🪴 The Real Plant Parent Starter Pack (You’ve Lived This)

Ohhhh yessss😂 RIP to my almost entire first collection😂😂😂😂😂❤ Rip Thai cons.❤🌱 Rip. Varrucosum🌿RIp so many,many many Alocasias😂😂😂. Ohhh i learned, 😂😂 but i will buy them again when i get a chance 😅❤🌱🌿🌱🌿❤️🌿❤️🌱❤️🌿🌱❤️ so i know the feeling of i"" lost a plant"" and the xictement of let me go get another 2 this time 😂😂😂😂😂😂 omg☺️🤭🤭🫢😃🌱🌿😃❤️🌱😃 we will loose many plants along the plant faring journey.❤😊

Well hello there. The first Plants must have and still have is the moisture meter love it. I have just grow white and 3 sansi bulbs, a few grow plates. I am stopping buying plants at 40, so I have 6 more to go small space. Oh I use a calender to remind me when to water. Finally I watch all yours as well as others Planty goodness tips and tricks. So thanks😀

😂 Funny video. My first panic was when my house was infested by fungus gnats and my windows turned black🫥. I even tried to vacuum them. 😂Then when I found first thrips. I googleed and when I saw the pics of infestation, with milions bugs I was sooo scared. But (I know it is weird 😂) I like mealy bugs. They look like tiny white angels. I still kill them 😉. Nico

Really refreshing to watch a video like this after coming home from a long day of work, thank you Memo 😁
Yes, we have probably all been through a lot of these experiences 😅 Sometimes I feel like I'm still in the "how did I end up with 20 more plants this month"-phase 😂 But I managed to go to a plant-store this week and only bought one covering pot. Progress or just a lack of time in my lunchbreak? Who knows 😆😅

We all started as beginners. I believe in sharing knowledge not gatekeeping. I’m old, we had to get books or a mentor back in the day. This was a fun video.

Uhmmm...I must not have gotten the memo, my journey was way different 😆

- my starter plants were cat safe, in case the doofus decided to chew on them: a Musa, Hoya, Hypoestes and a couple of suculents
- I actually kill more plants now than I did in the beginning 😂very few then, some every now and then now, especially those I'm growing from seed
- never used a moisture meter, do not plan on starting
- large watering can yes, but only for large pots! there's way too much flow for all the tiny ones so I actually went the other way and now only water with a squeeze bottle indoors 😅 (large plants are kept in a conservatory, that's why)
- still avoiding grow lights at all cost 😆 there's only one 10w Sansi light on one wall, and even that one is only used during the darker part of the year. Would the plants be happier with more / stronger lights? Yes. Am I fazed by it? Not really 😅
- did have a wifi thermometer for the conservatory but it kept glitching so I gave up on it
- too inconsistent for apps, but do have a spreadsheet (of plants I have, need to mark the ones that can survive colder temperatures during the winter)
- collecting plants in phases, still! Especially when getting into a new genus
- finally a stage I relate to 100%, The Diagnostician! 😂but you're not hovering over all the plants right, just the specials

- YES! Research critically! And if everyone on the internet says the same thing about a certain plant while you have a different experience, it doesn't mean you're wrong! (looking at you, "string of pearls needs to only be bottom watered or you'll kill it" people!)

Okay the comment has gotten long enough for noone to finish reading so ta-ta for now, have an awesome week ☺😎

I wish I had more plants but I live in a very small studio. But i love the plants I have. I almost killed one of my orchids from under watering . ( a favorite). But it came back from the dead! I was so excited. I did kill one of the orchids. Not a favorite. My friend gave me the orchids. I wish she did not. I am not a big fan of them and i would like to get something else in that valuable space. But it is what it is. They are flowering right now and that is good. One of then i wish was gone. But oh well as i said.

I am guilty of killing the unkillable plants due to over watering like snake, ZZ, spider ,JADE all calatheas (many times) maranthas, alocasia's anthuriums!!! I now have over 150 plants so I am doing much better and have repurchased many to get it right! I am ready for the more "rare" plants now since I have moire experience

I have over 200 plants and have killed all three attempts at a ZZ plant. Standard, Raven, and Chameleon. I still don't own a ZZ plant. It's not a beginner plant by any means.

