Houseplants That I Don't Bother Buying Or Growing Anymore

Today I share some lessons I've learned the hard way, so you don't have to! Or perhaps you're already in the process or learning yourself... Thanks for watching!
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Episcias
Prayer Plants
Palms
Frilly Ferns
Instagram: @phillyfoliage
#phillyfoliage

[@SJ-yu5zk]

"they're a piece of garbage.. I love them aesthetically, I hate everything else about them" - Me, thinking about my ex

[@magdalena2238]

Sometimes the 'I love them aesthetically' part is not even true.

[@emmy8009]

And the “their behavior is absolutely piss poor” after fit perfectly 🤣

[@tynouiy]

🤣🤣

[@christinebeames2311]

Once you are Indifferent about them , you know your truly over them ,it can take years for the rage and sadness to go completely

[@aminahgomez8553]

😂😂😂

[@ninamodaffari1412]

my pothos: oh? you forgot about me? well it doesn't matter bitch, I don't care. I don't need water, care or love. I will thrive without you my maidenhair fern: T_T you looked at me weird now I'm gonna die

[@Cutecat689]

🤣

[@liviatozzi]

😂😂😂

[@LoriFahy]

yup maiden hair.. it just drops dead with a look.. even if u look at it lovingly, .. it has a suicide mission to die :(

[@Harmony-pi4ty]

@@LoriFahy they just need water everyday or every other day and they’ll reward you

[@Galemor1]

I love pothos, just because they give so much, and if you give them a little, they give you even more.. 😍

[@lovableasshole]

Title of the video should have been Nick Unpacks His Trauma 😅

[@chicnoir29]

🤣 truth!

[@KatDatura]

This is so funny because most of these plants are my personal favorite *because* they're so needy lol. I like having something to pay lots of attention to and I tend to kill plants that are considered "easy" because I fuss with them too much. My year old majesty palm is putting out new fronds like nobodies business, but she's most certainly a diva.

[@nicolekelly7580906]

I used to be just like you until my collection got up to 33 plants & like a moron I transplanted them all into terra cotta to match the rooms tile they’re in & now I have to water them like every two days. They’re all doing really good, but I’m getting tired of constantly watering them.

[@Fire-Queen]

@@nicolekelly7580906 I have had the same experience! I loved the look of terra cotta with the rest of my decor. but plants soon died... I learned that terra cotta outers, with plastic inners seems like it might be the best solution, hope it's available for you?

[@reizak8966]

I have a mix of needy and easy plants, I just try to make sure I don't helicopter my plants that don't want to be fussed over. 🤣

[@Shinelikealways]

Same here!

[@malindarayallen]

You're smart to know what kind of plants work with your parenting style. It's the most important thing.

[@makennasauerman3936]

Okay 30 seconds in and I’m already obsessed with ur energy

[@vlong7112]

"they're a piece of garbage.. I love them aesthetically, I hate everything else about them" 😂

[@2close2themoon]

And we've all known people like this, too.

[@jfm14]

@@2close2themoon Ha, too true. 😆

[@caileyhughes2830]

Lmao

[@PaintFae]

I only got into plants a year or two ago but my mom always had plants around the house growing up. Except she had like 10 majesty palms, half of which came in for the winter and went out in the summer and lived for YEARS. When I tell you that gave me unrealistic expectations for when i moved out and bought my first palm to make it "feel like home".....thing died in a month. I was shocked. I thought they were hardy. Turns out my moms just a magician.

[@starry-mantle]

me, watching my second calathea white fusion die a slow death: why did I do this to myself.

[@Fire-Queen]

Why is it dying???

[@tristanchung8831]

Why your plant budget must be huge. They are so expensive that when they die it’s painful in my heart as well as my wallet

[@Fire-Queen]

@@tristanchung8831 maybe it all depends on where in the world you are. In the Netherlands and Indonesia these have been tissue culturered like crazy, and 3 sorts are available. (White fusion, white tiger and Louisiae.)

[@tristanchung8831]

@@Fire-Queen that is true price is only dependent on local retailers. Over here in the UK white Fusion Calathea sell for around £70

[@niko7996]

For some reason calatheas and marantas do fine for me. I have a calathea dottie was almost dead when I bought it (marked down at a big box store). It only had two leaves that were covered in pest damage. Gave it some love and it doesn't even look like the same plant anymore, it's growing like crazy. I also have a lemon lime maranta trailing down the side of my tv stand that's doing very well.

[@nikkyoyinlola920]

Disclaimer- I live in Nigeria... palms are easy plants. They just don't need that much care, but then, we tend to leave them outside, in their natural state. No one here would dream of putting a Majesty Palm indoors, eg. They're huge! But the smaller palms, parlor, kentia lady palms ,etc are dead easy indoors here. Episcias are a dream plant. They never die.

