Afternoon full of Plant Chores! Monstera check in, flushing pon, propagating, updates and more! 🪴

[@paigesofmakeup8573]

It hurts so much to hear how upset you are about your monstera. Please DONT blame yourself. You had no idea that this soil would affect your plants in such a negative way. You’re an amazing plant parent. Keep in mind, that we ALL have plant fails and plant issues and you’re handling them with stride and grace. You are a very knowledgeable plant person and are doing better than most of us. ❤❤

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thank you so much 🥹 I know I shouldn't blame myself but I do feel really bad I didn't catch it sooner 😔 I think it's because they're my top favorite plants :( hoping they continue to make progress!

[@Yoliplanting]

I agree with you she is really amazing

[@VeryKinkyCurl]

I agree as well! Melissa is 🔥💚🪴

[@bubeklj313]

- . . / . .

[@newleafvibes]

I LOVE the thunder sounds! Keep it coming, don't avoid it

[@plantsbymelissa]

They get scary! lol

[@karenamalfi8551]

I’m sorry about your ongoing root rot issues. I feel terrible and it’s not even my plants. If it helps, we’re all learning right along with you. And my cat loves Luna. He was sound asleep and when he heard her, he sat right up and watched the rest of your video. You’re doing a great job 👍

[@plantsbymelissa]

aww that's so cute! Thank you 🥹 I'm hoping they keep going in the right direction!

[@marie-feuille]

I don’t know what it is with your videos but I feel like I could watch 4 hours of you doing plant chores without even getting bored 😊 maybe it’s the way you do everything so neatly, your calm voice or the fact that you are very organized buy I find your content to be very soothing and relaxing 🌱🤗 It shows that you put a lot of time and work into your videos, everything you do is flawless! Personally I looove your longer videos, it’s my little treat after a long day! Thank you 💚

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thank you so so much 🥹 I appreciate you and for watching! It makes me happy knowing my videos can be like this for someone 🫶 Filming and editing can take awhile but I love the process and putting it all together 🥰

[@ConnieP92]

I totally agree!!! I literally check every day for the next video by @plantsbymelissa and get sad when there's not one there 🥺 Plus the time delay (I'm on the other side of the world) means I have to wait even longer 😩

[@Rayasratchetplants]

I can relate so closely to your albos and how heartbroken you are. I recently bought several small plants with my work bonus, and all of them got root rot ... It took months before they stopped rotting, and about half of them still aren't growing at all and are questionable.. My largest pink princess also rotted and that's in a moss prop box now too. I think it just affects us so much because yes they cost money, but the actual heartbreak comes from the fact that a plant that you literally poured your heart and soul into is still dying. Sending you lots of light and thoughts for white fuzzy roots❤

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thank you! So very sorry you're dealing with the same 😔 It's so sad and you said it perfectly! Seeing a plant you've grown from a cutting just go downhill is the worst feeling. It sucks losing out on the money spend but the plants means so much more to me :(

[@AutumnSwift2]

I had accidentally caused root rot on a couple new pothos and was trying to figure out the best way to save the remaining cuttings from rotting, it dawned on me while on Etsy that pothos are great filter plants. I have 2 aquariums and one of them I'm able to rest the top heavy ones on the lid so they don't fall over, I'm already seeing the aerial roots starting to grow and it's only been around 24hrs. They're loving the extra nutrients my betta is producing and I'm sure the Stratum I was already using in the tank is still quite beneficial to the pothos. My water can go between soft and hard but never neutral so it's probably helping alot in the long run.

[@lisaanglim9588]

Leuchuzapon is supposed to come with osmocote or another slow release fertilizer in it.

[@plantsbymelissa]

yes :)

[@angelicagarcia3331]

Every time I see you wearing a new t-shirt I go check Target!!!😂😂 Thanks for showing us your wins and fails, plant care is so personal and I really have learned so much from watching your videos! Thank you so much❤

[@plantsbymelissa]

I'm happy to share and thank you for being here and watching my videos! I truly appreciate it! haha yes, I went to target the other day and was looking through the shirts again but didn't see any new ones lol

[@joannejackson9835]

Beautiful ❤😊!!!! I love all ur plants

[@JuanellHopper]

The only alocasia I have is the alocasia California and it is the first I've had that actually looked happy. It seems to be relaxing now. You know how they look when you first get them and then they kinda relax. It's so beautiful. I am propagating some plants in moss and perlite. I got a box for them and took them out of water yesterday. Also put some in pots in the moss too so I guess I will see what happens. Some of them are plants that just completely rebelled against the environment here so I don't know about those plants but I have a house full that are happy so I'll just see what those do in the box.