This was fun!
Didn’t recognize myself too much in it though

Earliest plants: calatheas, begonias and a non tc ppp (all but one survived until giving them away after a while)

Killed by overwatering.. nope, started with well draining mixes in small pots with drainage
Did I kill many plants? Nope, some did die, but very very few
Helicopter parent: noticed early on when something didn’t look right and adjusted care where needed…
Also started propagating early on, that knowledge/experience helped save plants

Using the same 1,4 liter watering can as before, just 3 of them now
I like them, not heavy and easy for dosage

Growlights… yes… in my first autumn some plants started to decline…
So we built an ikea cabinet, was quite the hassle to figure out all the things that were needed
Never got pink lights 😉 imported barrinas since they had good reviews
And some cheap bulbs which weren’t great but kept the plants alive and growing year round

I also have some thermometer/hygrometer meters in various rooms (because I don’t trust the smart-app thing that controls our central heating)

No plant apps for me
No spreadsheets either
I check everything thoroughly once a week (a set part of the plants on a set day) and give a little sip here and there to heavy drinkers in between.. adjusting pot sizes and growing medium to my watering habits as much as possible

Collector stage…. Yes, had another one again fairly recently on Hoyas, Im glad I managed to stop that again 😅
Minimalist stage…. No, uncluttered spaces.. Yes
Downsizing stage… Yes, but no minimalism

The best way (for me) to declutter a space….. Take everything out… put only the things (read plants) back that you really love… then add some that complement them for a cozy/finished look… and declutter the rest or rehome to elsewhere in the house.
We did that for the living room and it worked wonders 😊

Diagnostic panic stage: Yes, had it ever since the thrip attack of 2022

Helicopter parent: yes, intensified since the thrip attack of 2022 😅
I just like looking at the plants…
So oftentimes Ill just sit with the plants and check on them a little 😊

No calathea issues, except right after very rough repots (maybe its the rainwater that keeps them happy?)..
never had many fungus gnats (sometimes a few)
no underwatering problems

Ppp sometimes reverted a bit, but there was always pink…. And after a chop there was always more pink..
Still have a part of my original plant, current leaves are mainly greenish with some pink galaxy speckles, bottom leaves are marbled, still enjoying it
I think the tc plants had more issues with the leaves coming out… mine has it a little sometimes, but they don’t really get stuck or snap

What I was willing to pay for a plant skyrocketted when I started buying Hoya cuttings… 😅
Im back on earth now I think 😊

This cracked me up. 🤣🤣🤣. I was like guilty, guilty, guilty until I got tired of saying guilty. 🤣🤣🤣💖

This is going to be good!! 😂

Ahhhh I really enjoyed this, Memo. Some lovely plant parent nostalgia 🥰

This is now my favorite plant parent video. Warnings heeded and mockery accepted. 😂

My father had a garden. I watch him. I took interest in potted plants. I only have 28 plants. Two terrariums. One successful. Today I have Turtle Back, Labisia Plant in a terrarium and died 3 days later. I bought another Labisia. 2nd time and is more than 3 days old. I have time to adapt to this plant grow space. I only have my favorite plants and space is limited. I will buy another Labisia plant because I can do this. USA 🇺🇸
🪴I’m June in my Junegle 🌿

Went through all of this in my first decade of plant care (indoors and outdoors. Then had to leave an ex quickly in December and leave my plants behind. So I've gone back to the collector stage because I WANT to live in a jungle. Alas, a clean slate and knowledge can be a dangerous combination (especially to the bank account 😂). So far we're at 57, mostly aroids, which makes your suggestion of 20 plants a month reasonably accurate.

I still LOVE my moisture meter….but only for some of my plants

I still like snakeplants, and golden pothos is really golden, no cringing from me

I've never felt both seen and attacked at the same time 😅😅😅
My calathea finally has new leaves coming--I learned about water conditioner!
And I promise I will not try to pry the stuck leaf sprouting on my new pink princess 🙏

Watering can size. TBH, I don't like anything larger than 1/2 gallon (2 liters) because tis too heavy for me to handle. I do keep a watering can in every room that has plants tho.

Oh my gosh! I laughed out loud watching this video! Needed this today❤

I was in the big box store and I strolled down the plant section. I saw very pretty Thia Cons, Monsteras, Calatheas, and all kinds of pretty plants. For the first time, I did not find a plant to buy. I patted myself on the back. Edit: I did buy 2 more grow light bulbs, though. I have so many lights that the neighbors give directions using my house as a reference point. He said everyone could see the lights from the freeway (exaggeration for sure, but I bet I could land a plane on my street).

This was insightful, hopeful and more true than I'd like to admit. 💚💚💚

This is such a great video for beginners! Thanks Memo!

I had the classic beginner stages of buying plants more than growing plants and killing a lot of plants. I have the tiny watering can, which I still use when it helps to have a small spout. I got the zz plant, monstera Adansonii and FLF etc. By the time I got the hang of caring for them, I was over it. I’ve had the fungus gnat issues and scale but that’s it. (That is probably more luck than anything).

I never went through the minimalist stage. I’m a maximalist in decor style so my plant collection follows that pattern. I didn’t buy calatheas or alocasias because I didn’t want to deal with difficult plants while learning the basics of tropical houseplants.

I went through a stage where I had more success putting my aroids in semi hydro than in soil. I still take insurance cuttings from new plants and often transition those into semi hydro. I’m still working out if semi hydro does better for me than soil. For some plants, they are thriving. I’m only a few years into my tropical houseplants phase so I’m still learning a lot.

