We share the same love of the plant. Mine is throwing me out all sorts of leafs, I have to replant her, her leaves are crinkling a bit. Mine loves it's grow light and south west facing window
WHEN are you just gonna give in & purchase some dang grow lights? Are you aware that spider plants & many ferns require their media/ soils to be pretty much wet, at _all_ times?
My husband, who typically doesn't pay all that much attention to what new plant related content I am geeking out over now, has actually taken notice of you. I don't know how you manage, but you've made him laugh and therefore gotten him somewhat interested in our (my) plant family.
I think the main problem you’ve run into is you live in Sheffield and not the tropical environment most of these plants exist in, the sun might be the same but it shines differently.
So agree with you. I'm the same, in that ive been a plant mum for years. It was so refreshing to find a Yt Influencer who is so transparent about the real struggles, and happily shares with us his brilliant solutions!
I always wanted a chain of hearts and finally got one a few months ago. I popped it directly under a cheapie little grow light after hearing everyone say that the key is to make sure the top of the plant is getting good light and to bottom water it and it has been great. When I was recently dusting the sideboard it lives on, I discovered that it had grown vines under and behind some of the decor and that it was blooming little flowers!
Thanks! For interesting reading on these plants, pls see 'The Ceropegia Journal', by Sage Reynolds. All his own work, plants & pix, fascinating plants!
I have the suspicion that is not only that certain species are more demanding, but also sometimes plants as individuals have "personality" and are prone to drama. You move it then it wilts for some days, a snail bite, it starts to die away, you barely underwater it, it dries out some leaves, you put it in the shade, it wilts, put it under indirect light, it burns, take it back to the shade, its fine. You pair it with other plants, they may get along or they will bully each other. And there's that one plant that is always under attack from bugs and the surrounding are fine.
sometimes it's really the luck of the draw in terms of genetics! i remember planting a bunch of lemon seeds and one really took off while the other survivor stayed small and runty despite them staying in the same area and receiving the same care.
My calathea started curling in my bedroom (which is above my garage and retains all the heat) but when I put her downstairs where the air is cooler and the rooms are darker it's been thriving! So frustrating but they really need the right conditions 😅
I LOVED my string of hearts! She was over 7 feet long and detangling her was such a stress reliever, but I accidentally overwatered her during winter once and she never recovered.
I love the string of heart! I just leave the tangle alone...and when I get really bored, I spend half a day brushing its hair. They are incredibly easy to grow and propagate, and they have the most interesting flowers that bloom for months! Entertaining video though, I enjoyed it!
I inherited my mums string of hearts… it’s outside undercover (Australia) I throw water at it once a week in summer, once a fortnight in winter / cooler months… it’s in a hanging basket, currently measures over 6ft in length of growth. Have propagated from it without issue. Yes it tangles, not bothered. It’s one of the easiest things I’ve ever looked after ❤
my mum has a lot of orchids (who she doesn't actually do a lot with and they're still alive somehow), and a particularly thriving one is living in an upside-down hanging plant pot in a south-facing window which has a roof overhang so that it gets a ton of indirect light. It absolutely loves the upside down pot! I think it mimics the natural habitat a bit more. And it's so funny when someone new visits and does a double take on seeing a plant hanging out the wrong end of the pot 😂
Right. I've had like 75 % of those plants and none of them survived no matter what I did. I'm having a bit of ptsd from the Elephant ear and String of hearts(bought and killed twice), sigh.
You have mentioned Misses Sheffield so many times in your videos. Now I think its about time that you let her come on to a video to tell us what she think about your plant passion or wich plants are her favorits or... something. Let us meet her! 😄
I have so many questions! I’ve begun watering from the bottom, as you have suggested. When I was a novice plant owner (actually I still kind of am), I learned to put pot shards in the bottom of the pots before adding the soil. Would the shards interfere with the bottom watering, or do I need to repot everything I own? Also, I have a Shefelara (have trouble spelling that) with a strange pot that has a shallow bottom lip attached and I had to put it in a dish. It makes watering from the bottom a very iffy situation; water collects in the dish and never reaches the lip of the pot so it just sits there. I’m hoping you will tell me that the shallow lip on the pot is fine and will provide enough water, otherwise I will need to repot a giant plant. I don’t seem to be able to send you a photo. Won’t inundate you with anymore questions for now. Thanks loads! 10:13 10:13
I think everyone has a plant that they understand. Mine is tradescantia, I have five different varieties. I keep the soil moist and don't let it dry out. It's very very thirsty, all the time. I bottom water, and they like having wet feet. I have found self watering pots are perfect for this. My Tradescantia Tricolor is thriving. I hope my tips help. Thank you Richard for another interesting and entertaining vid. I'm a big fan of your channel 😃
I don't have different varieties, just your generic purple bottom. I never have trouble with it either. I've often thought about "tips" to help Mr Sheffield, but honestly, I don't know what I'm doing that is so special. Under the grow light, it's got the most shimmering silver and sharp contrast in colors. It just grows and grows.
I'm very happy to help. I really hope everyone's plants start thriving. Plants are a joy, when I can figure out what i'm doing! I've had plenty that have died, far too many! Good luck everyone and happy growing 😃
I agree with you about orchids. I have had a lot of good luck placing them in my bathroom. The climate is great and they receive a lot of light from an east window, white walls and two mirrors.
I have been a plant lover/collector for quite a long time. It does take time to figure out what certain plants like. I used to feel guilty throwing a plant away but I have come to the realization that if it’s not bringing me joy, it’s not worth the time spent.
I've seen a saying somewhere in the community, that mother nature kills plants all the time, and nobody bats an eyelid, yet us plant enthusiasts tend to freak out if we kill, or have to throw away a single scraggy one. 😂 Made me feel better about getting rid of some difficult bastards that just took up valuable space on my windowsill.
