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I’m trying to decide what my next plant will be, I have a good amount… | Anything about plants | Planta community

Plantlife

I’m trying to decide what my next plant will be, I have a good amount of experience by now so I’m not afraid of something a little but more difficult but I don’t trust myself for something determined to die. I feel like I’m almost to the point where getting any more complex plants (especially the ones I think sense I tend to be drawn to the more tropical ones) is going bc to require humidity, so I’m looking into a indoor greenhouse too. So these are my questions 1. What has been your favorite/ most rewarding plant you’ve had 2. What has been your least favorite/ most overhyped plant 3. Do you think indoor greenhouses are worth it 4. If you have a indoor greenhouse and or indoor lighting how does your set up work and what do you like/ dislike about it Also any general plant talk is welcome, I’m just trying to get a feel for where my next steps will be!

5 likes 35 comments

35 comments

  1. Auxsman

    Oh this is going to start GREAT conversations, thank you for this! 1) My favorite would have to be my Rattlesnake or Calenthea! 2) Least favorite would have to be orchids.. yuck 3) I think small indoor greenhouses are worth it if you just want to propagate a couple babies for yourself, however if you’re addicted to plants (like myself) you will quickly have more than rooms in your home can withstand so you’ll think of just getting an outdoor greenhouse. 4) Make your home an indoor greenhouse with 1 giant humidifier per room of 10-20 plants and keep your house around 60-70 to prepare funds for your outdoor greenhouse😅😂

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    • Auxsman

      Also I recommend multiple grow lights per room unless it has windows and is not north facing!

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    • Plantlife

      I hope it does start a good conversation, I love seeing other people’s opinions on this stuff! I’ve heard calentheas can be very picky, have you found this to be true or is it kinda like succulents where they just aren’t for some people? I think I am going to invest in a humidifier at least for the room I have the majority of my plants in but especially since I want to start getting more of my plants as babies or cuttings I think I will end up getting a small green house. I actually do have an outdoor greenhouse but I mainly use it for my flowers in the summer and spring (my house is just too cold and I want to see some hibiscus flowers sometime lol)

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    • Plantlife

      How do you do your grow lights, as of right now all my plants have good sunny windows but those spots have quickly been taken over so I’m going to have to start making spots elsewhere lol

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    • Sopitia

      Woah woah woah Orchid Hater 🤣🤣🤣 I am kidding. I happen to find Orchids highly rewarding due to how hard it was in the beginning to manage their care, but as I have learned more I get excited to see them bloom. I used to hate them, but I found out that they are easy to pick up at box stores when the blooms fall. Depending on the store, the root systems may be in great condition too. My monstera have been great too. It is rewarding to watch the leaves grow and have them so big too. I have looked into a greenhouse cabinet and am very interested in seeing others responses to this thread to see if it is worth while. I do appreciate Auxsman’s comment though. I am definitely still a newbie to this, and will be taking what they say into consideration as I am quickly growing out of my one room with plants.

      1 like
  2. Auxsman

    Calentheas definitely have a favorite spot and like tropical aroid soil with constant watch with watering I’ve found. As for grow lights I have the dual oval pole lights for corners (mainly my monsteras) small string LEDs for my plant shelves (not near windows) & large hanging led ballasts hanging above in my basement

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    • Plantlife

      I think I’ll give them a try, I guess you never know what you’ll kill until it’s dead lol. Thank you for the light advice. I’m going to look into getting a few for some bare spots in the room lol

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  3. Jasneedshelp

    Alocasias are fun! And easy to read

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    • Plantlife

      I do really like those I definitely see one in my future lol

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    • Jasneedshelp

      Especially bc they corm! Who doesn’t love more plants???

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  4. Jasneedshelp

    As far as indoor green house just start small with ur collection in a specific spot to dedicate u to look after and not make any unnecessary changes to ur environment but only acclimate to things that dont ask for too much like constant humidity and light and see if ur comfortable with controlling that task. Then it’ll do its magic and populate before u know it lol

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    • Jasneedshelp

      Btw peace lily are drama as hell but they make sure u don’t misunderstand lol they’re pretty adamant with communication which is a hit n miss but hey u know where they stand. Also orchids ive always never wanted to go into that world but curiosity gets the cat 👋 its me now I got 3 (ones for a friend ofc)

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    • Plantlife

      I haven’t heard that about peace lilies that’s good to know, I do have an orchid and shes one of the most chill plants I have it’s so weird lol

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    • Jasneedshelp

      I’ve always heard ppl complain about not keeping them alive or being unable to get them to flower ever lol I’ve always just been intimidated I guess but I jumped the gun 😂 any advice for orchid?

