This is so funny because most of these plants are my personal favorite *because* they're so needy lol. I like having something to pay lots of attention to and I tend to kill plants that are considered "easy" because I fuss with them too much. My year old majesty palm is putting out new fronds like nobodies business, but she's most certainly a diva.
I used to be just like you until my collection got up to 33 plants & like a moron I transplanted them all into terra cotta to match the rooms tile they’re in & now I have to water them like every two days. They’re all doing really good, but I’m getting tired of constantly watering them.
@@nicolekelly7580906 I have had the same experience! I loved the look of terra cotta with the rest of my decor. but plants soon died... I learned that terra cotta outers, with plastic inners seems like it might be the best solution, hope it's available for you?
my pothos: oh? you forgot about me? well it doesn't matter bitch, I don't care. I don't need water, care or love. I will thrive without you my maidenhair fern: T_T you looked at me weird now I'm gonna die
I only got into plants a year or two ago but my mom always had plants around the house growing up. Except she had like 10 majesty palms, half of which came in for the winter and went out in the summer and lived for YEARS. When I tell you that gave me unrealistic expectations for when i moved out and bought my first palm to make it "feel like home".....thing died in a month. I was shocked. I thought they were hardy. Turns out my moms just a magician.
Disclaimer- I live in Nigeria... palms are easy plants. They just don't need that much care, but then, we tend to leave them outside, in their natural state. No one here would dream of putting a Majesty Palm indoors, eg. They're huge! But the smaller palms, parlor, kentia lady palms ,etc are dead easy indoors here. Episcias are a dream plant. They never die.
I have a parlour palm that is about 6 feet tall. I keep it in a centrally heated sitting room, next to a now-defunct fireplace, lit only by an eastern-facing picture window on the other side of the room! However, when I bought it 30 years ago, it was just a tiny 6-inch high plant. It IS slow-growing. And I nearly killed mine by underwatering it. I must have read somewhere that it's best not to water palms too often! Anyway, once I realised my mistake, I started drenching it nearly every day. I also repotted it into a larger, taller pot. It rewarded me by putting on a foot or two of height and bushiness in about a year. It now flowers regularly as well. It's a great plant, and not hard to care for, if you don't mind waiting for it to become jungle. But don't stint on the water.
They're super susceptible to spider mites if you keep them indoors-- when they're outside, there are other beneficial insects and environmental factors that keep them in check
I think Ponytail Palms are good for more dry areas, but that's because they're pretty much succulents with how absolutely chunky their trunks are. The only issue is that they're slow growing, and that you can't play with their leaves despite wanting to ruffle them up every time you look at them.
@@tristanchung8831 maybe it all depends on where in the world you are. In the Netherlands and Indonesia these have been tissue culturered like crazy, and 3 sorts are available. (White fusion, white tiger and Louisiae.)
For some reason calatheas and marantas do fine for me. I have a calathea dottie was almost dead when I bought it (marked down at a big box store). It only had two leaves that were covered in pest damage. Gave it some love and it doesn't even look like the same plant anymore, it's growing like crazy. I also have a lemon lime maranta trailing down the side of my tv stand that's doing very well.
Nick, I am so grateful for ALL your peperomia videos. Every now and then I rewatch them for a fix of pep love, and learn or relax, and admire types I don't have. Today I'm watching this one while my two small children are busy playing for a bit, I'm sitting in front of my newly arranged peperomia area, with tea and toast and just luxuriating in it all. I would be so delighted to see a current collection/update on your peperomia/peperomia you've spotted lately/wishlist peps, if you have time and inclination to make one (please). I point friends to your channel all the time when they're stuck.
13:10 "growing out of cracks in the sidewalk I'm sure in areas of the world" You would be very correct. Here in asia, maidenhair ferns are found around the mountains as weeds lol. My apartment parking lot has some growing out of cracks in the wall and I've gotten some weird looks from our security guards when I tried pulling them out of said wall lol. Which is why I find it a bit sad that it's got a rep as a diva when really the most demanding part is high humidity and frequent watering, which admittedly, is much harder to maintain for plant friends over in drier countries.
I had one and i wanted her to love me. I set up a humidifier I watered her daily, I set a timer on her light... and she was like "ur not good enough for me" and died... Even her humidifier was on a timer! Meanwhile I live in one of the colder parts of Canada and I have a citrus tree in the same room and it has been alive for 3 years and has produced fruit two of those 3 years... I would have thought if I could grow a citrus tree that the maiden hair would be a breeze! This said, I would definitely try another if i found one with a good price again! I had only paid about 4 dollars for her. I think maybe she was overly coddled and didn't get a chance to be an independent woman :P
@@MarisaAndChew perhaps it was a problem with fluctuating temperatures? I've noticed that these guys only pop out of the walls in the beginning of summer/late spring when we get storms coming in and the heat is about 26c° to 30c° in the day in bright shaded areas. Once it gets drier than 65% humidity and the temperature drops to below 25c° they immediately die back or struggle real bad. Not to say they are dead though, the same ones sprout from the same cracks once spring/summer rolls around again. I hope you manage to find a reasonably priced one and succeed this time! :)
@@linwong1494 the room i have it the indoor temp doesn't fluctuate more than maybe 4 degrees all year but its more like 18-21 so it could just be far too cold for it! I wonder if the one I got was ripped from a natural habitat potted and sold or if it was raised in a nursery its whole life. It was quite small. I know there are import/export laws on plants but a lot of people get around them. I did get it at a real store not ebay or somewhere though. Maybe I shouldn't give one another try since I keep it so cool in here year round. Or, maybe I should look for one that is much larger and established. This was a 4 inch pot and not overly large but was healthy and had a lot of growth, perhaps it was just too young and tender for my temperature though! Oddly, I never see them in our garden centers in summer when it is actually 26-30 outside! Grrr
I live in Vancouver Canada and have pretty mild winters.. i actually put one maidenhair fern outside last summer since the soil was getting flies because of so much watering. I though it had died down in the winter but i was pleasantly surprised to find that it is growing new leaves now. Meanwhile my indoor ferns are dying :(
Where I live it’s about 60% humidity in the summer and 80% in the winter and my ferns STILL get crunchy because they want more humidity. I ended up putting them on a window sill right above my 20 gal fish tank (lidless) and they are doing much better now. But I swear with the level of humidity they want they should just become aquarium plants 😂
Nick, I found a secret to the stramathis and a lot of the prayer plants! So I get green moss, put around the dirt section, it holds the moisture in longer which is what the plant wants and loves, it also helps greatly by keeping the humidity up around the plant even during the winter in cold climates that you and I both live in. I literally killed every single plant like stramathis along with other prayer plants until I did this, now they are not only alive but they thrive! Please try it!
I bought a maiden hair fern at a grocery store almost two years ago and have had it planted it in a clear glass bowl/vase with no drainage, western window, and it has gotten MASSIVE! Don't give up on maiden hair ferns, just keep them soggy, not even moist but soggy! That's what I do anyway 😂
My mom has one and it keeps dying, coming back, getting a fungus, dying, coming back again! She said it’s normal and they die off several times a year and hers has grown quite a bit since purchase. She’s a botanist that specializes in plant tissue culture so I trust her lol.
I bought 6 a few years ago - 3 went in the garden, 3 came inside. The ones in the garden didn't even last the summer, but the indoor ones are still going - and one of them has even propagated itself into two other pots! They do get yellow leaves sometimes but they're still doing well enough. I don't give them a ton of light but maybe I'll try more.
I live in Central America, and it's soooooo humid. So, I have beautiful calatheas and marantas. But they can be such divas. And yes, ferns here grow in street cracks and forests... 😅😅😅
For finicky ferns, I find a mulch/soil cover can really help slow down how quickly the pot dries out. I've had a maidenhair fern for about 2 years that's happy as a clam, and I water it every 3-4 days. Aquarium gravel, pebbles, even fine orchid bark can help.
