Ya'll who got them cheap, make cuttings, give them away. The more people prop and trade, the more the prices come down. C'mon, let's be plant pirates. I propagate everything, and don't charge for anything. I'll trade for some pots or ferts or soil, and make more plants.
also, i have a habit of drive by snippings whilst at lowes. i went batshit the other day and i have like 20 clippings in water waiting to root lolooloolo
I heard the phrase “guerrilla gardener” describing a friend who always has clippers, bags, and boxes for roadside pants that are begging for a new home!
@@sabrinahasan4849 exactly what you said. It’s theft. I don’t care if you’re snipping from a chain store or someone’s garden. DO NOT steal cuttings. It’s dishonest and just plain rude.
Thank you again for bringing some sense to the madness that has occurred over the past 3 years! As a plant collector of over 30 years I have never seen things this crazy! Notably philodendron Rio and the syngoniums albo used to be available at big box stores 15 or 20 years ago sitting right next to pothos and available for about the same price! Calm down everybody!
@@user-dq9rr9mv3f dead serious. No b******* here. I absolutely cannot believe the prices that they are demanding for these right now. It's almost Criminal
@@moiraslater8526 I love my spider plant, but I bought it for £1 at a reduced price in my local Tesco. Seen them in florists shop in a much smaller scale for a much bigger price though. Here in uk same thing is going on with ivy. It’s a weed, if you want one you can go to a park, cut a few of them (they grow as parasites on most trees), root it easily in water and get a plant for free. Yet florists are selling them for at least for £5.
I agree on plant prices and it is insane to pay a thousand or even hundreds on a plant, most of these plants have maybe 2 leaves. The massive demand for plants, succulents and cacti is driving a black market in some countries, where they are pulling plants out of the ground to sell, disrupting the ecology, when some species are already endangered.
Personally I won’t spend much over $50. For a plant. There are many that cost in the hundreds of dollars that I want but until the prices drop on them or I get a cheap cutting I will stick with the beautiful plants I already have. As far as that begonia … I’ve never cared for them. I have a polka dot begonia and I just don’t get it. I’m giving it to my daughter. Thanks for the input on the trending plants :)
really large begonias make a very dramatic statement plant, that isn't what most people have though, they have a sad plant with a couple leaves. i like buying really small plants for a couple bucks and growing them out, I guess i'm more of a grower than collector? I don't know!
@@notverynotoriousg5674 I agree ☝️…. I prefer growing them out and not having plants just to “collect “. My begonia is pretty small and leggy. I bought 2 small ones with only 4 leaves 🍃 . They were sold to me as a polka dot but I don’t see it lol. Maybe it will grow out nicer but I think my daughter would appreciate it more than I.
Same here, I always buy starter plants and I enjoy growing them big🤗. But now a days even starter plants sold in double price🤦♀️, imagine even the single cuttings cost way overprice😫. I tend to wait and sometimes stumbled upon plants with decent price and full pots. Another great video Nick👍
Same! I like growing out my plants! The only large plant I bought was a Monstera Deliciosa but it was SUPER inexpensive and I really love the fenestration. And with the prices...it is my most expensive at a whopping $15... lol
@@suezy1969 They grow kind of tree shaped if you prop them up and then the flowers hang beneath the leaves, its quite stunning when it is a large, healthy plant. I had a few large baskets when I lived in FL and people would oooh and ah.
I bought a Monstera adansonii for half-price in my supermarket (as it looked like it was dying). I managed to salvage it, and ended up with 4 plants and gave 2 away to work colleagues. The remaining 2 are now growing like crazy.
@@haleycaldwell460 my husband has given up complaining about my "rescuing" dying plants off supermarket shelves. I even rescued a Musa dwarf Cavendish banana which was dying at the same time. It's now almost 18 inches tall and has thrown off about 4 baby banana plants. 😁
I’m pretty new to houseplants but out of all the plants I’ve bought this spring and summer, my watermelon peperomia is doing FANTASTIC. It’s been putting out so much new growth, is not picky about watering, and looks super pretty - I highly recommend it
Mine looks absolutely dreadful! But after watching Nick's watermelon peperomia video, I realized mine needs to be repotted in drier soil and put in better light. Fingers crossed.
@@alexandraioan7885 you’re likely right, I myself have a pot the shape of breasts & one the shape of a butt! they look super dope & artsy with plant foliage!
If the PPP was $25 & had excellent variegation, I’d consider buying one. I find 90% of them downright ugly. So I definitely wouldn’t risk much more than $20 on one. I did just buy a little syngonium ‘pink splash.’ It was affordable & is super cute. I’m excited to see it grow
That is the way things were in the past. You're attitude of "It doesn't appeal to me, but that plant looks very nice". It was before this "I've got to get the newest plant trend!!" that has push the prices to the sky! Don't change your attitude! Yours is an attitude that a plant person should have. Get what appeals to you! What's attractive to you or what makes you interested in learning how to care for it! Tests your skills! Plants shouldn't be trends
They may look ugly but I call mine my 'suprise' plant as despise buying a brown one that was cheap and considered ugly when I bought it, it throws out pink variations in the leaves now and then (i got mine $10 AU as it was listed as an ugly reverted... it's very pink now it's grown out.) I have a bad habbit of saving supermarket over watered plants and nursing them back to health or just unwanted ugly plants stores have cheap because they don't look aesthetically pleasing. Be amazed how much more rewarding they are than buying a 'perfect' plant when they do well and return your efforts with stunning foliage once they're used to your conditions.
Sleep in 1st year, creep in 2nd, and leap in 3rd year is mostly applicable to roses. I am from tropics, 99% of these plants people in the West go craze are just WEEDS! 😂😂😂😂Love your sense Nick! I would say, you are my fave houseplant vlogger!
I think that prices and demand for Pink Princess will be falling since so many people seem to have bought one and it reverted. Who wants to spend a lot of $ on a pink plant that will likely become not pink? Your Pink Princess is one of the most pink that I've seen.
Sounds like a good time to get one. Sometimes when people say reverted it's because they couldn't give the plant adequate conditions or just grew impatient waiting on a plant with a rare genetic mutation to suprise them. If you buy them instead with the mind set that the varigation is like a 'suprise' rather than a defining feature you tend to he happier with said plant. Less disappointment that way.
Of all my amazing plants, my Begonia maculata wightii is the only one my (nonplant-loving) co-workers would always ask about and fuss over when it showed up in the background of a zoom meeting.