[@brittanydespi]

For Pon, I use to purchase the official pots from the brand early on but I never really was a fan of what they looked like and now use any clear container and have a reservoir for them, I prefer a clear container so I can see when they need water. I just found the pots expensive and not my favorite design wise. But I feel you’ll grow to love pon!!!! It’s amazing!

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thanks for sharing!! I am liking it a lot so far :)

[@Sophia1991sd]

you can trim some part of the monsrera's aerial roots and then put them in water or cover them with damp moss. when they grow roots then you can chop them. it's safer that way. also having some new roots along the stem helps the whole plant survive. one of my monstera albos rotted and had almost no roots inside the pot. it just survived because it had a lot of roots inside it's moss pole

[@plantsbymelissa]

I tucked some aerial roots in the the moss at the end of the video :) Definitely wouldn't be able to chop moss poles without all the extra roots inside 😁🫶

[@muahlakaparak]

Very nice👍

[@Proud3628]

You mentioned that you adjusted the PH. What products are you using in the water? Thank you

[@Miyako2610]

I use pon for all my collection but I made a mix with small caliber perlite and small caliber leca too and all my plants love it and are doing very well. I don't know if you use pon already with fertilizer or is it basic? I personally prefer to use pon basics because that way I can manage the fertilizer myself with different levels for mature plants and babies. but from what i've seen you're doing very well with the pon.❤

[@Liliplantdiaries]

Sorry you’re dealing with root rot! I just recently had the same issue with my albo and Thai. I know it hurts your soul to cut leafs off but in almost all cases you have to cut some of the older leafs off to preserve some energy for the roots to start growing. I would hate to see you chop your whole plant up without needing to.

[@kristathompson9888]

I finally bought some Osmocote Fertilizer. I can’t wait to see if my plants do better with it 💚

[@plantsbymelissa]

It's worked so well for me! I love using slow release :)

[@lisaanglim9588]

How nice to have something you DON’T have to water twice ce a week

[@Joey11122]

One time you mentioned that you needed to get more cache pots from IKEA for your plants that have moss poles, can you tell me what pots you use from ikea?

[@dianespring3228]

Melissa I’ve heard a lot of people say their alocasia love pon I use all self watering pots and I wouldn’t go back

[@DimaculanganPunch]

When I have plants with rot, I do the same thing with hydrogen peroxide, then inoculate the whole remaining roots with mycorrhizae, to promote fungi and bacteria that are beneficial to the roots, instead of the anaerobic bacteria and fungi that cause rot. I learned it from Gardening in Canada channel. They roots like crazy.

[@plantsbymelissa]

oh good idea. I love using myco but didn't think about it with rot. thanks for sharing!

[@kelsiewortham5885]

Paused before the first minute was even up to run here and tell you HELL YESS to 1 hour plant chores. Just what I needed. 🤌🏽 🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶 Thank you for your lovely content. I hope you continue forever. 🥲🫶🏽

[@ninjaadaniel1674]

Might seem like a strange idea, but have you considered not cutting your monsteras aurea at all, and trying to reroot the entire full plant in pure perlite? I did that with a massive monstera until it has loads of roots, then repotted into a new substrate when it was strong. Just an idea, keep up the good work ❤❤

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thank you! That's amazing! Not sure what to do yet, hoping it recovers on its own. I love using moss for rehabbing. I've had some bad experiences with perlite before with rotting so it makes me more nervous lol 🙈

[@coconutgirl816]

My silver dragon keeps developing that yellow on the leaves, and nothing seems to get rid of it. Now I just pretend it's variegation. 😐

[@sydneycollins8841]

Just a heads up: there is slow release fertilizer in Lechuza pon. Wasn’t sure if you knew and didn’t want those roots to get burned. And just an idea, why not stick all the monstera arials in water? It would prob help the plants with their water intake 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@plantsbymelissa]

Yes, I'm aware it has fertilizer! Thank you! I'll be careful next time I use pon :) I added some aerials into moss with the sad albo. I'm just seeing how it goes here with them. I don't want a bunch of aerial roots that have water roots growing on them and have to unpot the plant again. I do what I feel is best in the moment.