[@MsTriangle]

yes, because that's their original home. While in Europe or in the US...that's a different story

[@jannertfol]

I have a parlour palm that is about 6 feet tall. I keep it in a centrally heated sitting room, next to a now-defunct fireplace, lit only by an eastern-facing picture window on the other side of the room! However, when I bought it 30 years ago, it was just a tiny 6-inch high plant. It IS slow-growing. And I nearly killed mine by underwatering it. I must have read somewhere that it's best not to water palms too often! Anyway, once I realised my mistake, I started drenching it nearly every day. I also repotted it into a larger, taller pot. It rewarded me by putting on a foot or two of height and bushiness in about a year. It now flowers regularly as well. It's a great plant, and not hard to care for, if you don't mind waiting for it to become jungle. But don't stint on the water.

[@bumbygrl]

Same here in Florida everything thrives outside, you put it inside it dies.

[@yespls4184]

They're super susceptible to spider mites if you keep them indoors-- when they're outside, there are other beneficial insects and environmental factors that keep them in check

[@sandy_carpetsthesecond5013]

I think Ponytail Palms are good for more dry areas, but that's because they're pretty much succulents with how absolutely chunky their trunks are. The only issue is that they're slow growing, and that you can't play with their leaves despite wanting to ruffle them up every time you look at them.

[@lost_in_conversation7988]

"Beautiful person that turns out to be apocalyptic." That's fucking poetry lol.

[@jocelyngreger1174]

Nick talking to the stromanthe trio like a troubled child 😂😂

[@tristanchung8831]

Is he wrong though?

[@kincelgarden8536]

This video is the answer to accept that my 4th Stromanthe is going to be buried soon. 🤣😬

[@noellesercer9978]

I swear prayer plants need to be pushed five to six feet away from a west facing window and given DISTILLED water. They are LOW LIGHT plants! So much fun to watch them move their leaves from day to night 😊

[@linwong1494]

13:10 "growing out of cracks in the sidewalk I'm sure in areas of the world" You would be very correct. Here in asia, maidenhair ferns are found around the mountains as weeds lol. My apartment parking lot has some growing out of cracks in the wall and I've gotten some weird looks from our security guards when I tried pulling them out of said wall lol. Which is why I find it a bit sad that it's got a rep as a diva when really the most demanding part is high humidity and frequent watering, which admittedly, is much harder to maintain for plant friends over in drier countries.

[@MarisaAndChew]

I had one and i wanted her to love me. I set up a humidifier I watered her daily, I set a timer on her light... and she was like "ur not good enough for me" and died... Even her humidifier was on a timer! Meanwhile I live in one of the colder parts of Canada and I have a citrus tree in the same room and it has been alive for 3 years and has produced fruit two of those 3 years... I would have thought if I could grow a citrus tree that the maiden hair would be a breeze! This said, I would definitely try another if i found one with a good price again! I had only paid about 4 dollars for her. I think maybe she was overly coddled and didn't get a chance to be an independent woman :P

[@linwong1494]

@@MarisaAndChew perhaps it was a problem with fluctuating temperatures? I've noticed that these guys only pop out of the walls in the beginning of summer/late spring when we get storms coming in and the heat is about 26c° to 30c° in the day in bright shaded areas. Once it gets drier than 65% humidity and the temperature drops to below 25c° they immediately die back or struggle real bad. Not to say they are dead though, the same ones sprout from the same cracks once spring/summer rolls around again. I hope you manage to find a reasonably priced one and succeed this time! :)

[@MarisaAndChew]

@@linwong1494 the room i have it the indoor temp doesn't fluctuate more than maybe 4 degrees all year but its more like 18-21 so it could just be far too cold for it! I wonder if the one I got was ripped from a natural habitat potted and sold or if it was raised in a nursery its whole life. It was quite small. I know there are import/export laws on plants but a lot of people get around them. I did get it at a real store not ebay or somewhere though. Maybe I shouldn't give one another try since I keep it so cool in here year round. Or, maybe I should look for one that is much larger and established. This was a 4 inch pot and not overly large but was healthy and had a lot of growth, perhaps it was just too young and tender for my temperature though! Oddly, I never see them in our garden centers in summer when it is actually 26-30 outside! Grrr

[@geetak1006]

I live in Vancouver Canada and have pretty mild winters.. i actually put one maidenhair fern outside last summer since the soil was getting flies because of so much watering. I though it had died down in the winter but i was pleasantly surprised to find that it is growing new leaves now. Meanwhile my indoor ferns are dying :(