Hi Nick I come from Long Island and I too are a big plant collector around 90 plants or more I love the way you brake it down letting us know everything about ech plant I leaned so much from u keep doing what you do best thank you
Great info! A couple of months ago, I purchased a small "reverted PPP" from my local plant group for $10 (would not have paid more). Lots of people in my group have brought the pink back out by chopping and propping and/or using grow lights, so I think that some of the ones sold as "reverted" are not truly reverted (though not always the case). The newest leaf has some specks of lighter color that give me hope! If not, I still enjoy reddish climbing philodendrons. 🤷♂️
I’ve been waiting for the price to drop for years. I love philodendrons but I can’t justify that price. Now that the houseplants trend is ending I hope to have it soon. Love your channel.
I love my cebu blue and got it from someone locally and affordable. I do hope to get a pink princess when the price is reasonable. I have settled for the orange prince and he is lovely.
I love your real talk take on plant care and growth. So many people act like it’s so easy to grow big plants they either bought that way or it took years to get there. My 4in pot monstera won’t take over my home in 6 months 😅
I just love your channel! During the pandemic, I've become obsessed with collecting plants as they bring me so much joy! And I've been binge watching your videos and loving your chill but soooo informative videos! So peaceful. Thank you for your work. :)
This was such a good video to make! Have to admit I love seeing someone not loving the "albo monstera", I bought mine for around $30, so very cheap compared to prices in the US, but i agree, it's one that doesn't live up to its hipe [shrug] And again, with begonias I think there are so many great begonias that I think the hipe for the maculata isn't all that worth it.
@Max Taelor I think it's also a little buyers fault that 'we created' the demand for unrooted cuttings and leaves :/ but thankfully prices seem to be coming down slowly
i can't say how much i adore my cebu blue plant. personally i think it's worth the hype. grows so fast, such gorgeous leaves and almost impossible to kill!
This is a great video. Love this. I’d love more videos like this on your opinions on the current plant market. I really don’t get the hype on some of these expensive plants. I think your regular Monstera deliciosa is better than some of the variegated forms. I definitely agree with you on your choices. I remember when the Begonia maculata was that plant everyone’s nan had in the 70s/80s and then became “uncool”. It’s not so expensive in the UK but has definitely become popular again. I do believe it has a lot going for it as a house plant. I got mine from a cutting from a friend who had a giant one. They are incredibly easy to propagate too. I’m hoping the market starts to settle down as some plants are demanding ridiculous prices. We should all be able to grow beautiful plants in our homes without having to sell a kidney.
By the way Nick I have recently made an entire peperomia shelf. Twenty pots on a ladder shelf with grow lights. Plants have been arriving in the mail and I am gonna be potting them up this weekend.
Except it’ll always have differing amounts of variegation...right? The Birkin was always a very uniform plant where the PPP is very random. So finding a perfect, super pink, one will be the next craze.
@@GEOMETRICINK Much like how you don’t see Birkins reverting back to Rojo Congos on store shelves, I’m sure growers who sell to big box stores will make sure that the Princesses they sell are as good as they can be. But you are probably correct to a degree given how much more readily Princesses revert compared to Birkins.
One of our online nurseries in the UK has just started selling baby PPP for £25. Limited to one per customer. They are small babies but perfectly formed with quite a few leaves.
I absolutely love my Cebu blue and made plants for my friends and family. They’re so easy and beautiful. And I absolutely love my adansonii too! Such easy beautiful plants.
Ha Ha, wish I was an econ prof or even taking econ, because you are right, Nick, the Pink Princess is the best case study of supply and demand (and a fun little story to tell, too) Probably not so fun for the poor sod that gets buyer’s remorse when the bill comes....but if it’s what you want, you want it and if it makes you happy go for it! I’m not going to judge other’s taste in plants, but like another commenter said, I won’t spend over 50 USD for a plant (but I did go over that for a Hoya when calculating shipping) Naughty girl! WIsh my Cebu blue learned that it was an easy to grow plant, it hasn’t found it’s happy spot and even though I have an effing HUGE monstera adesonii (started as a 4” pot) I can’t propagate it to save my life, water, sphag, direct soil, throws a few leaves and dies.
My local nursery just had an awesome sale. 50 percent off of plants and 75 off of summer plants. I purchased a few really nice things for such a great price. I had to limit myself and it wasn't easy. So glad I was there on the first day of the sale. Bought the things that I really had wanted for a while. So it wasn't as painful to get rid of the ones that were in extreme distress and not worth trying to save. They were sick with some mold and fungus issues. With the replacements it was easy to trash the others. I love my plants, a lot.
I am so glad the prices are not THAT crazy in Germany! As far as I know, the only popular plant that is currently going for several hundreds is a variegated adansonii. Everything else including the pink princess you can get small ones for less than a hundred Euros.
I guess I've been very lucky with my albo Monstera deliciosa. I love them! Started out with two one leaf cuttings. One of them got 11 new leaves within 16 months (the newest ones are the length of my forearm with tons of fenestration), the other one got badly injured by thrips, but still managed to regain strength and put out about 7 or 8 leaves in the same period. Now I have five albo plants and none have less than 6 leaves. Two of them are about 50% white through out, so I'm happy for sure! Lots of light helped me. The only one making a fuss is my Thai constellation. That one grows soo slow, about 2-3 leaves a year. And well, thrips absolutely love my variegated monsteras so it's a constant battle.
Been awhile since I have watched your videos. And man, I missed your enthusiasm and also teachings around houseplants. You are so knowledgeable and just real about how they look in the store compared to what they may end up looking at home. Your collection is so amazing.
I've had an Monstera Albo "wet stick" with a long aerial root coming out of it, and it still hasn't sprouted more roots yet after 3 months. They take FOREVER! So if anyone wants one, just get a fully rooted plant/leaf and save yourself the trouble.
I love Pink princess! Mlat least Mine! I traded for mine and it's highly variegated and beautiful ❤️ now.... My monstera albo is not as impressive as i hoped for! It took me 8 months to grow one leaf! 🙄 The Thai con is MUCH MORE IMPRESSIVE and grows so much faster 💜
I always like your input about what plants are worth keeping, because you speak of experience from growing them in a home environment, rather than a greenhouse, etc. For your monstera albo, while they are really slow growers, if you want it to grow faster, train the aerial roots to grow into the soil or attach to a moss pole. The more aerial roots it has attached to a surface, the faster it grows (it's still slower than the other deliciosa varieties though)
I have to agree with you on the pink plants I have the pink Ag you mentioned and I get a lot of comments on it being a cool plant when people come over, yet I walked past a whole shelf of em last week. Somehow they just get overlooked. I propagate mine and give it to friends, it's a blast. Gorgeous little plant.