[@Itsmeejessicaaa]

I don’t know what pon you are using and you might know this already but if not- just warning you that some pon mixes have fertilizer in them already. I know there are cases where people were not aware and burnt the crap out of their plants.

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thanks for the warning! it's lechuza and I know it has some slow release already in it. hoping they do okay with the added osmocote but I don't use any liquid fertilizer.

[@natrodsjo8324]

Monsteras - is there a reason you’re not making use of the Ariel roots? My variegated monsteras I grow on thiccly poles to incase the Ariel roots. My green form I plant in bigger pots and direct Ariel roots into the substrate. Pon - roughly 1/4 of my Alocasia that I transferred to pon took a decent time to root whereas the others rooted like crazy and thus looked great immediately but they all eventually settled and are loving life in non drainage pon vessels. I’m interested to see how the ozmacote works as I’ve only ever used super dilute liquid fertiliser in my perlite amended pon.

[@plantsbymelissa]

I used to use moss poles for monsteras but the aerial roots grew straight through them and out the other end. I don't want a bunch of extra aerial roots in my soil so they don't overcrowd and become more root bound. I love the look of them hanging down too. Hoping the osmocote turns out okay 😬

[@cynthia_524]

Wonder if the root rot is due to fertilizer burn...using too much slow release fertilizer? Were you having root issues before using slow release? I think over fertizing can also cause browning leaves along with root rot.

[@plantsbymelissa]

Sadly, it was from the other substrate they were all potted in, majority of the plants in that mix rotted on me and I have now lost 2 anthuriums because of it. Wished I never tried it. I've been using slow release for about 15 months and my other plants are fine and I never had browning on them until the rot started.

[@cynthia_524]

@@plantsbymelissa 💚

[@jacquelinerinehart891]

Hi Melissa! I’m so sad for you.. your plants are beautiful. How can you tell if it’s rot right away? I’m trying to figure out why my plant is sad too but as soon as you dumped out the monstera you said it’s rot in 2 seconds so I’m wondering how did you know? Thank you!!!!

[@plantsbymelissa]

The roots look dark and mushy and rot has an odor. I've delt with so much rot lately so it gets easier to pick up signals that the plant shows that it's unhappy. Slowed growth on my aurea is what made me initially realize something was going on with them all.

[@tawnyk9568]

Hi Melissa, what pots did you have your monsteras in before you switched it to that clear pot? Did the old pots have more drainage holes around the entire pot? Just thinking maybe it’s not getting enough air flow to the roots with the new clear pots. Just a thought. I’m sorry you’re going through this. Sending good vibes your way ❤

[@plantsbymelissa]

thank you! They've been in a clear pot for awhile since last summer. These pots still have lots of airflow and the mix is my moss pole mix so it's very aerated. Sometimes rot goes away and sometimes it comes back so it's difficult. I sorta wished I had not put them back in soil right away and let them recover in moss. I'm going to see how it goes here in the next few weeks and if I don't think they are going to root in the soil I'm going to unpot them and use moss to reroot.

[@lindalester3642]

Could you put your monstera in stratum until the root get stronger.

[@plantsbymelissa]

I didn't want to chance it. I have had soo much success using moss with root rot and plus I can see the root system better using a clear container in case it returns.

[@Sugrafarooq]

LOVE WATCGING YOUR VIDEOS BECAUSE YOU DONT TALK TOO MUCH. ALOT OF THEM NOW JUST CHAT ABOUT OTHER STUFF WHEN REPOTTING ID RATHER CONCENTRATE ON GHE PLANT AND TALK ABOUT THAT LIKE YOU DO.

