a lot of babysitting. I live in a very humid island and still check on it everyday. I just love these plants. A very hardier plant is Ctenanthe Setosa which has similar characteristics and mistakenly (probably) sold as Calathea Sestosa. My Tradescantia Zebrina is also thriving following your tips. Had other plants on your list and gave them away as too fussy, as you rightfully point out
I own 5 calatheas, and they're all doing fine no crispy leaves. What I've done is set them all on a table grouped up together so they can keep the humidity up. Use moisture metre to water them, and they're near my north west facing window. Had them for more or less 5 months so far so good. Oh, and I have a humidiee on stand by for drier periods.
I have three Njoy plants of varying sizes and I do not have any challenges with them. I find them low maintenance. I can not get orchids to rebloom. I think one plant gave me a few flowers on her own, with no help from be, about 20 years ago. I don’t even try anymore. The only calathea that’s ever survived in my home is a rattlesnake. I’ve had her for three years. I keep her in the bathroom on the edge of the tub where she gets not an awful lot of sun. I pretty much ignore her except for watering her once every 7-10 days. Thank you for your clips. I enjoy and learn from them.
I have an orchid that I have had for 3 years or so. It is blooming now and has been since January. Its in a pot for orchids and its in wood chips. I keep it in my bathroom near a window but no direct sun. I water it once a week and it has a deep tray under it so it won't make a mess. I'm careful not to allow the water to go above its base.
I have 7 phaleonpsis orchids I've accumulated over the years (the oldest is 10). I keep them in a north-facing window over my kitchen sink and water them when they begin to dry out by flooding their medium in water for an hour, then draining them thoroughly. I fertilize when a see the flower spike begin the appear, then again about 6 months later. Their aerial roots are unsightly and I'm still working on that aspect.
One of my first plants ever was a Calathea. I was gifted a cutting from a community member that was pruning back her plant. It has done extremely well in my home. I keep it in bright indirect light and bottom water once weekly with tap water that has sat for 48 hours. I've never had an issue with it. My Boston Fern on the other hand..... It's always very very sad.
I have lost a lot of Calathea plants over the years but recently purchased a "Freddie" and removed it from soil and put it in water. It's been about a month now and it is doing beautifully. No brown tips and no extra humidity given, even though it is winter here in the US and I am still running the furnace for heat. I feel pretty good about keeping this one happy and healthy, but time will tell. I've lost 4 Freddies in as many years. lol I've had great luck with my N'Joy. It's been happy and healthy for a couple of years now. Not sure why. I always enjoy your videos and learn new things each time I watch. Be well, be happy, be blessed.
I have 30+ orchids and the trick is to treat them like plants that make flowers not flowers with leaves attached They are like any other plant that makes flowers to reproduce and won’t last forever and won’t have them most of the year The plants are fascinating and I wish that people saw them for the incredible plants that they are cause they have adapted in really cool ways!
Hi Billie here I have had orchids for some years. l The secret is patients. As new leaves grow your orchids will grow well. Don't give up on these beautiful plants. Spikes will grw Thanks for all your knowledge. Your the best
I've had pretty good success with orchids and I've only just started plants at the beginning of this year. I have 2 orchids and they are already putting out new flower spikes. They just need a slightly colder environment to stimulate new flowers
I was surprised to see you put orchids to the list as I don't see myself as a expert on plants and this is my absolute favorite as it's so easy to care for. I just give it a small drink once a week and they thrive in my window facing north where they don't get full sunlight but indirect sun almost all day. I've had two of them for over 2 years and they just keep giving me loads of flowers on three stems and I repotted recently as they had outgrown their pot. I own a total of 5 orchids and once they are done blooming this turn around, I'm going to try my very first propagation of them to get more of my favorite flower 🤗
@@SheffieldMadePlants I have done lots of research of it and they are all quite similar in ways. So I will at least give it a try even if I don't expect any success ☘️
Good advice. I have an orchid placed on a bright window sill and it has continued to flower and new buds are coming out too. I don’t do much to it - only a bit of water occasionally 💐
I've had a pothos 'n joy for maybe 6 years. It only fusses if I don't give it enough water. I own 9 calatheas. I got sick a few months ago and nearly lost 3 of them. 2 have bounced back well. One is in total rehab. Distilled water, indirect light, and high humidity. Most of mine are in a room with 50-70% humidity. The Birkin is alive but annoying. Leaves get stuck in the petioles constantly. It was overwatered when I bought it. No more mushy leaves since cutting the damage out. Instead of a Boston fern, get a cotton candy fern. I've managed to keep one pretty for 2 yrs. Needs a bunch of water, though.
Orchids are super easy. They do go through periods with no flowers, but when they do bloom they do so for several months at a time. Mine are few years old, and they're doing great 🙂
One of my very first plants was a Calathea. I don’t care too much for this plant but it seems to be thriving. I’ve never had issues with it, maybe I got lucky
I have a stromanthe triostar that I bought from a grocery store, that is absolutely loving life tucked around the corner from the south, facing window. When I bought it, it did not look like the triostar - almost all of its leaves had reverted, so I thought it was the green version which I had heard were easier to care for. When I took it home, it started growing like crazy, it’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen now. About 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide. It keeps pushing up new shoots from the soil as well. I think it just has good DNA or something. I had three other triostars before it, and they all died. The funny thing is, I forget to water it a lot until it’s really dry and the leaves start to taco up, but I always water it with distilled water every time. I think that helps. 😊 I live in the Pacific Northwest, I didn’t think it was particularly humid here, but maybe it’s humid enough to have calathea‘s be happier? I think my secrets are to give them more light than you think they need, and never water them with tapwater because chlorinated water will also make the leaves turn brown. I also have a peacock plant and a rattlesnake calathea, and they both seem to do well with the same treatment, even forgetting to water…
I am quite successful with orchids. Not as good as my mother, hers are always absolutely stunning, but mine do survive and bloom frequently. Sometimes they grow a baby orchid on one of their stems. I keep them in a semi bright spot without direct sunlight in the kitchen. They live in clear plastic pots and as soon as there are no visible water drops inside the pot anymore, I soak the whole pot in water, sometimes with added fertilizer, until the soil is completely wet. This may take 20 minutes or so. If possible, I keep them outside during summertime. Our kitchen gets quite cold during wintertime, I guess between 15 and 18 degrees celsius and has around 65% humidity.
I actually think that tradescantia are super beginner friendly because of how quickly they grow. You can make so many mistakes but it is ok because they will bounce right back since most varieties grow like weeds.
I broke a piece of my colleagues tradenscantia so I took it home. I don't like this plant so I just put it in the soil of My banana plant and forgot her ...and see she got like 5 new leaves in 2 months 🙈
So, orchids. I have one that I bought in a huge gardening store. It's now about 4 years old. And it was like you said, bring it home, blossoms fall off never to be seen again. So I put it in an east-facing window in the bathroom, where there is usually the most moisture in the house. I sprayed it, I soaked it, I gave it special orchid fertiliser from time to time. Nothing. Then we moved, and again, I put it in the bathroom, away from direct sunlight, same treatment, nothing. I even bought some expensive 'Will-Bloom-Within-Six-Weeks-After-Treatment' fertilizer at the florist's, NOTHING. I didn't even remember what colour the flowers were because I'd only seen it once. At the same time, I noticed that my students' classroom had an orchid and I thought, well, in a classroom where nobody ever waters any flowers correctly, in direct sunlight, nobody giving it any love, poor little thing will never bloom again. It didn't look that healthy either. But what do you know, a few weeks later I saw a new stem emerging, and I asked the student in charge of watering how on Earth he'd done that. He said he had only ever watered it (from above) and nothing else. Huh. So I got very cross with my orchid. I took it away from its cosy spot in the bathroom, put it on my east-facing windowsill in full (morning) sunlight and watered it from above, like all my other plants, every three to four days. No fancy fertiliser, no fussing, no spraying. What can I say. A few weeks later, it developed its first stem in four years and a second has quickly replaced it after it dried up again. Turns out it's white with purple spots, very pretty. Maybe orchids don't need fussing but just the correct amount of hate mixed into all the love you give them.
I’m an absolute beginner at nursing plants, but have a few achievements though. Orchids need not bright light but high humidity, I water them once a week by half lifting into a bowl and spray little water straight onto the leaves having added some succinic acid, it keeps them stronger and disease resistant! I also don’t have the ones you’ve mentioned except orchids, they are stunning!
I have a rattlesnake calathea and so far it’s been in quarantine before going into its permanent home and so far I haven’t watered it once and it’s done amazing. This is because of the high humidity in the quarantine bin. So im kinda terrified to take it out of quarantine because I think it’ll die😂
Not being mean, but I’m glad to hear such honest stuff from you, especially when you describe how you plants start deteriorating when u brought it home! I thought I was the culprit for my plants dying on me, and from your video, I learnt I bought myself some very fussy plants!
@@Ash.Crow.Goddess I was thinking the same thing, I had one that died (shocking) and now I brought home a cutting and it's not dying but doesn't look like is thriving either. Just moved it to the bathroom which in my case has lots of indirect sunlight and well, hoping the humidity helps it. But I was already thinking of a glass or something to keep the humidity levels high, in case the bathroom doesn't work.