😂 I feel so called out. Some of the first "fancy plants" I ordered were alocasia. Killed them dead. Still can't grow them. Or anthurium. Or calathea. Jungle cacti, hoya, weird aloe and sansevieria (I'll never change) grow like crazy. And I can have more because they're smaller.

I've killed a bunch of plants over the years. Overwatering, neglect, throwing out an impulse buy, not catching a pest before it's too late etc. But it's part of learning, part of life and part of plant keeping.

Oh those halcyon days of optimism and self belief. The mistakes we make aren't always one off's lol - I remember several attempts at bonsai where I know what they need and I repeatedly fail anyway!

Desperately want to be heading towards the minimalist stage…. 😆 Yes to everything. I will admire the minimalists from the tiny hole I’ve made amidst the vines… 💚

Ive been there, done that! i even think in exact order you mentioned haha. It made me smile 😊

Memo! It's Dave Overstreet, long lost American friend 😆 I'm finally watching a video in real time so that I can catch your 24 hour comments window. (I've been dealing with long covid, and enough said about that.)

I'm loving your new thumbnails! Really a Cadillac upgrade. But what amuses me most today is that you dropped both the spicy topic of the moisture meter, and then the "Pink" Princess 😂 This delights me to no end. And if you have come around to realizing who you are and what you like, you have reached the age of wisdom 😊 Be well, and now that I'm caught up with you, see ya in the next one.

I am new here and I thank you for making it fun great work really appreciate.

I still don't know why I can't keep spider plants

My crazy period coincided with Covid, left my home and large garden that I virtually lived in one month before the lockdowns. So of course I missed green growing things and having my hands in dirt so I overcompensated with houseplants. I ran around greedily grabbing up new and more exotic (to me) plants like a fiend. The most I ever had was right at 200-ish.
I’ve been steadily cutting back my collection. (Pun intended 😂) I’m going for the minimalist (mediumist?) feel. I have thrown some away when they got pests instead of fighting them, but for the most part I’ve given them away. Hopefully they can bring joy to someone else. I’m down to about 130 ish now, and hopefully I’ll be able to get to 100 or less by the end of the year.

How DARE you bring up the pinky purple light 😂😂😂
And I'm a firm believer in killing plants & experimentibg with what works for you is the best way to learn! It's the same with outdoor gardening. The amount of outdoor veggies, flowers & seeds I've killed in my journey is absolutely ridiculous. And now, I understand things a little better. Less fussy (except I love fussing over my indoor plants-it can still be a problem lol). And...I still kill plants! All part of the journey.

Yup. 😂❤

Oh the beginner stage of the plant journey. My how things have changed.

So true :-) Good old memories 😀At least the first plants didn´t die in vain 🙂
Counting my grow lights is like counting the years of experience :-D And there are more to come 😀

Excellent video, thank you. I've had houseplants for decades but have committed to the passion only in the last year... I hope the acquisition phase wears off soon, it's a bit scary! (Where will it live? What does it want? Was that a reasonable price to pay (I don't care but that's the problem!)? 😬😛😁

That was funny 😅 and pretty spot on ❤❤

Oh memo you make me chuckle I still love the good old Pothos can’t go wrong and defo killed my fair share of plants and unfortunately a more is more kind of girl too but have tried to downsize (not going well 🤣)

Haha this video brought me so much joy and self mockery for I recognized myself so much!!! I had passed all the stages you pointed Memo!
Well I guess you dressed a new archetype of people : the plant parent 😉
I have a limit of 50 plants (without props), I can’t be good over that number.
I also have to say that it also happened that seeing a plant dying was a kind of relief. Though I couldn’t help myself to propagate… a kind of new reason to experiment… now I’m stuck with them for I’m scared to plant them and see them die again… 😅
Love my plants so much though for all the joy and proud they bring me !
What a journey!
Thanks for being so truthful with fun! Love your channel 💚

Let's cringe together, shall we? 😂😂😂

As an overwaterer I swear by swear by a moisture meter

Propagation Lesson? African Violets. I went from 6 carefully selected plants to over 50 and begging for folks to take 'em. Watering Lesson? 6 months later I killed every single African Violet in my collection when I didn't account for the change of season and accidentally overwatered.....three times. Plant Life Lesson? Imma helicopter plant parent with full watering pail. Philodendrons/Alocasias/Anthuriums are the very best planty friends for me.

I so agree - I tell anyone that says they don't have a green thumb - that every person who can grow plants has KILLED HEAPS and don't let them tell you they didnt!!

I think I went through the crazy have to own everything stage when I grew cactus. So I have felt the overwhelm. What I find works for me is having the perfect spogt to grow them and I can only have what will fit in that spot - that helps me to say - what can I absolutely only have......

Would love to know different options for plant apps - which ones are good and why I would want one

OMG… according to your video… I’m in deep now! Humidity meter 😂

This was fun 😂