[@elly512]

Where I live it’s about 60% humidity in the summer and 80% in the winter and my ferns STILL get crunchy because they want more humidity. I ended up putting them on a window sill right above my 20 gal fish tank (lidless) and they are doing much better now. But I swear with the level of humidity they want they should just become aquarium plants 😂

[@mirnazelaya430]

I live in Central America, and it's soooooo humid. So, I have beautiful calatheas and marantas. But they can be such divas. And yes, ferns here grow in street cracks and forests... 😅😅😅

[@calmaconejo]

Yes! Yo tengo de todos modos un mini humidificador alrededor de todas mis prayer plants para asegurarme que sean felices haha

[@calmaconejo]

@L. P. aww haha

[@sloeberdoet]

high humidity may be healthy for plants for humans between 40% and 60% is better for the health. Above is too high and under is too dry.

[@_leafylife]

Nick, I am so grateful for ALL your peperomia videos. Every now and then I rewatch them for a fix of pep love, and learn or relax, and admire types I don't have. Today I'm watching this one while my two small children are busy playing for a bit, I'm sitting in front of my newly arranged peperomia area, with tea and toast and just luxuriating in it all. I would be so delighted to see a current collection/update on your peperomia/peperomia you've spotted lately/wishlist peps, if you have time and inclination to make one (please). I point friends to your channel all the time when they're stuck.

[@Clutchpearls]

Nick, I found a secret to the stramathis and a lot of the prayer plants! So I get green moss, put around the dirt section, it holds the moisture in longer which is what the plant wants and loves, it also helps greatly by keeping the humidity up around the plant even during the winter in cold climates that you and I both live in. I literally killed every single plant like stramathis along with other prayer plants until I did this, now they are not only alive but they thrive! Please try it!

[@RuubinSelena]

I bought a maiden hair fern at a grocery store almost two years ago and have had it planted it in a clear glass bowl/vase with no drainage, western window, and it has gotten MASSIVE! Don't give up on maiden hair ferns, just keep them soggy, not even moist but soggy! That's what I do anyway 😂

[@patriciawhite1206]

Inwant to try one they are on sale right now but just know I'll kill it

[@leslieparsons408]

@@patriciawhite1206 I've seen them growing in nature. They are tougher than you think, but they live with water, out of cracks in the limestone.

[@cabbagesprinkles7322]

My mom has one and it keeps dying, coming back, getting a fungus, dying, coming back again! She said it’s normal and they die off several times a year and hers has grown quite a bit since purchase. She’s a botanist that specializes in plant tissue culture so I trust her lol.

[@eshepard8565]

I bought 6 a few years ago - 3 went in the garden, 3 came inside. The ones in the garden didn't even last the summer, but the indoor ones are still going - and one of them has even propagated itself into two other pots! They do get yellow leaves sometimes but they're still doing well enough. I don't give them a ton of light but maybe I'll try more.

[@elly512]

I’ve always heard that prayer plants are really difficult, but ironically they’re some of the easiest ones I’ve grown. Most that I’ve had have thrived. That being said, I like to baby my plants so having ones to fuss over work well. I also live in a climate that averages 60% humidity in the summer and 80% humidity in the winter, which I’m sure helps them. It’s just funny to me because these “super difficult” plants are much easier for me than the “easy” ones like succulents, cacti and snake plants.

[@FishStank]

“You think they’re the most beautiful person until you get to know them and then they turn out to be apocalyptic”…. Hmmm that guy I dated named logan… that’s targeted at you LMFAOOOOOO

[@rhodealexandre6583]

Apocalyptic!!!!!😀😀😀😀

[@Anni_Mau]

I've had ridiculous success with my prayer plants I think. They have never given me a headache, they just grow and I water them about every 2 weeks or when one of them starts letting her leaves hang/ rolling them. She is like an indicator. Then I water her and the others and she perks right back up. They all stand very close to each other between 2 Aquariums and about 2.5 to 3 meters away from my east facing window and they're just vibing lol. Last year one of them dried out because I was away for 2 weeks and died but I cut back the dead stuff down to the soil and kept watering it along with the others and it just grew back :)

[@GEOMETRICINK]

Same. I think it has a lot to do with the humidity of the state you live in. Here in eastern Michigan (I live right on Lake Erie) My prayer plants do amazing, always have. In the winter the humidity gets to 40% in my home, but in the summer since were right on the lake it’s very high. I might get the tiniest crispy edge here and there but they still grow vigorously throughout the entire year. Plus you’ll be all good once you learn that perfect balance of keeping them damp, but not to damp, letting them dry out but not dry out LOL. I personally love prayer plants.