I once had an Angel Wing begonia that wasn't a Maculata, that gave me ten inch clusters of sparkling light salmon pink blooms with the awesome yellow velvet spirals coming out..it grew like a weed in a southeast corner window I no longer have, nor the room! Now I grow Rexes under lights, and go from leaf section to blooms in six months! 😸
I bought a pink princess for $70 that was sold as reverted and it is most definitely not reverted, if you shop around you can find great stuff for cheap! Every new leaf it pops out is more pink! It's also worth it to look for "rehab" plants
I like the fact that you're so down to earth. I started watching plant care videos because I really wanted to learn how to care for plants. I thought I'm 40 years old and have no plants because I always kill them, I'd like to have plants. It makes your house look more inviting. But then as I started watching plant videos realized how nowadays a large group of UA-camrs are all promoting these ridiculously expensive plants. And they call them influencers. 😂 Granted the plants do look beautiful, but I agree with you, for that price they're not worth it. I would die if I spent 100 dollars on a plant that I'd then kill.😂 I'm sticking to plants that fall into my budget. Thank you Nick for saying things as they are. I really appreciate your normal plants videos.
I’ve had a lot of success with M. deliciosa ‘Albo’ but I keep it on my patio. Even in the winter it does great. I am in USDA zone 9. It’s been really nice selling the cuttings too!
Definitely agree on the PPP, I LOVE philos and I like pink plants, but the PPP just looks.. sick? I don't understand the hype and cost at all. I've never seen one that has ever made me think "that looks nice."
As the philodendron pink Princess, I think they developed tissue culture since they sell a small ppp now for 10 to 15€ on several shops. You see some on a few shops, but soon we'll see them everywhere 😉 many other plant's prices have gown down. So i'll wait ☺️ thanks for your videos I love them !
I recently got a Swiss Cheese Vine. I've been wanting one for so long. I think I paid about $16.00 for a 4 inch pot. It already popped out a new leaf 😁 Great video!
These cost less than 10 Euros in Germany. I'm really shocked about the prizes of house plants in America. I am lucky to have a really big bathroom with a window facing east. Plants are growing like weed there, the love the humid air from running hot water. So I not only shower and bath in a jungle, I also use the bathroom as a rehab centre for plants from other rooms.
This video was so interesting!! I have to add- I am a brand new plant mama, and I fell in love with the pink princess that the plant shop had displayed up at the register…. Until I read the price tag of $500!!! I had also grabbed a 4’ ish pothos trained to grow up a moss pole and without looking at the price nor wondering if it was something a little special with its gorgeous silver leaves compared to alll of the others with green leaves :) I didn’t realize I had chosen a $250 silver satin exotica. Oh well lol, I love it and am so glad I didn’t think to check the price before bringing it up to the checkout because I surely would not have been able to bring myself to spend that much on one plant if I had known the price ahead of time! So far I am so so happy with my pothos, money plant, and monstera. I also grabbed a small potted house plant without realizing that it was in fact ANOTHER silver satin exotica😂😂😂 - apparently, I really really like the way that particular plant looks! So hopefully I continue to have good luck with my first plant babies! I can’t wait to fill my new (first) home with house plants!! New subscriber here!! -Nora
Agreed. My mom had a huge one like almost taller than me (I’m 5’9”). I was given a propagated trimming and I was careless with it and I thought it died but luckily she’s doing beautifully now. Even bloomed two flowers the other day. I’m so proud :’)
@@imarielmermaid yes. Mine was a propagation from my grandmothers plant and it lives outside. I have props all over my house though that I will think are definitely dead, I’ll water then and they spring back 😂 They’re very hardy plants.
I always check FB and craigslist for neglected plants people are selling for cheap, they bounce right back after being re-potted and put into the right environment
I got a very large monstera from Lowe’s towards the end of September for $29 and I was shocked. I had just seen one the day before that was a third of the size for $45 and I thought it was a decent price compared to what I had been seeing.
M y swiss cheese plant was from walmart. 10 years ago . in 7 years after changeing it to a large pot, it reached 12 feet.gave it away as i moved. resettled and have a new one .lovely plant.3 cheers from Canada
I find Pink Princess exciting because as far as I know, Aglaonemas don't trail! I wanted a Pink Princess because I have limited space and hang most of my plants, and the thought of a pink trailing plant seems so magical to me! I have both, but my Aglaonema definitely takes up a little too much room in my small space, and it becomes a bit of a hassle. My PPP hasn't started trailing yet, but she's a fast grower, like you said! She's probably about 4-5 leaves from starting to trail. I got her with about 3 leaves a couple of months ago, since then she's pushed out 5 leaves! So she's at 8 leaves now, none of them have died off from age either. I hope she doesn't revert, as I had her a bit lower than the window for a few months. There's still specks of pink, but I've elevated her to reach the morning rays.
I don’t think the ppp trails, it climbs, but doesn’t trail. If you are looking for a trailing pink plant, the callisia Repens pink panther or any of the pink syngoniums are good choices. The syngonium pink, pink allusion, pink splash, and confetti are all beautiful varieties
meanwhile in the Netherlands I've seen monstera albo cuttings for as little as 15 euros 😂 for 130 euros you have a fantastic BIG plant. Here it's definitely worth it, as soon as they're back in stock I'm going to buy a starter kit with 2 plants (3 to 5 leaves) extra soil and a moss pole for 60 euro's🤔
Yes thats soo true !! I often think when i hadalot of big plants who are expensive i would sell them for a nice low price .becose everyone has to enjoy it
About 3 yrs ago, my area big box stores had Cebu Blue in 8" pots for @ $10.99. Can't believe how the prices skyrocketed for a plant that grows like a weed.
I actually found a baby pink princess for 45 locally. Still a wild price but I'm excited to have it grow and give cuttings of it to my friends. It's the most expensive of my plants so far 😅
I love PPP because every leaf is different and plant to plant is also different! I have 5 (🙈 ops) and every single one surprises me with every new leaf, it’s so exciting and fascinating!
Oh, I don't understand why people think Monstera albo variegata is an easy plant to grow, even the Monstera Deliciosa is difficult to grow - thrips seem to love them! I threw my Monstera Deliciosa out because of it and I'm ready to do the same with my albo variegata. Tired of starting over again and again, thrips do so much harm to the leaves. Not worth the money and the agony, imho.