I’ve watched your videos since you started. The videos couldn’t have been that bad Richard, the amount of subscribers proves that! Your recommendation for Sansi grow lights honestly changed my plant growing life! So much so that I’m hip deep in greenery! I really enjoyed this video. It’s good to see that even experienced plant parents like you struggle to keep the little green darlings living their best lives and we can get the benefit of your knowledge
Orchidea: for my mum at north window-bank it worked well. She always had flowers on it (no sleeping period). Trick was next to this. every 2nd week - I guess - to put them out of the nice pot, with the translucent one into the water+NPK mixture for orchids for circa 10 mins. She used the kitchen timer for it.
My favourite part of every script is “showing off to my friends and family” because that seems to be the main reason for Mr Sheffield’s plant hobby. You’re also showing off to the internet Mr Sheffield!
I’ve watched a friend’s orchid do amazing things…and what stands out is that my friend gives the orchid lots of indirect sun and lots of space. It’s not crowded in with other plants.
#SheffieldMadePlants - Your frustration antics have conquered my heart. - This is honestly how I feel and behave when I have difficulty with my plants! - Thanks for being relatable.
Sorry to hear you’re considering getting rid of your Birkin! Your channel and advice has helped me a lot in taking care of my own birkin, to the point where my original plant is almost 18 inches tall and has given me 4 pups. This past summer my birkin was also producing fresh mushy/brown leaves. I think some of the differences I did to fix it was less direct light more medium/bright indirect light (just a few hours of morning sun). Plastic pot, but less frequent watering (anywhere between 10-16 days). Also, I think it got better as humidity went down. My place isn’t that humid, probably between 25-40% in winter and 40-60% in summer. Hope something changes and your birkin gets healthy again!
I put mine in a vase with water only, and it's been doing great with indirect sun. I haven't ever fed it, but I do change the water every other week. I can't say it's grown at all but it's healthy looking!
One good thing I noticed about orchids is that, since they are epiphytes and the substrate is mostly bark and moss, the setup is quite light in terms of weight and I can just hang mine somewhere on the wall and not be afraid it will fall in the middle of the night. Saves space beautifully and if you squint hard enough it might look like an orchid in its habitat in the canopy.
Use sphagnum moss to propagate String of Hearts, I trim the mother plant during spring and summer to prevent a tangled mess. I give rooted propagations to my friends. I also use sphagnum moss for my String of Turtles and String of Pearl propagations 😊
@SheffieldMadePlants When you propagate string of heart, clip them to 1 node cutting each, and place them on the moss. Put a plastic bag or cling film over the pot to create a high humidity environment. When you see the node sprout a new shoot, you can slowly acclimate them to room humidity. This way, each node will produce their own string, and the whole pot will become super lush.
I'll have to try that for the string of pearls she really doesn't want to grow since I tried resetting it and proping in soil. Now the string of bananas took off!! Lol they are finicky
I love my string of hearts because they don't need too much care or water...and they look so good trailing down from the mantle of the fireplace that I don't use. 🤣 They're also very easy to propagate, since they have those little balls that you just break off and stick into the soil. And the little purple flowers are so pretty! You do have to be careful where you put them so that the stems don't get tangled together, since they're a nightmare to untangle. One of mine got tangled up in my huge pencil cactus and it took me a couple of hours of painstaking work to get it untangled. 😝
I rarely learn much from your clip.... Because I know a lot, TOO. But I finally figured out WHY I like your clips sooooo much. You talk FAST. This is a short attention span world. You don't stutter. You don't "uh uh uh". You don't CONTROL your viewers with repeated cliffhanger comments. You deliver punch after punch after punch of high-quality information. And sometimes I learn something new. Thanks for the clips. As always, I hit the thumbs 👍 button.
6:53 I love my orchids. I’ve lost a few in the beginning, but one is going to bloom again. I didn’t cut the original bloom spike off like I normally do, and I’ve had two reblooms from old spikes. Air conditioner, grow lights, and fertilizer is all I did. Oh! I also didn’t repot after the first set of blooms. Basically I did everything you’re told not to do. Go figure
I am totally with you on the orchids having weird-shaped leaves! Mine are growing out of their pots and we even knock them over now and then 😄 But they are still so so dear to me, and because they were among the first plants we owned, they actually have the central spot just in the middle of the parapet and all other plants are placed around them. And they must love it because the youngest one is blooming for the second time this year! Love my orchids! 🥰
It always squeezes my heart a little when you put one in the garbage can. My plants had gotten less and less over the years because you know life, then when I realized I was losing all my 30 year old plants one by one for no reason I started watching you. Now I have a string of pearls dare I say it 😳 it's growing and I propagated another one and it's growing!!!! 😊 I have killed three over the years. I have 3 new calatheas that are doing great and other plants I ordered from a couple of nurseries that I've never had and wanted to try but 😮 for the first time in all the years I've had plants, they gave me the gift of fungus gnats...... I had never heard of them until I started watching you, now I'm 😢planting those silly sticky ugly yellow things everywhere letting my plants dessicate bought insecticidal soap changed the soil in my orchids, ............🥺 Every time I think they're gone ,after a few weeks, I see one usually trying to go up my nose 😞I even sprayed one leaf with windex (window cleaner) because it happened to be in my hand while screaming die die die but I'll win. 40 years of growing plants never had any 🤨🤔
.. Oh how your story sounds so familiar to me.. In my house it got so bad that it felt like a war, me against the biggest army of gnats.. Not to mention how they brought in all their hairy cousins (mealy bugs) to help them out 😳.. That was last year.. During winter I was counting days to early spring.. I almost couldn't wait.. Meanwhile I changed all the soil in every pot and went back to what I knew worked.. Letting the soil completely dry out to those who needs it, let it almost dry out, like 2/3, with those who needs that, before watering again, and never ever let anyone keep water standing in the outer pot.. When spring arrived I was happily waiting for warmth, and then I took most of them outside on my front porch and to the back as usual thinking that this year, every bug out there would be happy with extra food.. I left them out there from May until October (watering maybe only once every 8-10 days).. Now I only have 3 yellow sticky things left, but no gnats 🤗 .. Gnats and their cousins loves wet and very moist soil.. They hate spagnum moss and chunky chunky soil.. And absolutely they hate clean plants.. Now I've only got a few still struggling after a very long and stressful period, but this winter they can have a peaceful recovery 🤗
@@aingealtara1479 to be fair I do put mine outside in the summer but this was the wettest summer it rained almost every second day, then I brought them in and didn't turn my heat on because it wasn't cold enough yet, so they stayed much wetter than ever before. I finally turned on the heat to try and dry them up when I noticed my new tiny pets around a couple of my plants 😕 But it's November here and we only had snow sprinkles once and it's warmer than usual this year. I have never had this battle before, I find myself sitting and staring at a plant, then I gently shake it, then I stare again unblinkingly at it, I'm wasting so much time 😂
I “found” a piece of the wandering dude at the local grocery store. I now have 3 pots of it PLUS I’ve been giving them away in others, along with my 27 year old spider plants
My Burkin has given me this issue as well where the leaves just can not unfurl. I looked it up and seemed to be a humidity issue. Whenever I see the leaves getting stuck I sprits it with some water under its leaves and it has been doing great. I don't think light is the issue as it has some lovely white strips already 😊
I had bad experiences with croton. They really do seem to attract spider mites! That tradescantia tri color is a beauty! One of my first plants to ever own was a phalaenopsis orchid. I followed Miss Orchid Girls advice, and still own that first orchid to this day.