[@Cheezyjr]

Prayer plants are my absolute favorite- I own at least 8 varieties that I purchased last year. Some species are just so much more finicky than others. I have a triostar and white fusion that I purchased in 4” pots that are now in gallon pots and thriving with almost no brown tips. But my red maranta and vittata have a bit of brown on almost every leaf and it drives me nuts. I only water them with distilled water and they still look like trash. So frustrating

[@LA-jq3ur]

Same. But I only have three species. Calathea makoyana, C. rubifarba and Stromanthe triostar. I have real trouble with Peperomias which Nick loves.

[@lschoenrank]

Stromanthe Triostar is a bit of a space hog too. At night, all the leaves are pointing straight up and it looks so polite. In the morning, all the leaves drop and obscure half of your other plants. I took a time-lapse video, which was fun. I've been keeping all of my tropicals on one big glass table in the living room window, and every morning I mist the whole kit & caboodle, hoping to keep the humidity sufficiently high for the day.

[@worthyones]

I have a simple parlor palm that I thought would be easy to care for. She is currently on my balcony away from my other plants. She will not be allowed back in the house until she decides to behave. I thought about throwing her off the balcony! Does that make me a bad person?😳😆

[@tristanchung8831]

Parlour palms are soo easy to care for though 🤣 I’ve got one that’s been alive for almost a decade now. I neglect it so much😬 Edit: the parlour palm I have is Chamaedorea Elegans

[@REEEEDACTED]

LOL

[@faustineli375]

Same. I think mine got shocked from repotting and decided to give up on life.

[@JacyndaMinor]

I was gonna say, don’t worry it’ll kick the bucket soon enough on it’s own! Lolz I have killed so many parlor palms. They kept sending them to me as replacements or in my mystery boxes from the sill, and I just started giving them to my BFF when they were near death. She’s got that good light and probably sorcery tbh that makes plants do a 180 when they land in her house, although she tends to have a hard time with the plants I normally do really well with. So, a good way to deal with a plant you’re fighting with is to pawn it off on your friend who has the opposite luck with plants as you do, and rehab her butthole plants, and then talk about it with her ALL THE TIME ;)

[@worthyones]

@@faustineli375 hmm, that might be the problem!

[@Dhalpourie]

This guy is hilarious! OMG. I can listen to him talk all day about how devastating his experience has been with ferns.

[@marahcamps]

After I realized I needed to use distilled water on my maranta, it’s been rewarding me with flowers! Pinstripe calathea on the other hand….so beautiful but it’s all downhill after bringing it home.

[@ghostprimer]

I use tap water for my maranta and it’s doing fine. I bought it as a cutting a month ago, and it’s already working on its second new leaf

[@sandyheredia3027]

My first makoyana was thriving, then it died.I have another sent for free when I bought 4 of another. I have her in my bathroom window with medium light and humidity.

[@Lorenmcdee]

Hey man I said this in your moving post and I have to say it again here You are REALLY doing great recently letting your personality shine through

[@feliciafelicia6965]

Ponytail palm. I got one in the mail by mistake and the seller let me keep it. It grows wonderfully in my low humidity home.

[@anicesunset2022]

Your background is such eye candy 😍

[@Jess_Bishop]

So accurate

[@abronwing]

What about the foreground? (; 😂

[@ungoyone]

... That's sexual.

[@ded1ex]

nick is eye candy

[@MissJoaniB]

Totally agree about calatheas. I got one as a gift and I'm pretty sure it was a test of friendship. Which I failed. Also my majesty palm is slowly dying in a corner in the stairwell. So I feel this very hard. (I wish I'd seen this first)

[@annacallisto7491]

Since I started spraying my calathea burlemarxii with water everyday and keep the soil moist, it started to shoot out so much new growth (in winter!!) and it looks lush and beautiful. Just a little tip 😊

[@monicalesser]

Putting all my prayer plants in self watering plastic pots and making sure the humidity is at least 60% and getting indirect light seems to have made them all happy. They live clumped together near a tiny 1c cold mist humidifier when needed.

[@HannahLindy]

Drop the link please 😫 maybe a new humidifier is what my calatheas need!

[@backpackingrannie5088]

I had a really bad day. I say down with a beer and decided to watch whatever KZbin gave me. Which was this video. I've got to say I laughed my ass off. Everything you said in this video I totally agree with and have had the same experiences with these plants. I am a chronic over waterer, to the point where my standard soil mix is 1/2 to 3/4 succulent mix, no matter what the plant. Although... knock on wood, I do have a couple calatheas that made it thru the winter and are doing well. Every morning I get up and expect it will be time to toss them. Thank you for a great video that really brightened my day!

