The Reality of Large Houseplant Collections: Practical Tips & Considerations

[@jodidelong3663]

What a good video! Nice to hear someone give 'the real dirt' on keeping houseplants. I have...a lot of houseplants (even more garden perennials etc outside) and have been growing for decades. My attitude is, I have no bad habits other than plants, yarn, books and cats, I work fulltime from home and am long since widowed, so luxuriating in lots of houseplants makes me happy. It was astonishing during the main pandemic at the eruption of fascinating and beautiful cultivars and species of houseplants, and the equally erupting prices. There is NO way I would spend more than 100.00 on a houseplant, because I know they'll come down in price and I am a patient gardener. Like you, I don't use beneficial insects and the only pesticides I use are insecticidal soap and liquid seaweed fertilizer, which I spray onto the foliage of plants as a light foliar feed and find it also helps to keep spider mites at bay. New subscriber here, in appreciation.

[@MyCleanLeaves]

Thanks for sharing and subbing!!! 🤍🤍

[@carolreville2192]

Excellent ideas! I combined my duplicates before the holidays, gave away about 6 plants I didn’t care for. My tip is for people with covered pools. I get all my plant water from my pool cover. I keep 2 five gallon buckets full at all times. Sounds stupid but we alway syphon water off so I catch 10 gallons every couple weeks. Luckily it hasn’t frozen all the way through.

[@MyCleanLeaves]

Oh gosh that is a brilliant idea!!! Thanks for sharing, and watching!!

[@carolreville2192]

Glad I found your channel.

[@ingrid3578]

The houseplant addiction is real. Whenever I get an itch to add to my collection, I remind myself that each new plant will take away from my time and resources to properly care for and appreciate my other ones!

[@GradientWinds]

This video is a huge slay. Great 2024 vibes

[@michellemakeuptutorials]

agreed; about 3 years ago I had gotten up to over about 350 plants and before that point I killed everything that I bought - I enjoyed having plants when I was at a very low point and they brought me joy but over time it became to be too much to keep up with and by now I have decluttered so many plants but I still have about 85 or 90 still. Last week, I went through and threw away some of my plants I started to hate and it felt so good. Now I am stuck with soooo many empty pots that I spent so much money on and don't want to get rid of etc but ya, I regret OVER CONSUMPTION of houseplants. I got swept up back when your channel was brand new and so was Beccas, she didn't even have 1k subs when I started watching her lol

[@MyCleanLeaves]

Awww thanks for watching for so long! I think we all got sucked into the over consumption: unboxing videos were my favorite. :/ And not to say there is anything wrong with unboxing I still enjoy them, I just really try to get rid of one plant for every new one I get so that I don’t over consume. Thanks for being here 🤍

[@bethjeffrey9924]

So glad to see you again! This is a great video! I have a large collection and it can be overwhelming, particularly if I am feeling under the weather. I use a spreadsheet with a macro that helps me cut down on checking every single plant every week and it is based on my data for watering.

[@saneladelic1588]

This is a great video! Glad to see you back 😊 Sending love to everyone who struggles with depression! I struggle with you & see you! You are not your depressive state & it shall pass 💚

[@MyCleanLeaves]

🤍🤍🤍

[@noeltimberlake165]

I've always loved companion planting and still do and because of this it doesn't look like I have a couple hundred.

[@sarah9314]

I feel like my husband and family thoughts and feelings about plants in a small family home is definitely a factor for me keeping my collection around 40 -50 and a topic i dont hear talked about much online.

[@MyCleanLeaves]

I totally agree! If I wasn’t a plant person, I can understand how a larger collection to my spouse can be somewhat a nuisance.

[@sarah9314]

@@MyCleanLeavesnuisance yes perfect word. I think the space they occupy in the room and kids pets all that mess potential. My husband likes plants doesn’t mind but he said something to me months ago and hes like when people come over all they see is plants. They dont see the kids artwork or furniture we built or dogs-or fish tanks or the parrots or anything else just plants everywhere. Hes like all this just represents you and your house not anyone else. And that made me pause like thats true and not fair for me to take over and the like mental and visual message my family recieves is your stuff is backburner and me and my wants-plants go first. I didnt think of things in this way before so im glad he explained what he was meaning to me and now with a smaller collection house is way more balanced more room for kids to play more time available too. Was beneficial for me thanks for the video and the chat.

[@authenticplantress470]

Really enjoyed this video and I live in Cape Town South Africa which pretty much equates to Californian climate and plants that were not thriving inside, I placed outside and 98% of them survived and are Thriving I tell you. I thinking moving your plants down to the basement has really been a good decision for your channel, having your own space

[@oliviabeckwith7846]

Love this video! I use a 5 gallon bucket and a pan sifter (used in rivers and stuff looking for Fool’s Gold and other minerals). It’s meant to fit on a 5 gallon bucket! I also use a portable/battery operated shower to water my plants over the bucket without having to carry them to the shower or sink. :) It helps so much to make watering efficient!

[@MyCleanLeaves]

Genius!!!

[@jen3655]

I love your hair in this video and, this is my favorite video I've seen. Really good!❤

[@MyCleanLeaves]

🥹 that means so much, seriously

[@jen3655]

@@MyCleanLeaves just the truth, you're pretty great! I also enjoy you on the podcast. You're super funny!