I’d like to make a comprehensive list of the plants that _want_ the gravel/compost soil covering and the plants that hate it, bc I have had to adjust my snake plant, zz plant, Rhaphidophora tetrasperma, etc. by emergency removal of the rocks after I realized it was a problem for them. They made a little palm I had get mold at it’s base, but I think there are definitely some plants that would love it like a fern. Maybe fittonia? Begonia?
Putting all my prayer plants in self watering plastic pots and making sure the humidity is at least 60% and getting indirect light seems to have made them all happy. They live clumped together near a tiny 1c cold mist humidifier when needed.
Since I started spraying my calathea burlemarxii with water everyday and keep the soil moist, it started to shoot out so much new growth (in winter!!) and it looks lush and beautiful. Just a little tip 😊
I've had ridiculous success with my prayer plants I think. They have never given me a headache, they just grow and I water them about every 2 weeks or when one of them starts letting her leaves hang/ rolling them. She is like an indicator. Then I water her and the others and she perks right back up. They all stand very close to each other between 2 Aquariums and about 2.5 to 3 meters away from my east facing window and they're just vibing lol. Last year one of them dried out because I was away for 2 weeks and died but I cut back the dead stuff down to the soil and kept watering it along with the others and it just grew back :)
Same. I think it has a lot to do with the humidity of the state you live in. Here in eastern Michigan (I live right on Lake Erie) My prayer plants do amazing, always have. In the winter the humidity gets to 40% in my home, but in the summer since were right on the lake it’s very high. I might get the tiniest crispy edge here and there but they still grow vigorously throughout the entire year. Plus you’ll be all good once you learn that perfect balance of keeping them damp, but not to damp, letting them dry out but not dry out LOL. I personally love prayer plants.
Prayer plants are my absolute favorite- I own at least 8 varieties that I purchased last year. Some species are just so much more finicky than others. I have a triostar and white fusion that I purchased in 4” pots that are now in gallon pots and thriving with almost no brown tips. But my red maranta and vittata have a bit of brown on almost every leaf and it drives me nuts. I only water them with distilled water and they still look like trash. So frustrating
Totally agree about calatheas. I got one as a gift and I'm pretty sure it was a test of friendship. Which I failed. Also my majesty palm is slowly dying in a corner in the stairwell. So I feel this very hard. (I wish I'd seen this first)
I have invested in a big, realistic plastic palm for the darkest part of my appartment. No one notices it's fake, and it always give me a chuckle when people ask me how I manage to keep it alive.
“You think they’re the most beautiful person until you get to know them and then they turn out to be apocalyptic”…. Hmmm that guy I dated named logan… that’s targeted at you LMFAOOOOOO
Epicias grow well in terracotta pots . I had one growing in a hanging terracotta pot for yrs. It used to hug the pot and looked beautiful. I now have them in plastic pots but they dont Hug the pot the leaves curl up a bit as if they are doubtful about whether they should hug the pot. Some which spilled on the ground looked Happy.
Stromanthe Triostar is a bit of a space hog too. At night, all the leaves are pointing straight up and it looks so polite. In the morning, all the leaves drop and obscure half of your other plants. I took a time-lapse video, which was fun. I've been keeping all of my tropicals on one big glass table in the living room window, and every morning I mist the whole kit & caboodle, hoping to keep the humidity sufficiently high for the day.
I have a simple parlor palm that I thought would be easy to care for. She is currently on my balcony away from my other plants. She will not be allowed back in the house until she decides to behave. I thought about throwing her off the balcony! Does that make me a bad person?😳😆
Parlour palms are soo easy to care for though 🤣 I’ve got one that’s been alive for almost a decade now. I neglect it so much😬 Edit: the parlour palm I have is Chamaedorea Elegans
I was gonna say, don’t worry it’ll kick the bucket soon enough on it’s own! Lolz I have killed so many parlor palms. They kept sending them to me as replacements or in my mystery boxes from the sill, and I just started giving them to my BFF when they were near death. She’s got that good light and probably sorcery tbh that makes plants do a 180 when they land in her house, although she tends to have a hard time with the plants I normally do really well with. So, a good way to deal with a plant you’re fighting with is to pawn it off on your friend who has the opposite luck with plants as you do, and rehab her butthole plants, and then talk about it with her ALL THE TIME ;)
In Florida ferns are practically weeds...I've picked several from cracks...they completely thrive outside but once I bring one inside it's as good as gone...I stick to the birds nest /thicker leaves varieties as well.
We've kept a Majesty palm alive for approximately 3 years now here in Chicago area. She doesn't look... Fantastic..... But she's alive and growing. To be fair, most of her damage is because she doesn't have drainage holes and I left her outside in the rain all summer as well as damage from 3 large dogs running into her and clubbing her with their tails. She also has a volunteer coleus in her pot too Eta - I sad to say, she has passed of root rot.
The mystery to Boston fern - give it lots of light, even several hours of direct sunlight, and put in the saucer/bowl that always has water. When the saucer is empty fill it back. And I don't mean humidity tray, I mean that the plant is always standing in water. Once you give them light and constant water they are really easy...Before I gave mine away I would put a gallon of water in the 6 inch pot weekly but that was all it needed, really. The mistake people made is to assume that ferns like low light. But ex. maidenhair can grow outside in full sun if it has enough water.
I’ve always heard that prayer plants are really difficult, but ironically they’re some of the easiest ones I’ve grown. Most that I’ve had have thrived. That being said, I like to baby my plants so having ones to fuss over work well. I also live in a climate that averages 60% humidity in the summer and 80% humidity in the winter, which I’m sure helps them. It’s just funny to me because these “super difficult” plants are much easier for me than the “easy” ones like succulents, cacti and snake plants.
I love Nick’s real-ass plant talk. I’ve been fighting with these dang peperomias for too long yall, but I gave up on ferns and palms before I even started with them. I’m hard core into vining and trailing plants that aren’t ivy or ficus right now and we are making some decent progress
I always thought the Triostar always looks "dirty". BUT, I went and bought one anyway. I have about 18 Calatheas in my bedroom right now, some are crispy and need to go. And the humidity is very high in there and they do get distilled or rainwater. Sometimes you do everything they want and they still die. I have not given up on calatheas yet, but I am getting there. I will never get another fittonia. I have killed several of them. I had a majesty palm that was not doing too bad, until...I got a kitten! And that was the end of that palm. I did miss you last week. Glad your back. I enjoy your videos and sense of humor.
I've recently discovered Calatheas as a favorite of mine; have four of them and a Maranta. They've so far been doing great in my apartment with a North-facing window. I used to want the Tenanthe Triostar, but then I saw a White Fusion! It's apparently THE biggest diva of the Calatheas, though, so I plan to wait until I'm sure the rest of mine don't die before I get one of those XD
I swear prayer plants need to be pushed five to six feet away from a west facing window and given DISTILLED water. They are LOW LIGHT plants! So much fun to watch them move their leaves from day to night 😊
Areca palm is nice. It does need a good amount of light. It doesn't need as much water. I water mine once every 7 to 10 days (in winter I go even almost 2 weeks between watering). It does grow slow though. But its nice.
Am I the only one that thinks calatheas are super easy to take care of? :'). I have a stromathe triostar that I rescued from someone's garbage. The poor thing had only like 3 leaves and they were all burned. It not only recovered completely but I have had it for 2 years now and it is lush and beautiful. Of course, it has some brown tips but nothing major.
After I realized I needed to use distilled water on my maranta, it’s been rewarding me with flowers! Pinstripe calathea on the other hand….so beautiful but it’s all downhill after bringing it home.
My first makoyana was thriving, then it died.I have another sent for free when I bought 4 of another. I have her in my bathroom window with medium light and humidity.
If you can get your hands on lechuza pon, try putting your prayer plants in pon and self-watering pots (with distilled water). Ever since I did that, I haven't had any crisping on my five (otherwise very bitchy) calatheas. It also effectively turned my hardest plants into my easiest ones.