[@enchanted_wildflower_]

"In summer the humidity is high enough" Me: lives in the center of spain, where it feels like the desert during summer

[@auntylinda7640]

In the desert you would need to grow an Adantium under a glass dome! 😘

[@LameTurmeric]

My mom has had a parlor palm for 10 years. She knows NOTHING about plants. She neglects it, she's never repotted it and it's not even in a pot with drainage holes 😭 and this thing is. still. alive 😂

[@Kenzieistired99]

My grandma has a dragon tree palm that she's had since I remember, at least a decade. In that time she has never reported it out of its 16 inch plastic planter, the plant is now upwards of of 15 feet tall, it sits in a giant blue real pot that if I could I would repot it into but our opportunity to move this tree alive was gone about 8 feet ago. It's somehow thriving, we water it maybe once a month because we forget about it all the time back behind the other plants. We've cut it off and let it regrow new tops a couple times and it's multiplied it's tops quickly each time. I have no idea how it's still alive but alas, it fights to see another day. Oh obviously it hasn't had any new dirt in this pot since day one, also not a drop of fertilizer the past three years I've lived here lol.

[@lisawagner6076]

I always thought the Triostar always looks "dirty". BUT, I went and bought one anyway. I have about 18 Calatheas in my bedroom right now, some are crispy and need to go. And the humidity is very high in there and they do get distilled or rainwater. Sometimes you do everything they want and they still die. I have not given up on calatheas yet, but I am getting there. I will never get another fittonia. I have killed several of them. I had a majesty palm that was not doing too bad, until...I got a kitten! And that was the end of that palm. I did miss you last week. Glad your back. I enjoy your videos and sense of humor.

[@Kirorokat1132]

I've recently discovered Calatheas as a favorite of mine; have four of them and a Maranta. They've so far been doing great in my apartment with a North-facing window. I used to want the Tenanthe Triostar, but then I saw a White Fusion! It's apparently THE biggest diva of the Calatheas, though, so I plan to wait until I'm sure the rest of mine don't die before I get one of those XD

[@lisawagner6076]

@@Kirorokat1132 I have 2 and I am still trying to figure out what they want.

[@baylietrout7888]

Me and my mom very recentyl got into plants at the same time and we both are drawn to calathea variants and had no idea how finicky they are.

[@JacyndaMinor]

I love Nick’s real-ass plant talk. I’ve been fighting with these dang peperomias for too long yall, but I gave up on ferns and palms before I even started with them. I’m hard core into vining and trailing plants that aren’t ivy or ficus right now and we are making some decent progress

[@lev2727]

*_"I gave up on ferns and palms before I even started with them"_* In plain English; you're just too lazy to learn what a plant needs.

[@JacyndaMinor]

@@lev2727 uhhh yeah dude, _exactly_ What the plant _needs_ is to *not be in my house* 😜

[@tessalia87]

In the old grave yard in St. Augustine, FL I ❤️ how maiden hair ferns grow on the old tombstones.

[@jenniferamundson15]

My mother loves st Augustine. We go to Florida every year (we're in New York). I've never been to the graveyard, I'll have to check it out. I love maidenhairs:)

[@Laundrification]

For finicky ferns, I find a mulch/soil cover can really help slow down how quickly the pot dries out. I've had a maidenhair fern for about 2 years that's happy as a clam, and I water it every 3-4 days. Aquarium gravel, pebbles, even fine orchid bark can help.

[@caramelmaru]

Yes! That in combination with a self watering pot, it bcomes every once a week :D

[@JacyndaMinor]

I’d like to make a comprehensive list of the plants that _want_ the gravel/compost soil covering and the plants that hate it, bc I have had to adjust my snake plant, zz plant, Rhaphidophora tetrasperma, etc. by emergency removal of the rocks after I realized it was a problem for them. They made a little palm I had get mold at it’s base, but I think there are definitely some plants that would love it like a fern. Maybe fittonia? Begonia?

[@joankennes3230]

@@JacyndaMinor Definitely Begonia. And Anthurium.

[@dolltimewithkayla]

decorative moss is great for this, cute to look at and provides more air flow than pebbles!

[@JacyndaMinor]

@@joankennes3230 yessss yes very good

[@jenna9085]

Prayer plants are so DRAMATIC!!

[@savannahdavis8194]

I almost bought a triostar because it's just so pretty. I read in many places that it was a hard one to keep so I decided to buy a sparkling sarah during a local sale here instead. I just wanted a pink plant for my little collection

[@fashion4point0]

Does anyone else have trouble with fittonias or is it just me? Lol

[@Nunu1293]

I keep wanting to buy one but all I see about it is how terrible it is to take care of 😭😭 they’re so pretty tho!!