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thank you! 🙏🏼 I try to keep my channel without too much personal stuff. I’m more about the plants 😊

[@danicyrus6464]

💚💚💚

[@iamtanyag3732]

My feeling are so hurt. I put my Polly in Pon and its not doing well but I didn't add perlite or soil😥

[@plantsbymelissa]

hoping it does okay for you 🥹 I don't think perlite is necessary just adds a little aeration but you don't use soil for pon

[@katiewilliams9273]

I thought the mother lights where suppose to be the best. Im so happy there is something else and alot cheaper . I just could not make myself spend that much for lights .

[@plantsbymelissa]

For the price it's kinda ridiculous and would never promote them anymore. They're too short for moss poles and plants need to be within a foot of them which isn't ideal if you have a lot of plants. The company also sent me a PDF file on their lights and asked me to produce a full video on here for free and not pay me. That sorta did it for me because that's not okay. They've gifted other influencers $600 light towers and multiple mother lights so I think they can afford to pay someone to create a video for them.

[@katiewilliams9273]

@@plantsbymelissa wow that's just crazy. They can definitely afford a lot more than that . Like you said others have all kinds of stuff from them . I'm so glad I never bought from them.

[@sophiemichalski]

So sorry about the rot situation :( do you think that soil also carried some fungal or bacterial things that caused rot, since it’s still recurring after moving out of the soil?? I’m having a similar issue with all the plants I had in that medium :(

[@plantsbymelissa]

It's interesting! I've had 2 anthuriums die now since being unpotted out of sols. It's some nasty rot for sure. Some have done well and others have really struggled. Sorry to hear you're having a similar issue 😔 hoping they can pull through!

[@vanhoffthewall]

Hi Melissa my variegated Monstera is recently having some root rot, I already cut the rotted part, leave it in perlite and water it weekly but somehow it keeps rotting and the leaves are getting brown edges. Do you have any advice for it to root healthily again? Is leaving it in water a solution to grow too? Thank you in advance

[@plantsbymelissa]

Sometimes it can be hard to stop rot once it happens. You can try to get rid of it but it can come back. I like using moss with plants that had rot and I try to lock in humidity with covering the top and give light. If you're using perlite, make sure the water level is low in the vessel. It can continue to rot in water too but you jus have to keep an eye on it.

[@bpopp9839]

Where did you get the pon and the pon pots?

[@plantsbymelissa]

I ordered off of amazon. The pon is lechuza and I got the smaller bag to test out and the pots are an off brand. I can link them here for you :) www.amazon.com/shop/plantsbymelissa/list/3DGT1T05R3EUS?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d

[@jessicapetrin1655]

Melissa, I am so sorry about your Monsteras. My heart is heavy for you and you are such a wonderful, thorough plant parent. This has happened to me before so I know how upsetting this can be, especially with our favorite plants. With mine, I made some holes in the sides of my pots and it helped tremendously with the rotting issue after i cleaned them up and did a peroxide soak. It may be that the roots need a little more air… I just wanted to share and offer the suggestion.. I wish you the best of luck and I KNOW you will win the battle. Love, from another RN… Jessica, MA ❤

[@jessicapetrin1655]

And, ALL of your plants are looking gorgeous!!!!!!!!❤

[@darthtraya8305]

You can also make your own Pon. I make my own.

[@bpopp9839]

@plantsbymelissa thanks girl!! Love your channel btw, watching every single video while I'm playing in my plant corner lol. One day I'll have a full dedicated room like yours! Keep at it, we love you!!

[@finnster6582]

Do you Myco?

[@plantsbymelissa]

Yes, I have used it on my channel a few times. I love it!

[@sherryporsch9349]

It’s heart breaking about your Monsteras. 💔 So sorry, it’s not your fault. My Thai had bad root rot long time ago an I laid it an roots out in the air for several hours. I cut the rot off an never had another issue. Topping them might be your best option but I have all the faith you can save them. My Philo Patricia came rotted roots an put it in same pot as your Albo with moss, chunky perlite an charcoal it rooted so fast. Was your PPP in the same soil? Interested to hear your results on the PH tests. 🫶🏼💚

[@plantsbymelissa]

no it was in my mix but I think I overwatered it by accident when I was watering in nematodes last month. I was concerned in my last plant update video but waited too long to check it.