How is monstera difficult to grow? I dont get it. One of the easiest plants i ever had, it's just unkillable. Thrips love most of the plants, you just quarantine your new plants and that solves the problem.
Love your videos. You're so well spoken and confident especially, with the plant names I always trip on trying to get it. Lol you really seem to love and appreciate your plants and it makes the video pleasurable to watch. Thank you.
let me tell you guys my experience so far with a monstera adansonii: I bought it one and a half year ago, and only just now it's really showing some growth.... Why? I have no idea, I've always gave proper lighting and watering, maybe they didn't like being transplanted? (they were really baby plants when I got them) anyways besides that I love them, very easy to take care and beautiful ❤️
Ok, I must confess.... I would definitely spend WAY too much on a monstera albo if I had the money to. I love them and they are worth it to me. The color is gorgeous and I love my monstera deliciosa's that I would love an albo. They are my guilty pleasure plant. Also, would enjoy a video that is all the plants that you would spend too much money on if you could get it!
Thank you Nick for your honesty about the ridiculous pricing of some of these plants. The people that sell them are no better than the ticket scalpers at concerts. No true lover of the plant world ever think of ripping off other plant lovers. Thank you Nick for being a true indoor gardener ☺️
It's interesting to see that I managed to find 4/5 of these plants for super cheap. I have yet to find Cebu and Pink Princess in my area of San Diego, and I've managed to find a Non Veregated Monstera for 5$ at Lowes because someone spilt white paint on it plus root rot.
never do time stemps but at 14:15 this giggeling is soo cute I think I just fell in love😄 my beonia maculata just doesn´t do anything, had the tiny thing for like 2 years and got it with only two tiny leaves and whenever it grows new leaves it looses another
Great Video - never understood the fascination with PPP, but I do LOVE my P. Black Cardinal, which cost much less and I find is just as striking with its nearly black foliage. Got my Cebu Blue from Home Depot as a full hanging basket for ~$15 almost a year ago, now its vines are scuttling across the floor, at least 9' long or more - def. time for a 'chop-n-prop' for that guy - same goes for my Scindapsus Pictus. Watermelon peperomias don't like me too well unless they're in my large (300gal) paludarium where they get large and try to push the lid off! - All of the ones I've tried to grow outside of there have been very unhappy or straightaway just died. My B. maculata is doing well, but can't compare at all to either of my other cane begonias (Angel and Dragon wing types). I've only got 'regular' M. Deliciosas. My oldest is at least 5 years old and is ginormous! I have 3 props off of that one that are about a year old and are doing well, but I'm def. going to have to do a major hack job on the mother plant soon - the main stalk is probably 6 feet long and a good 2+" in diameter!
I got a tiny Cebu Blue for twenty bucks, it grew over nine feet in a season, and was so heavy I couldn't bring it inside, that sucker survived under the cover of the porch through the winter and even housed a family of Carolina wrens. I broke it up and now pieces are growing up my fiddle leaf fig. Lovely plant, one I think I could propagate and sell!!
Ya'll who got them cheap, make cuttings, give them away. The more people prop and trade, the more the prices come down. C'mon, let's be plant pirates. I propagate everything, and don't charge for anything. I'll trade for some pots or ferts or soil, and make more plants.
reminds me of taping tapes for my buddies in the 90s lolz
also, i have a habit of drive by snippings whilst at lowes. i went batshit the other day and i have like 20 clippings in water waiting to root lolooloolo
I heard the phrase “guerrilla gardener” describing a friend who always has clippers, bags, and boxes for roadside pants that are begging for a new home!
@@beckyrunk4330 both of which are illegal. No one needs to put themselves in a position to get the cops called on them for a plant clipping.
@@sabrinahasan4849 exactly what you said. It’s theft. I don’t care if you’re snipping from a chain store or someone’s garden. DO NOT steal cuttings. It’s dishonest and just plain rude.
“Sleep 1st year
Creep 2nd year
Leap 3rd year” -This phrase kept me from being discouraged! 🌱
I read that a few years ago in relation to growing clematis and it’s so true. 👍😁
Thank you again for bringing some sense to the madness that has occurred over the past 3 years! As a plant collector of over 30 years I have never seen things this crazy! Notably philodendron Rio and the syngoniums albo used to be available at big box stores 15 or 20 years ago sitting right next to pothos and available for about the same price! Calm down everybody!
Wow seriously????
@@user-dq9rr9mv3f dead serious. No b******* here. I absolutely cannot believe the prices that they are demanding for these right now. It's almost Criminal
I can't believe people pay for syngonium or spider plants...they are weeds here and have never paid for either
Remarkable honesty! Thanks!!!
@@moiraslater8526 I love my spider plant, but I bought it for £1 at a reduced price in my local Tesco. Seen them in florists shop in a much smaller scale for a much bigger price though. Here in uk same thing is going on with ivy. It’s a weed, if you want one you can go to a park, cut a few of them (they grow as parasites on most trees), root it easily in water and get a plant for free. Yet florists are selling them for at least for £5.
I agree on plant prices and it is insane to pay a thousand or even hundreds on a plant, most of these plants have maybe 2 leaves. The massive demand for plants, succulents and cacti is driving a black market in some countries, where they are pulling plants out of the ground to sell, disrupting the ecology, when some species are already endangered.
I agree…very concerning
Unless you grow it out take cuttings and sell them for the price you payed for it
@@broccoligirl9019 Join in on the price gouging, if you can't beat 'em join 'em? No thanks, don't want to be part of the problem.
Sad what greed drives humans to do.
@@lindam9018 fortunately in many countries people flood the markets with those rare plants to destroy those ridiculous prices
Personally I won’t spend much over $50. For a plant. There are many that cost in the hundreds of dollars that I want but until the prices drop on them or I get a cheap cutting I will stick with the beautiful plants I already have. As far as that begonia … I’ve never cared for them. I have a polka dot begonia and I just don’t get it. I’m giving it to my daughter. Thanks for the input on the trending plants :)
really large begonias make a very dramatic statement plant, that isn't what most people have though, they have a sad plant with a couple leaves.
i like buying really small plants for a couple bucks and growing them out, I guess i'm more of a grower than collector? I don't know!
@@notverynotoriousg5674 I agree ☝️…. I prefer growing them out and not having plants just to “collect “. My begonia is pretty small and leggy. I bought 2 small ones with only 4 leaves 🍃 . They were sold to me as a polka dot but I don’t see it lol. Maybe it will grow out nicer but I think my daughter would appreciate it more than I.
