PLANT SUGGESTION THREAD

in this thread: plants i love to keep and collect, plants i love to suffer for, where i like to buy plants and how to shop for plants in stores.

but first - lets talk sunlight, soil and water!

I wanna talk about the ~plant fundamentals~ first bc i know someone is gonna look at a plant in this thread and be like 'well i killed that 3 times already so thats not for me'

thats not necessarily true!! a lot of 'black thumbs' are just misconceptions of how plants work!

SUNLIGHT

The best windows for plants are east, south and west. northern windows dont see the sun in the sky, which means this is a MUCH lower light than the others. South-east is my favorite orientation - plants typically looooove morning light!

its gentle! its bright! they can mostly take it directly without burning!!

southern light is the strongest, and probably what you want if you collect cactuses. I have some huge southern windows and i temper how harsh this light is with some transparent curtains!

tbh i love southern light. its bright as hell and reaches far into the room in the winter. you just need to be careful not to burn your plants!

western light is like, okay. harsher than eastern light, and not as reliable in the winter bc of how fast the sun sets.

Overwatering is a huge problem people have and usually how ppl kill plants. this is partially bc: you have misunderstood your lighting and/or your soil is too dense!

Plants can only take up water when there is light present- the less light there is, the slower this process is

i NEVER water if its going to be rainy, or cloudy, the next day or for a few days. this is bc if the plant doesnt take up water fast enough, and the water sits in the soil for too long, it causes root rot and kill the plant!

also, i avoid watering at night for the same reason.

my soil makeup is usually 40-50% soil and 50-60% perlite and orchid bark to promote good water drainage. never let plants sit in the water that drains - itll absorb into the soil and oversaturate it, killing the plant

most plants (not calatheas) will tolerate being a bit on the dry side rather than having their soil absolutely soaked.

also - invest in some grow lights and humidifiers for your space if you can! theres a wide variety (ill post links too) and it helps SO MUCH

feel free to ask questions if u guys want but here is my PLANT LIST

first up - HOYAS

absolutely darling, easy to care for trailing plants - that sometimes reward you with blooms! I actually collect these, and have mine in a room that gets south-east light. there are so many different kinds!!

i have a obovata, publicalyx, krimson queen and (not pictured) kerri!

ive found them to like well draining soil, and i water them when the leaves feel a bit soft. the leaves retain water for the plant and you can tell when theyre thirsty!

philodendrons will honestly not do you wrong once you settle into a routine with them - and there are SO MANY. here my brikin collection and my gigantium

they dont like to sit in water at all, i let mine dry down pretty well before watering.

philos can take some lower light, but will really thrive in bright light. i have mine under grow lights, in southern windows protected by some transparent curtains! east windows are good too!

schefflera and lipstick plant! SO easy to care for - i water when theyre mostly dry and they just. exist. lipstick plants can bloom and scheffleras grow into little trees!

leaves can burn tho from strong sunlight, so bright indirect light is best imo

want a lush look super easily? buy yourself a big ass dracaena. they can take lower light (just dont water often) and you should take it easy on fertilizing them. i water every....10-15 days? when the soil is dry

peperomias! super fun plants with a bunch of different varieties. make sure the soil is VERY well draining - add a ton of perlite! they have delicate roots and will rot very easily if kept too moist. ripples can also suffer from drying out tho-

so i like to keep an eye on when the stems slightly wilt and then i check the soil (and weather forecast!) to see if its time to water

alocasias arent considered "easy" plant necessarily but i dont think theyre TOO bad tbh? they like humidity a bit higher - tabletop green houses or humidifiers recommended. mine seem to like well draining soil and not being dries out fully!

alocasias can accidentally scare ppl into babying them to death bc of how they lose leaves - its NORMAL for them to drop a leaf when a new one grows!!! esp small ones! small plants sometimes can only sustain 2 or so leaves!

also a note on watering - ADJUST WATERING BASED ON THE ROOTS

sometimes its better not to saturate the whole pot!! if your plant has a small root system, water just enough to cover it! over time if you notice that its becoming not enough, increase the water!

back to this- angel wing begonias have gripped my heart at the moment. i let mine dry down a bit and they get east/south light. they can bloom!!!

now. fiddle leaf figs (and other ficuses)

i know these are like, very contested plants LOL. but tbh? my FLF are not demanding at all. i have them in southern windows, well draining soil, and i water when the soil is drrrrrry or the leaves VERY slightly wilt

some ficuses are giant babies and will drop leaves when you move them. its pretty normal. they need pretty still air tho, so cold drafts and a/c will upset them a bit

ok quick break while i pack orders and ill jump back in with more tips and links!

heres my mostly? complete repotting tip thread! https://twitter.com/aainsleyyactual/status/1341504729474461697?s=19

A list of things i keep on hand:

moisture meter
hydrogen peroxide
liquid plant fertilizer

i also have a water distiller to make water for my plants. tap water tends to make plants a bit unhappy, so its a good idea to fill a gallon and let it sit for 24 hours

mixing a bit of hydrogen peroxide into water is good for killing off any stray bacteria and releasing oxygen into the roots!

also something i swear by - GROW LIGHTS they dont have to be a whole intimidating Thing!! theres diff styles and price points and theyre great

ill link my fav ones later! sunlight can change so drastically with the seasons - in the winter daylight is short and in the summer the sun is at a high angle and you might not get a lot through your windows. grow lights are sooo reliable

here are some of the ones i use!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B082PJJC8S/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/SANSI-Spectrum-Hydroponic-Greenhouse-Houseplants/dp/B07BRKT56T/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=sansi+grow+light&qid=1608693845&sprefix=sansi+grow&sr=8-5

i have the sansi ones hanging from the ceiling on hooks w/ simple lantern...socket thingies. put you can also put them in lamps! theyre kinda heavy tho so nothing wimpy

i know the plants like the sansi ones bc when there was minimal sunlight bc it rained nonstop they turned right up to the lights!

for humidifiers - my fav one was discontinued but ive found the ones with warm mist options are more effective. in the winter i keep them-

running all the time p much. i have a humidity gauge and try to keep things between 50-60%!

links to my fav plant shops online!

https://www.landofalice.com/ 
https://www.gabriellaplants.com/ 
https://ariumbotanicals.com/ 

also - ETSY. an absolutely FANTASTIC source for plant shopping. just read reviews and listings carefully!

so. how do you pick plants? how much should you spend?

as far as prices go....its kind of hard to give tips about this! If you want a specific plant shop around and see what you get for certain price points