@@picklepirate good luck! I’ve also had the best results when converting stressed calatheas to first put them in water (filtered/distilled) for up to two weeks before putting them in pon so they can recover from the initial stress of having their roots so unsettled
@@aniliname thank you so much for the information! calatheas can definitely be drama queens. My pon just came in the mail! so, let's see what happens. I appreciate the comments
I have an episcia I have been growing some version of for over 20 years. There have been times I would have given up on it, but it’s from a cutting my grandmother gave me of my great grandmother’s plant. I grow it in a self watering pot to cut down on getting water on it, but sometimes it will get to looking just awful, so I cut it and propagate and start over. It’s blooming right now and is just lovely. 🥰
Maidenhair Fern Tip: Use a passive watering rope dangling out from the bottom of the pot, into a permanent water source. I literally never water my fern, and it's been growing great for the last 4-5 months now. I don't do anything for it AT ALL. Planning on doing this with my Boston soon, too. Just remember if you use an aquarium as this water source that you do not have any fertilizers or pesticides in your fern soil! It can transfer across the watering rope to the tank and hurt your fish!
my cat ate every frond down to the nub, and I was so crushed. it was literally just a trunk with little bumps where the fronds were. Amazingly, new fronds are growing, and even a new sprout coming up from the soil! I could NOT believe it!
It’s funny, I have a majesty palm that I’ve had for about 7 years (and gone through 4 moves) and it’s thriving. It grows very slowly for me indoors but for whatever reason this thing will not die or deteriorate no matter what I do to it! I bought it from ikea for like 20 bucks (Canadian) and it’s lasted me forever. It’s my easiest houseplant to grow. I just find it needs a higher humidity than I general keep my house at, so I placed a humidifier close by and it’s as happy as can be!
I just got into houseplants a couple of months ago. I already have at least 70. Prayer plants are my favorite. I was going to collect them. Now everyone is talking how hard they are. I really hope I have better luck. I really really love them
Just go for it :) everyone has a hard plant group they're great with and an easy plant that they kill. My hard plant is ferns, my easy plant is African violets. Can't keep an African violet alive to save my life, but ferns love me. Maybe prayer plants are your good plant :)
I had a really bad day. I say down with a beer and decided to watch whatever UA-cam gave me. Which was this video. I've got to say I laughed my ass off. Everything you said in this video I totally agree with and have had the same experiences with these plants. I am a chronic over waterer, to the point where my standard soil mix is 1/2 to 3/4 succulent mix, no matter what the plant. Although... knock on wood, I do have a couple calatheas that made it thru the winter and are doing well. Every morning I get up and expect it will be time to toss them. Thank you for a great video that really brightened my day!
All my prayer plants slowly died no matter how hard I tried to keep them humid. But a stromanthe I gifted my boyfriend has been doing wonderful in low light and barely being watered monthly for the past two years. 🤦🏻♀️
I fully agree with your view on majesty palms. I bought three of them last fall. All three are dead and gone. I tried everything I could think of and even did research, but still lost all three. This is the first plant I ever failed with growing as a houseplant. I've grow philodendron, dieffenbachia, Boston fern, dracaena, snake plant, rhoeo, Christmas cactus. Everything has survived, with the exception of the majesty palms.
I almost bought a triostar because it's just so pretty. I read in many places that it was a hard one to keep so I decided to buy a sparkling sarah during a local sale here instead. I just wanted a pink plant for my little collection
WAIT! Would this make calathea easier to keep?! I love them and want them so bad but I've killed 3 in my 8 plant keeping years so if this would solve my problem then you would be my hero
I own a palm you were talking about for three years now and my one is good… I had her a little bit too dark and she got too wet around the root but after changing the pot and putting her lighter she is growing again😊
I got my calathea and some of its leaves are turning brown/ dying BUT it has so much quick and new growth since I got artificial lighting and a humidifier ! I love calatheas
I spray my ctenanthe every day (and her terracotta pot from the outside, I think that keeps more moisture), there is a hygrometer sitting next to her and I make sure humidity doesn't drop under 60% around her. I love her and I see it as a challenge to keep her looking perfect.
Browning of the leaves is due to transpiration burn. These plants are unable to regulate their temperature when the humidity is low. Areas furthest away from the trunk, main stem run out of water first and burn (leaf tips). Higher humidity will prevent this from happening but you will also need heat. Another problem people encounter even when adding humidity is temperature. Most people run air conditioning indoors and this is another reason why these plants don't thrive in most houses. We keep our Calathea's outside here in Arizona even in the summer inside our greenhouse where the temperatures reach 110F but we also run misters which keep the humidity at 100%.
I LOVE my episcia silver skies. I keep it in the same window as my orchids and african violets. I care for it as if it's an african violet and wick water it. It's doing great!
My brother's first plant is a boston fern, and he waters it every three days, mists it almost daily. She's thriving lmao (probably because we live in a very humid climate)
My mother loves st Augustine. We go to Florida every year (we're in New York). I've never been to the graveyard, I'll have to check it out. I love maidenhairs:)
Hi Nick! I am a plant newbi and I have learned so much from you!!!!! I was feeling very guilty after killing a beautiful triostar…today I am no longer feeling guilty! Thanks for your brilliant insight! 💜🌴
Yeah prayer plans are on my do not buy list. I’ve killed too many of them but every time I see one at my nursery I still fall for them. I put my first fern in a terrarium, so fingers crossed that works well.
interesting... my mom has been growing episcia for years and years and always considered it a very easy going plant :D but so she did begonias and they are such drama queens in my opinion :D
I loved the jungle rambling at the end because I just imagine I'm in a nice little jungle or forest when gazing at my plants 🥰 Also, I've been having some decent success with my asparagus ferns (just a couple species) by placing them on a relatively high shelf at a shaded south window. I water whenever the soil is slightly dry and they've been doing alright! I've tried mimicking a shady, temperate forest floor for them 😺
Thank you for this video. It’s reassuring to hear that an indoor gardener with you level of expertise has struggled with certain 🌱 plants and therefore maybe I’m not the worst indoor gardener in the 🌍 world because I have struggled and in many cases failed with the same plants. Thanks again.
I have always had good luck with all my marantas/calatheas/stromanthe. I always make sure the soil is moist, most frequently and just keep it slightly out of the window. Most of mine live in the bathroom
The Stromanthe is the only Calathea that I have manage to keep looking great. It flourishes in the bathroom. I’ve had mine for 3 years and it stills looks good. Calatheas though are a headache!
100% right on the palms! When I started getting into plants I was so excited to see such a big plant for so big that I had to have it! within a few months the frawns would turn brown and ugly. It also had spider mites several times before I decided enough is enough and tossed it. I was so afraid of spider mites and it was my first experience with them.
I’ve had my majesty palm for over a year, in a second floor apartment, in Massachusetts lol it’s in my kitchen that has 3 south facing windows and it’s in a non draining pot, I think that is the trick.
Parlor palms are really easy. I live in Arizona, the air is very dry, no humidifier, my parlor palm is sitting in front of my Northern window and it's doing great! Barely any brown tips on the leaves and growing constantly. I do try to water it a little more often than most other plants in my house, which is not saying much - I let most of them get bone dry before I drown them. Parlor palm prefers more even moisture levels.
After three months fighting for my majesty palm- it is dead. I was heart broken. Thank you for telling me this info! I feel better. Ily. I recommend a sweet and tiny Bella palm! They’re pet friendly too. I have luck with it in a dappled lit north facing window.
i looove my boston fern. theyre actually fairly hardy. if they die, just cut them back, keep watering, give them bright light. ive kept mine alive for two years now, with lots of ups and down. when it was hanging i didnt water it enough, and it wanted to collapse on me. now i keep it on the floor in a ceramic pot without drainage holes, and dump whatever leftover water i have in it whenever i remember. shes thriving! i find that boston ferns love bright light--not direct, but you could put it close to a south window and itll be fine. if this encourages anyone to re-try a boston fern, i wish you success!
