---
title: "Okay so I’m super new to owning houseplants and somebody gave me bad…"
description: "Okay so I’m super new to owning houseplants and somebody gave me bad advice and told me to start with a Calathea LOL. Well I almost killed it and then saved it…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg/l7jwwKXXewI8fkSUaaZNOZ"
community: "Anything about plants"
author: "TheMic"
published: "2026-08-10T19:33:39.438703Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v2/cloudinary/global_data/communities/everythingHousePlants.jpg"
---

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# Okay so I’m super new to owning houseplants and somebody gave me bad…

_Posted by TheMic on 2026-08-10_

Okay so I’m super new to owning houseplants and somebody gave me bad advice and told me to start with a Calathea LOL. Well I almost killed it and then saved it so naturally I decided to buy three more plants, one of which being a Rex Begonia. It’s kind of spilling out of the pot I got, should I repot it?

## 8 comments

### BooksandPlants commented on 2026-08-10

Depends if the roots are taking up over 80% of the pot. If so then repot. But I would also repot your plants into new soil, just not a bigger pot after a couple weeks.

#### TheMic replied on 2026-08-10

Can I just lift it out of the pot to see how big the roots are? It WAS a Lowe’s clearance plant, so I’m sure it could use a little love.

#### BooksandPlants replied on 2026-08-10

Yep! Replace the soil with a chunky, well draining soil mix

#### TheMic replied on 2026-08-11

Perfect, I have some left over from repotting my calathea. Thanks so much :)

### Phil commented on 2026-08-11

You are getting plants that many people find difficult. They both require high humidity and the calathea needs distilled water. Your begonia is probably fine for now unless the pot is soaking wet. I would suggest doing a little more research. They grow a little differently than many other plants. They have canes that grow across the soil top. They also do better in shallow pots. I have quite a few.

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/OWAkyZxcZtwxk-v_HG7sG7i-GaZeWOFpvbl_VkIbhkY/VelkbmR7RZy-dv9hQJcpkA.webp?size=large)

#### TheMic replied on 2026-08-11

Fortunately I live in a very humid area and theyre in my sunroom with two big windows (with white pull-down shades over them). I’ve been doing a little research and I realize I full sent it on some harder plants but hey, if I can keep these alive something easier should be no problem.

#### Phil replied on 2026-08-11

You are right. Go for it. That’s what I do.

### Waspinator commented on 2026-08-11

The good side of starting on the difficult end is that almost everything you try after this will be easy by comparison

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