[@plantsbymelissa]

And thank you! 🥹

[@VeryKinkyCurl]

I have that same perlite from that brand and it is HUGE 😂. I have size 3 and I love it! I want to try pon, but I think what I may do is keep the soiled Alocasias where they are and start with corms and or propagations. I am hoping with doing that I can ease transfer shock. Not sure though.

[@katiewilliams9273]

I sure hope you get new pots or your money back. They did a horrible job packing them, no wonder they broke

[@plantsbymelissa]

haha yeah I was wondering why just a cardboard box 🫣

[@Yoliplanting]

I’m sure you’ve been told. I’m a relatively new subscriber and I not only enjoy your plants but your voice is so soothing and you are such a peaceful person to watch. I love when the kitties make an appearance ❤

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thanks for subbing and watching! 🥹🫶 I love being here and thank you for saying that!

[@Dieppaloveplants]

Yesss

[@cassidysamson2940]

I'm so jealous of all the storms you get. Thunderstorms bring me too much joy 😂

[@Zen.....]

ngl I'm worrying abt the extra fertiliser in pon, cos I've seen videos abt killer pon. I've seen leafletco testing hydroguard for root rot, she seems to have good results.

[@plantsbymelissa]

I'll have to look that up! Thank you!

[@AnaC17]

Aww I’m so sorry about your Monsteras. I can see how upset you are and it makes me so sad 💔 I know you’ll figure it out and they’ll be thriving with you soon 🩷 Sending you all the good vibes ✨

[@plantsbymelissa]

I hope so too! 🥹🫶

[@dark.and.planty]

Hi Melissa, I have some experience with pon. Alocasias do love it! Sometimes they can drop a leaf on the transition but they will very quickly start growing again. For other plants I have found it to be hit or miss. It usually works wonders when potting up water/perlite/stratum propagations. For soil transfers what I do is water without a reservoir for a while, until I see the plant has established, and then slowly start using a little bit of the reservoir increasing the amount of water for a couple of months. I never flush my pon! And I have wanted to try to add some slow release fertilizer so keep us posted on how that works please! For now I just use liquidirt as food for them and it is working well.

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thank you for sharing I really appreciate it! I love hearing how others are doing it and it helps! 🥰🫶

[@Stef_T-G]

I love watching the plants chores! You makes me want to try pond with my Colocasias since they love staying wet 😅. They're thriving in self watering pots and a chunky mix so I figure pon would be perfect for them. I hate that the soil get a little bit of white mold on the top since it is always wet... I don't know if my pots work for pon, but I really love them. I have the ones with the clear reservoir at the bottom and a string who goes into the soil. I am happy with them, they have the down side that you see any residue and they're hard to remove and clean😅 I'm really sorry about your Monsteras, it's so sad! I saw many people use pure Hydrogen peroxide on the roots without cleaning them after and they really success!

[@charlottesedita3136]

What is the brand name of your Pon Seems to be so successful for you!

[@darthtraya8305]

I wish we could add picture to the comments, but for my larger Alocasias in Pon, I have them in clear orchid pots that sit on top of beautiful crystal vases I was able to thrift. I put wicking cord in the bottom of the pot into the water. I find I don’t have to top off the water on the vase very often at all. I do not flush the Pon past the first time because I don’t want to muddy the water. I also use the Pon pots you were showing for my smaller Alocasias and Thai Constellation. I dump the reservoir once a week or so and give them fresh. Sometimes I add a very little amount of liquid fertilizer too. Using Bonide liquid fertilizer and the calcium booster in your Amazon store. My Thai constellation has put out 3 leaves since we brought it home earlier this summer and is pushing a 4th. It is growing so fast! 😊

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thank you so so much 💚🫶

[@path_of_sol]

Those pon pots should come with translucent inserts so people can see whats going on inside and don’t have to plug out the plant. So I just switched everything to Glas vessels (seen on unplantparenthood‘s channel ) and I love it! And I would suggest being a little more gentle with the corms when you put them back in the pon the roots break so fast like this. But I hope you gonna love pon and stick to it ❤