I have a huge Kentia Palm that is doing really well. It's pretty easy and the only thing I have to look out for is the leaves burning when the sun is too hot. I also have an amazing Asparagus Fern which grows like crazy. Easy to look after but the needles drop. The only way I've ever been able to keep Prayer Plants alive is to take them out of soil and put them into water. They're no bother in water.
So I’m not the only indoor plant parent who can grow broad leaf frrns but have a very low success rate with fine lesf ferns, which I eould dearly love to maintain. It’s good to know that a plant expert has hade the same experience with them. Thanks for sharing!
Watching this video make me feel proud.... proud that I did adequate research before buying houseplants..... I have never owned any of these plants.... I didn't think they would do good in my home
My mom has had a parlor palm for 10 years. She knows NOTHING about plants. She neglects it, she's never repotted it and it's not even in a pot with drainage holes 😭 and this thing is. still. alive 😂
Ferns... ugh. I have had my heart broken. I had a cute heart leaf fern that was doing so well in a mason jar terrarium then out of the blue just rotted. Now it is literal garbage... I also love how they look and have zero luck.
My stromanthe was doing magnificently in my apartment greenhouse and during finals week I didn’t water any plants in my greenhouse for two week. It was decimated by thrips. I cleaned it up and it started doing well again. After treating it 3 different times for thrips my anger got the best of me because the thrips came back and spread to other plants. I was so done. I threw it out. Will not be getting another.
First, yes, yes and yes. You named all the plants I smile at when I’m in a store, a nursery or a garden but when I see them go home in someone’s hand I just feel pity. Second, thank you for the giggles.
I'd agree with everything except for 1 fern - a variety of the Boston Fern called 'Fluffy Ruffles'. It needs far less water than a peace lily and is much tougher than the regular Boston Fern.
My flame violet grows so fast in the spring and summer when out on the porch. It blooms nonstop and I made like 8 new plants from the babies. It's doing ok so far inside. I run a humidifier a few times a week. I hope I can keep it alive until it's time to go back outdoors
Trio Star. Same experience here. If I bought one, I would press the leaves and put them in a frame later. Love Prayer Plants. Used distilled water, lots of carrying heavy loads. I might make it with just one plant, figuring out everything to save it. First plant was an orchid. Gave it with new buds, back to the owner. I need a Calethea Dr.
i use a humidifier either way, because i keep a lot of rain forest plants in my room, i also have asthma so it helps me breath easier too, thus far though it's kept both me and the plants happy, we have a full house filter system that takes out the chlorine and other stuff, we don't like drinking it either. also i have a majesty palm, it's going on a year old and i'm only keeping it inside in the winter, under plant lights, and i only water it during the winter when it dries out (basically letting it go dormant, like other trees) but during the summer it stays outside on the porch. i also have a japanese holly fern, a black rabbit's foot fern, and a birds nest fern, i water them whenever they droop, fertilize every 2 weeks in the summer, they are doing well
I have a tendency to buy baby calathea and parlour palms.and they kept dying and turning crispy. I ended up keeping up some seeds and cuttings. And ended up putting it in the bathroom. With a jug of water on the radiator. And now they look so nice and shinyyyy
I love you! I love a plant person who tells the truth. I feel the same. Keep it real forever. I do the ferns but bird's nests mostly and 2 humidifiers going 24/7 7 days a week. You are hilarious with the camera running out of space.
I LOVE my parlor palm! She’s currently in a medium lit area and I keep her watered allowing her to dry a bit sometimes, she has gotten so big and full! I like to mist her sometimes and clean out her fallen leaves.
OMG I was so surprised when you said prayer plant I have had one for 7 years and it is still thriving even though I had it in a bad pot. But that’s just my experience. (Her name is Maisie btw)
🤣 These types of vids, never disappoint! It makes my heart smile knowing I am not a complete failure. Brandi and Verrucosum are the ones I will not spend money on again.
Episcias imo do best in an very airy moisture retaining african violet mix and a pot that retains moisture. I water mine twice a week with distilled water as they do much better for me that way. They also do much better in very bright indirect light like right outside the direct light of a south window and will quickly get sick if they don’t get enough light. If you don’t have good light invest in a good grow light for them and they grow like crazy
I have this love for parlor palms, I've never bought one but I am tempted every time. OOOH! I was gonna say I gave up on my dream of ferns too and then I hear you bring up varieties I need to explore. I LOVE ferns. Boston and bird's nest. I dream of a ligght bathroom with loads of plants. I have a tiny bird's nest I literally put in a MOAT of water. In it's small pot with a bigger pot around it with standing water. It's not for me, the fern, it's for my snail enclosure. I am keeping it out as long as I can to let any pesticides degrade.
"they're a piece of garbage.. I love them aesthetically, I hate everything else about them"
- Me, thinking about my ex
Sometimes the 'I love them aesthetically' part is not even true.
And the “their behavior is absolutely piss poor” after fit perfectly 🤣
🤣🤣
Once you are Indifferent about them , you know your truly over them ,it can take years for the rage and sadness to go completely
😂😂😂
This is so funny because most of these plants are my personal favorite *because* they're so needy lol. I like having something to pay lots of attention to and I tend to kill plants that are considered "easy" because I fuss with them too much. My year old majesty palm is putting out new fronds like nobodies business, but she's most certainly a diva.
I used to be just like you until my collection got up to 33 plants & like a moron I transplanted them all into terra cotta to match the rooms tile they’re in & now I have to water them like every two days. They’re all doing really good, but I’m getting tired of constantly watering them.
@@nicolekelly7580906 I have had the same experience! I loved the look of terra cotta with the rest of my decor. but plants soon died... I learned that terra cotta outers, with plastic inners seems like it might be the best solution, hope it's available for you?
I have a mix of needy and easy plants, I just try to make sure I don't helicopter my plants that don't want to be fussed over. 🤣
Same here!
You're smart to know what kind of plants work with your parenting style. It's the most important thing.
Title of the video should have been Nick Unpacks His Trauma 😅
🤣 truth!
my pothos: oh? you forgot about me? well it doesn't matter bitch, I don't care. I don't need water, care or love. I will thrive without you
my maidenhair fern: T_T you looked at me weird now I'm gonna die
🤣
😂😂😂
yup maiden hair.. it just drops dead with a look.. even if u look at it lovingly, .. it has a suicide mission to die :(
@@LoriFahy they just need water everyday or every other day and they’ll reward you
I love pothos, just because they give so much, and if you give them a little, they give you even more.. 😍
I only got into plants a year or two ago but my mom always had plants around the house growing up. Except she had like 10 majesty palms, half of which came in for the winter and went out in the summer and lived for YEARS. When I tell you that gave me unrealistic expectations for when i moved out and bought my first palm to make it "feel like home".....thing died in a month. I was shocked. I thought they were hardy. Turns out my moms just a magician.
"they're a piece of garbage.. I love them aesthetically, I hate everything else about them" 😂
And we've all known people like this, too.
@@2close2themoon Ha, too true. 😆
Lmao
Disclaimer- I live in Nigeria... palms are easy plants. They just don't need that much care, but then, we tend to leave them outside, in their natural state. No one here would dream of putting a Majesty Palm indoors, eg. They're huge! But the smaller palms, parlor, kentia lady palms ,etc are dead easy indoors here. Episcias are a dream plant. They never die.
yes, because that's their original home. While in Europe or in the US...that's a different story
I have a parlour palm that is about 6 feet tall. I keep it in a centrally heated sitting room, next to a now-defunct fireplace, lit only by an eastern-facing picture window on the other side of the room! However, when I bought it 30 years ago, it was just a tiny 6-inch high plant. It IS slow-growing. And I nearly killed mine by underwatering it. I must have read somewhere that it's best not to water palms too often! Anyway, once I realised my mistake, I started drenching it nearly every day. I also repotted it into a larger, taller pot. It rewarded me by putting on a foot or two of height and bushiness in about a year. It now flowers regularly as well. It's a great plant, and not hard to care for, if you don't mind waiting for it to become jungle. But don't stint on the water.