I have two crotons, one of which is doing absolutely amazing (a croton Mamma that i bought as a baby plant a few months ago) and a "normal" croton which i moved like three times now because it didn't get enough light and threw away its leaves. Also the air wasn't moist enough (and i hope the moss i bought might resolve this issue). Interestingly enough, i never had any bugs on my Crotons. But yeah, that normal one kinda frustrates me too but i like its leaves.
That’s odd. We have a number of plants, are by no means especially talented in this area, yet crotons (of which we have several) seem to be no problem for us at all. They are a bit difficult to give adequate sunlight to over the winter, and we do keep them out on the patio during the summer, which really seems to recharge their battery and aid in a big growth spurt.
We grow crotons outside in full sun to part shade in Florida, so I wonder, is it a light issue with them for people indoors? Because unlike so many houseplants that lived under trees in their former lives, crotons can be seen in the landscape directly in the blazing sun everywhere here. .
I have a love-hate relationship with orchids-they’re gorgeous but so tricky! 😂 I currently have three (the first was gifted to me back in May, and I couldn’t resist picking up two more at the store because of their stunning blooms). But after a few months of dealing with them, I’m ready to call it quits! I might end up giving them to a friend who already has a collection and actually enjoys the challenge. On the other hand, I have two Calatheas (the Dottie and the Rosey), and while they can be a bit fussy, I’d gladly take them over orchids any day. Great video-loved the humor! Thanks for sharing ❤ and happy growing! 🪴🪴
I hadn't had that issue with Birkins or that alocasia (but I have with other alocasias). I have a mystery plant that has me stumped. It was labeled a swiss cheese philodendron. However, the leaves were shaped like monstera adansonii without the fenestrations which never came. It loved the sun and grew 10 ft long in less than 6 months. It was bushy and happy. But winter came and it lost all of its leaves like a deciduous tree in fall. Ive about had it with this one too. It might be going out
I agree with you and chain of hearts. I bought one in a Lowes store one fall and by spring it was practically dead. It didn't like anything I did. Then came spring and I transplanted it and put in on my porch and it was amazing how fast it grew and how wonderful it looked. I took it in for the winter and it's all but dead now. So I am going to split it up, let it get another start and next fall leave the pots on neighbors porches. Maybe they will like them but I am not keeping one for myself! And as to orchids I totally agree!!!
We own a Philodendron Birkin and we've had it a good year or so. It's very healthy, thriving, pushes out new leaves often and I have even propagated it once. Zero issues or complaints whatsoever.
I've just found your channel today. I found the same problems with tradescantia - it gets straggly and the the leaves go brown and crispy then drop. Can't wait to see your other videos.
Interesting choices, and I agree with you about some of them. Now, I have five different species and cultivars of Ceropegia: String of Needles, standard String of Hearts, variegated SoH, String of Spears/Arrows, and String of Hearts Silver Glory, and they all do splendidly. I thought it was you who did a 'hair cut' type chop a while back, which is what I do--shear them all back by 6-8 inches, root the cuttings and either plant a few in the top of the pot or share with others. As for Phalaenopsis (moth) orchids, the type you are growing, they don't NEED a lot of light, and yours are getting a bit too much because the foliage is lighter green than it ought to be. Stick em anywhere--they thrive on benign neglect. And try trellising your hoyas, on hoops or other shaped trellises. But wrap them counter clock wise onto the support. You can keep all the calatheas, though. Drama queens, inviting spider mites to come and play. I put all mine outside a year ago summer, and "forgot" to bring them in come freezeup. Mischief managed.
String of hearts was the reason why I started my plant collection this summer. I absolutely love this plant more than any of my others and I have 30 now. Still new to all of this so I’ve never purchased other plants you mentioned in the video except for Berkin which does great in my care so far. Everything else- no thank you! Pick easy plants when you first start
What an amusing and very informative video. I watched it through twice as I have similar problems with Calathea and never buy orchids (although they are gorgeous) because of their leaf habits. Will keep watching. By the way, took your tips about root pruning and it seems to be working so far, thanks
Haha I'm loving your channel!! I feel this way towards a bunch of plants I have. I constantly am cutting back or propagating....even threatening them to behave or I'd leave them on the balcony.