Same here, I always buy starter plants and I enjoy growing them big🤗. But now a days even starter plants sold in double price🤦♀️, imagine even the single cuttings cost way overprice😫. I tend to wait and sometimes stumbled upon plants with decent price and full pots. Another great video Nick👍
Same! I like growing out my plants! The only large plant I bought was a Monstera Deliciosa but it was SUPER inexpensive and I really love the fenestration. And with the prices...it is my most expensive at a whopping $15... lol
@@suezy1969 They grow kind of tree shaped if you prop them up and then the flowers hang beneath the leaves, its quite stunning when it is a large, healthy plant. I had a few large baskets when I lived in FL and people would oooh and ah.
I really like the way you speak so naturally. Very entertaining and calming
I bought a Monstera adansonii for half-price in my supermarket (as it looked like it was dying). I managed to salvage it, and ended up with 4 plants and gave 2 away to work colleagues. The remaining 2 are now growing like crazy.
I got mine for 10 bucks on facebook marketplace!
@@haleycaldwell460 mine was £3. Which is cheap as it came with a nice blue three-footed ceramic planter. 😁
@@ilyanaismail5391 omg I guess I overpaid haha! I love that so much!
@@haleycaldwell460 my husband has given up complaining about my "rescuing" dying plants off supermarket shelves. I even rescued a Musa dwarf Cavendish banana which was dying at the same time. It's now almost 18 inches tall and has thrown off about 4 baby banana plants. 😁
I got mine on the discount shelf for about $3.
I’m pretty new to houseplants but out of all the plants I’ve bought this spring and summer, my watermelon peperomia is doing FANTASTIC. It’s been putting out so much new growth, is not picky about watering, and looks super pretty - I highly recommend it
Mine looks absolutely dreadful! But after watching Nick's watermelon peperomia video, I realized mine needs to be repotted in drier soil and put in better light. Fingers crossed.
Lucky you. Beautiful plant.
This was so fun to watch and so informative! “No one should be buying a wet stick” 🤣
I love you Nick. Completely agree with over priced plants but you're right we as customers dictate the market especially with auctions. 😊
You are such a calm, grounding energy is a crazed, wild, sometimes cut-throat, houseplant community. Thank you!
I had a seizure trying to read this
i thought adansonii was overrated for the longest time but now they’re one of my favorite, i just bought my second one today lol
That is the plant I want. One day soon I'm going to look for one
Nick’s style of dissing is adorable haha love how honest he is !
I’m local to Philly myself. I picked up a “reverted” pink princess a few weeks back for $25 at a little shop. It’s now pushing fully pink leaves 👀
Ahhhhhhh I’d love to know this little shop. I’m also in the area 💚🍃
Did you do anything special?
So you’re not going to share “the little shop”?
Aaaaaaay Philly! DelCo Proud.
I've reached a number in my plants collection in which "slow grower" sounds appealing
Ditto
I always love Nick’s “Shady” atmosphere with a sprinkle of sassiness. This is why I come back to you Nick. TGIF!
Have you noticed the pot on the right? Am I seeing a make lower area or am I imagining things? 😅
*male lower area
@@alexandraioan7885 now I can’t stop looking at that pot! Lol
@@alexandraioan7885 Yes I stared at that thing throughout the whole video.
@@alexandraioan7885 you’re likely right, I myself have a pot the shape of breasts & one the shape of a butt! they look super dope & artsy with plant foliage!
If the PPP was $25 & had excellent variegation, I’d consider buying one. I find 90% of them downright ugly. So I definitely wouldn’t risk much more than $20 on one. I did just buy a little syngonium ‘pink splash.’ It was affordable & is super cute. I’m excited to see it grow
There about $25 in Australia
That is the way things were in the past. You're attitude of "It doesn't appeal to me, but that plant looks very nice". It was before this "I've got to get the newest plant trend!!" that has push the prices to the sky! Don't change your attitude! Yours is an attitude that a plant person should have. Get what appeals to you! What's attractive to you or what makes you interested in learning how to care for it! Tests your skills! Plants shouldn't be trends
They may look ugly but I call mine my 'suprise' plant as despise buying a brown one that was cheap and considered ugly when I bought it, it throws out pink variations in the leaves now and then (i got mine $10 AU as it was listed as an ugly reverted... it's very pink now it's grown out.) I have a bad habbit of saving supermarket over watered plants and nursing them back to health or just unwanted ugly plants stores have cheap because they don't look aesthetically pleasing. Be amazed how much more rewarding they are than buying a 'perfect' plant when they do well and return your efforts with stunning foliage once they're used to your conditions.
@@moiraslater8526 for a seedling. Fully plants are over $30 or more. Better to get a seedling as you can get it used to your home sometimes.
@@meikahidenori I got and established plant for $25. Have just cut it into 3 to propagate
Loved the “don’t be an asshole” selling wet sticks!!!!! You are so much fun to watch!!
Be ethical dont be an asshole, lmaooo love this! You’re awesome Nick
Sleep in 1st year, creep in 2nd, and leap in 3rd year is mostly applicable to roses. I am from tropics, 99% of these plants people in the West go craze are just WEEDS! 😂😂😂😂Love your sense Nick! I would say, you are my fave houseplant vlogger!
I think that prices and demand for Pink Princess will be falling since so many people seem to have bought one and it reverted. Who wants to spend a lot of $ on a pink plant that will likely become not pink? Your Pink Princess is one of the most pink that I've seen.
Sounds like a good time to get one. Sometimes when people say reverted it's because they couldn't give the plant adequate conditions or just grew impatient waiting on a plant with a rare genetic mutation to suprise them. If you buy them instead with the mind set that the varigation is like a 'suprise' rather than a defining feature you tend to he happier with said plant. Less disappointment that way.
Albo syngoniums have the same variegation as albo monsteras and are way cheaper.
Of all my amazing plants, my Begonia maculata wightii is the only one my (nonplant-loving) co-workers would always ask about and fuss over when it showed up in the background of a zoom meeting.
agreed, pink agleonema look better than pink princess
Hi Nick I come from Long Island and I too are a big plant collector around 90 plants or more I love the way you brake it down letting us know everything about ech plant I leaned so much from u keep doing what you do best thank you
You are a delight to listen to. I enjoyed your thoughts.
Great info! A couple of months ago, I purchased a small "reverted PPP" from my local plant group for $10 (would not have paid more). Lots of people in my group have brought the pink back out by chopping and propping and/or using grow lights, so I think that some of the ones sold as "reverted" are not truly reverted (though not always the case). The newest leaf has some specks of lighter color that give me hope! If not, I still enjoy reddish climbing philodendrons. 🤷♂️
I’ve been waiting for the price to drop for years. I love philodendrons but I can’t justify that price. Now that the houseplants trend is ending I hope to have it soon. Love your channel.