My orchids thrive, I fertilize it with special ones designed specifically for orchids. They don't like being overwatered but when I do water them, I soak them in a deep dish for 30 mins or more and then make sure the water runs out by tilting it before putting it back in its place
I gave my mum a yellow orchid for her 70th birthday. Until she died at age 83, the plant had at least 2 flowers at all times. Her usual flower count was between 6 and 10. She had to get it repotted, while it bloomed a few times and the people at the orchid center were stunned, how this orchid was doing it. My mums neighbour inherited it - and although she has always had orchids, this one died within a few months. Not just loosing the flowers - it died completely.
Being in a tropical country, this video feels like its from an alternate universe because most, if not, all of these just thrives with minimal to no maintenance in my grandmas yard
I have a calathea that is doing very well. I’ve repotted it twice in less than a year because it keeps growing. I use only filtered water. I keep it outside so it gets a healthy dose of rainwater and only morning sun. I live in South Florida which is very humid and warm all year round. I also only use filtered water for all my plants especially my orchids. I trim as needed and only water when needed. I repotted all of them a little over a month ago and changed the soil/medium. I’m also more consistent about fertilizing - something I never use to do.
Ive had a lot of success with orchids. Of course I lived in Miami, Florida where it’s hot & humid. I had over 150 at one time. Super thrive, bloom boost & fish emulsion is all they need. Well, water & shaded sunlight.
The only indoor plant that has ever survived my ministrations was a Boston Fern. I put the pot in a high glass dish filled with green glass pebbles, kept it topped up with water, and left it in our bathroom. It was my pride and joy, until my sister, who was long-term house-sitting for me, removed it from the outer dish and killed it. 😢
I keep my orchid plants on a north facing window sill next to my kitchen sink. They bloom once a year in the spring, with the flowers staying for 3 o 6 months. I have had one of the plants for about 14 years.
For orchids I never had problems to rebloom. They just need to have a dormant period where they are placed in a slightly cooler and darker place, water minimally and no fertiliser. Keep it like this for a few months, then in spring when the days got longer, place them back in a light warmer spot in the house, water and fertilise with bloom booster, then it will produce a new leaf and with it it will produce a new flower. Orchids are one of the plants that need a rest period with a little bit of stress, that encourages them to bloom when they are back in favourable conditions.
Calathea love my house! I have a big fishtank in my basement with lots of natural south lighting! And upstairs in my dining room its also a south facing widow with a ton of bright light!
About a month ago, I bought a "pearls & Jade" pothos, which looks a lot like the "Pothos Njoy" you discussed. Doing ok so far and seems to be growing. A couple of leaves with slightly browning edges at the back. I probably need to turn it periodically.
I've never tried Calathea for the very reasons you mention. I think this is very helpful. My mother had a Boston fern in a north window, which was cool and *somewhat* humid and it did OK for her, but probably not as nice as you would see in the greenhouses. I find *all* Tradescantias to be inclined to get leggy, far too quickly, needing frequent pinching and I think your comments about Tiana apply to a lesser extent to nearly all Tradescantias, certainly including the T. zebrina which you also discuss. Too high maintenance for me! LOL I have a Philodendron Birkin and agree it's not a great plant for a beginner, for all the reasons you state--I'm really glad you, as a fan of them, are posting cautionary notes about them. I am not a huge fan of Pothos, so never tried NJoy. So they are not all as tough as the regular Golden! I have to disagree with your comments about orchids, or at least Phalaenopsis orchids, which have extremely long-lasting flowers (I've had individual flowers that have lasted for three months) and will generally rebloom for me (admittedly with fewer flowers usually). It's possible I may have conditions they like. I've never tried growing a Zebra Plant, but have heard similar stories about their fussiness. I've never grown a Banana Plant, in part because they are simply too large. I'm totally unfamilar with the Chlorophytum orchidastrum, but it just somehow looks like it would be a diva! LOL Thanks for this video--I think the information is very helpful and I hope newer plant enthusiasts see it.
Great thanks for your feedback. Spot on about the tradescantias, they’re much too quick to go leggy! I must not have had the luck with my orchids. It was a while ago when I was a newbie to be fair.
Ive had Boston ferns, they can either explode or die. Try the Kimberly queen as an alternative. The Kimberly queen is tough as. Also looks better than the Boston. Also, use easy orchids but don't expect them to bloom. Expect loads of green roots and foliage though.
I wasn’t expecting to see my oldest plant here 😂 I’ve had my orchard for like 6 years and she constantly blooms for me I think even multiple times a year, I only started keeping track recently when I actually started doing some research. I keep her in orchard bark in a well draining pot and water once a week, I heard they like to be cold for 15 mins after being watered and I might have been doing that without realizing.
Same 😅 I think I have about 13 orchids at this point and the oldest must be around 10+ years old now. You need to soak it in water once a week for about 10 minutes and give it some orchid fertilizer now and then (I think I remember to do it about every second month from April - September) When they loose the blossoms and the stalk turns light brown, cut it off and simply wait. It will blossom again and for a long time. Mine is placed in east and west sided windowsills and are thriving. I am living in Denmark, so it's not exactly because of the splendid humidity or weather 😅
I've heard a lot of plant people complain about orchid care and I can't really blame them. My nana went away on vacation through the winter and I was left her orchid to take care of. As it was winter, the plant dropped its flowers (which I will admit had panicked me). these orchids are super common to see in grocery stores with the tag "1 ice cube a week" so I just followed that instruction and had no issue with it. It bloomed beautifully this summer
I've had success reblooming orchids "easily". It involves submerging the roots in water with liquid, orchid specific fertilizer for an hour every week, and repotting every time the substrate has lost all vegetable matter in it.
So glad you mentioned the Boston Fern. I've never had one, but I'd put all ferns in the same boat. They don't like it to wet, too dry, too hot, too cold, too sunny, not enough light, the humidity has to be spot on. Right nightmare.
My calatheas sit on a shelf directly above a humidifier. The leaves actually move constantly because of the humidifier's fan. Interestingly, while I sometimes have to cut away dead leaves if I've waited a bit too long to water and one of them got too droopy, I don't have any leaves with brown edges or tips. I think a dedicated humidifier running 24/7 is the only way to go with these. It also works to avoid spider mites, another super common issue with these prima-donna-but-so-beautiful plants.
@@SheffieldMadePlants It's a very large console humidifier 😄. I do have a plan to fit some more! If I tuck my "budding" fern collection around a tabletop humidifier on a metal tray table...and then I could get a taller shelf with more shelves... I should have mentioned also that I use only distilled water for these. I switched to using distilled water for all my indoor plants some years ago. (I have too many succulents to consistently bottom water them, and I didn't like getting water spots on their leaves.) I'm certain this also helps with avoiding crispy-edged calathea leaves.
@@SheffieldMadePlants When I started using it, I would recycle the same gallon through many plants, and only go through 2 gallons or so on big watering days. But I stopped doing that when I had to treat for root mealybugs on one sickly succulent (still in isolation, thank goodness!), and realized I could have recycled those too through every plant! So it can add up, but the huge majority of my indoor plants are succulents that don't get watered as often. With a lot of them, I may switch to using distilled for every other watering. But then again, every time I propagate a plant, I give myself credit for a "cost savings" so perhaps by that accounting my plant expenses may tend to even out 😁.
I've really been enjoying your channel! You said to comment if you have had luck reblooming orchids. It took years to learn, but with proper care I've had lots of growth. I even have flowers off of a keiki! Moisture management is SUPER important. Aaaand patience 😛 I learned much of what I've tried off of UA-cam, but I found that you do need to snip old shoots, replant and snip dead roots, only water when there's barely/no moisture in the media, fertilize once a month (?) when not flowering, pull off dead leaves that are cannibalizing growth potential, avoid direct sunlight for too long but make sure they get lots of light (at least in the PNW), keep water off the roots and leaves, and pay attention to the shape/color/feel of each leaf because they tell a story about their care.
I have 20 orchids and they're quite easy, when you keep in mind some basic rules. First, know which type of orchid you have. For beginners, Phalaenopsis is easiest and more forgiving. These are the common "moth orchids" found in shops. For these, when they're in bloom, proper watering is most important. At this stage, they're pretty forgiving about light (just no strong sunlight) and not fertilizing. Too often, they're in decorative pots that don't drain and they get water logged. If they're in sphagnum moss, just keep it damp, not wet. If they're in bark, water more often (you can soak it weekly until the roots are brighter green). Do not repot unless you see root rot, or the blooms will drop. It's easy for beginners to fuss with them too much and give them too much water. After blooming, be sure the phal gets good bright light (eastern windows are good, southern and western windows with filtered sun work, too), consistent watering, and low concentration orchid fertilizer (the more often you fertilize, the lower the concentration). This is the time to repot, if needed (you see many new roots, orchid medium is degrading, or root rot). If the spike dies off, cut the spike near the base. If the spike stays green, you can keep it to see if it blooms again, cut it (allow stronger spikes next time, if you prevent a second same-season bloom), or if it's a variety that is known to rebloom on existing spike, you just leave it. If the plant is happy, it will grow a new leaf at this stage. If it remains happy, it will then spike and flower. Some varieties need night time temps to drop below 64 F/17 C to trigger blooms. Be sure, however, it doesn't get too cold and avoid drafts. When the spike gets darker and stronger, you can stake it upright. When it begins to bloom, don't fuss over it -- just focus on maintaining watering and they should last a few months (they should have the stored energy they need, if they got what they needed during their growth phase). Keep in mind that orchids are mostly epiphytes. They live on trees and, like aroids, they need to stay moist as well as have good drainage and air circulation. It's a good idea to grow them in orchid or aroid pots that can give them these conditions (don't use any pots that have no drainage or don't allow good air circulation for the roots.) Don't let water stay in the crown (encourages crown rot) and don't let the roots sit in water. The roots will tell you if the plant is too thirsty (light colored and shrivel-y), the leaves will tell you if they need more light or fertilizer (stunted growth). If you can maintain an aroid, monstera, or similar tropical, you can grow phals. For my calathea louisae 'Thai Beauty', I keep it under a cloche to maintain enough humidity. They need more than my aroids, orchids, and other tropicals and even a humidifier isn't enough during our winters. Their ability to rebound is impressive, but keeping them thriving in northern climates can be a real balancing act.