[@S73820]

Me too, I never knew what I did to them that they hate me so much 😂

[@stephaniewest88]

Hate fittonias! It’s in the name, fit! Drama

[@peaceandfreedom101]

Worst plant ever

[@Badgercat]

I have trouble with them and Ive never even owned one

[@Loradeyn]

I have invested in a big, realistic plastic palm for the darkest part of my appartment. No one notices it's fake, and it always give me a chuckle when people ask me how I manage to keep it alive.

[@dwightcorbett8889]

I fully agree with your view on majesty palms. I bought three of them last fall. All three are dead and gone. I tried everything I could think of and even did research, but still lost all three. This is the first plant I ever failed with growing as a houseplant. I've grow philodendron, dieffenbachia, Boston fern, dracaena, snake plant, rhoeo, Christmas cactus. Everything has survived, with the exception of the majesty palms.

[@rileymcconnell3232]

I love ponytail palms! They store water in their trunk and are somewhat drought resistant.

[@carrielange2692]

my cat ate every frond down to the nub, and I was so crushed. it was literally just a trunk with little bumps where the fronds were. Amazingly, new fronds are growing, and even a new sprout coming up from the soil! I could NOT believe it!

[@TheVikingCarrot]

I have houseplants. I have cats. The former better be easy, cuz I ain't got time for TWO needy things in my life, folks! 🤣

[@femmebitale]

Your piper ornatum taunts me every time I watch your videos 😂😂

[@sharoncox1734]

As a chronic over-waterer, prayer plants and ferns were made for me.

[@dianawhynot2393]

I got my calathea and some of its leaves are turning brown/ dying BUT it has so much quick and new growth since I got artificial lighting and a humidifier ! I love calatheas

[@plantjunkie69]

Just get some self watering planters! They’re life savers for plants that need consistently moist soil

[@AlysiaTribeca]

WAIT! Would this make calathea easier to keep?! I love them and want them so bad but I've killed 3 in my 8 plant keeping years so if this would solve my problem then you would be my hero

[@hooksknotslove1528]

I love this. As of today, I am getting rid of plants that are too high maintenance. Glad I'm not the only one :) Thanks for sharing.

[@hopefulkitty]

Prayer plants and ferns are persona non grata in my home.

[@mattlloyd9054]

Dude I've had a majesty palm for years indoors. Outta all palms for me it's as easy as a parlor palm. It's very resilient when I've let it get close to death I've just put it out in a shady corner on my deck for the summer, water the shit out of it, and by fall it's back to its former glory. Seriously it's been down to just the spear several times. It's also a balance of spider mites here and there to a full blown infestation you never get rid of them all!

[@pattygaspari-bridges5637]

So glad you filmed thus video again. Thank you, it was very helpful.

[@nguyenhuynh5567]

When you start talking about fern, your cuteness sparks. That lovely

[@blumooo]

I was looking forward to buying my first prayer plant! I have three areca palms and I love them for the growth they have had in the last few months.

[@alyssalewis8421]

Maidenhair Fern Tip: Use a passive watering rope dangling out from the bottom of the pot, into a permanent water source. I literally never water my fern, and it's been growing great for the last 4-5 months now. I don't do anything for it AT ALL. Planning on doing this with my Boston soon, too. Just remember if you use an aquarium as this water source that you do not have any fertilizers or pesticides in your fern soil! It can transfer across the watering rope to the tank and hurt your fish!

[@rutasudmantaite9751]

I’ve had my majesty palm for 3 years and it has tripled in size. You’re totally right about the light and water but otherwise it’s pretty easy going

[@vetafields7966]

First, yes, yes and yes. You named all the plants I smile at when I’m in a store, a nursery or a garden but when I see them go home in someone’s hand I just feel pity. Second, thank you for the giggles.

[@aniliname]

If you can get your hands on lechuza pon, try putting your prayer plants in pon and self-watering pots (with distilled water). Ever since I did that, I haven't had any crisping on my five (otherwise very bitchy) calatheas. It also effectively turned my hardest plants into my easiest ones.

[@picklepirate]

🥹 this may save me and my calatheas

[@aniliname]

@@picklepirate good luck! I’ve also had the best results when converting stressed calatheas to first put them in water (filtered/distilled) for up to two weeks before putting them in pon so they can recover from the initial stress of having their roots so unsettled

[@picklepirate]

@@aniliname thank you so much for the information! calatheas can definitely be drama queens. My pon just came in the mail! so, let's see what happens. I appreciate the comments

[@aniliname]

@@picklepirate Good luck! Here's a recent video from Plant Friend Down the Street on getting started with pon :)

[@ems90s]

You’ve taught me soooooooo much about plants! THANK YOU!