Thank you for your frankness! There are SOOOO many easy plants to enjoy that do not break the bank. Have a great day 😊.
I love my cebu blue and got it from someone locally and affordable. I do hope to get a pink princess when the price is reasonable. I have settled for the orange prince and he is lovely.
I didn’t know Cebu was a ‘thing’. I just got a 4” for $10 from a small local shop and thought it was an adequate price. I’m a hipster!
I love your real talk take on plant care and growth. So many people act like it’s so easy to grow big plants they either bought that way or it took years to get there. My 4in pot monstera won’t take over my home in 6 months 😅
I adore my adansonii. It was a wishlist plant for me but I like it more than I knew I would!
I just love your channel! During the pandemic, I've become obsessed with collecting plants as they bring me so much joy! And I've been binge watching your videos and loving your chill but soooo informative videos! So peaceful. Thank you for your work. :)
This was such a good video to make! Have to admit I love seeing someone not loving the "albo monstera", I bought mine for around $30, so very cheap compared to prices in the US, but i agree, it's one that doesn't live up to its hipe [shrug] And again, with begonias I think there are so many great begonias that I think the hipe for the maculata isn't all that worth it.
@Max Taelor I think it's also a little buyers fault that 'we created' the demand for unrooted cuttings and leaves :/ but thankfully prices seem to be coming down slowly
i can't say how much i adore my cebu blue plant. personally i think it's worth the hype. grows so fast, such gorgeous leaves and almost impossible to kill!
Just found you today, you crack me up brother! Glad to see other passionate plantophiles!
Exactly, the pink aglaonema is so stunning. I love it and need to buy more 🥰🥰
My Home Depot had 6” pots of lovely Adensonii for 12.99 this morning. Of course I bought it even though I already have several!! Score!
@Reva Ferns Pothos for me!!
This is a great video. Love this. I’d love more videos like this on your opinions on the current plant market. I really don’t get the hype on some of these expensive plants. I think your regular Monstera deliciosa is better than some of the variegated forms. I definitely agree with you on your choices. I remember when the Begonia maculata was that plant everyone’s nan had in the 70s/80s and then became “uncool”. It’s not so expensive in the UK but has definitely become popular again. I do believe it has a lot going for it as a house plant. I got mine from a cutting from a friend who had a giant one. They are incredibly easy to propagate too. I’m hoping the market starts to settle down as some plants are demanding ridiculous prices. We should all be able to grow beautiful plants in our homes without having to sell a kidney.
My grandmother had one lol . I’m sorry I don’t have it but begonias don’t do well where I’m living right now
By the way Nick I have recently made an entire peperomia shelf. Twenty pots on a ladder shelf with grow lights. Plants have been arriving in the mail and I am gonna be potting them up this weekend.
The pink princess is gonna have the same end point as the Birkin. It will be everywhere in a year or two.
Except it’ll always have differing amounts of variegation...right? The Birkin was always a very uniform plant where the PPP is very random. So finding a perfect, super pink, one will be the next craze.
@@GEOMETRICINK Much like how you don’t see Birkins reverting back to Rojo Congos on store shelves, I’m sure growers who sell to big box stores will make sure that the Princesses they sell are as good as they can be. But you are probably correct to a degree given how much more readily Princesses revert compared to Birkins.
Birkins are everywhere. I never understood the appeal.
Excellent - i’ll wait until I can get one at Lowes… i’ll be patient 😂
@@k.m.7015 I love them as a cheap plant. The variegation is so unique and elegant. Wouldn't pay hundreds of dollars though.
One of our online nurseries in the UK has just started selling baby PPP for £25. Limited to one per customer. They are small babies but perfectly formed with quite a few leaves.
I absolutely love my Cebu blue and made plants for my friends and family. They’re so easy and beautiful. And I absolutely love my adansonii too! Such easy beautiful plants.
I love my Cebu Blue…a fave!
Ha Ha, wish I was an econ prof or even taking econ, because you are right, Nick, the Pink Princess is the best case study of supply and demand (and a fun little story to tell, too) Probably not so fun for the poor sod that gets buyer’s remorse when the bill comes....but if it’s what you want, you want it and if it makes you happy go for it! I’m not going to judge other’s taste in plants, but like another commenter said, I won’t spend over 50 USD for a plant (but I did go over that for a Hoya when calculating shipping) Naughty girl! WIsh my Cebu blue learned that it was an easy to grow plant, it hasn’t found it’s happy spot and even though I have an effing HUGE monstera adesonii (started as a 4” pot) I can’t propagate it to save my life, water, sphag, direct soil, throws a few leaves and dies.
I bought a PPP in 2017 10" pot $45 and thought I lost my mind paying so much.
My cebu is the same. 😞
My local nursery just had an awesome sale. 50 percent off of plants and 75 off of summer plants. I purchased a few really nice things for such a great price. I had to limit myself and it wasn't easy. So glad I was there on the first day of the sale. Bought the things that I really had wanted for a while. So it wasn't as painful to get rid of the ones that were in extreme distress and not worth trying to save. They were sick with some mold and fungus issues. With the replacements it was easy to trash the others. I love my plants, a lot.
I found a Monstera Adansonii on my birthday at Walmart for $3.
I gave her a homemade moss pole and she LOOOOOOOOVES it.
I am so glad the prices are not THAT crazy in Germany! As far as I know, the only popular plant that is currently going for several hundreds is a variegated adansonii. Everything else including the pink princess you can get small ones for less than a hundred Euros.
I am in love with the Cebu's pot! Such a beautiful glaze and choice!
My Raindrop Peperomia has become one of my recent favorites. Love their big fleshy leaves. They don't get too big, but still look very lush and full.
I guess I've been very lucky with my albo Monstera deliciosa. I love them! Started out with two one leaf cuttings. One of them got 11 new leaves within 16 months (the newest ones are the length of my forearm with tons of fenestration), the other one got badly injured by thrips, but still managed to regain strength and put out about 7 or 8 leaves in the same period. Now I have five albo plants and none have less than 6 leaves. Two of them are about 50% white through out, so I'm happy for sure! Lots of light helped me. The only one making a fuss is my Thai constellation. That one grows soo slow, about 2-3 leaves a year. And well, thrips absolutely love my variegated monsteras so it's a constant battle.