@@SheffieldMadePlants Thanks, you're very kind! As you know, developing quality videos and a channel takes time and consistency. Perhaps I will someday. In the meantime, there are some great orchid channels, like Miss Orchid Girl. I'll continue to enjoy yours, as well.
100% agree with everything you just said about orchid care! I actually came to the comment section just to make sure it got said. Orchid pots are a must! We soak and drain ours about once a week and they're absolutely thriving on a west-facing window with an awning. Good air flow and watering when the roots tell you to (another plus for the clear plastic orchid pots) are the keys to happy orchids!
@@erikwoods8306 Thank you! The payoff to good care is well worth it when the plants spike and bloom annually and the blooms last months. Enjoy your orchids!
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Could you please make a video for gardenias? Greetings from Greece!
Try keeping Calatheas in closed terrariums. Problem solved
And other problems you mentioned can be solved easily. E.g. having something the tradescantia zebrina can hold on to
my banana plant is my easiest hands down plant to take care of he the 1 i don’t worry about he has one brown leaf cuz i left him in the sim too long a few times but he produces a new beautiful healthy green leaf about every week and i keep him well watered cuz i put him outside but in the morning he lets me know if i can skip watering when the leafs have drops of water on them. love him.
As a beginner, who has somehow kept two whole plants alive in my house for over a year, I audibly laughed when the first plant was Calathea, because I'm literally watching your channel to find out how to keep this plant from suffering. Gods help me.
Try this 7 Awesome Tips to Stop Brown Tips on Your Calathea
ua-cam.com/video/cJxPbW8lk40/v-deo.html
Same here.
My mother just gave me a calathea zebrina and I might have to give it back. 😆
@@katphish30 😂
@@katphish30 don't give it back!
Give it to me 😁
I am so pleased to realize I’m no longer a plant beginner, amongst many others I own 2 calatheas, a Boston fern, a philodendron birkin and 2 tradescantia zebrinas and they’ve all been thriving for many months now ! Used to kill even plastic ones a few years back, now my friends come to me for plant advice : I guess I’ve become a real plant parent 🥰
Sounds like you have 😁
I just bought a rattlesnake calathea. What do you do to keep yours alive? BTW, I also bought a philodendron birkin some months ago and it's gorgeous and growing like mad. Not sure what I'm doing right, but keeping my fingers crossed!
Plants I regret buying:
- String of dolphins - I feel like I'm murdering sea life every time I mishandle the plant and one of the little leaves falls off.
- Alocasia zebrina - beautiful plant but what a drama queen. Currently dropping two leaves but growing another one.
- Spider plant - easy to grow and that's the problem. It's taking over my apartment, send help.
- Norfolk pine - bought one on a whim at Walmart for $10 because I wasn't getting a Christmas tree that year. It's survived two years somehow but is constantly dropping branches and looks droopy 90% of the time
- Peace lily - was doing really well until it became root bound and I repotted it. Hasn't bloomed in over two years and the leaves are constantly turning brown
My peperomias, snake plants, and jade are doing really well though!
The Alocasia might be it’s growth habit. They tend to only have 3 leaves at a time. A new one comes and the oldest one dies
Norfolk pines grow into huge trees. They don't seem to do well in pots at anytime
The key to calatheas is to stop caring about perfection. Just accept the brown bits. Also use a moisture meter.
True if you can 😅
Stop caring. Full stop.
My experience is that they can do very well - but are short-lived. Be prepared to fuss over them, and replace every 4-5 years. They are gorgeous while they last.
I recommend a self watering pot and humidifier. I didn't even know it can be hard to take care of. It just needs that pot and you can leave it alone 😄🪴
I found my calatheas just don't like being watered too much and light shouldn't be too crazy hot, they all sit 1-2 ft away from my east facing window, but I live in northern california,, so it doesn't get too hot, but it definitely gets very dry, so I found the best way is to stick humidity loving plants together and I seem to not need a humidifier. I'd like to think I'm a succulent master so they all protect my tropical plants by being on the edges, I just think it's like a small city, catering to every neighborhood's needs to reach their full potential all the while being dependent on each other 😂 I have a problem. 🌿🤪😜 (I love my little jungle tho, stick your head between your plants, it feels like you in a rainforest, it's calming 😅
I wish I would have saw this list when I first started to keep plants! I've had a lot of heartache, but I've found some plants I'm really really good with and I'm happy to stick with those and propagate them and make more plants. :) I've found I don't need rare and exotic plants to make me happy. Just healthy ones!
Couldn’t agree more. I don’t buy expensive plants and I propagate lots
We need more energy like this
I bought a green orange starter plant on line in July. It had five tiny leaves on it. It’s now almost twice as big, with thirteen leaves. No black ones yet. It’s about 10 feet away from a south facing window, under a grow light. I’m keeping my fingers crossed
Hey! I am glad to share my no-‘pro’ experience of my Calatheas!
(English is not my native language, but I’ll try to do my best)
So, as a beginner knowing nothing about plants it happens that I bought calathea Luisa, Stromanta tri-color, and the few weeks later calathea Lansefolia one of the first to my collection)
I had no idea that all calatheas are tricky plants)))
I fall in love with my Luisa and Stromanta when I saw them in the plantstore)
And only then I start looking for some info about how they should be treated.
So i repotted them in new soil and pots, I tried to get rid of all transporting soil - cause I get an advice that if it’s possible I better do it,because transporting soil is ‘empty’ with nutrition for plants 🌱
For repotting I used universal soil bought from the plantstore, nothing special (mix of torf, sand, biogumus, agroperlite and some mineral addings)
While I was repotting them I cut all brown/yellow leaves (they had them a bit, it happens in big plants stores that plants don’t get enough attention)
After that I bought humidifier, and put all three of my calathea near it. Also I daily spray their leaves with water every morning and evening. Looks like they love it. I try to keep about 65-70% of humidity around them.
Also I was keen to overwatering my plants. During summer didn’t had any bad response to that from my calatheas. Shortly in few weeks I balanced myself not to overwater my plants. Now it is almost winter, I reduced watering a bit more.
Also, it is important: I put them deep into my leaving room. Far from my south-west windows. About 5-6 meters far. And they VERY appreciated that.
Once I put my Luisa closer to the light, and in the evening she responded with rolled leaves, levelled down. Immediately I put her back to the old place, next day she looked like nothing happened.
Once I forgot to water them. Busy week, and ONLY THEN very quickly Luisa showed scrunchy yellow rolled leave to me. I cut it, water Plant. She is ok👌🏻
In total: they are very fast showing you if they don’t like something😅
It’s been almost 6 months now. NO brown leaves, no scrunchy endings.
They look happy as I am 😊
Hope my story will help someone.
Great job and thanks for the tips!
I think Calatheas loves shaded environment. Mine’s a Calathea Ornata, got it from a few months. I don’t spray them and wather it once a week/ once in two weeks (well it’s in a high humidity area even thought I water it with tap-limestone water which is not the best way I know..). Already forgot to water it a few times and it still looks gorgeous. For the moment i don’t have brown/yellow leaves and it looks healthy. So I think the key is a shaded moist exposure. We’ll see at the summer if it still doing well ! (And excuse my English which is neither my native langage too ^^)
@@ollvrjulia6 your English is great. I agree they don't like sun light to touch the leaves.
I have a calathea orbifolia. The love of my life. Because I live in South africa on the east coast the high humidity and temperatures are ideal tropical climate. Water daily and she's thriving.
At where I live, air humidity constantly stay above 80%, sometimes even get to as high as 95%, and I need three dehumidifiers to get my indoor humidity down to 65%. So all the aroids, orchids, and carnivorous plants live happily after. I struggle with sensitive succulents.
At 75 years young, I am NOT a beginner gardener. I have killed loads of plants in my checkered career.😂
I appreciate your honest videos, and growing tips. I now have the confidence to appreciate the beauty
of these troublesome plants, without EVER bringing them home with me again.
Great stuff 👍
I think the secret to growing orchids is finding them the right spot and leaving them there. My orchids took a very long time to bloom again after their first flowers fell off - over 2 years. I stuck with them, watered every other week with a bit of a feed, but otherwise left them alone. They bounced back, grew a lot of new foliage and started to flower regularly :)
I probably wasn't patient enough!