Same here in Florida everything thrives outside, you put it inside it dies.
They're super susceptible to spider mites if you keep them indoors-- when they're outside, there are other beneficial insects and environmental factors that keep them in check
I think Ponytail Palms are good for more dry areas, but that's because they're pretty much succulents with how absolutely chunky their trunks are. The only issue is that they're slow growing, and that you can't play with their leaves despite wanting to ruffle them up every time you look at them.
me, watching my second calathea white fusion die a slow death: why did I do this to myself.
Why is it dying???
Why your plant budget must be huge. They are so expensive that when they die it’s painful in my heart as well as my wallet
@@tristanchung8831 maybe it all depends on where in the world you are. In the Netherlands and Indonesia these have been tissue culturered like crazy, and 3 sorts are available. (White fusion, white tiger and Louisiae.)
@@Fire-Queen that is true price is only dependent on local retailers.
Over here in the UK white Fusion Calathea sell for around £70
For some reason calatheas and marantas do fine for me. I have a calathea dottie was almost dead when I bought it (marked down at a big box store). It only had two leaves that were covered in pest damage. Gave it some love and it doesn't even look like the same plant anymore, it's growing like crazy. I also have a lemon lime maranta trailing down the side of my tv stand that's doing very well.
Nick, I am so grateful for ALL your peperomia videos. Every now and then I rewatch them for a fix of pep love, and learn or relax, and admire types I don't have. Today I'm watching this one while my two small children are busy playing for a bit, I'm sitting in front of my newly arranged peperomia area, with tea and toast and just luxuriating in it all. I would be so delighted to see a current collection/update on your peperomia/peperomia you've spotted lately/wishlist peps, if you have time and inclination to make one (please). I point friends to your channel all the time when they're stuck.
13:10 "growing out of cracks in the sidewalk I'm sure in areas of the world"
You would be very correct. Here in asia, maidenhair ferns are found around the mountains as weeds lol. My apartment parking lot has some growing out of cracks in the wall and I've gotten some weird looks from our security guards when I tried pulling them out of said wall lol. Which is why I find it a bit sad that it's got a rep as a diva when really the most demanding part is high humidity and frequent watering, which admittedly, is much harder to maintain for plant friends over in drier countries.
I had one and i wanted her to love me. I set up a humidifier I watered her daily, I set a timer on her light... and she was like "ur not good enough for me" and died... Even her humidifier was on a timer! Meanwhile I live in one of the colder parts of Canada and I have a citrus tree in the same room and it has been alive for 3 years and has produced fruit two of those 3 years... I would have thought if I could grow a citrus tree that the maiden hair would be a breeze! This said, I would definitely try another if i found one with a good price again! I had only paid about 4 dollars for her. I think maybe she was overly coddled and didn't get a chance to be an independent woman :P
@@MarisaAndChew perhaps it was a problem with fluctuating temperatures? I've noticed that these guys only pop out of the walls in the beginning of summer/late spring when we get storms coming in and the heat is about 26c° to 30c° in the day in bright shaded areas. Once it gets drier than 65% humidity and the temperature drops to below 25c° they immediately die back or struggle real bad. Not to say they are dead though, the same ones sprout from the same cracks once spring/summer rolls around again. I hope you manage to find a reasonably priced one and succeed this time! :)
@@linwong1494 the room i have it the indoor temp doesn't fluctuate more than maybe 4 degrees all year but its more like 18-21 so it could just be far too cold for it! I wonder if the one I got was ripped from a natural habitat potted and sold or if it was raised in a nursery its whole life. It was quite small. I know there are import/export laws on plants but a lot of people get around them. I did get it at a real store not ebay or somewhere though. Maybe I shouldn't give one another try since I keep it so cool in here year round. Or, maybe I should look for one that is much larger and established. This was a 4 inch pot and not overly large but was healthy and had a lot of growth, perhaps it was just too young and tender for my temperature though! Oddly, I never see them in our garden centers in summer when it is actually 26-30 outside! Grrr
I live in Vancouver Canada and have pretty mild winters.. i actually put one maidenhair fern outside last summer since the soil was getting flies because of so much watering. I though it had died down in the winter but i was pleasantly surprised to find that it is growing new leaves now. Meanwhile my indoor ferns are dying :(
Where I live it’s about 60% humidity in the summer and 80% in the winter and my ferns STILL get crunchy because they want more humidity. I ended up putting them on a window sill right above my 20 gal fish tank (lidless) and they are doing much better now. But I swear with the level of humidity they want they should just become aquarium plants 😂
Okay 30 seconds in and I’m already obsessed with ur energy
Nick, I found a secret to the stramathis and a lot of the prayer plants! So I get green moss, put around the dirt section, it holds the moisture in longer which is what the plant wants and loves, it also helps greatly by keeping the humidity up around the plant even during the winter in cold climates that you and I both live in. I literally killed every single plant like stramathis along with other prayer plants until I did this, now they are not only alive but they thrive! Please try it!
"Beautiful person that turns out to be apocalyptic." That's fucking poetry lol.
I bought a maiden hair fern at a grocery store almost two years ago and have had it planted it in a clear glass bowl/vase with no drainage, western window, and it has gotten MASSIVE! Don't give up on maiden hair ferns, just keep them soggy, not even moist but soggy! That's what I do anyway 😂
Inwant to try one they are on sale right now but just know I'll kill it
@@patriciawhite1206 I've seen them growing in nature. They are tougher than you think, but they live with water, out of cracks in the limestone.
My mom has one and it keeps dying, coming back, getting a fungus, dying, coming back again! She said it’s normal and they die off several times a year and hers has grown quite a bit since purchase. She’s a botanist that specializes in plant tissue culture so I trust her lol.
I bought 6 a few years ago - 3 went in the garden, 3 came inside. The ones in the garden didn't even last the summer, but the indoor ones are still going - and one of them has even propagated itself into two other pots! They do get yellow leaves sometimes but they're still doing well enough. I don't give them a ton of light but maybe I'll try more.
I live in Central America, and it's soooooo humid. So, I have beautiful calatheas and marantas. But they can be such divas.
And yes, ferns here grow in street cracks and forests... 😅😅😅
Yes!
Yo tengo de todos modos un mini humidificador alrededor de todas mis prayer plants para asegurarme que sean felices haha
@L. P. aww haha
high humidity may be healthy for plants for humans between 40% and 60% is better for the health. Above is too high and under is too dry.
For finicky ferns, I find a mulch/soil cover can really help slow down how quickly the pot dries out. I've had a maidenhair fern for about 2 years that's happy as a clam, and I water it every 3-4 days. Aquarium gravel, pebbles, even fine orchid bark can help.
Yes! That in combination with a self watering pot, it bcomes every once a week :D
I’d like to make a comprehensive list of the plants that _want_ the gravel/compost soil covering and the plants that hate it, bc I have had to adjust my snake plant, zz plant, Rhaphidophora tetrasperma, etc. by emergency removal of the rocks after I realized it was a problem for them. They made a little palm I had get mold at it’s base, but I think there are definitely some plants that would love it like a fern. Maybe fittonia? Begonia?
@@rainbomg Definitely Begonia. And Anthurium.
decorative moss is great for this, cute to look at and provides more air flow than pebbles!
@@joankennes3230 yessss yes very good
Hey man I said this in your moving post and I have to say it again here
You are REALLY doing great recently letting your personality shine through
Putting all my prayer plants in self watering plastic pots and making sure the humidity is at least 60% and getting indirect light seems to have made them all happy. They live clumped together near a tiny 1c cold mist humidifier when needed.
Drop the link please 😫 maybe a new humidifier is what my calatheas need!