A bigger house and more time would be great to have for my plants. Since I live in a mobile home, I use grow lights alot. When it's not 75* or higher, I can open the drapes and give natural light to the rooms I have plants in. 😊
I’m so lucky! We have an enormous house with a cavernous living room. I haven’t counted how many plants but it’s a lot. Thankfully my daughter-in-law, who originally got me into plants, comes over at least once a week and tends to them all. She brings me HUGE plants, like 6 feet tall. Oh, and I’m not bragging about my house, yes, it’s big but it’s wacky and VERY quirky. The floors are all different from each other, the big living room has old wood flooring that is a MESS. It needs a complete overhaul of sanding and finishing. The planks are huge, which I think dates the house. 2 rooms have PAINTED floors! WTF. It’s a 4 bedroom but only has ONE bathroom, which also dates the house. The kitchen has that 70s orange countertops. I think you get the idea. Thanks for the upload This has nothing to do with plants, but the real reason we bought the place is that it backs up to a huge green belt, 10 acres of redwoods are ours, the rest belong to Pacific logging , and they can’t legally cut the trees so we really have it made (for us) . The house is so weird I doubt many people would want it. Anyway, at least I can have as many plants as I like. That’s the important thing right?
Lumping Phalaenopsis under all Orchids would be a mistake; get yourself a sympodial orchid, maybe a Cattleya and you won’t have the problem of the awkward leaves! Maybe start with a smaller one, like from the Section Hadrolaelia 😉 (I agree totally with monopodial orchids being difficult to position within one’s collection though)
Orchids were my favourite but broke my heart again and again for 20 years and in 3 different countries/climates. Every time I’d share my woes, my green-thumbed friend would always say, “orchids are easy!” and I wanted to lovingly slap her. Finally, I gave up and booted the last one (a gift) outside and bought a plastic one I found at the thrift store. My husband could not believe it, but I just refuse to shed more tears for a plant. The fake orchid lives in the bathroom and my lounge is full of the real, lush beauties who actually like to live with me. PS. I discovered the ousted orchid has a few green roots again. I gave her my best wishes and left her on her own behind the tree.
I love my pile plant. I got it two years ago, and it's so easy to keep it looking beautiful. I think I lucked out with the perfect spot in my living room. It gets diffused light most of the day. Recently, though, the bottom leaves started turning brown and mushy, so I cut them off. The pilea plant is now thriving again and even sprouting babies!
I tried with the string of hearts! Died within a month. I started having trouble with mushy leaves on the burkin so i put her behind some other plants, i hardly see her now and always looks nice, I think i was just watering too much, or giving it too much fuss lol. I got a nanook tredescantia and put it in a window box so it can root as it goes. She started branching out and seems better but its still early to tell how well it works. For the chinese money tree, I couldn't get the watering right so I put a cutting of her in leca and water and shes pretty happy now, the base stem I put in a smaller pot and shes giving me lots of babies now. As long as i dont over water (my main problem). Orchids...they are just in a league of thier own 😂 no wonder orchid people only do orchids much of the time, they're amazing plants but woooohhhh its been hard for me to keep them happy but, as my most challenging plants they are also the most rewarding when I get it right. Other than an aloe the phalanopsis orchid was my first real plant (black thumb here), and I think my husband regrets ever getting me that first one, because now I have a whole room for my plants and the balcony is also getting full! (Cant have them all around the house like I wanted originally because my cats are out to kill any plant they get a hold of. When I bring a new one home you can see the bloodlust in thier eyes 😂 Thats okay though bc my plant room is my oasis for relaxing, healing, keeping me busy, and just admiring beautiful plants 🪴 ❤
Hi there! A fan here from the Philippines! I truly love the random acting for each segment of all your videos and it is very entertaining on top of your educational and helpful advice for different plant care! Keep the videos coming, please. More power to your YT channel. 🥰
I had two struggling Birkins and in desperation, i potted them together with a rather gangly philo Imperial Red, and now they're all doing great! No idea why this is working, but I'll take it 😊 And so far, my orange Chlorophytum is doing very well - it gets rainwater year round, from what ii collect in my rainbarrels (all my plants do), so i guess no chlorine there! Calatheas are the heartbreakers for me, and maranthas. They try to beguile me in the plant shops, but i look the other way 😄
Im rather new to gardening and cattering to plants but im doing rather well at it so far. Succulents were recommended to me as a beginner plant that can take abuse and neglect quite a bit so i took home a peperomia hope. After the peperomia got a year old and was still in good health i got other kind of interior plants (schumi red, aglaonema, Spider Plant ''Bonnie'' ,christmas cactus, dracaena 'whitney' and a Scindapsus 'N'Joy') they are all doing well though im starting to run out of west/south facing windows. Its been 4-5 years since ive begun gardening and i have only lost one so far. Ive considered buying quite a few of the plants in the video but ill be sure to stay away from them for now until i get better.
Maybe try giving your tradescantia what it really wants a rectangular planter. They are ground cover in nature and look to spread across the ground instead of falling from something. I never had luck with them until I read this somewhere. I switched mine to a rectangular planter and it just fills in easy peasy and is super happy now.
I've failed drastically with some of the plants mentioned in this video. I stick to the easy-peasy plants. My life is suddenly improved! Imagine that? I have a pothos growing out of my aquarium. At first the leaves were at the top and the roots expanded quite generously into the tank. Now it's decided to grow leaves under the water. They don't seem bothered by becoming aquatic leaves. I find that strange! Have a great day
Here's what worked for me for my Birken: I use Ocean Forest soil, modified with more perlite, and horticulture charcoal. I use Big Foot mycorrhizae for the first six weeks after repotting and fertilize with fish emulsion in the growing season. I have mine in a plastic pot. I have mine in a west facing window that has some shade from tall trees. I do live in a subtropical climate and have mine outdoors in the growing season. You may need to supplement humidity and light. I just started using 1 drop of Superthrive to 4 oz of water and that has helped too. Try using distilled water. When mine get funky like that I rinse off all the soil and do a diluted hydrogen peroxide drench as a last resort and repot fresh. I hope that helps! With any luck you'll see a half moon leaf soon! 🤩🪴✨
Ihad a really cool birkin, that didn’t want to birkin anymore and built leaves that were completely green, green-brown or just brown. But not dead brown. They came fresh an juicy but brown and greened with time. Sadly I lost the plant during the big root rot of 2021
I know this isn't universal, but I find calathea orbifolia one of my easiest & favourite plants. It's so dramatic-looking and sculptural, and for me has always behaved beautifully - happy with pretty low light, hasn't had any issues with roots & watering, lets you know when it's a bit dry and bounces up again within hours of watering. Other calatheas have always seemed to come with spider mites or other issues, but my orbifolias have never suffered from any of that!