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thank you! I was looking at glass vessels but was wondering about flushing and watering with it. I’ll have to look at some other’s setup’s on how do it. Appreciate it!! Haha yeah I was a little rough with them 🙈

[@Joey11122]

Love @unplantparenthood also and her friend @youdontevengrowhere they have me addicted to glass pots

[@Xtremeraverbaby87]

Aaah you're doing great with pon well done! I like that you're doing your own thing cautiously till you have seen results, your plants are your babies and they're precious at the end of the day, and everyone's environment and humidity etc is different so they can react differently home to home I am naughty and top mine up past the max indicator to the very top 😂 I Iast about 1.5-2 weeks in a heatwave that way....so just know if you were to go on holiday it should be fine to fill higher.....I also never do the dry transitioning thing thatis recommended I go straight to a resovoir and have not had any issues..... I'm so glad you've seen the rootage from semi hydro it's amazing isn't it xx

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thank you! I feel a little more comfortable with it but still feel a little unsure of what I'm doing lol. I'm happy I'm trying it out and love to experiment! haha good to know about the level! The root system on the frydek was crazy seeing already! 🥰

[@letstalk1727]

❤👏

[@Chad.H.]

I think putting the indoor plants outside once every few months for few hours indircet sun lught helps the plant, airing the soil and encourages the micro organisms in the soil. I do that regularly speacially if my indoors starts to look weak. What do you think?

[@plantsbymelissa]

If you have the time and space I'm sure they wound't mind. I would be concerned about watering inconsistencies and light issues moving back in along with possible pests. I put some outside but the ones outside I neglect more and can keep a closer eye on them inside :)

[@theshadowgirl719]

What are the super tall like tripod grow lights in the background when you’re checking your monsters albo? Thanks,

[@theshadowgirl719]

Oops never mind you talk about the brand later in the video lol

[@Swedishviking2]

I feel your pain with your monstera albos. I have my first one and it’s a 2 leaf cutting which was propagated in water when I bought it and I’ve since moved it to leca. Today I chopped a bunch of rotted roots off it and I’m praying it bounces back. I really want to see it start to grow after how much I paid for it

[@plantsbymelissa]

I'm so sorry that happened. Wishing you the best of luck growing it back 🥰

[@finnster6582]

Why would you have to stop filming because of a Storm? Do you know something I don't 🤔

[@plantsbymelissa]

It got really loud and they make me anxious. Some of the storms here get scary!

[@juliam.e.barragan5992]

You’re not scared of burning the plants by adding the fertilizer? One of the perks of Pon is that you don’t need to use fertilizer for at least 6 months.

[@plantsbymelissa]

Hoping they'll be okay :/ I'll wait some next time :)

[@Twinleo1]

I told my husband we should move to Georgia 😂. He’s like what? Winters here in Idaho are getting annoying. So dark and cold with ice and snow. You also have such frequent storms too! I love storms! Not the snowy ones either. Our summers are so dry here which is why fires are so common. I love outdoor gardening so it would be so fun plus I want a pool 😍. I can’t justify a pool in Idaho where it’s unusable for half of the year. Anyways, it’s just fun to think about things, but if I ever move to Georgia, it’s because of you! 🤣😁😊

[@sylviagutierrez7676]

😢I know,,it happens,but think of how many other super beautiful plants you have,👍 💚💚🌱🌵💚

[@PatiDucati]

Monstera are very hardy plants, even a slight dryness will do them better than adding water to slightly hydrate them. ThaiCon is even tougher on drought than we think ☺️ nice to chill with you& my coffee

[@danicyrus6464]

You touched your albo after messing with that fungal infected alocasia. Just an observation, Incase there are issues down the line with the albo.

[@JuanellHopper]

Sounded like you were getting one of those storms like we get here. Lightning is terrible

[@joannanovara815]

I've heard TC's are much hardier and easier than albos

[@ninasuculentasymas]

Hello Melissa! My Alocasia in pon has waivered. Bottom leaves died but it’s only been 2 weeks. We’ll see if it gets better soon. What I don’t like about the big perlite is that roots grow inside them.

[@plantsbymelissa]

Hoping it gets better! oh good to know! 🙈 I think the next time I'll use smaller pieces.