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    • Mrs Daniels

      I’d rather deal with a peace lily than an orchid any day lol I told my husband please don’t buy any more orchids

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    • Jasneedshelp

      Honestly I agree 100% I’m scared to pot these orchids bc I don’t want to make the situation worse 😅 I am glad I only have one peace lily tho and she hasnt had any flowering for the past few months but at least she’s full of foliage 🤷🏽‍♀️

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  5. Debi

    Staghorn fern and orchids are my favourite. My least favourite and a struggle are believe it or not is ribbon or spider plants. I have had them for awhile, but last year I lost 5 plants and three were spider or a ribbon plant. Succulents are super easy. If you want plants invest in grow lights and humidifiers. I also invested in indoor bug zappers. My propagation station is a recycling container from roast chicken. lol

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    • Plantlife

      I love my orchid, something about keeping something “difficult” alive makes you feel special

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  6. Adrian

    1. Peperomias, Goldfish Plants, and Lipstick Plants have been the most rewarding for me recently. They’re very low maintenance, they’re non toxic for people with pets, and they come in quite a few beautiful varieties, especially Peperomias. The regular goldfish plants and most Peperomias are often quite inexpensive, so it’s an easy way to grow a collection without breaking the budget. My biggest tip with them is to let peperomia obtusifolias completely dry out between waterings and for all the above plants to be potted in Espoma’s Organic Cactus and Succulent Mix (or a cactus or epiphytic mix you trust. They all need well-draining soil) 2. Bromeliads that will naturally die within a year. Even when it gives you a baby to propagate and grow for next year, that too will die within a year. Just not worth the money imo. 3. I can’t speak from experience, but at someone trying to keep my plants alive in PA this winter, I’d love to try one out. 🥶 4. I have two grated shelving units with grow lights strapped under each shelf and grow light lamps clipped to the top shelf for the plants on the top shelf. I have to move the shelves further from the windows this week so the plants aren’t still cold, but otherwise, the plants are getting plenty of light from the grow lights, so I’m very hopeful about my plants surviving the winter this year.

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    • Adrian

      And if you’re looking for ones that are more tropical, but don’t need the extra humidity, I really do recommend goldfish and lipstick plants, as well as peperomias. None of mine need humidifiers, and they just need to be moved from cold or drafty spots to grow lights in the winter. Here’s a few of my favorites, but feel free to browse my collection to see how many different types of peperomia alone there are. I consider both criminally underrated 🌱

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    • Debi

      Pretty plants.

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    • Adrian

      Thank you! 😊

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    • Plantlife

      During the winter I actually get afraid of over heating my plants. My vents are right under my windows so the hot air blowing on them always makes me worried but I think everyone I have right now could benefit from a humidifier so I’ll probably end up with that, maybe a small indoor greenhouse for cuttings

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    • Plantlife

      Those are very pretty, its crazy that you don’t hear more about them

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    • 2 more replies in the app
  7. Nat SG

    1. Though there are many I love/have loved, I think black pagoda lipstick plants have been the most rewarding of those. Consistently blooming and growing with little fuss. Pretty leaves and unique flowers. 2. Least favorite is staghorn ferns-the plant I’ve killed the most by far. I’ve put them in pretty much every medium recommended and cannot seem to keep them happy!! 3&4. I don’t have an indoor greenhouse but have a nice humidifier and a bunch of grow lights. My main plant room has the humidifier with varying humidity levels depending on the season, and my grow lights are a few different brands. My favorites are the Barrina T5 Pro 10W 2ft full spectrum ones, the plants are responding extremely well to them! Another user mentioned keeping props in leftover food boxes, and I do this as well-they are good mini greenhouses. The only things I don’t like about my setup are that not all the lights turn on automatically and that I need more lights with an extremely dark winter ahead 😂😂

    1 like
    • Adrian

      I second that with the black pagoda lipstick plants. This is mine, for example. First picture is when I bought it in the summer and the rest are of it now. They also keep their flowers much longer than other flowering houseplants, and take a lot less work to get them to flower. For how cool her leaves and flowers are, I spend $6 each on two of them that I combined to form mine. She is a treasure and worth a lot more than $12 in my heart. Highly recommend 👍

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    • Nat SG

      I can agree that they can keep their flowers for a looong time. Mine have been flowering since August! Worth every penny for the leaves alone anyway!

      2 likes
    • Plantlife

      I don’t normally hear lipstick plants getting a lot of attention, I may need to get one soon

      4 likes
  8. Waspinator

    1: i really love a lot of my plants, but bonsai has taught me the most about interesting techniques for plant care (ficus benjamina is great for bonsai rookies). My projects include some super difficult tasks like trying to get a non-grafted variegated oak by air-layering, but the easy ones are just as fun. Orchids really stand out for satisfying flowers, and I've gotta say my african violet has been a wonderful little plant. 2: kalanchoes simply refuse to live for me. Juniper is annoyingly prickly for bonsai, philodendrons are decent but have definitely gotten overhyped in marketing. 3: i haven't tried an indoor greenhouse, but small cloches/terrariums are great for plants that need higher humidity; I'm getting into smaller orchids and mosses and it's really hard to keep them hydrated without a closed container. 4: i replaced one of the overhead lights in my bathroom with a grow light and it's helped a lot for keeping tropicals indoors over winter. I did not like the previous grow bulb that was that weird pink color; it hurt my eyes. The new one is a good daylight color

    1 like
    • Plantlife

      My bathroom needs to watch out, if I can figure out a good lighting system it’s going to be full in no time lol

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    • Debi

      A good portion of my plants live in my bathroom. Great humidity and light. South and west facing. In the summer it gets hot, but the fan keeps them cool.

      1 like
  9. Mrs Daniels

    My go to are philodendron plants They are easy growing plants 🥰

    2 likes
    • Plantlife

      I agree, I have one and watching it unfurl a new leaf is always so satisfying

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