@SheffieldMadePlants Thank you for all the fantastic content and tips! I agree about all the plants in this video I've tried - orchids especially are a constant sore spot, I love how they look but they're so demanding & awkward.
I had an alocacia lose all of its leaves one by one and i didnt know why-forgot about it and its pot ended up somewhere outside during winter. Spring this year however i went to the pot to reuse the dirt and found a bunch of alocacia bulbs! Some with roots and one even had a leaf growing from it. I planted it this spring and now ones got a cute baby leaf. Im not sure exactly how it survived but im glad to know that it goes dormant and it didnt just die for no reason lol.
I feel u! I have a Birkin I split into 2 and I use her as decor. Rarely water them, give them good med light, and don't think would ever give away, but definitely wouldn't see buying another one.
The tradescantia tricolor is also a real pain to repot when they get huge. I purchased one that was big and tried to repot it, and it just fell apart. I have grown them and they're still a pain to repot. I finally gave up on them.
Lol.!! Amen to that!!! I needed this relief (laugh) from frustration with some of my plants too!! Love your videos!!!! 63 old lady Abilene,Tx.!!!Hey!!!
My Birkin is healthy. It sits in one of the dimmest spots in my house. I water it when I think about it so it dries out. About half of the leaves don't have any variation though.
i was given an orchid as a house warming gift and my god it was so fussy and high maintenance that the flower went away and never came back, it was basically just a p*ssed of stick in a pot afterwards, so I vacated it and kept the pot for a lovely little lemon tree :)
I’m on my second pink princess philodendron right now & she seems to be loving the self watering pot she’s in. After how badly I did with the previous one it never ceases to amaze me when she pops a new leaf…. Struggling with my Hoya currently, and calathea as well. I have plenty of happy healthy plants but those two are thorns in my side 🙄
String of hearts LOVE sun. Mine get a lot and are full cascades of veautiful leaves. And ive found orchids can thrive in properly executed water culture.
Great vid again! Howeven I don't have any problems with my string of heart. Yes it's tingly but it choices to. Just keep in mind it's a succulent (it's weird, I know, been there as well). It's thrives in pon and rarely loses any leaves cause I water it like a succuent. I hope this may help some of us!
I absolutely love your channel Mr. Sheffield! I went from fake plants, yes I know, to real ones. It was a big step because i was able to kill a cactus! Let's say; i was very loving with lots of water 😅 Now I have about 60 plants including several calathea's like the white fushion. My collection also includes a water meter, light meter and a lot more goodies for my plants. Thanks you so much for sharing your knowledge! 🤗 Ps. Tradescantias are some of my troublemakers too. The Nanouk already was sent to the bin. I don't need that level of attitude in my life 😂
@@angelrose7451 my pleasure I am always happy when more people dare to venture into nurturing another living thing. I know you didn't jump right into it because you know what a responsibility it is. That's why this videos subject is so important because we all see gorgeous plants we would love to have and care for but they aren't all so easy to care for. This helps people realize what they might want to wait on getting until they have more details on proper care.
This is so good!!!! I have several of these plants and I have given up on most of them. Thank you for helping me not feel like a failure and it’s not just me!!!
Hahaha it was such a pleasure to watch it! I’ve just started buying plants and learning about them, and I love this vid! I used to try having plants before, but they all died… even the succulents and cacti!!!!!! 😂 so now I’m going to watch and learn 😎🌱
Alocasias are my favorite pain in the butt plants. I’m typing out of sight of them to say they both have 7-8 leaves, because if they knew I was talking about them, they would drop all of them. Thanks for the 15% sansi light discount, I’ve made good use of it hoping to keep the drama queens happy.
Go for Hoya Linearis next time. They just hang down, continuous producing flowers. And are very elegant. It’s my favorite Hoya. The Hoya Shooting Stars is also a hanging plant. The only problem with shooting star is the shed of flowers under the plant. Both are very easy.
Oh i love this video! I’m not alone! I have 2 small tradescantia leaves left after continually propagating. Next time I’m chucking it! But it has pretty colours🤔
i have a Philo Birkin. its outdoors on my porch, in a container with no drainage (its a tall aluminum container), she does great. i water sparingly & infrequently. gets some direct gentle am sun. i am happy with her & vice versa. i live in Fl. i kinda ignore her, at first i wasnt ignoring her & she was feeling awkward, she prefers to be left alone. i have the perfect spot i suppose. shes lovely. i do have plants that dont enjoy me tho, so i understand. high humidity & not much direct sun does it.
I agree with tradiscantia, but for some reason i don't mind it with stringof hearts as the steing of hearts grows from a tuber thing. It means you can cut off the really long bits and force it to branch. Or you can coil and weave it as it grows. My mum kills plants for a hobby and the string of hearts is the only plant still going strong after 30 years of neglect.
@@SheffieldMadePlants yeh, they can be fickle with water, but grow in low quality soil and the corn-th8ng is the size of a new potato. I always trim it and water it when I'm home. That beast has outlived air plants in my mum's house - no kidding. There's only one plant older in her house, a weird cactus that she calls 'punkette' that she got 40 years ago. Edit: i think punkette is a euphorbia enopla
After years of killing house plants, I finally found the plant that loves me as much as I like it. And... it's orchids. Heh. At least, some of them. Honestly, the flowers are nice, but I really quite like the foliage - especially on those lovely mottled Paphs! However, if you really want an orchid that looks great, is easy to take care of, and isn't hard AT ALL to find a good spot for... stay away from those horizontally spreading Phalaenopsis shown in the video. Go for an Oncidium instead. Easy to care for, vertical growth for the most part, and if you're really tight for space, get a 'Twinkle' cultivar - tiny, adorable, easy to find (I have three of the Oncidium Twinkle 'Gold Dust' alone, two of which came from an orchid grab-bag mystery package) and remarkably hardy! The Twinkle cultivars can be found in several colors. To reiterate - really, really adorable plant. The mature plant can be kept in a 3 inch pot.