This is true. I recently found out it takes nearly a year and a half for the store bought ones to bloom again, I’ve even tried manipulating mine with no luck but finally I’ve got a spike after a whole year and a half of taking care of this baby! I’m pretty excited 😅 I also got 2 kiekis from my other phal so now I have 4 total and it might get a spike too since it’s the same age as the one that has the new spike.
@@JudelovesRiver12 wow you’ve waited long enough
My work colleague has one at the windowsill. She just gives it water once a week and that thing is still looking good after 2 years 😧
I have one that is 5 years old and I try and do the absolute minimum! It sits on my kitchen windowsill (south facing and very sunny) in a 1" deep flat bowl filled with gravel. As long as I keep this tray filled with water the blooms stay in place. They just stay on the stem and do not die....until the gravel is left dry out for a few days. Then they drop off and I have to keep watering them again until a new stem forms. It seems happy without me doing very much at all so once you find a place your particular orchid likes, keep your distance, keep interference and cross your fingers!
I have loads of orchids and they're in bloom all the time. sometimes they make new buds while they're already in bloom and they can go on for months.
Before I've had orchids that didn't bloom for several years but I've moved and I have very bright north and east facing windows that they seemingly love. I think it all comes down to that :) Bright light but no midday sun.
I water them little bits of water once or twice per week and feed them every two weeks or so in the summer months.
Cool thanks for the tips 👌
You are a talented plant mom - I can never ever get them to rebloom. Kudos!
Shoot, advance plant enthusiasts should avoid calatheas. I said I wasn’t going to buy anymore but I did anyway. They are so beautiful. They do fine outside but I have to bring them in during winter. This year though I’m buying another IKEA cabinet. The ones I have outside are beautiful and putting on a lot of new growth
I guess you get away with it in Florida 😆 Like the sound of the Ikea cabinet set up.
I love my calatheas, I have several and they do great for me buuuuuut I also live in Florida and they live on my patio lol
@@sophibeans cheat code 😂
I've heard they are fussy with what water they like, so I water my calatheas with distilled water
I have a Potho Njoy and the less I fuss with it the happier it is, especially when I pulled it away from a bright in-direct light. It just sits in, indirect light and is thriving.
👍
I have a calathea. It was developing brown tips. All completely coincidental: I decided to use it randomly for an all-sphagnum moss kokedama (no nursery in my area had coco peat). Since this type of kokedama has to be watered pretty much daily I put it in my shower so the sheet moss didn’t die. i have a frosted glass window in my shower. Not that much light tbh. I shower every night. I had no idea why it was doing well lol. Now i know😂
Good job 👍
I have 2 beautiful Calatheas. I have a Calathea Stella and a Calathea Network. My Calathea Network has 0 brown leaves and is currently pushing out 5 new leaves. My Calathea Stella had a couple leaves that had brown tips when i bought her over 6 weeks ago, and has not gotten anymore or progressed to more browning. She is also currently pushing out 3 new leaves. I keep them both in my small bathroom, that has a direct east facing window that has nothing blocking it whatsoever. I have a humidifier on all day long, where they get consistent humidity between 55-65%. When I take a shower the humidity gets to around 99% but all the plants in my bathroom are humidity lovers. They also have a small halo led grow light on them to supplement cloudy days and when the sun reaches the top of the house. The bathroom temperature ranges between 60-77 degrees, never dips below that or above that. So far, so good!! I absolutely adore them.
Now that's a good setup!
I just repotted an orchid based on instructions from a guy on youtube who does orchid rehab. I had to unravel the roots and trim off the roots that had rotted. The medium it was in was so soggy, since the pots orchids generally come in have zero drainage. But most of the root system still looked green and healthy! Fingers crossed it will rebloom.
🤞
My calatheas are all pretty nice, I love them. I bought an indoor greenhouse on amazon for $30, and they went from crispy and dropping leaves faster than replacing them to keeping nice leaves and no more browning. All my tropicals are loving that greenhouse
Orchids are very picky regarding the place you put them in.
I bought some from megastore or even IKEA and they thrived, then I moved and they started a low decline to death 😅
I brought back to my parents the one who survived and after a year they are blooming again 😅
They need the right amount of sunlight (both in time and quality of exposure), the right humidity and the right temperatures. In order for them to bloom they need a period of mildly cooler days
Thanks! I'm getting better luck with them now. Light is definitely important
One of the first plants I bought was a Calathea. And yes, it eventually died and consistently had brown edges to the leaves.
Boston ferns do wonderfully in Augusta GA though. I would go so far as to say people in my city like them too much. They are used mostly as hanging pots on the front porch and it is very humid and hot in the summer here.
Orchids are literally the easiest plants in my experience. I have two near the south window (in finland tho, so not too much light or heat). Both have bloomed about three or four times now, the other one with only a few months in between! I just water them whenever the roots start turning white and I guess they like the spot. ☺️
Hmm I'm missing something!
Kudos to you for crediting the ppl who gave you the idea.
Thanks!
I have few problems with calathea, they need decent humidity, filtered water. That’s about it. They like to be moist, but not too much. I let them dry out a bit. Regular water from faucet has minerals and additives that cause browning on the leaves, they also brown if not enough humidity.
Good tips thanks 👍
I was a beginner and because of this UA-cam channel I got a banana plant as my first plant🪴 and kept it alive and thriving because of the recommended moisture meter and tips from this channel.
So hats off to you sir now back to neem oil on my spider mites 😢
That is awesome!
😂🙈 Thank you, Mr.Sheffield.
Now I know what to expect because I recently bought almost all of these plants. I am a beginner and just bought everything I liked. That was a stupid idea.
Now I binge all your videos and become wiser. Manny greetings from Germany.
It’s not definite you’ll have problems! Good luck! Thanks for watching
I've grown my Calathea's succesfully by following a few simple guidelines (last count I had 10):
* Never, ever use tap water! I invested in a Brita water filter, and now use this for all my house plants.
* Invest in a good humidifier (not the cheap aroma types), I keep the humidity constantly above 60%.
* Invest in a moisture probe (I water my Calathea when the probe reads a 2).
* Group the Calathea together and away from strong light! This helps with the humidity and provides dappled light.
Hope this information helps, It's certainly helped me, I get no crisp, brown leaves or edges (so far!) and the Calathea seem to thrive in the environment I give them.
Great tips thanks! Getting filter and humidifier sounds like a good investment.
to keep calatheas happy is of course the humidity and consistent watering, but most common reason for brown leaves especially on the tips, is due to tap water. These plants are very sensitive to minerals in the water and the best thing to do is to use distilled or rain water.
Absolutely
I've had a calathea beauty star for a few months and he was doing SO WELL, growing and no crispy leaves! Until I noticed spidermites yesterday.. so I've ordered neem oil and will wipe the leaves with rubbing alcohol for the next week, fingers crossed I can save him.
I'm always surprised when people say they struggle with orchids. I just water them once in a while with rainwater, occasionally fertilize, and they do just fine and bloom.
Fingers crossed 🤞
a little tip for Calathea in very dry environment and hard water: clean the roots, put it in a self watering pot(or make one with vase and nursery pot) but instead of soil or leca, use spagmoss, then just leave it to do its thing, super effective
Thanks for the tip 👍
My Nanna has so many orchids across her patio windowsill that bloom every year. All she does is drench the bark every Saturday morning, like clockwork and they're beautiful
Great stuff 👍
Orchids are rainforest plants and ideally want a humid environment to flourish.
I managed to get one from Tesco to flower. Its a funny plant that doesn't want to sit in water but craves to be moist.
A strong water completely submerging the pot when your substrate is dry helped mine along.
If you have an orchid that is looking worse for wear a few days in a food bag really works wonders.
That was a great tip I found on another UA-cam channel. Keep up with the informative content.
Thanks for the tips 👍😁
The orchid is very easy to care about and also to rebloom. What most people do not know is that orchids need a cool period.
Just put it in a shadow place in your garden and bring it back in September or October before it gets too cold outside.
The cool period during fall will be enough to bring it back to bloom during Winter.
Am a beginner and one of the plants that I bought beginning of this year was a Calathea coz I loved the beautiful leaves. Kept it indoors and before long the leaves turned brown and started dying one by one until only 2 miserable looking leaves were left.
I thought it was a goner. Placed the pot outside getting indirect sunlight and behold! I saw new leaves. I cut off the brown, sickly leaves, water twice a week, give it 2 hours early morning sunlight, then indirect sunlight for the rest of the day, spray daily and voila, the leaves are growing rapidly!
I now have a bushy Calathea plant, with no brown leaves. Am sooo proud of myself. 😁😊
Nice save 😁
Plants that are impossible to grow indoors in Finland... seriously, even professional plant lovers agree!
1. 20 - 30 cm tall diffenbachia. Apparently, these are grown very quickly by the suppliers with nutrient rich soil, ideal plant lights, humidity, etc. But after you get them home, they will deteriorate as the big leaves dry up and then you will have a thing resembling a small tree with tiny leaves. The bad part is that twiggy will live forever with a few tiny leaves... :P
2. Syngonium - Foget this one. It has been put through rapid growth like #1.
3. Arbicola schleffera - So pretty with their lobe leaves and Charlotte or Janine are my favorite with their pretty variegated leaves. Why is this thing hard to keep? Because it wants consistenly moist soil, but no moisture around the stem. Overwater it just one time and it will reward you by dropping branches! If the humidity isn't perfect, the leaves will start to get pitted and the lighting has to be perfect too. I've only had the natural plant, not the ones with twisted stems and trimmed to look like tree with a round top. Maybe those bigger ones are easier to keep.