Been awhile since I have watched your videos. And man, I missed your enthusiasm and also teachings around houseplants. You are so knowledgeable and just real about how they look in the store compared to what they may end up looking at home. Your collection is so amazing.
I've had an Monstera Albo "wet stick" with a long aerial root coming out of it, and it still hasn't sprouted more roots yet after 3 months. They take FOREVER! So if anyone wants one, just get a fully rooted plant/leaf and save yourself the trouble.
I love Pink princess! Mlat least Mine! I traded for mine and it's highly variegated and beautiful ❤️ now.... My monstera albo is not as impressive as i hoped for! It took me 8 months to grow one leaf! 🙄 The Thai con is MUCH MORE IMPRESSIVE and grows so much faster 💜
Adansonii is fantastic. It actually isn’t super available at big box stores in my area.
I always like your input about what plants are worth keeping, because you speak of experience from growing them in a home environment, rather than a greenhouse, etc. For your monstera albo, while they are really slow growers, if you want it to grow faster, train the aerial roots to grow into the soil or attach to a moss pole. The more aerial roots it has attached to a surface, the faster it grows (it's still slower than the other deliciosa varieties though)
I have to agree with you on the pink plants I have the pink Ag you mentioned and I get a lot of comments on it being a cool plant when people come over, yet I walked past a whole shelf of em last week. Somehow they just get overlooked. I propagate mine and give it to friends, it's a blast. Gorgeous little plant.
It really is crazy how the prices change so fast. Thank you for sharing.
I once had an Angel Wing begonia that wasn't a Maculata, that gave me ten inch clusters of sparkling light salmon pink blooms with the awesome yellow velvet spirals coming out..it grew like a weed in a southeast corner window I no longer have, nor the room! Now I grow Rexes under lights, and go from leaf section to blooms in six months! 😸
I bought a pink princess for $70 that was sold as reverted and it is most definitely not reverted, if you shop around you can find great stuff for cheap! Every new leaf it pops out is more pink! It's also worth it to look for "rehab" plants
I like the fact that you're so down to earth. I started watching plant care videos because I really wanted to learn how to care for plants. I thought I'm 40 years old and have no plants because I always kill them, I'd like to have plants. It makes your house look more inviting. But then as I started watching plant videos realized how nowadays a large group of UA-camrs are all promoting these ridiculously expensive plants. And they call them influencers. 😂 Granted the plants do look beautiful, but I agree with you, for that price they're not worth it. I would die if I spent 100 dollars on a plant that I'd then kill.😂 I'm sticking to plants that fall into my budget. Thank you Nick for saying things as they are. I really appreciate your normal plants videos.
I’ve had a lot of success with M. deliciosa ‘Albo’ but I keep it on my patio. Even in the winter it does great. I am in USDA zone 9. It’s been really nice selling the cuttings too!
Really? I’m in zone 9b and im looking for plants that can be outdoors, any more plants you have that will do well outdoors on a patio?
Just watched your plant tour on Summer's page and now I am addicted to your page!!! I love your style
I love your take on the monstera wet stick insanity.
You are the BEST, Nick! Totally agree, we CAN drive the price of plants down. Stop paying SO much for variegation. Also, give away cuttings!
Definitely agree on the PPP, I LOVE philos and I like pink plants, but the PPP just looks.. sick? I don't understand the hype and cost at all. I've never seen one that has ever made me think "that looks nice."
I agree. They all look brown to me. There's so many other pink plants that are so much more beautiful and vibrant
As the philodendron pink Princess, I think they developed tissue culture since they sell a small ppp now for 10 to 15€ on several shops. You see some on a few shops, but soon we'll see them everywhere 😉 many other plant's prices have gown down. So i'll wait ☺️ thanks for your videos I love them !
Can you do a video on your favorite pink plants!? 😄
I recently got a Swiss Cheese Vine. I've been wanting one for so long. I think I paid about $16.00 for a 4 inch pot. It already popped out a new leaf 😁 Great video!
These cost less than 10 Euros in Germany. I'm really shocked about the prizes of house plants in America.
I am lucky to have a really big bathroom with a window facing east. Plants are growing like weed there, the love the humid air from running hot water. So I not only shower and bath in a jungle, I also use the bathroom as a rehab centre for plants from other rooms.
I got a 6in pot at ikea in America for $15 I think. Ikea has some decent houseplants sometimes
This video was so interesting!! I have to add- I am a brand new plant mama, and I fell in love with the pink princess that the plant shop had displayed up at the register…. Until I read the price tag of $500!!! I had also grabbed a 4’ ish pothos trained to grow up a moss pole and without looking at the price nor wondering if it was something a little special with its gorgeous silver leaves compared to alll of the others with green leaves :) I didn’t realize I had chosen a $250 silver satin exotica. Oh well lol, I love it and am so glad I didn’t think to check the price before bringing it up to the checkout because I surely would not have been able to bring myself to spend that much on one plant if I had known the price ahead of time! So far I am so so happy with my pothos, money plant, and monstera. I also grabbed a small potted house plant without realizing that it was in fact ANOTHER silver satin exotica😂😂😂 - apparently, I really really like the way that particular plant looks! So hopefully I continue to have good luck with my first plant babies! I can’t wait to fill my new (first) home with house plants!! New subscriber here!! -Nora
A begonia that’s similar to the maculata is a Begonia Lucerna. It’s so pretty and grows so easily for me. Gorgeous red backs and polka dots too ❤️
Agreed. My mom had a huge one like almost taller than me (I’m 5’9”). I was given a propagated trimming and I was careless with it and I thought it died but luckily she’s doing beautifully now. Even bloomed two flowers the other day. I’m so proud :’)
@@imarielmermaid yes. Mine was a propagation from my grandmothers plant and it lives outside. I have props all over my house though that I will think are definitely dead, I’ll water then and they spring back 😂 They’re very hardy plants.
I always check FB and craigslist for neglected plants people are selling for cheap, they bounce right back after being re-potted and put into the right environment
I got a very large monstera from Lowe’s towards the end of September for $29 and I was shocked. I had just seen one the day before that was a third of the size for $45 and I thought it was a decent price compared to what I had been seeing.
M y swiss cheese plant was from walmart. 10 years ago . in 7 years after changeing it to a large pot, it reached 12 feet.gave it away as i moved. resettled and have a new one .lovely plant.3 cheers from Canada
Omg my mom has a huge begonia in her backyard!! I never knew it was a must have 🤣 they are definitely outdoor plants! Hers is huge and I love it
Your videos are great. What is really nice, no music, annoying graphics, or fluff. Thank you.