Please know that I live in the low desert of Arizona and about 80% of the plants you see as challenging are challenging here as well. I'll never do another tradescantia other than the red Setcreaseas. No more Pilea Peperomioides. Same problem with Chlorophytum ochideastrum. However, tge Ceropegias and Hoyas are happy (must be genetic, they're cousins). And the hoyas are growth-controlled. The current Birkin seems happy, but it's in a sunny window for hours a day. I just bought an Ali Asia amazonica yesterday, so the growlight gets installed tomorrow. Thanks for sharing your woes.
I have a string of hearts for years and years, well, almost like forever. I've got one of these selfwatering cones (usually used for vacation I think) in it, the ones where you put the water into and the plant just takes the amount of water it needs. The tangles? I just drape them around the pot and sometimes cut them if they got too long or stuck under something they shouldn't.
Ive got my orchids on a shelf suction-cupped to my bedroom window, since I was running out of room too I also recently saw someone take a piece of wood (i think), drilled holes in it, and then "sewed" the roots covered in sphagnum moss to the wood with fishing line. You could probably hang that on the wall somewhere that gets lots of light
My amazonica is my prize! I keep it under a strong grow light all winter long and it flowers about 3 times a year. For orchids I mount them on driftwood so space isn't an issue.
I hope you see this. The Birkin situation... From my experience, leaves not erupting has to do with the lack of consistency in watering. I don't have one, but I tend to have this exact issue sometimes with plants that like the soil to always be a bit moist. Top covering with moss can help achieving that, and a terracotta pot is probably not the best for it, for obvious reasons. And the mainly white leaves is a curse of variegates. If you fertilize too much for the plants needs, they end up putting out mainly white growth. Took me two years and a bunch of dead plants to figure this bit out. Best of luck with your favourite plant, please don't give up on it just yet.
I think the Rosary vine plant is easy to grow…very forgiving of neglect, but they do get sparse on the top, even when you provide great amounts of light. I’ve also noticed as the tubers grow, the soil gets very hard and compacted. So every couple of years, except for one I have that is over 20 years old, I cut mine back and repot them in nice fresh new soil and add a lot of cuttings to the pot. Yes, kind of a hassle, but I love this plant so it’s worth it to me. So true about Hoyas. They all look great when young….but eventually get too heavy, even for the largest hanging pots. I have a monster obovata that I just don’t know what to do with. Best option would be to give it a trellis, but I really don’t have the space for that. A lot of people just take cuttings and restart their Hoyas when they get unmanageable.
My string of hearts is doing just fine. You must have it in the wrong position. Keep it in the shade and it will love you. I won't bother mentioning my orchids as I have no trouble getting them to flower every year.
My heart vines love my dappled Western window! But my orchids hated life when I switched from evaporative cooler to air conditioner, now I have to use people trays and peace lilies to keep them moist and happy.
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We share the same love of the plant. Mine is throwing me out all sorts of leafs, I have to replant her, her leaves are crinkling a bit. Mine loves it's grow light and south west facing window
WHEN are you just gonna give in & purchase some dang grow lights? Are you aware that spider plants & many ferns require their media/ soils to be pretty much wet, at _all_ times?
My husband, who typically doesn't pay all that much attention to what new plant related content I am geeking out over now, has actually taken notice of you. I don't know how you manage, but you've made him laugh and therefore gotten him somewhat interested in our (my) plant family.
Love that 😁
I think the main problem you’ve run into is you live in Sheffield and not the tropical environment most of these plants exist in, the sun might be the same but it shines differently.
Bingo
I'm in zone 9a/b and still struggle with Alocasias. Begonias too v.v
New subscriber who's been keeping house full of plants for decades now, but you just helped me feel so much better about my many failures.
You're very kind thank you!
@@SheffieldMadePlants thank you 😊
So agree with you. I'm the same, in that ive been a plant mum for years. It was so refreshing to find a Yt Influencer who is so transparent about the real struggles, and happily shares with us his brilliant solutions!
@@marciajohnson1825I agree Marcia it's very refreshing and helpful ❤❤❤
I always wanted a chain of hearts and finally got one a few months ago. I popped it directly under a cheapie little grow light after hearing everyone say that the key is to make sure the top of the plant is getting good light and to bottom water it and it has been great. When I was recently dusting the sideboard it lives on, I discovered that it had grown vines under and behind some of the decor and that it was blooming little flowers!
I water mine more than you’d think is necessary. That seems to keep it happy.
Wow that sounds great!
And aren't they the coolest little flowers? Unusual shapes, some say parachute-like.
Thanks! For interesting reading on these plants, pls see 'The Ceropegia Journal', by Sage Reynolds. All his own work, plants & pix, fascinating plants!
Mine is not growing, should I put in more light?
I have the suspicion that is not only that certain species are more demanding, but also sometimes plants as individuals have "personality" and are prone to drama. You move it then it wilts for some days, a snail bite, it starts to die away, you barely underwater it, it dries out some leaves, you put it in the shade, it wilts, put it under indirect light, it burns, take it back to the shade, its fine. You pair it with other plants, they may get along or they will bully each other. And there's that one plant that is always under attack from bugs and the surrounding are fine.
I think you’re spot on. They’re individuals
Yes! xxxxx
yes!
sometimes it's really the luck of the draw in terms of genetics! i remember planting a bunch of lemon seeds and one really took off while the other survivor stayed small and runty despite them staying in the same area and receiving the same care.