[@shiny-dust]

the apocalyptic beauty!!!! the fern forest!!!! i love when you get a little off-topic and weird, haha

[@SSaaNNddYY77]

I almost killed my Cotton Candy fern and a Fluffy Ruffles... but I kept them for a challenge! So glad I did. They are gorgeous today. I also have a HUGE Boston Fern. I totally will never buy any Prayer plants again! Agree!

[@izzyxblades]

"wholeheartedly, that is future garbage" 🤣

[@kellytrojanowski7021]

My favorite quote of the video. 🤣 I literally cackled in my car waiting for my drive through.

[@frejulundr6851]

All my prayer plants slowly died no matter how hard I tried to keep them humid. But a stromanthe I gifted my boyfriend has been doing wonderful in low light and barely being watered monthly for the past two years. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@breannenichols7]

My stromanthe literally just gets my half finished flat bubbly water and it flourishes I don’t know how I do it

[@plygirlcutie]

100% right on the palms! When I started getting into plants I was so excited to see such a big plant for so big that I had to have it! within a few months the frawns would turn brown and ugly. It also had spider mites several times before I decided enough is enough and tossed it. I was so afraid of spider mites and it was my first experience with them.

[@emmasplantz]

Couldn't agree more with the prayer plants. They look gorgeous but I can never keep them happy.

[@13taraliane]

I have always had good luck with all my marantas/calatheas/stromanthe. I always make sure the soil is moist, most frequently and just keep it slightly out of the window. Most of mine live in the bathroom

[@carolyntulk4437]

It’s funny, I have a majesty palm that I’ve had for about 7 years (and gone through 4 moves) and it’s thriving. It grows very slowly for me indoors but for whatever reason this thing will not die or deteriorate no matter what I do to it! I bought it from ikea for like 20 bucks (Canadian) and it’s lasted me forever. It’s my easiest houseplant to grow. I just find it needs a higher humidity than I general keep my house at, so I placed a humidifier close by and it’s as happy as can be!

[@cefcat5733]

Trio Star. Same experience here. If I bought one, I would press the leaves and put them in a frame later. Love Prayer Plants. Used distilled water, lots of carrying heavy loads. I might make it with just one plant, figuring out everything to save it. First plant was an orchid. Gave it with new buds, back to the owner. I need a Calethea Dr.

[@Saritabanana]

My flame violet grows so fast in the spring and summer when out on the porch. It blooms nonstop and I made like 8 new plants from the babies. It's doing ok so far inside. I run a humidifier a few times a week. I hope I can keep it alive until it's time to go back outdoors

[@eringrim9885]

Hi Nick! I am a plant newbi and I have learned so much from you!!!!! I was feeling very guilty after killing a beautiful triostar…today I am no longer feeling guilty! Thanks for your brilliant insight! 💜🌴

[@myabs06]

I’ve had my majesty palm for over a year, in a second floor apartment, in Massachusetts lol it’s in my kitchen that has 3 south facing windows and it’s in a non draining pot, I think that is the trick.

[@tamihill4856]

I have an episcia I have been growing some version of for over 20 years. There have been times I would have given up on it, but it’s from a cutting my grandmother gave me of my great grandmother’s plant. I grow it in a self watering pot to cut down on getting water on it, but sometimes it will get to looking just awful, so I cut it and propagate and start over. It’s blooming right now and is just lovely. 🥰

[@cindyleblond182]

Omg, soooooo true, I have a triostar just hanging in there...good tips about the edge and tips getting brown/crispy...I went thru 2 lemon lime prayer plants....they are beautiful and challenging

[@CK-solutions]

Interesting about the prayer plant family. I tend to agree for the most part. I pretty much stay away from Calathea all together. However I've had luck with the Rattle Snake Calathea and Medallion. Surprisingly, Stromanthe Triostar is also one I've had success with - but not straight away. Those three survived my Calathea phase, so they deserve to stick around. At this stage, they're about five years old. As far as palms go, I've had continued success with Parlour Palms - and you're right about the moisture requirement. But the thing to credit the Parlour Palm's success is, they sell them in clumps of young plants. Creating the needed humidity, they like.

[@jenat82]

I have this love for parlor palms, I've never bought one but I am tempted every time. OOOH! I was gonna say I gave up on my dream of ferns too and then I hear you bring up varieties I need to explore. I LOVE ferns. Boston and bird's nest. I dream of a ligght bathroom with loads of plants. I have a tiny bird's nest I literally put in a MOAT of water. In it's small pot with a bigger pot around it with standing water. It's not for me, the fern, it's for my snail enclosure. I am keeping it out as long as I can to let any pesticides degrade.