I find Pink Princess exciting because as far as I know, Aglaonemas don't trail!
I wanted a Pink Princess because I have limited space and hang most of my plants, and the thought of a pink trailing plant seems so magical to me! I have both, but my Aglaonema definitely takes up a little too much room in my small space, and it becomes a bit of a hassle.
My PPP hasn't started trailing yet, but she's a fast grower, like you said! She's probably about 4-5 leaves from starting to trail. I got her with about 3 leaves a couple of months ago, since then she's pushed out 5 leaves! So she's at 8 leaves now, none of them have died off from age either. I hope she doesn't revert, as I had her a bit lower than the window for a few months. There's still specks of pink, but I've elevated her to reach the morning rays.
I don’t think the ppp trails, it climbs, but doesn’t trail. If you are looking for a trailing pink plant, the callisia Repens pink panther or any of the pink syngoniums are good choices. The syngonium pink, pink allusion, pink splash, and confetti are all beautiful varieties
you might like hoya krimson queen!
meanwhile in the Netherlands I've seen monstera albo cuttings for as little as 15 euros 😂 for 130 euros you have a fantastic BIG plant. Here it's definitely worth it, as soon as they're back in stock I'm going to buy a starter kit with 2 plants (3 to 5 leaves) extra soil and a moss pole for 60 euro's🤔
Please send me one
Yes thats soo true !! I often think when i hadalot of big plants who are expensive i would sell them for a nice low price .becose everyone has to enjoy it
Great info! Cut and dry, worth it not worth it. Especially the Monstera Albo varigata, SO overpriced online it's absolutely rediculous!
About 3 yrs ago, my area big box stores had Cebu Blue in 8" pots for @ $10.99. Can't believe how the prices skyrocketed for a plant that grows like a weed.
I actually found a baby pink princess for 45 locally. Still a wild price but I'm excited to have it grow and give cuttings of it to my friends. It's the most expensive of my plants so far 😅
oh my god this is just a hobby i cannot afford so videos like these make it sooo much more manageable!!! 💞💞💞
Im not involved in social media but I know what I like. If a plant sends me good vibes and I can afford it, I buy it.
I love your honesty! I totally agree with you on these 🪴
Love how you are a voice of reason in the crazy houseplant world. Thank you.
monstera adanosii is my favourite they're so cute and elegant
I love PPP because every leaf is different and plant to plant is also different! I have 5 (🙈 ops) and every single one surprises me with every new leaf, it’s so exciting and fascinating!
Everybody loved pink princess when it was so expensive, now that's getting cheaper everybody hates it.
Thank you for telling it like it is. Honest and refreshing. Another great segment from you, Nick 👏👏👏
Oh, I don't understand why people think Monstera albo variegata is an easy plant to grow, even the Monstera Deliciosa is difficult to grow - thrips seem to love them! I threw my Monstera Deliciosa out because of it and I'm ready to do the same with my albo variegata. Tired of starting over again and again, thrips do so much harm to the leaves. Not worth the money and the agony, imho.
So true. They are thrips magnet
I never had an issue with mine, except that I can barely get fenestrstions
Oh dear and as much as I love my monsteras. Please no thrips this way.
Hey just curious, what are the symptoms of thrips? Like what do they do to the leaves?
How is monstera difficult to grow? I dont get it. One of the easiest plants i ever had, it's just unkillable.
Thrips love most of the plants, you just quarantine your new plants and that solves the problem.
Love your videos. You're so well spoken and confident especially, with the plant names I always trip on trying to get it. Lol you really seem to love and appreciate your plants and it makes the video pleasurable to watch. Thank you.
let me tell you guys my experience so far with a monstera adansonii:
I bought it one and a half year ago, and only just now it's really showing some growth.... Why? I have no idea, I've always gave proper lighting and watering, maybe they didn't like being transplanted? (they were really baby plants when I got them)
anyways besides that I love them, very easy to take care and beautiful ❤️
Ok, I must confess.... I would definitely spend WAY too much on a monstera albo if I had the money to. I love them and they are worth it to me. The color is gorgeous and I love my monstera deliciosa's that I would love an albo. They are my guilty pleasure plant.
Also, would enjoy a video that is all the plants that you would spend too much money on if you could get it!
“…if you do, don’t be an asshole.” So true. Also low key I needed that giggle this morning so thank you for that!!!
I love Monstera Adansonii, it's such a versatile plant! and so easy to grow.
Corbin
Thank you Nick for your honesty about the ridiculous pricing of some of these plants. The people that sell them are no better than the ticket scalpers at concerts. No true lover of the plant world ever think of ripping off other plant lovers. Thank you Nick for being a true indoor gardener ☺️
It's interesting to see that I managed to find 4/5 of these plants for super cheap.
I have yet to find Cebu and Pink Princess in my area of San Diego, and I've managed to find a Non Veregated Monstera for 5$ at Lowes because someone spilt white paint on it plus root rot.
I've heard that house plants are more bountiful/readily available in CA, lucky you! I would never be able to obtain most of these locally
never do time stemps but at 14:15 this giggeling is soo cute
I think I just fell in love😄
my beonia maculata just doesn´t do anything, had the tiny thing for like 2 years and got it with only two tiny leaves and whenever it grows new leaves it looses another
Great Video - never understood the fascination with PPP, but I do LOVE my P. Black Cardinal, which cost much less and I find is just as striking with its nearly black foliage. Got my Cebu Blue from Home Depot as a full hanging basket for ~$15 almost a year ago, now its vines are scuttling across the floor, at least 9' long or more - def. time for a 'chop-n-prop' for that guy - same goes for my Scindapsus Pictus. Watermelon peperomias don't like me too well unless they're in my large (300gal) paludarium where they get large and try to push the lid off! - All of the ones I've tried to grow outside of there have been very unhappy or straightaway just died. My B. maculata is doing well, but can't compare at all to either of my other cane begonias (Angel and Dragon wing types). I've only got 'regular' M. Deliciosas. My oldest is at least 5 years old and is ginormous! I have 3 props off of that one that are about a year old and are doing well, but I'm def. going to have to do a major hack job on the mother plant soon - the main stalk is probably 6 feet long and a good 2+" in diameter!
I like the Black Cardinal too...
I got a tiny Cebu Blue for twenty bucks, it grew over nine feet in a season, and was so heavy I couldn't bring it inside, that sucker survived under the cover of the porch through the winter and even housed a family of Carolina wrens. I broke it up and now pieces are growing up my fiddle leaf fig.
Lovely plant, one I think I could propagate and sell!!