My calathea started curling in my bedroom (which is above my garage and retains all the heat) but when I put her downstairs where the air is cooler and the rooms are darker it's been thriving! So frustrating but they really need the right conditions 😅
I LOVED my string of hearts! She was over 7 feet long and detangling her was such a stress reliever, but I accidentally overwatered her during winter once and she never recovered.
Sorry to hear that. Sounded like a beaut
So sorry you lost her.😢
I love the string of heart! I just leave the tangle alone...and when I get really bored, I spend half a day brushing its hair. They are incredibly easy to grow and propagate, and they have the most interesting flowers that bloom for months! Entertaining video though, I enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing!!
I inherited my mums string of hearts… it’s outside undercover (Australia) I throw water at it once a week in summer, once a fortnight in winter / cooler months… it’s in a hanging basket, currently measures over 6ft in length of growth. Have propagated from it without issue. Yes it tangles, not bothered. It’s one of the easiest things I’ve ever looked after ❤
I love mine to
I love mine too, easy care, but mine is in a covered porch outdoors in zone 8-9.
my mum has a lot of orchids (who she doesn't actually do a lot with and they're still alive somehow), and a particularly thriving one is living in an upside-down hanging plant pot in a south-facing window which has a roof overhang so that it gets a ton of indirect light. It absolutely loves the upside down pot! I think it mimics the natural habitat a bit more. And it's so funny when someone new visits and does a double take on seeing a plant hanging out the wrong end of the pot 😂
Sounds cool
This video is so validating, all the plants ive not managed to keep alive are in this 😄
You’ve got this ✊
Yeah same here 😂 ...
hahahaha totally!
even calatheas? wow you're a pro lol.
Right. I've had like 75 % of those plants and none of them survived no matter what I did. I'm having a bit of ptsd from the Elephant ear and String of hearts(bought and killed twice), sigh.
You have mentioned Misses Sheffield so many times in your videos. Now I think its about time that you let her come on to a video to tell us what she think about your plant passion or wich plants are her favorits or... something. Let us meet her! 😄
I'm happy to but she's not keen ☹️
That is perfectly fine if other family members want to remain private! Im here for your expertise in plants… and the chuckles!!
I have so many questions! I’ve begun watering from the bottom, as you have suggested. When I was a novice plant owner (actually I still kind of am), I learned to put pot shards in the bottom of the pots before adding the soil. Would the shards interfere with the bottom watering, or do I need to repot everything I own? Also, I have a Shefelara (have trouble spelling that) with a strange pot that has a shallow bottom lip attached and I had to put it in a dish. It makes watering from the bottom a very iffy situation; water collects in the dish and never reaches the lip of the pot so it just sits there. I’m hoping you will tell me that the shallow lip on the pot is fine and will provide enough water, otherwise I will need to repot a giant plant. I don’t seem to be able to send you a photo. Won’t inundate you with anymore questions for now. Thanks loads! 10:13 10:13
@@MarilynLetchworth the shards shouldn't interfere. I've not had a problem anyway. Can't quite picture your shefflera pot. Does it soak up the water?
I'm starting to think Mrs Sheffield is actually just one of his plants lol
I think everyone has a plant that they understand. Mine is tradescantia, I have five different varieties. I keep the soil moist and don't let it dry out. It's very very thirsty, all the time. I bottom water, and they like having wet feet. I have found self watering pots are perfect for this. My Tradescantia Tricolor is thriving. I hope my tips help.
Thank you Richard for another interesting and entertaining vid. I'm a big fan of your channel 😃
Thank you!!! 🚿
I don't have different varieties, just your generic purple bottom. I never have trouble with it either. I've often thought about "tips" to help Mr Sheffield, but honestly, I don't know what I'm doing that is so special. Under the grow light, it's got the most shimmering silver and sharp contrast in colors. It just grows and grows.
Thanks for sharing! Glad someone has success with them 😁
I'll try this on my sad-looking Nanouk - thank you!
I'm very happy to help. I really hope everyone's plants start thriving. Plants are a joy, when I can figure out what i'm doing!
I've had plenty that have died, far too many! Good luck everyone and happy growing 😃
I agree with you about orchids. I have had a lot of good luck placing them in my bathroom. The climate is great and they receive a lot of light from an east window, white walls and two mirrors.
Good to know!
Remove the wooden supports, easier to fit on shelves
I'm absolutely in love with your humour! Everyone knows British one is the best! Congratulations for all your work!
Thank you 😊
I have been a plant lover/collector for quite a long time. It does take time to figure out what certain plants like. I used to feel guilty throwing a plant away but I have come to the realization that if it’s not bringing me joy, it’s not worth the time spent.
I agree. Life's too short for fussy plants!
Wise words!
@@thevahandbook but... i can change him ö.ö
I've seen a saying somewhere in the community, that mother nature kills plants all the time, and nobody bats an eyelid, yet us plant enthusiasts tend to freak out if we kill, or have to throw away a single scraggy one. 😂 Made me feel better about getting rid of some difficult bastards that just took up valuable space on my windowsill.
I like to get sick plants back to health it's felt like am looking after a sick kid .....
I’ve watched your videos since you started. The videos couldn’t have been that bad Richard, the amount of subscribers proves that! Your recommendation for Sansi grow lights honestly changed my plant growing life! So much so that I’m hip deep in greenery! I really enjoyed this video. It’s good to see that even experienced plant parents like you struggle to keep the little green darlings living their best lives and we can get the benefit of your knowledge
I appreciate that. Thanks for watching 😁
Orchidea: for my mum at north window-bank it worked well. She always had flowers on it (no sleeping period). Trick was next to this. every 2nd week - I guess - to put them out of the nice pot, with the translucent one into the water+NPK mixture for orchids for circa 10 mins. She used the kitchen timer for it.
My favourite part of every script is “showing off to my friends and family” because that seems to be the main reason for Mr Sheffield’s plant hobby.