Since I started spraying my calathea burlemarxii with water everyday and keep the soil moist, it started to shoot out so much new growth (in winter!!) and it looks lush and beautiful. Just a little tip 😊
I've had ridiculous success with my prayer plants I think. They have never given me a headache, they just grow and I water them about every 2 weeks or when one of them starts letting her leaves hang/ rolling them. She is like an indicator. Then I water her and the others and she perks right back up.
They all stand very close to each other between 2 Aquariums and about 2.5 to 3 meters away from my east facing window and they're just vibing lol.
Last year one of them dried out because I was away for 2 weeks and died but I cut back the dead stuff down to the soil and kept watering it along with the others and it just grew back :)
Same. I think it has a lot to do with the humidity of the state you live in. Here in eastern Michigan (I live right on Lake Erie) My prayer plants do amazing, always have. In the winter the humidity gets to 40% in my home, but in the summer since were right on the lake it’s very high. I might get the tiniest crispy edge here and there but they still grow vigorously throughout the entire year. Plus you’ll be all good once you learn that perfect balance of keeping them damp, but not to damp, letting them dry out but not dry out LOL. I personally love prayer plants.
Prayer plants are my absolute favorite- I own at least 8 varieties that I purchased last year. Some species are just so much more finicky than others. I have a triostar and white fusion that I purchased in 4” pots that are now in gallon pots and thriving with almost no brown tips. But my red maranta and vittata have a bit of brown on almost every leaf and it drives me nuts. I only water them with distilled water and they still look like trash. So frustrating
Same. But I only have three species. Calathea makoyana, C. rubifarba and Stromanthe triostar. I have real trouble with Peperomias which Nick loves.
Totally agree about calatheas. I got one as a gift and I'm pretty sure it was a test of friendship. Which I failed.
Also my majesty palm is slowly dying in a corner in the stairwell. So I feel this very hard. (I wish I'd seen this first)
I have invested in a big, realistic plastic palm for the darkest part of my appartment. No one notices it's fake, and it always give me a chuckle when people ask me how I manage to keep it alive.
“You think they’re the most beautiful person until you get to know them and then they turn out to be apocalyptic”…. Hmmm that guy I dated named logan… that’s targeted at you LMFAOOOOOO
Apocalyptic!!!!!😀😀😀😀
Epicias grow well in terracotta pots . I had one growing in a hanging terracotta pot for yrs. It used to hug the pot and looked beautiful. I now have them in plastic pots but they dont Hug the pot the leaves curl up a bit as if they are doubtful about whether they should hug the pot. Some which spilled on the ground looked Happy.
Stromanthe Triostar is a bit of a space hog too. At night, all the leaves are pointing straight up and it looks so polite. In the morning, all the leaves drop and obscure half of your other plants. I took a time-lapse video, which was fun. I've been keeping all of my tropicals on one big glass table in the living room window, and every morning I mist the whole kit & caboodle, hoping to keep the humidity sufficiently high for the day.
I have a simple parlor palm that I thought would be easy to care for. She is currently on my balcony away from my other plants. She will not be allowed back in the house until she decides to behave. I thought about throwing her off the balcony! Does that make me a bad person?😳😆
Parlour palms are soo easy to care for though 🤣 I’ve got one that’s been alive for almost a decade now. I neglect it so much😬
Edit: the parlour palm I have is Chamaedorea Elegans
LOL
Same. I think mine got shocked from repotting and decided to give up on life.
I was gonna say, don’t worry it’ll kick the bucket soon enough on it’s own! Lolz I have killed so many parlor palms. They kept sending them to me as replacements or in my mystery boxes from the sill, and I just started giving them to my BFF when they were near death. She’s got that good light and probably sorcery tbh that makes plants do a 180 when they land in her house, although she tends to have a hard time with the plants I normally do really well with. So, a good way to deal with a plant you’re fighting with is to pawn it off on your friend who has the opposite luck with plants as you do, and rehab her butthole plants, and then talk about it with her ALL THE TIME ;)
@@faustineli375 hmm, that might be the problem!
In Florida ferns are practically weeds...I've picked several from cracks...they completely thrive outside but once I bring one inside it's as good as gone...I stick to the birds nest /thicker leaves varieties as well.
We've kept a Majesty palm alive for approximately 3 years now here in Chicago area. She doesn't look... Fantastic..... But she's alive and growing. To be fair, most of her damage is because she doesn't have drainage holes and I left her outside in the rain all summer as well as damage from 3 large dogs running into her and clubbing her with their tails. She also has a volunteer coleus in her pot too
Eta - I sad to say, she has passed of root rot.
In my tropical country Episcias and Calatheas, grows everywhere. They are not bad, they just don't adapt to your houses.
The mystery to Boston fern - give it lots of light, even several hours of direct sunlight, and put in the saucer/bowl that always has water. When the saucer is empty fill it back. And I don't mean humidity tray, I mean that the plant is always standing in water. Once you give them light and constant water they are really easy...Before I gave mine away I would put a gallon of water in the 6 inch pot weekly but that was all it needed, really. The mistake people made is to assume that ferns like low light. But ex. maidenhair can grow outside in full sun if it has enough water.
I’ve always heard that prayer plants are really difficult, but ironically they’re some of the easiest ones I’ve grown. Most that I’ve had have thrived. That being said, I like to baby my plants so having ones to fuss over work well. I also live in a climate that averages 60% humidity in the summer and 80% humidity in the winter, which I’m sure helps them. It’s just funny to me because these “super difficult” plants are much easier for me than the “easy” ones like succulents, cacti and snake plants.
I love Nick’s real-ass plant talk.
I’ve been fighting with these dang peperomias for too long yall, but I gave up on ferns and palms before I even started with them. I’m hard core into vining and trailing plants that aren’t ivy or ficus right now and we are making some decent progress
*_"I gave up on ferns and palms before I even started with them"_*
In plain English; you're just too lazy to learn what a plant needs.
@@lev2727 uhhh yeah dude, _exactly_
What the plant _needs_ is to *not be in my house* 😜
I always thought the Triostar always looks "dirty". BUT, I went and bought one anyway. I have about 18 Calatheas in my bedroom right now, some are crispy and need to go. And the humidity is very high in there and they do get distilled or rainwater. Sometimes you do everything they want and they still die. I have not given up on calatheas yet, but I am getting there. I will never get another fittonia. I have killed several of them. I had a majesty palm that was not doing too bad, until...I got a kitten! And that was the end of that palm. I did miss you last week. Glad your back. I enjoy your videos and sense of humor.
I've recently discovered Calatheas as a favorite of mine; have four of them and a Maranta. They've so far been doing great in my apartment with a North-facing window. I used to want the Tenanthe Triostar, but then I saw a White Fusion! It's apparently THE biggest diva of the Calatheas, though, so I plan to wait until I'm sure the rest of mine don't die before I get one of those XD
@@Kirorokat1132 I have 2 and I am still trying to figure out what they want.
Me and my mom very recentyl got into plants at the same time and we both are drawn to calathea variants and had no idea how finicky they are.
Nick talking to the stromanthe trio like a troubled child 😂😂
Is he wrong though?
This video is the answer to accept that my 4th Stromanthe is going to be buried soon. 🤣😬
I swear prayer plants need to be pushed five to six feet away from a west facing window and given DISTILLED water. They are LOW LIGHT plants! So much fun to watch them move their leaves from day to night 😊
Areca palm is nice. It does need a good amount of light. It doesn't need as much water. I water mine once every 7 to 10 days (in winter I go even almost 2 weeks between watering). It does grow slow though. But its nice.
Am I the only one that thinks calatheas are super easy to take care of? :'). I have a stromathe triostar that I rescued from someone's garbage. The poor thing had only like 3 leaves and they were all burned. It not only recovered completely but I have had it for 2 years now and it is lush and beautiful. Of course, it has some brown tips but nothing major.
As a chronic over-waterer, prayer plants and ferns were made for me.
Ponytail palm. I got one in the mail by mistake and the seller let me keep it. It grows wonderfully in my low humidity home.