3. Calathea Dottie. This is one of my favorites, but it is very fussy one. Direct sunlight and you will fry the leaves. Not enough indirect sunlight and the plant will suffer. Keep the soil perfectly moist. Wait one day too long and Dottie will blow you love kisses with dry leaves (usually the new ones). It won't even warn you by curling first. A gorgeous plant, this one needs meticulous care and I think it's worth it.
4. Purple Jewel. Easy to grow, this plant is a fungal gnat magnet! Why? Because it's a crawler and little roots will appear on its stems. If you put it on a shelf or in a hanging pot so it's gorgeous stems and leaves can grow downwards, make sure it's in a room all by itself. Wear a Hazmet suit and have an airlock where disinfectant sprays the suit all over before you take it off. If you really need a plant in this family, get the Purple Heart. It grows like a bush with beautiful dark purple leaves and no problem with fungal gnats!
5. Calathea White Fusion. This plant needs humidity - a LOT of it ALL the time. A pebble tray is a must! If you have other calathea, put your Fusion in the middle because it will get even more humidity when the other Calathea aspirate. You might also consider putting glass or plexiglass around it. I bought big decorative lantern, removed the top, put Fusin & pebble tray in there, which is loved! However, there will come a time when Fusion gets to big, so now you really have to find a spot where it will get all the humidity it wants. Indirect sunlight is a must for this one, but rather dim indirect light please. If it's too bright, the white part of the leaves will burn. For the person who like to tinker, I recommend an automatic mister that sprays a fine water mist all around the plant without drenching it. If you ever build one, let me know. I love White Fusion, but this is NOT a beginner's plant unless you live in the American deep south or a tropic place where the natural environment is exactly what is needs to flourish.
That said, I don't have any problems with my other Calathea. One thing: Calathea Ornata is a spider mite magnet. Check the underside of the leaves every day and if you find any tiny white dots, simply cover the top and bottom of the pot with a thin plastic bag and using hand-held shower head with water at room temperature, spray the back side of the leaves. If the plant is small, you can turn it upside-down, just make sure the plastic covering the pot is secure. If your calathea is large, just put the pot on a rack in your shower and spray each leave individually by turnin up the backside of the leaf with one hand while you spray water with the other. Note: a misting bottle is not usually forceful enough to wash off the spider mites, but if you have one that can shoot a spray, use it. Most window washing solutions come in a plastic bottle with a good spray top, so if you have one that you can rinse out, try that.
6. Alocasia Black Velvet. Taking care of this is just like Calathea Dottie. Good luck! An easier and just as pretty alternative is Alocasia Silver Dragon. It's a "normal" no-fuss verion of it's black cousin. I love the Black Velvet after really digging into the research to find its place of origin on the cliffs in Sabah (Borneo). The discovery was documented in the 1800's and verified by a group of scientists who ventured to Bornea and spotted it growing high up on the cliffs.
One more thing: if you have a "dream plant", be patient. My dream plant is Jay Vanini's "Blue Anthurium", which was sold post-auction for a suprisingly low price: around 600 USD. When I have some extra cash, well...
You saved me from buying a Calathea today! It was on sale, but I remembered this video. Thank you! 😊
😂 they’re a trap for sure
Don't give up. Rainwater or RO water is the key.
Hi Mr Sheffield, I purchased a Chlorophytum Orchidastrum online a month ago. Once I received it, I put it on my West facing window sill and left it there, I live in Surrey and don't experience much direct sunlight just like Sheffield! And it seems to be thriving and has no black leaves.
I bought a calathea warscewiczii from Ikea a few years ago. Beautiful plant, dark velvet leaves with a purple underside - and it absolutely thrived in my care for a good year or so. But then it just started dying. I had changed nothing with my care for it and it just withered away.
Turns out the little divas don't like tap water.
I bought a new one a month ago, this time I have an RO-filter for my aquariums and terrariums, so this time it should fair better for me.
I hate difficult plants, but calathea warscewiczii is one of the prettiest plants ever, so I think it's worth another shot ✨
Lovely plant and yes it should do better with filtered water. Good luck!
I have a rattlesnake and a peacock calathea that do not have brown leaves. They are grouped together with four other plants (three of them are large plants) and kept moist. And I use the water conditioner you recommended. I have had my beautiful tiger fern (varigated Boaton fern) for three years now, I water her frequently and I don't move her around my apartment. The fern that is my nemesis is the Maidenhair. I just cannot keep her alive and I have tried multiple times for decades! There are no Tradescantia, String of ___, Definbachia, or Aglaonema in my collection and only one Antherium, the Luxurian. I will never purchase a P. Birken or a Pilea Peperomioides, because I think they can easily become ugly. I have a lot of Pothos and Epriprinum, but one that I don't own is the Njoy. I have two mini moth orchids. One that I have had for two years and it rebloomed and the other that I bought this past Spring. It has two flower spikes and just recently started to loose her blooms. My late father once had an outstanding orchid collection, so orchids have a special place in my heart.
In Australia the pothos Njoy is called, Snow Queen. This has been the most carefree plant I've ever owned. There is a trick to keeping it though, which I never set up - it was how I purchased it from a reputable local family-run nursery. They used an orchard-like mix, heavy on the bark - but the trick was taking the long stems, and wrapping them in the available soil in the pot, so they re-rooted.
From day 1, it created the humidity the main plant needed around the roots, while maintaining the free-draining conditions of the bark. While the extra rooting from the buried stems, took up any excess moisture. I barely had to water it - sharing the same watering schedule as my zz plant.
When I did see the occasional burned leaf, I wondered if my luck had finally turned. Then I happened to get up a little earlier in the morning, and chanced upon the direct sun it was copping, that I wouldn't normally see. When I re-positioned the plant, no more burnt leaves. This plant hates direct sunlight.
Ah yes i like that trick
My snow queen has been set and forget and it has thrived. Beyond tripled in growth in the past three months! It is the same, sat right at the back of its hanging pot, with the vines re-rooting at every node and then draping over the edge. There is also an abudance of vines, about 7 in the 25cm round coconut mesh hanging basket. In the most boring cheap potting mix and it is thriving! I'm surprised to learn it can be so troublesome. It is watered once a week, and is fertilised with worm tea every 3 back but I will fertilise it less frequently come the 'cooler' months.
It does get some early morning direct light since theres so much white varigation and I am yet to notice any crispy moments.
Some points to make; it gets well into the high 30C's with very high humidity - it is very regularly 80% plus consistently, in a very tropical area. It lives outdoors under the back patio that traps the warmth and humidity in all afternoon but is protected from harsh sun and winds.
honestly love it
@@SP-rc8kx Thanks for sharing your experience too. Interesting that our plants were set up the same. I imagine you can adapt a Snow Queen to outdoors conditions (as in your case) but if it's been indoors as mine has, then it's susceptible to burning easily. But good to know you've had success outdoors with morning light.
Just bought today a Boston Fern 😢. We'll see how it goes.
As for Phals, I had some of them for 10 yrs. I was successful with them, they would bloom over and over again until...I took them out to breath some air, but ...they catched some invisible bug and died .
Now I am experiencing bonsais and indoor plants.
Thank you for this valuable information.
Thanks for watching 😁
Orchids are my pride and joy. I just love them and have had very few failures. When the plant finishes flowering don’t cut off the stalk, some times they reflower on the same stem, only remove it once it has turned brown and dries. I tend to repot most of my orchids into glass trifle bowls usually putting two to three plants in together. I can’t give you the science behind this, they just grow better. The big leggy roots are your indicator of how the plant is doing. They should be plump with a green tip. They will go thin if both over watered or under watered. I try to clean the leaves once a month and water once a week, but not too much. Really the less you fuss over them the better. I keep mine in the same area as my succulents and they seem to get along just fine. I do have one that’s sulking because I put him on the piano and I guess he didn’t get enough light, or he just doesn’t like my playing, anyway he’s not happy, so I need to move him back to full sun I think. Not sure if any of this is of any use to you. But please don’t give up on orchids, they can be so rewarding.
Polly xxx
Thanks polly, great tips. Liking the trifle idea. I do need to try orchids again.
Hi :)
Mines just finishing flowering and I’d like it to again. What is your expert advice:) do I repot and wait?
What about when there's two stems in the pot and after dropping the flowers, one starts browning and the other doesn't? I started cutting the stem, removing the brown dead part, but soon I was left with a stub that was already touching the pot content. The other stayed just fine for the full length of it. Is there something I should conclude from that?
@@Yupppi hard to say. Just sounds like luck of the draw to me with one not liking something and giving up. Shouldn’t affect the other one
@@Gabooli if it’s just finished flowering, I would give it a rest. If it needs repotting, repot it. I tend to let mine get a bit pot bound before moving up a pot size, or in my case, trifle dish. At least that’s what works for me.
I Keep my Calathea in my portico, it has a low to medium filtered light. In the summer time I ensure that no afternoon sunlight
streams though on the leaves., this can mean slightly moving its position.