[@katemerla7602]

You don’t need to PH balance in pon! One of the ingredients does it for you 😊

[@MyLocsMyPlants]

yea moisture meters suck 😂 .....hoping your monsteras come around 💚💚

[@plantsbymelissa]

😂 I can never get an accurate reading! Thank you 🥹 I'm sad some of them have the rot coming back but hoping they make a comeback here :)

[@finnster6582]

That WAS the fullest Alocasia i had ever seen!

[@ninasuculentasymas]

I needed some relaxing repots. Some of yours was stressful 🙃🙃🙂

[@plantsbymelissa]

Sorry!

[@davidreid8835]

Extremely educational video. Best of luck with your Albo, if anyone can encourage it to return to health it is you . FYI, I have a Frydek that suddenly decided to return to health and produce 4 new leaves including 2 from a stalk that I thought was devoid of life. I had repotted it into new soil mix. No attempts at pterodactyl humor in this comment . I’ll be sending good Albo vibes your way but trust in knowing that you are truly a Plantologist Extraordinaire. If plant parents were ranked like chess players you would definitely be a grand master. Thanks for what you do.

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thank you! 🥹🫶 I'm glad you Frydek is giving you new growth! Congratulations on that! Hoping the monsteras turn around soon 😔

[@Nelin_san]

Melissa tell me why I had a huge frydek too and my dog mauled it and I have kept the corms in stratum and the big corms in pon and they love it!!!! Also I live in Ga too and I love watching your videos! Me and my fiancé wanna visit Savannah soooo bad!!!

[@plantsbymelissa]

oh no, sorry to hear that happened! We love savannah so far! Moved here last April so it's been over a year now :)

[@margimorris7360]

Okay so funny thing is my plants do better, root better in plastic cups, I'm assuming because they are nice and small. I also used the double cup method and wick water and just put it in a nice outer pot. You don't need to flush your plants every water, I did for ages but on the Facebook group I'm in there are people that don't flush at all. I use an Australian product that doses't have fertiliser in it so rinse it all before I use it. I am now only going to flush once every six weeks or so because watering became an all day event. I change out and water every two weeks however I'm still learning and will start putting less water in the reservoir so I can just go around and add nutrient water 🌸

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thank you so much! 🫶

[@sarah6479]

Doesn’t lechuza Pon come with slow release fertilizer that lasts 3-6 months? 😅 I hope the extra fertilizer won’t burn the plants! 😢

[@plantsbymelissa]

Yes, I am aware thank you! Hoping they'll be okay but I'll make sure to wait awhile next time I pot a plant in it :)

[@justinaruszczak656]

Have you tried using leca on your monsteras? I rotted mine with soil so I switched to leca and they love it and are thriving, you can control water level so the roots won’t rot

[@plantsbymelissa]

I just started branching out with pon but not sure about leca yet. I'm a huge soil fan so branching out slowly lol.

[@amylokers4942]

I have a question... Do Monstera's leaves curl when they are thirst

[@plantsbymelissa]

They can curl if thirsty or the other way around :( if the root health isn't good. Sometimes it's just the way they are though but if you're concerned you can lift out of the pot to exam the roots without disturbing too much. If the soil appears dry then most likely thirsty!

[@queenc8360]

How do you like the Barrina vertical light? I hope I can snag one when they’re available again.

[@plantsbymelissa]

I think the quality so far is great! I'm a huge fan of barrina and it's impressive! The height blew me away right out of the box lol.

[@joannanovara815]

Water meters are not accurate in my experience(especially in chunky soil). I just use my finger 😉

[@brenfays3255]

Or a wooden skewer

[@carolstuff]

Sorry about the albo rotting; hopefully, it will bounce back.

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thank you! 🫶🥹

[@carolmaltry7546]

Can you cut off the aerial roots? Or stick them in the dirt when you repot?

[@plantsbymelissa]

you can do either! They can grow back if you cut them though!