After I realized I needed to use distilled water on my maranta, it’s been rewarding me with flowers! Pinstripe calathea on the other hand….so beautiful but it’s all downhill after bringing it home.
I use tap water for my maranta and it’s doing fine. I bought it as a cutting a month ago, and it’s already working on its second new leaf
My first makoyana was thriving, then it died.I have another sent for free when I bought 4 of another. I have her in my bathroom window with medium light and humidity.
If you can get your hands on lechuza pon, try putting your prayer plants in pon and self-watering pots (with distilled water). Ever since I did that, I haven't had any crisping on my five (otherwise very bitchy) calatheas. It also effectively turned my hardest plants into my easiest ones.
🥹 this may save me and my calatheas
@@picklepirate good luck! I’ve also had the best results when converting stressed calatheas to first put them in water (filtered/distilled) for up to two weeks before putting them in pon so they can recover from the initial stress of having their roots so unsettled
@@aniliname thank you so much for the information! calatheas can definitely be drama queens. My pon just came in the mail! so, let's see what happens. I appreciate the comments
@@picklepirate Good luck! Here's a recent video from Plant Friend Down the Street on getting started with pon :)
I have an episcia I have been growing some version of for over 20 years. There have been times I would have given up on it, but it’s from a cutting my grandmother gave me of my great grandmother’s plant. I grow it in a self watering pot to cut down on getting water on it, but sometimes it will get to looking just awful, so I cut it and propagate and start over. It’s blooming right now and is just lovely. 🥰
Maidenhair Fern Tip: Use a passive watering rope dangling out from the bottom of the pot, into a permanent water source. I literally never water my fern, and it's been growing great for the last 4-5 months now. I don't do anything for it AT ALL. Planning on doing this with my Boston soon, too.
Just remember if you use an aquarium as this water source that you do not have any fertilizers or pesticides in your fern soil! It can transfer across the watering rope to the tank and hurt your fish!
I love ponytail palms! They store water in their trunk and are somewhat drought resistant.
my cat ate every frond down to the nub, and I was so crushed. it was literally just a trunk with little bumps where the fronds were. Amazingly, new fronds are growing, and even a new sprout coming up from the soil! I could NOT believe it!
It’s funny, I have a majesty palm that I’ve had for about 7 years (and gone through 4 moves) and it’s thriving. It grows very slowly for me indoors but for whatever reason this thing will not die or deteriorate no matter what I do to it! I bought it from ikea for like 20 bucks (Canadian) and it’s lasted me forever. It’s my easiest houseplant to grow. I just find it needs a higher humidity than I general keep my house at, so I placed a humidifier close by and it’s as happy as can be!
I just got into houseplants a couple of months ago. I already have at least 70. Prayer plants are my favorite. I was going to collect them. Now everyone is talking how hard they are. I really hope I have better luck. I really really love them
Just go for it :) everyone has a hard plant group they're great with and an easy plant that they kill. My hard plant is ferns, my easy plant is African violets. Can't keep an African violet alive to save my life, but ferns love me. Maybe prayer plants are your good plant :)
I had a really bad day. I say down with a beer and decided to watch whatever UA-cam gave me. Which was this video. I've got to say I laughed my ass off. Everything you said in this video I totally agree with and have had the same experiences with these plants.
I am a chronic over waterer, to the point where my standard soil mix is 1/2 to 3/4 succulent mix, no matter what the plant. Although... knock on wood, I do have a couple calatheas that made it thru the winter and are doing well. Every morning I get up and expect it will be time to toss them.
Thank you for a great video that really brightened my day!
All my prayer plants slowly died no matter how hard I tried to keep them humid. But a stromanthe I gifted my boyfriend has been doing wonderful in low light and barely being watered monthly for the past two years. 🤦🏻♀️
My stromanthe literally just gets my half finished flat bubbly water and it flourishes I don’t know how I do it
I fully agree with your view on majesty palms. I bought three of them last fall. All three are dead and gone. I tried everything I could think of and even did research, but still lost all three. This is the first plant I ever failed with growing as a houseplant. I've grow philodendron, dieffenbachia, Boston fern, dracaena, snake plant, rhoeo, Christmas cactus. Everything has survived, with the exception of the majesty palms.
I almost bought a triostar because it's just so pretty. I read in many places that it was a hard one to keep so I decided to buy a sparkling sarah during a local sale here instead. I just wanted a pink plant for my little collection
Just get some self watering planters! They’re life savers for plants that need consistently moist soil
WAIT! Would this make calathea easier to keep?! I love them and want them so bad but I've killed 3 in my 8 plant keeping years so if this would solve my problem then you would be my hero
I own a palm you were talking about for three years now and my one is good… I had her a little bit too dark and she got too wet around the root but after changing the pot and putting her lighter she is growing again😊
My maidenhair fern has actually survived a fair amount of neglect. It gets good humidity from being in the bathroom though.
I got my calathea and some of its leaves are turning brown/ dying BUT it has so much quick and new growth since I got artificial lighting and a humidifier ! I love calatheas
I spray my ctenanthe every day (and her terracotta pot from the outside, I think that keeps more moisture), there is a hygrometer sitting next to her and I make sure humidity doesn't drop under 60% around her. I love her and I see it as a challenge to keep her looking perfect.
I also spray my prayer plants daily (soil and leaves), especially during summer, and they are growing like weed.
Browning of the leaves is due to transpiration burn. These plants are unable to regulate their temperature when the humidity is low. Areas furthest away from the trunk, main stem run out of water first and burn (leaf tips). Higher humidity will prevent this from happening but you will also need heat. Another problem people encounter even when adding humidity is temperature. Most people run air conditioning indoors and this is another reason why these plants don't thrive in most houses. We keep our Calathea's outside here in Arizona even in the summer inside our greenhouse where the temperatures reach 110F but we also run misters which keep the humidity at 100%.
I LOVE my episcia silver skies. I keep it in the same window as my orchids and african violets. I care for it as if it's an african violet and wick water it. It's doing great!
I love this. As of today, I am getting rid of plants that are too high maintenance. Glad I'm not the only one :) Thanks for sharing.
My brother's first plant is a boston fern, and he waters it every three days, mists it almost daily. She's thriving lmao (probably because we live in a very humid climate)
In the old grave yard in St. Augustine, FL I ❤️ how maiden hair ferns grow on the old tombstones.
My mother loves st Augustine. We go to Florida every year (we're in New York). I've never been to the graveyard, I'll have to check it out. I love maidenhairs:)
Hi Nick! I am a plant newbi and I have learned so much from you!!!!! I was feeling very guilty after killing a beautiful triostar…today I am no longer feeling guilty! Thanks for your brilliant insight! 💜🌴
Yeah prayer plans are on my do not buy list. I’ve killed too many of them but every time I see one at my nursery I still fall for them.
I put my first fern in a terrarium, so fingers crossed that works well.
Does anyone else have trouble with fittonias or is it just me? Lol
I keep wanting to buy one but all I see about it is how terrible it is to take care of 😭😭 they’re so pretty tho!!
Me too, I never knew what I did to them that they hate me so much 😂
Hate fittonias! It’s in the name, fit! Drama
Worst plant ever
I have trouble with them and Ive never even owned one
interesting... my mom has been growing episcia for years and years and always considered it a very easy going plant :D but so she did begonias and they are such drama queens in my opinion :D
"In summer the humidity is high enough"
Me: lives in the center of spain, where it feels like the desert during summer
In the desert you would need to grow an Adantium under a glass dome! 😘
I loved the jungle rambling at the end because I just imagine I'm in a nice little jungle or forest when gazing at my plants 🥰
Also, I've been having some decent success with my asparagus ferns (just a couple species) by placing them on a relatively high shelf at a shaded south window. I water whenever the soil is slightly dry and they've been doing alright! I've tried mimicking a shady, temperate forest floor for them 😺
Thank you for this video. It’s reassuring to hear that an indoor gardener with you level of expertise has struggled with certain 🌱 plants and therefore maybe I’m not the worst indoor gardener in the 🌍 world because I have struggled and in many cases failed with the same plants. Thanks again.