The Calathea keeps nice and healthy without the browning leaves this way.
Thank you for all your
helpful videos. Much appreciated.
Thanks for watching 😁
I tried three times to keep a prayer plant. This time I've had some success. 9 months in with minimal dry tips and new growth regularly.
I watch the soil closely and run a humidifier.
Sounds great. Wish I had some like that
I have one, and it's just beautiful 😍 I just put it near a window that gets afternoon sun, use my moisture meter for when it needs water, really it has been beautiful, I also turn it when it needs to
To get a phalaenopsis orchid to rebloom, you need to drop the temperature a bit at night which makes the phalaenopsis orchid think it is winter (in its natural habitat, night temperatures drop slightly during winter which triggers flowering). Some other orchids don’t have conditions for flowering and flower quite a lot
Thanks for the tip 👍
I put a boston fern in my upstairs bathroom under a plantlight, out of drought and spray it multiple times a day. Keeping the soil moist is easy enough having a moisture meter stuck into the soil and checking every time nature calls. Wouldn't dream of keeping it anywhere else in my house it being such a dandy for care.
Sounds a good spot for it 👍
I have four calathea in perfect condition. Some have been there for years.
When purchasing, I tear the roots and plant in half and put new earth in the pot to give the roots space.
I give them a little bit of rinse water from my coffee machine once or twice a week. Tap water has too high a pH.
They are also really in the shade. (Important for all plants with white in the leaves.) Three meters from the south-facing windows. No direct sun rays. No perlite on the surface, this reflects the sun's rays.
They also love a humid environment and grow extra well if you place them over a bowl of water, in a tall glass vase or near a nebulizer.
Once I used a big nebulizer for a week or two. Then green flowers came into my calathea.
Sounds like a good care routine 👍
Hate to boast but we're a uk based household full of orchids! Our oldest, (currently in full bloom) is over 8 years old! the trick is in the location you put them in. Put them in a bathroom that gets reglular use from showers and baths but also has access to a window for natural light and airflow and forget about watering them (maybe a little during summer). moisture in the air is enough to keep them happy.
Sounds good 👍
Great message!!!
I finally learned the "secret" to having gorgeous plants is choosing the easy ones!
When I find one that agrees with my lifestyle & home atmosphere, I buy more of that same type.
Now, I have lots of beautiful, healthy plants, all over my home, and people think I've got some plant magic going on.
Thank you!
Now that’s a great hack 😁
Absolutely true...other than the pothos shown here, I lost all the plants shown in the list 😭😭😭 in the past 3 years..
Good that I started watching this channel for the past 1 month
Sorry to hear that. Only way is up from here
@@SheffieldMadePlants 🙏
Boston ferns are great in Louisiana. Have them on your porch. In the fall, give them a crew cut, put them in the garage. In the spring, in a couple weeks they’re gorgeous!!
Nice high humidity 👍
totally cant agree that orchids look ugly when not in bloom. personally i honestly love the shape of a lot of their leaves. learning that theyre a plant that doesnt just live and die by their bloom and they can actually live quite a while when well cared for has made me really warm up to them even as someone who isnt really much into flowers
With Phalaenopsis orchids you’re probably missing the slightly cooler rest, not cold, but only slightly cooler; this will prompt these to rebloom!
Overall I find Orchids, especially Cattleya-related species, to be very easy, also because I have a first person view of their roots (as I tend to rot soil grown plants).
Thanks for the tip Max 👍
@@SheffieldMadePlants A bright spot on a windowsill with a bit of morning or evening sun and about a shot glass of water each week should already be enough to rebloom most Phalaenopsis from the garden centre. Of course, if you want your plant to look as good or better than when you bought it, it takes a bit more work, but it's a very forgiving houseplant.
I'm so glad I watched this video before buying a big, full Boston Fern for my office! It certainly would not get the humidity it wants there (far from it), so then I thought "Ok, what about my east-facing bathroom?" and it seems the potential for exposure to cold air via the window and the sunlight through that window would probably not do well for it either... This video spared me some disappointment. Also explains why my calathea started to dry up pretty much immediately after buying...
Cool glad I helped you avoid the pain 😁
I find the Birkin to be one of the easiest to take care of. I often let it get bone dry, and it doesn't have the best light, but has continued to produce new white leaves over the last year. It's weird that we had such a different experience.
Mines picking up now since I really cut back on the watering 👍
Boston Ferns, thrives where we live. I grow it indoors and our summers gets really warm. It gets some sunlight through the windows.
Very nice 👍
My first plant was a Calathea but did hours of research after buying it. It's thriving with a lot of babysitting. I live in a very humid island and still check on it everyday. I just love these plants. A very hardier plant is Ctenanthe Setosa which has similar characteristics and mistakenly (probably) sold as Calathea Sestosa. My Tradescantia Zebrina is also thriving following your tips. Had other plants on your list and gave them away as too fussy, as you rightfully point out
I love a Calathea too but, like you say, they need a lot of attention. Thanks for checking in.
I own 5 calatheas, and they're all doing fine no crispy leaves. What I've done is set them all on a table grouped up together so they can keep the humidity up. Use moisture metre to water them, and they're near my north west facing window. Had them for more or less 5 months so far so good.
Oh, and I have a humidiee on stand by for drier periods.
Sounds great!
I was sucked into the calathea fever too! Bought a couple, drawn into their beauty. Lost them after 6 months. But they are the most gorgeous plants!
It's easy to get sucked in. They are gorgeous
I have three Njoy plants of varying sizes and I do not have any challenges with them. I find them low maintenance.
I can not get orchids to rebloom. I think one plant gave me a few flowers on her own, with no help from be, about 20 years ago. I don’t even try anymore.
The only calathea that’s ever survived in my home is a rattlesnake. I’ve had her for three years. I keep her in the bathroom on the edge of the tub where she gets not an awful lot of sun. I pretty much ignore her except for watering her once every 7-10 days.
Thank you for your clips. I enjoy and learn from them.
Thanks 😁 The rattlesnake looks nice. I should try that
I have an orchid that I have had for 3 years or so. It is blooming now and has been since January. Its in a pot for orchids and its in wood chips. I keep it in my bathroom near a window but no direct sun. I water it once a week and it has a deep tray under it so it won't make a mess. I'm careful not to allow the water to go above its base.
That's the good stuff 👍
I have 7 phaleonpsis orchids I've accumulated over the years (the oldest is 10). I keep them in a north-facing window over my kitchen sink and water them when they begin to dry out by flooding their medium in water for an hour, then draining them thoroughly. I fertilize when a see the flower spike begin the appear, then again about 6 months later. Their aerial roots are unsightly and I'm still working on that aspect.
Cool thanks for sharing
One of my first plants ever was a Calathea. I was gifted a cutting from a community member that was pruning back her plant. It has done extremely well in my home. I keep it in bright indirect light and bottom water once weekly with tap water that has sat for 48 hours. I've never had an issue with it. My Boston Fern on the other hand..... It's always very very sad.
I have lost a lot of Calathea plants over the years but recently purchased a "Freddie" and removed it from soil and put it in water. It's been about a month now and it is doing beautifully. No brown tips and no extra humidity given, even though it is winter here in the US and I am still running the furnace for heat. I feel pretty good about keeping this one happy and healthy, but time will tell. I've lost 4 Freddies in as many years. lol I've had great luck with my N'Joy. It's been happy and healthy for a couple of years now. Not sure why. I always enjoy your videos and learn new things each time I watch. Be well, be happy, be blessed.
Very nice! Plants tend to like living in water! Thanks for watching
I have 30+ orchids and the trick is to treat them like plants that make flowers not flowers with leaves attached
They are like any other plant that makes flowers to reproduce and won’t last forever and won’t have them most of the year
The plants are fascinating and I wish that people saw them for the incredible plants that they are cause they have adapted in really cool ways!
Thank you 👍
Hi Billie here I have had orchids for some years. l
The secret is patients. As new leaves grow your orchids will grow well. Don't give up on these beautiful plants. Spikes will grw Thanks for all your knowledge. Your the best
I’m learning 😁
I've had pretty good success with orchids and I've only just started plants at the beginning of this year. I have 2 orchids and they are already putting out new flower spikes. They just need a slightly colder environment to stimulate new flowers
Thanks Lydia
I was surprised to see you put orchids to the list as I don't see myself as a expert on plants and this is my absolute favorite as it's so easy to care for. I just give it a small drink once a week and they thrive in my window facing north where they don't get full sunlight but indirect sun almost all day. I've had two of them for over 2 years and they just keep giving me loads of flowers on three stems and I repotted recently as they had outgrown their pot. I own a total of 5 orchids and once they are done blooming this turn around, I'm going to try my very first propagation of them to get more of my favorite flower 🤗
Ooo didn’t know you could propagate
@@SheffieldMadePlants I have done lots of research of it and they are all quite similar in ways. So I will at least give it a try even if I don't expect any success ☘️
Good advice. I have an orchid placed on a bright window sill and it has continued to flower and new buds are coming out too. I don’t do much to it - only a bit of water occasionally 💐
Must have a happy home 🏡
I've had a pothos 'n joy for maybe 6 years. It only fusses if I don't give it enough water. I own 9 calatheas. I got sick a few months ago and nearly lost 3 of them. 2 have bounced back well. One is in total rehab. Distilled water, indirect light, and high humidity. Most of mine are in a room with 50-70% humidity. The Birkin is alive but annoying. Leaves get stuck in the petioles constantly. It was overwatered when I bought it. No more mushy leaves since cutting the damage out. Instead of a Boston fern, get a cotton candy fern. I've managed to keep one pretty for 2 yrs. Needs a bunch of water, though.