[@dianespring3228]

Melissa have you tried peroxide on the roots it does help with root rot

[@plantsbymelissa]

Yes, I usually soak root rot with hydrogen peroxide and water :)

[@ConnieP92]

I would 1000% put it in pon or leca....since doing that with my Alocasia Silver Dragon, Dragon Scale and Melo they are thriving with no issues, lots of new growth and they look really happy....and it's WINTER here in Sydney! All the best with it Melissa ❣

[@Twinleo1]

Do you mix in perlite with your pon? I moved 4 Alocasias over to pon, flushed the pon well, and they all rotted. I’m so sad. Pon doesn’t seem to stay that wet so I’m so confused. The roots were big and looked so good too.

[@ConnieP92]

No I don’t…I don’t find it necessary in my situation. I just let the reservoir go almost empty and then top it up or, if it’s been more than 3 weeks I will flush and put new water with my liquid nutrients (GT Foliage Focus). It’s important though to note that I ensure that my ‘soil’ roots are not touching the water and I also clean off any dying soil roots once water roots start emerging out of the bottom. I hope this helps 😊

[@KathyGallagher01]

Hi Melissa. I believe that there are two types of Lechuza Pon that particular one comes with slow release fertiliser in it, and the other is called Luchuza Basic Pon that comes without the fertiliser. So please be careful how much extra you put in 💚

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thank you! Hoping I didn't overdue it but I'll definitely be careful next time :)

[@KathyGallagher01]

@@plantsbymelissa sorry if you already knew Melissa, didn’t want to interfere ☺️💚

[@Dieppaloveplants]

Melissa buy silica it will help with the browning of the leaves❤❤❤

[@plantsbymelissa]

My albos never had browning before the root rot happened :( I don't know anything about silica.

[@lifepathjourney3638]

No, the Moisture Meter is fine 🤷 insert the Meter into the Plant Soil. Walk away, give it bout 10 minutes. When you come back and look at the Meter that is your Accurate Reading.

[@plantsbymelissa]

10 minutes for every plant you check is a long time to wait before watering.

[@brooklin_bernek]

Watching you in pain and so sad really broke me girl. People don’t understand how much we put into growing these babies. How much money with lights, water , food. Ugh I’m so so sorry girlie. Please know you got this!!! I took EVERYTHING out , before you mentioned it i knew because I was having issues within 6 months of using it. I’m rooting for you ❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thank you Brooklin 🥹 and I'm sorry about your plants too. I'm hoping they make a comeback here in the coming months 🫶

[@VierkaVasquez-ov2jp]

Thank you for the video. I love it when you post. I’m sorry about the monsteras. Anyways, I noticed that your monsteras have a lot Of aerial roots. My Monstera Aurea was on the struggle bus and I was worried (bought the plant twice and they rotted). I ordered one locally instead of importing and it also went downhill. Eventually, I repotted it and the problem persisted. Like you, I was concern about taking it out and disturbing it, so I plucked the aerial roots into the soil. And guess who’s been growing leaves non stop this season? 🥹 I’m sure that one aerial root saved Me. Good luck with everything. You’re an exceptional plant person ❤️ PS. You inspired me to get my Aurea 😌 Courage.

[@plantsbymelissa]

Thank you! I'm sad to hear all that happened to yours but glad it's doing better now 🥹 I tucked a few albo aerials in the pot a the end but when I go to check the aurea, if I see more rot and I need to change the substrate out to reroot I'll probably add some in there 🫶

[@jpgypsyxo]

The perlite recommendation was me!! I wish I would have known sooner myself because I ended up rotting the first few. It could have been from the transition from soil to pon maybe causing over watering, but I kept my water levels really low so I really think it was to the weight of the pon. Once I added the perlite they rooted back up beautifully! You can also add Leca if you want to add more sizes of substrate &/or (my preferred way) layer at the bottom for the water reservoir. Good luck!! I hope it works for you. 🪴 ❤

[@plantsbymelissa]

ah yes thank you!!

[@VeryKinkyCurl]

I am so sorry about your Monsteras, don’t beat yourself up though. Had you known, I am sure you would not have subjected them to that soil. We all want the best for our plant babes and sadly things happen. I would feel the same about my Philo Majesty, Dark Lord, and Royal Queen. I will say, even though you have had issues, you are by far one of the BEST green-thumb YTbers imo. You do great work and it shows through your plants 🪴 💚