I have always had good luck with all my marantas/calatheas/stromanthe. I always make sure the soil is moist, most frequently and just keep it slightly out of the window. Most of mine live in the bathroom
The Stromanthe is the only Calathea that I have manage to keep looking great. It flourishes in the bathroom. I’ve had mine for 3 years and it stills looks good. Calatheas though are a headache!
ALL of my prayer plants are in the bathroom 😄
As someone who dang near kills my fussy makoyana peacock on the reg, this video is the affirmation I’ve needed. I appreciate the free therapy! 🪴
100% right on the palms! When I started getting into plants I was so excited to see such a big plant for so big that I had to have it! within a few months the frawns would turn brown and ugly. It also had spider mites several times before I decided enough is enough and tossed it. I was so afraid of spider mites and it was my first experience with them.
Your background is such eye candy 😍
So accurate
What about the foreground? (;
😂
... That's sexual.
nick is eye candy
I’ve had my majesty palm for over a year, in a second floor apartment, in Massachusetts lol it’s in my kitchen that has 3 south facing windows and it’s in a non draining pot, I think that is the trick.
I have a Majesty Palm I've had for years, and it's still growing. I do treat it kind of like a fern with lots of water, and it likes bright light.
Parlor palms are really easy. I live in Arizona, the air is very dry, no humidifier, my parlor palm is sitting in front of my Northern window and it's doing great! Barely any brown tips on the leaves and growing constantly. I do try to water it a little more often than most other plants in my house, which is not saying much - I let most of them get bone dry before I drown them. Parlor palm prefers more even moisture levels.
After three months fighting for my majesty palm- it is dead. I was heart broken. Thank you for telling me this info! I feel better. Ily.
I recommend a sweet and tiny Bella palm! They’re pet friendly too. I have luck with it in a dappled lit north facing window.
i looove my boston fern. theyre actually fairly hardy. if they die, just cut them back, keep watering, give them bright light. ive kept mine alive for two years now, with lots of ups and down. when it was hanging i didnt water it enough, and it wanted to collapse on me. now i keep it on the floor in a ceramic pot without drainage holes, and dump whatever leftover water i have in it whenever i remember. shes thriving! i find that boston ferns love bright light--not direct, but you could put it close to a south window and itll be fine. if this encourages anyone to re-try a boston fern, i wish you success!
I have a huge Kentia Palm that is doing really well. It's pretty easy and the only thing I have to look out for is the leaves burning when the sun is too hot.
I also have an amazing Asparagus Fern which grows like crazy. Easy to look after but the needles drop.
The only way I've ever been able to keep Prayer Plants alive is to take them out of soil and put them into water. They're no bother in water.
When you start talking about fern, your cuteness sparks. That lovely
I was looking forward to buying my first prayer plant!
I have three areca palms and I love them for the growth they have had in the last few months.
So I’m not the only indoor plant parent who can grow broad leaf frrns but have a very low success rate with fine lesf ferns, which I eould dearly love to maintain. It’s good to know that a plant expert has hade the same experience with them. Thanks for sharing!
Watching this video make me feel proud.... proud that I did adequate research before buying houseplants..... I have never owned any of these plants.... I didn't think they would do good in my home
My mom has had a parlor palm for 10 years. She knows NOTHING about plants. She neglects it, she's never repotted it and it's not even in a pot with drainage holes 😭 and this thing is. still. alive 😂
Ferns... ugh. I have had my heart broken. I had a cute heart leaf fern that was doing so well in a mason jar terrarium then out of the blue just rotted. Now it is literal garbage... I also love how they look and have zero luck.
Oh no lol better watch mine then! I thought my problems were solved with the jar! 😉
My stromanthe was doing magnificently in my apartment greenhouse and during finals week I didn’t water any plants in my greenhouse for two week. It was decimated by thrips. I cleaned it up and it started doing well again. After treating it 3 different times for thrips my anger got the best of me because the thrips came back and spread to other plants. I was so done. I threw it out. Will not be getting another.
First, yes, yes and yes. You named all the plants I smile at when I’m in a store, a nursery or a garden but when I see them go home in someone’s hand I just feel pity.
Second, thank you for the giggles.
Your self talk through your “fernundrum” was the best part of my day! Yes, I know, it’s not even 8 am yet but I’m confident nothing else will top it.
I'd agree with everything except for 1 fern - a variety of the Boston Fern called 'Fluffy Ruffles'. It needs far less water than a peace lily and is much tougher than the regular Boston Fern.
My flame violet grows so fast in the spring and summer when out on the porch. It blooms nonstop and I made like 8 new plants from the babies. It's doing ok so far inside. I run a humidifier a few times a week. I hope I can keep it alive until it's time to go back outdoors
I just love my palm, Dypsis lutescens, which has a blossom right now. I have it for about 2 years and it is a easy going plant.
Trio Star. Same experience here. If I bought one, I would press the leaves and put them in a frame later. Love Prayer Plants. Used distilled water, lots of carrying heavy loads. I might make it with just one plant, figuring out everything to save it. First plant was an orchid. Gave it with new buds, back to the owner. I need a Calethea Dr.
i use a humidifier either way, because i keep a lot of rain forest plants in my room, i also have asthma so it helps me breath easier too, thus far though it's kept both me and the plants happy, we have a full house filter system that takes out the chlorine and other stuff, we don't like drinking it either.
also i have a majesty palm, it's going on a year old and i'm only keeping it inside in the winter, under plant lights, and i only water it during the winter when it dries out (basically letting it go dormant, like other trees) but during the summer it stays outside on the porch.
i also have a japanese holly fern, a black rabbit's foot fern, and a birds nest fern, i water them whenever they droop, fertilize every 2 weeks in the summer, they are doing well
I have a tendency to buy baby calathea and parlour palms.and they kept dying and turning crispy. I ended up keeping up some seeds and cuttings. And ended up putting it in the bathroom. With a jug of water on the radiator. And now they look so nice and shinyyyy
I love you! I love a plant person who tells the truth. I feel the same. Keep it real forever. I do the ferns but bird's nests mostly and 2 humidifiers going 24/7 7 days a week. You are hilarious with the camera running out of space.
I LOVE my parlor palm! She’s currently in a medium lit area and I keep her watered allowing her to dry a bit sometimes, she has gotten so big and full! I like to mist her sometimes and clean out her fallen leaves.
I have had mine for over 40 years love it massive now I keep it by patio doors it seems to love it there
I’ve had my majesty palm for 3 years and it has tripled in size. You’re totally right about the light and water but otherwise it’s pretty easy going
OMG I was so surprised when you said prayer plant I have had one for 7 years and it is still thriving even though I had it in a bad pot. But that’s just my experience. (Her name is Maisie btw)
I have houseplants. I have cats. The former better be easy, cuz I ain't got time for TWO needy things in my life, folks! 🤣
🤣 These types of vids, never disappoint! It makes my heart smile knowing I am not a complete failure. Brandi and Verrucosum are the ones I will not spend money on again.
Episcias imo do best in an very airy moisture retaining african violet mix and a pot that retains moisture. I water mine twice a week with distilled water as they do much better for me that way. They also do much better in very bright indirect light like right outside the direct light of a south window and will quickly get sick if they don’t get enough light. If you don’t have good light invest in a good grow light for them and they grow like crazy
I have this love for parlor palms, I've never bought one but I am tempted every time. OOOH! I was gonna say I gave up on my dream of ferns too and then I hear you bring up varieties I need to explore. I LOVE ferns. Boston and bird's nest. I dream of a ligght bathroom with loads of plants. I have a tiny bird's nest I literally put in a MOAT of water. In it's small pot with a bigger pot around it with standing water. It's not for me, the fern, it's for my snail enclosure. I am keeping it out as long as I can to let any pesticides degrade.