Orchids are super easy. They do go through periods with no flowers, but when they do bloom they do so for several months at a time. Mine are few years old, and they're doing great 🙂
Thanks for the info!
One of my very first plants was a Calathea. I don’t care too much for this plant but it seems to be thriving. I’ve never had issues with it, maybe I got lucky
I have a stromanthe triostar that I bought from a grocery store, that is absolutely loving life tucked around the corner from the south, facing window. When I bought it, it did not look like the triostar - almost all of its leaves had reverted, so I thought it was the green version which I had heard were easier to care for. When I took it home, it started growing like crazy, it’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen now. About 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide. It keeps pushing up new shoots from the soil as well. I think it just has good DNA or something. I had three other triostars before it, and they all died. The funny thing is, I forget to water it a lot until it’s really dry and the leaves start to taco up, but I always water it with distilled water every time. I think that helps. 😊 I live in the Pacific Northwest, I didn’t think it was particularly humid here, but maybe it’s humid enough to have calathea‘s be happier? I think my secrets are to give them more light than you think they need, and never water them with tapwater because chlorinated water will also make the leaves turn brown. I also have a peacock plant and a rattlesnake calathea, and they both seem to do well with the same treatment, even forgetting to water…
I think that’s spot on, tap water does the damage 👍
I am quite successful with orchids. Not as good as my mother, hers are always absolutely stunning, but mine do survive and bloom frequently. Sometimes they grow a baby orchid on one of their stems. I keep them in a semi bright spot without direct sunlight in the kitchen. They live in clear plastic pots and as soon as there are no visible water drops inside the pot anymore, I soak the whole pot in water, sometimes with added fertilizer, until the soil is completely wet. This may take 20 minutes or so. If possible, I keep them outside during summertime. Our kitchen gets quite cold during wintertime, I guess between 15 and 18 degrees celsius and has around 65% humidity.
Great stuff 👍 Thanks for the tip
I actually think that tradescantia are super beginner friendly because of how quickly they grow. You can make so many mistakes but it is ok because they will bounce right back since most varieties grow like weeds.
True they are very quick to grow.
I broke a piece of my colleagues tradenscantia so I took it home. I don't like this plant so I just put it in the soil of My banana plant and forgot her ...and see she got like 5 new leaves in 2 months 🙈
@@foggyfrogy it’s so quick to grow
So, orchids. I have one that I bought in a huge gardening store. It's now about 4 years old. And it was like you said, bring it home, blossoms fall off never to be seen again. So I put it in an east-facing window in the bathroom, where there is usually the most moisture in the house. I sprayed it, I soaked it, I gave it special orchid fertiliser from time to time. Nothing. Then we moved, and again, I put it in the bathroom, away from direct sunlight, same treatment, nothing. I even bought some expensive 'Will-Bloom-Within-Six-Weeks-After-Treatment' fertilizer at the florist's, NOTHING. I didn't even remember what colour the flowers were because I'd only seen it once.
At the same time, I noticed that my students' classroom had an orchid and I thought, well, in a classroom where nobody ever waters any flowers correctly, in direct sunlight, nobody giving it any love, poor little thing will never bloom again. It didn't look that healthy either. But what do you know, a few weeks later I saw a new stem emerging, and I asked the student in charge of watering how on Earth he'd done that. He said he had only ever watered it (from above) and nothing else. Huh.
So I got very cross with my orchid. I took it away from its cosy spot in the bathroom, put it on my east-facing windowsill in full (morning) sunlight and watered it from above, like all my other plants, every three to four days. No fancy fertiliser, no fussing, no spraying.
What can I say. A few weeks later, it developed its first stem in four years and a second has quickly replaced it after it dried up again. Turns out it's white with purple spots, very pretty. Maybe orchids don't need fussing but just the correct amount of hate mixed into all the love you give them.
Very nice story of redemption, thank you. Glad you got it to flower again 👌
Im a beginner and the first couple of plants I owned are pothos njoy and philodendron birkin. Both appear to be very easy to take care for me
👍👍
I’m an absolute beginner at nursing plants, but have a few achievements though. Orchids need not bright light but high humidity, I water them once a week by half lifting into a bowl and spray little water straight onto the leaves having added some succinic acid, it keeps them stronger and disease resistant! I also don’t have the ones you’ve mentioned except orchids, they are stunning!
I’m getting into them now 😁
I have a rattlesnake calathea and so far it’s been in quarantine before going into its permanent home and so far I haven’t watered it once and it’s done amazing. This is because of the high humidity in the quarantine bin. So im kinda terrified to take it out of quarantine because I think it’ll die😂
It’s gotta be done! 😅
Not being mean, but I’m glad to hear such honest stuff from you, especially when you describe how you plants start deteriorating when u brought it home! I thought I was the culprit for my plants dying on me, and from your video, I learnt I bought myself some very fussy plants!
Hmm. What if you got a nice acrylic, clear case for it that just sits atop it, like a greenhouse. Like a terrarium, sort-of? 🤷♀️
@@Ash.Crow.Goddess I was thinking the same thing, I had one that died (shocking) and now I brought home a cutting and it's not dying but doesn't look like is thriving either. Just moved it to the bathroom which in my case has lots of indirect sunlight and well, hoping the humidity helps it. But I was already thinking of a glass or something to keep the humidity levels high, in case the bathroom doesn't work.
My orchids thrive, I fertilize it with special ones designed specifically for orchids. They don't like being overwatered but when I do water them, I soak them in a deep dish for 30 mins or more and then make sure the water runs out by tilting it before putting it back in its place
Thanks for the tip! I'm getting it sussed with orchids now
@@SheffieldMadePlants That's great! Hope you have better luck with them! They are truly beautliful!
I gave my mum a yellow orchid for her 70th birthday. Until she died at age 83, the plant had at least 2 flowers at all times. Her usual flower count was between 6 and 10. She had to get it repotted, while it bloomed a few times and the people at the orchid center were stunned, how this orchid was doing it. My mums neighbour inherited it - and although she has always had orchids, this one died within a few months. Not just loosing the flowers - it died completely.
Wow your mum was doing something right!
Being in a tropical country, this video feels like its from an alternate universe because most, if not, all of these just thrives with minimal to no maintenance in my grandmas yard
You’re lucky 😁
I have a calathea that is doing very well. I’ve repotted it twice in less than a year because it keeps growing. I use only filtered water. I keep it outside so it gets a healthy dose of rainwater and only morning sun. I live in South Florida which is very humid and warm all year round. I also only use filtered water for all my plants especially my orchids. I trim as needed and only water when needed. I repotted all of them a little over a month ago and changed the soil/medium. I’m also more consistent about fertilizing - something I never use to do.
Sounds like you’ve got a solid routine for your plants! Living in Florida I’m sure helps for sure. Thanks for sharing
living in south Florida is cheating
@@mkuc6951 😂
Ive had a lot of success with orchids. Of course I lived in Miami, Florida where it’s hot & humid. I had over 150 at one time. Super thrive, bloom boost & fish emulsion is all they need. Well, water & shaded sunlight.
Very good 👍
The only indoor plant that has ever survived my ministrations was a Boston Fern. I put the pot in a high glass dish filled with green glass pebbles, kept it topped up with water, and left it in our bathroom. It was my pride and joy, until my sister, who was long-term house-sitting for me, removed it from the outer dish and killed it. 😢
What a £&$€%!!
The Peace Lily is an almost unkillable plant. You only need to Water it when the leaves stop drooping. And it thrives well in very little light.
I keep my orchid plants on a north facing window sill next to my kitchen sink. They bloom once a year in the spring, with the flowers staying for 3 o 6 months. I have had one of the plants for about 14 years.
Sounds great!
For orchids I never had problems to rebloom. They just need to have a dormant period where they are placed in a slightly cooler and darker place, water minimally and no fertiliser. Keep it like this for a few months, then in spring when the days got longer, place them back in a light warmer spot in the house, water and fertilise with bloom booster, then it will produce a new leaf and with it it will produce a new flower. Orchids are one of the plants that need a rest period with a little bit of stress, that encourages them to bloom when they are back in favourable conditions.
I guess that’s not what I’m doing
Calathea love my house! I have a big fishtank in my basement with lots of natural south lighting! And upstairs in my dining room its also a south facing widow with a ton of bright light!
I’m jealous 😅
My calathea is really healthy. Never had any brown areas. I don’t do anything different to my other plants so must be lucky I guess 😂🤷🏻♀️
Nice. How long have you had it?
About a month ago, I bought a "pearls & Jade" pothos, which looks a lot like the "Pothos Njoy" you discussed. Doing ok so far and seems to be growing. A couple of leaves with slightly browning edges at the back. I probably need to turn it periodically.
With orchids my trick was to put it in water!! It’s bloomed and the bloom has lasted about 2 months now without dying off!
It grows in water?
I've never tried Calathea for the very reasons you mention. I think this is very helpful.