[@LownieA]

I have a little more than 70 indoor plants I think (some cuttings) but my care for them is extremely minimal. Most of my plants are hoya and in coco chunks and the rest maybe 7 are in soil. When it comes to watering I get a seed staring tray place my plants on there for transport into the shower and I literally shower them down and every once in a while I'll use organic fertilizer. Most time I'll take is probably 30 min a week or less. Also I'm not trying to get my plants to get huge I'm content with them staying alive 😅

[@MyCleanLeaves]

Haha I feel this…. Thanks for sharing your routine Lownie!

[@wandashaw3551]

Hi Nicole, great video, and the subject was spot on for me!! Thank you.

[@MyCleanLeaves]

So glad! Thanks!

[@sej2630]

Two posts in one week!! Loved this so much! Thank you for sharing! If you happen to want to sell your plant a potty, I’d be happy to ☺️ that and the plantfolio, have been unavailable for so long 😩

[@MyCleanLeaves]

Send me a DM on IG and we can chat :)

[@sej2630]

I don’t have social media, however, my hubby does, so I will ask him to DM you. I’m not sure what his IG name is, but his name is Sergio :) Thank you!

[@katiewilliams9273]

Holy crap another video. Yayyy

[@MyCleanLeaves]

😂 my thoughts when posting this week!

[@jaclynsplants]

Great topic and great suggestions!

[@MyCleanLeaves]

Thanks so much!

[@natjoy22]

Wow Nicole! Great wonderfully researched topic!

[@MyCleanLeaves]

Thanks Natalie! 🫢👀😃

[@slem8431]

I really appreciate this video! I’ve noticed that I CANNOT do big house plants because they overwhelm me. I can do small ones, for some reason they don’t overwhelm me as much.

[@MyCleanLeaves]

Glad it was helpful! And yes I totally agree. I think it might be why I subconsciously love cuttings so much. I do love the few larger plants I have, but I get nervous when they get too large lol

[@kathylovejoy2569]

I have Thanksgiving and Easter cactus, that I am learning about. Never had them before, plus 1 aloe vera, 1 crown of thorns, and a jade plant I took 4 cuttings off, Also some thanksgiving cactus propagating. I also have 2 Hoya compacta, or Indian Rope Plants. Those I really like. That's really all I want to work with. Except one more type of Hoya, the one they call Shrek's ear? But that's it. I'm just haeing fun learning about propagation, on the plants I have. I have had bigger collections. Up to about 30 plants. But I don't want that anymore, it's too much. To be honest and I don't want to hurt people's feelings, but I feel these huge collections, are almost claustraphobic to me. I couldn't live in a house so full of plants. But that's me. I'm older and retired, but messing around with so many plants is not for me.

[@plantitude8042]

I've had some of the same plants for many years & find that the bigger the plant gets, the easier it is to care for. I do live in a small house (800 sq ft) so the bigger ones are pushing out the smaller, in other words composting or giveaways.

[@MyCleanLeaves]

Makes total sense!

[@cshackelford1410]

Love the video and the hair!! A good recommendation I have for a pesticide/fungicide is Pure Crop 1. It is child, pet, and bee safe and it comes in many different ounce sizes and gallon sizes. I definitely recommend if you want a good pesticide/fungicide. Again loved the video Nicole!

[@MyCleanLeaves]

Thanks so much! For the recco and the compliment! 🤍

[@sarahkalnajs5810]

I built a collection that I loved of about 150 plants that were thriving and then a little over a year ago…THRIPS. I tried everything that wasn’t incredibly toxic as we have pets but it was 1 step forward two steps back. The heartbreak of having to throw away plant after plant that were so hard to find or too expensive to replace was awful. I lost 70% of my collection when all was said and done…only the Hoyas survived / stayed thrip free. For a year I was too afraid to buy a single plant. Now I don’t purchase philodendrons or monstera and only have the few from before that survived. I feel now I’d rather have 25-30 plants that I love and know I have the right conditions for without building enclosures etc and I won’t buy any plant I would be heartbroken over losing.

[@MyCleanLeaves]

Ugh I’m so sorry! That is a bummer that happened to you. It suck’s that pests can do that :/

[@pinkyysk]

I save left over water from the kettle which I feel helps save water or reuse water too. Last easter I had spicy lung. Very mild but it was the most ill I've ever been and my plants took a hit as I could do almost nothing for 3 weeks. Which was not fun. I have space issues as I buy cuttings and small plants as they are cheaper and most of the time they grow hehe Great vid some great points.

[@MyCleanLeaves]

Thanks so much! Glad you’re feeling better… yikes!

[@lexexists3335]

I’ve always had houseplants but am new to the online “community “ and I’m so struck by the tendency/orientation towards over consumption. It feels like a lot of the content I get pushed is unboxing and recently -with the new year- wishlists. I also watch some outdoor gardening content and I feel like those videos are geared more towards sustainability both for the earth and the gardener. I just hope that as time goes on the digital space can be more intentional and reflective or at least honestly so, when it comes to the time energy and resources that go into this LIFESTYLE. I feel like people should feel encouraged to keep smaller collections that are well kept and to trade or rehome plants and supplies that don’t work for them instead of treating everything like a top from shein 😅

[@MyCleanLeaves]

A top from SHEIN. Great analogy! I agree with you. I feel that the people that maintain larger houseplant collections and can afford it and have the time for it, great. But be realistic and know what you’re getting into, and pay attention to your carbon footprint through it all… which, admittedly, isn’t the easiest thing to do all the time

[@brigitterauscher5031]

👍👍

[@marilynmeyer6731]

Mother earths fault 😂 No, she just decided the plant maybe more useful to her dead. 🤣🤣

[@MyCleanLeaves]

👍👍