[@mayfrost5189]

I just love my palm, Dypsis lutescens, which has a blossom right now. I have it for about 2 years and it is a easy going plant.

[@annaluisa660]

I own a palm you were talking about for three years now and my one is good… I had her a little bit too dark and she got too wet around the root but after changing the pot and putting her lighter she is growing again😊

[@animalpeeps]

I loved the jungle rambling at the end because I just imagine I'm in a nice little jungle or forest when gazing at my plants 🥰 Also, I've been having some decent success with my asparagus ferns (just a couple species) by placing them on a relatively high shelf at a shaded south window. I water whenever the soil is slightly dry and they've been doing alright! I've tried mimicking a shady, temperate forest floor for them 😺

[@EnchantedwithPoodles]

Thank you for this video. It’s reassuring to hear that an indoor gardener with you level of expertise has struggled with certain 🌱 plants and therefore maybe I’m not the worst indoor gardener in the 🌍 world because I have struggled and in many cases failed with the same plants. Thanks again.

[@awarmwind]

I have a Majesty Palm I've had for years, and it's still growing. I do treat it kind of like a fern with lots of water, and it likes bright light.

[@raninisart7963]

interesting... my mom has been growing episcia for years and years and always considered it a very easy going plant :D but so she did begonias and they are such drama queens in my opinion :D

[@HeatherTheHippyGardener]

I LOVE my episcia silver skies. I keep it in the same window as my orchids and african violets. I care for it as if it's an african violet and wick water it. It's doing great!

[@empearson91]

I live in Alaska and all my prayer plants are very happy and healthy...

[@heathertroynak9041]

Your self talk through your “fernundrum” was the best part of my day! Yes, I know, it’s not even 8 am yet but I’m confident nothing else will top it.

[@rebekahlgonzalez9315]

Yeah prayer plans are on my do not buy list. I’ve killed too many of them but every time I see one at my nursery I still fall for them. I put my first fern in a terrarium, so fingers crossed that works well.

[@stockinettestitch]

Glad to know about Episcias. Thanks.

[@sarahblam]

thanks for this helpful video! I have been wanting a prayer plant. - also you helped me put the dots together that my angel wing begonia has brown tips from our hard water! thanks!

[@laurenjohnson5880]

I never heard that about the brown tips and the minerals, thank you so much that makes a lot of sense!

[@BlueRutherford]

I recently moved to the Pacific Northwest north of Seattle and there are fern forests everywhere. You’d love it here!

[@halmalik652]

I have a tendency to buy baby calathea and parlour palms.and they kept dying and turning crispy. I ended up keeping up some seeds and cuttings. And ended up putting it in the bathroom. With a jug of water on the radiator. And now they look so nice and shinyyyy

[@Alright_tough_guy]

After three months fighting for my majesty palm- it is dead. I was heart broken. Thank you for telling me this info! I feel better. Ily. I recommend a sweet and tiny Bella palm! They’re pet friendly too. I have luck with it in a dappled lit north facing window.

[@thevahandbook]

I have a huge Kentia Palm that is doing really well. It's pretty easy and the only thing I have to look out for is the leaves burning when the sun is too hot. I also have an amazing Asparagus Fern which grows like crazy. Easy to look after but the needles drop. The only way I've ever been able to keep Prayer Plants alive is to take them out of soil and put them into water. They're no bother in water.

[@DeletedCalibrations]

I had my maidenhair fern in a terrarium and it did great. Watered maybe once every two weeks. Treated the spag with neem oil to prevent mold.

[@deanmandim6463]

You are absolutely great. I love your honesty. ❤️

[@whatsername465]

My maidenhair fern has actually survived a fair amount of neglect. It gets good humidity from being in the bathroom though.

[@gleichita]

My brother's first plant is a boston fern, and he waters it every three days, mists it almost daily. She's thriving lmao (probably because we live in a very humid climate)

[@808_waipahu2]

I'm glad & agree with a the plants you mentioned. I Finally gave up purchasing these plants

[@sallymollin1146]

So I’m not the only indoor plant parent who can grow broad leaf frrns but have a very low success rate with fine lesf ferns, which I eould dearly love to maintain. It’s good to know that a plant expert has hade the same experience with them. Thanks for sharing!

[@SiLaChaCha]

I agree with all except my Boston Fern is still alive so we shall see if is to remain that way. I really do love it so much💚

[@sewelcome21]

Glad to see you back!! My Friday's aren't complete without watching the weekly Nick video! Lol