My mother had a Boston fern in a north window, which was cool and *somewhat* humid and it did OK for her, but probably not as nice as you would see in the greenhouses.
I find *all* Tradescantias to be inclined to get leggy, far too quickly, needing frequent pinching and I think your comments about Tiana apply to a lesser extent to nearly all Tradescantias, certainly including the T. zebrina which you also discuss. Too high maintenance for me! LOL
I have a Philodendron Birkin and agree it's not a great plant for a beginner, for all the reasons you state--I'm really glad you, as a fan of them, are posting cautionary notes about them.
I am not a huge fan of Pothos, so never tried NJoy. So they are not all as tough as the regular Golden!
I have to disagree with your comments about orchids, or at least Phalaenopsis orchids, which have extremely long-lasting flowers (I've had individual flowers that have lasted for three months) and will generally rebloom for me (admittedly with fewer flowers usually). It's possible I may have conditions they like.
I've never tried growing a Zebra Plant, but have heard similar stories about their fussiness.
I've never grown a Banana Plant, in part because they are simply too large.
I'm totally unfamilar with the Chlorophytum orchidastrum, but it just somehow looks like it would be a diva! LOL
Thanks for this video--I think the information is very helpful and I hope newer plant enthusiasts see it.
Great thanks for your feedback. Spot on about the tradescantias, they’re much too quick to go leggy! I must not have had the luck with my orchids. It was a while ago when I was a newbie to be fair.
Ive had Boston ferns, they can either explode or die. Try the Kimberly queen as an alternative. The Kimberly queen is tough as. Also looks better than the Boston. Also, use easy orchids but don't expect them to bloom. Expect loads of green roots and foliage though.
Thanks for the tips 👍
I wasn’t expecting to see my oldest plant here 😂 I’ve had my orchard for like 6 years and she constantly blooms for me I think even multiple times a year, I only started keeping track recently when I actually started doing some research. I keep her in orchard bark in a well draining pot and water once a week, I heard they like to be cold for 15 mins after being watered and I might have been doing that without realizing.
Great stuff 👍
Same 😅
I think I have about 13 orchids at this point and the oldest must be around 10+ years old now.
You need to soak it in water once a week for about 10 minutes and give it some orchid fertilizer now and then (I think I remember to do it about every second month from April - September)
When they loose the blossoms and the stalk turns light brown, cut it off and simply wait. It will blossom again and for a long time.
Mine is placed in east and west sided windowsills and are thriving.
I am living in Denmark, so it's not exactly because of the splendid humidity or weather 😅
I've heard a lot of plant people complain about orchid care and I can't really blame them. My nana went away on vacation through the winter and I was left her orchid to take care of. As it was winter, the plant dropped its flowers (which I will admit had panicked me). these orchids are super common to see in grocery stores with the tag "1 ice cube a week" so I just followed that instruction and had no issue with it. It bloomed beautifully this summer
Nice one. I’ve never had much luck I must be doing something wrong. Lack of 🧊 maybe
I've had success reblooming orchids "easily". It involves submerging the roots in water with liquid, orchid specific fertilizer for an hour every week, and repotting every time the substrate has lost all vegetable matter in it.
Thanks for the tip
So glad you mentioned the Boston Fern. I've never had one, but I'd put all ferns in the same boat. They don't like it to wet, too dry, too hot, too cold, too sunny, not enough light, the humidity has to be spot on. Right nightmare.
Goldilocks plant eh
@@SheffieldMadePlants Yes mate, well they are rather picky. I keep giving them a try though. I'll get it right one day 😁
My calatheas sit on a shelf directly above a humidifier. The leaves actually move constantly because of the humidifier's fan. Interestingly, while I sometimes have to cut away dead leaves if I've waited a bit too long to water and one of them got too droopy, I don't have any leaves with brown edges or tips. I think a dedicated humidifier running 24/7 is the only way to go with these. It also works to avoid spider mites, another super common issue with these prima-donna-but-so-beautiful plants.
Absolutely a humidifier is the way to go. How many plants can you get near it though?
@@SheffieldMadePlants It's a very large console humidifier 😄. I do have a plan to fit some more! If I tuck my "budding" fern collection around a tabletop humidifier on a metal tray table...and then I could get a taller shelf with more shelves...
I should have mentioned also that I use only distilled water for these. I switched to using distilled water for all my indoor plants some years ago. (I have too many succulents to consistently bottom water them, and I didn't like getting water spots on their leaves.) I'm certain this also helps with avoiding crispy-edged calathea leaves.
@@virginiaschabacker5712 Yep, i've heard distilled water is the one. Does it end up being expensive?
@@SheffieldMadePlants When I started using it, I would recycle the same gallon through many plants, and only go through 2 gallons or so on big watering days. But I stopped doing that when I had to treat for root mealybugs on one sickly succulent (still in isolation, thank goodness!), and realized I could have recycled those too through every plant!
So it can add up, but the huge majority of my indoor plants are succulents that don't get watered as often. With a lot of them, I may switch to using distilled for every other watering.
But then again, every time I propagate a plant, I give myself credit for a "cost savings" so perhaps by that accounting my plant expenses may tend to even out 😁.
@@virginiaschabacker5712 absolutely 😁
I've really been enjoying your channel! You said to comment if you have had luck reblooming orchids. It took years to learn, but with proper care I've had lots of growth. I even have flowers off of a keiki! Moisture management is SUPER important.
Aaaand patience 😛
I learned much of what I've tried off of UA-cam, but I found that you do need to snip old shoots, replant and snip dead roots, only water when there's barely/no moisture in the media, fertilize once a month (?) when not flowering, pull off dead leaves that are cannibalizing growth potential, avoid direct sunlight for too long but make sure they get lots of light (at least in the PNW), keep water off the roots and leaves, and pay attention to the shape/color/feel of each leaf because they tell a story about their care.
Wow that sounds like a proper care routine! Thanks for the tips I’ll definitely try again with orchids because they are lovely. Thanks for watching 😁
Essential checks before buying a houseplant 👉 ua-cam.com/video/zhH33qpnh5o/v-deo.html
K😮😮k p
I have 20 orchids and they're quite easy, when you keep in mind some basic rules. First, know which type of orchid you have. For beginners, Phalaenopsis is easiest and more forgiving. These are the common "moth orchids" found in shops. For these, when they're in bloom, proper watering is most important. At this stage, they're pretty forgiving about light (just no strong sunlight) and not fertilizing. Too often, they're in decorative pots that don't drain and they get water logged. If they're in sphagnum moss, just keep it damp, not wet. If they're in bark, water more often (you can soak it weekly until the roots are brighter green). Do not repot unless you see root rot, or the blooms will drop. It's easy for beginners to fuss with them too much and give them too much water.
After blooming, be sure the phal gets good bright light (eastern windows are good, southern and western windows with filtered sun work, too), consistent watering, and low concentration orchid fertilizer (the more often you fertilize, the lower the concentration). This is the time to repot, if needed (you see many new roots, orchid medium is degrading, or root rot). If the spike dies off, cut the spike near the base. If the spike stays green, you can keep it to see if it blooms again, cut it (allow stronger spikes next time, if you prevent a second same-season bloom), or if it's a variety that is known to rebloom on existing spike, you just leave it.
If the plant is happy, it will grow a new leaf at this stage. If it remains happy, it will then spike and flower. Some varieties need night time temps to drop below 64 F/17 C to trigger blooms. Be sure, however, it doesn't get too cold and avoid drafts. When the spike gets darker and stronger, you can stake it upright. When it begins to bloom, don't fuss over it -- just focus on maintaining watering and they should last a few months (they should have the stored energy they need, if they got what they needed during their growth phase).
Keep in mind that orchids are mostly epiphytes. They live on trees and, like aroids, they need to stay moist as well as have good drainage and air circulation. It's a good idea to grow them in orchid or aroid pots that can give them these conditions (don't use any pots that have no drainage or don't allow good air circulation for the roots.) Don't let water stay in the crown (encourages crown rot) and don't let the roots sit in water. The roots will tell you if the plant is too thirsty (light colored and shrivel-y), the leaves will tell you if they need more light or fertilizer (stunted growth). If you can maintain an aroid, monstera, or similar tropical, you can grow phals.
For my calathea louisae 'Thai Beauty', I keep it under a cloche to maintain enough humidity. They need more than my aroids, orchids, and other tropicals and even a humidifier isn't enough during our winters. Their ability to rebound is impressive, but keeping them thriving in northern climates can be a real balancing act.
Have you thought about doing an Orchid UA-cam channel! Great tips!
@@SheffieldMadePlants Thanks, you're very kind! As you know, developing quality videos and a channel takes time and consistency. Perhaps I will someday. In the meantime, there are some great orchid channels, like Miss Orchid Girl. I'll continue to enjoy yours, as well.
@@C2C. I’ll check her out!
100% agree with everything you just said about orchid care! I actually came to the comment section just to make sure it got said. Orchid pots are a must! We soak and drain ours about once a week and they're absolutely thriving on a west-facing window with an awning. Good air flow and watering when the roots tell you to (another plus for the clear plastic orchid pots) are the keys to happy orchids!
@@erikwoods8306 Thank you! The payoff to good care is well worth it when the plants spike and bloom annually and the blooms last months. Enjoy your orchids!