You’re also showing off to the internet Mr Sheffield!
Sad isn't it 😂
😂😂😂
I’ve watched a friend’s orchid do amazing things…and what stands out is that my friend gives the orchid lots of indirect sun and lots of space. It’s not crowded in with other plants.
#SheffieldMadePlants - Your frustration antics have conquered my heart. - This is honestly how I feel and behave when I have difficulty with my plants! - Thanks for being relatable.
Glad i could help 😁
Sorry to hear you’re considering getting rid of your Birkin! Your channel and advice has helped me a lot in taking care of my own birkin, to the point where my original plant is almost 18 inches tall and has given me 4 pups. This past summer my birkin was also producing fresh mushy/brown leaves. I think some of the differences I did to fix it was less direct light more medium/bright indirect light (just a few hours of morning sun). Plastic pot, but less frequent watering (anywhere between 10-16 days). Also, I think it got better as humidity went down. My place isn’t that humid, probably between 25-40% in winter and 40-60% in summer. Hope something changes and your birkin gets healthy again!
Thanks! I might separate and try leca or something
I put mine in a vase with water only, and it's been doing great with indirect sun. I haven't ever fed it, but I do change the water every other week. I can't say it's grown at all but it's healthy looking!
One good thing I noticed about orchids is that, since they are epiphytes and the substrate is mostly bark and moss, the setup is quite light in terms of weight and I can just hang mine somewhere on the wall and not be afraid it will fall in the middle of the night. Saves space beautifully and if you squint hard enough it might look like an orchid in its habitat in the canopy.
Good shout 👍
Use sphagnum moss to propagate String of Hearts, I trim the mother plant during spring and summer to prevent a tangled mess. I give rooted propagations to my friends. I also use sphagnum moss for my String of Turtles and String of Pearl propagations 😊
Good shout. Didn't have any on hand so i guess we'll call it an experiment 😅
@SheffieldMadePlants When you propagate string of heart, clip them to 1 node cutting each, and place them on the moss. Put a plastic bag or cling film over the pot to create a high humidity environment. When you see the node sprout a new shoot, you can slowly acclimate them to room humidity. This way, each node will produce their own string, and the whole pot will become super lush.
@ThaoNguyen-hl6mb this is how I do it! I have several full lush pots and I give them away. I find them so easy to propagate. I love my hearts.
I'll have to try that for the string of pearls she really doesn't want to grow since I tried resetting it and proping in soil. Now the string of bananas took off!! Lol they are finicky
If you remove the supports for the orchids, their flower stem often trails to the side and down so you can fit it on a pretty shelf
I love my string of hearts because they don't need too much care or water...and they look so good trailing down from the mantle of the fireplace that I don't use. 🤣
They're also very easy to propagate, since they have those little balls that you just break off and stick into the soil. And the little purple flowers are so pretty!
You do have to be careful where you put them so that the stems don't get tangled together, since they're a nightmare to untangle. One of mine got tangled up in my huge pencil cactus and it took me a couple of hours of painstaking work to get it untangled. 😝
Urgh the untangling is a nightmare!
I am happy to hear someone else say they can’t find the right spot because of awkward leaves.
🤣🤣🤣Stunning Orchids yet... 🤦♀😂
When I randomly remember this channel I end up binge watching everything
Get that notification bell turned on!
I rarely learn much from your clip.... Because I know a lot, TOO. But I finally figured out WHY I like your clips sooooo much.
You talk FAST. This is a short attention span world. You don't stutter. You don't "uh uh uh". You don't CONTROL your viewers with repeated cliffhanger comments. You deliver punch after punch after punch of high-quality information. And sometimes I learn something new. Thanks for the clips. As always, I hit the thumbs 👍 button.
Great stuff 👍. Glad you like the videos thanks!
6:53 I love my orchids. I’ve lost a few in the beginning, but one is going to bloom again. I didn’t cut the original bloom spike off like I normally do, and I’ve had two reblooms from old spikes. Air conditioner, grow lights, and fertilizer is all I did. Oh! I also didn’t repot after the first set of blooms. Basically I did everything you’re told not to do. Go figure
I am totally with you on the orchids having weird-shaped leaves! Mine are growing out of their pots and we even knock them over now and then 😄 But they are still so so dear to me, and because they were among the first plants we owned, they actually have the central spot just in the middle of the parapet and all other plants are placed around them. And they must love it because the youngest one is blooming for the second time this year! Love my orchids! 🥰
Very nice 👌
Thanks for going there and sparing us the pain in the behind. 😁
It always squeezes my heart a little when you put one in the garbage can.
My plants had gotten less and less over the years because you know life, then when I realized I was losing all my 30 year old plants one by one for no reason I started watching you.
Now I have a string of pearls dare I say it 😳 it's growing and I propagated another one and it's growing!!!! 😊 I have killed three over the years.
I have 3 new calatheas that are doing great and other plants I ordered from a couple of nurseries that I've never had and wanted to try but 😮 for the first time in all the years I've had plants, they gave me the gift of fungus gnats...... I had never heard of them until I started watching you, now I'm 😢planting those silly sticky ugly yellow things everywhere letting my plants dessicate bought insecticidal soap changed the soil in my orchids, ............🥺 Every time I think they're gone ,after a few weeks, I see one usually trying to go up my nose 😞I even sprayed one leaf with windex (window cleaner) because it happened to be in my hand while screaming die die die but I'll win. 40 years of growing plants never had any 🤨🤔
.. Oh how your story sounds so familiar to me.. In my house it got so bad that it felt like a war, me against the biggest army of gnats.. Not to mention how they brought in all their hairy cousins (mealy bugs) to help them out 😳.. That was last year.. During winter I was counting days to early spring.. I almost couldn't wait.. Meanwhile I changed all the soil in every pot and went back to what I knew worked.. Letting the soil completely dry out to those who needs it, let it almost dry out, like 2/3, with those who needs that, before watering again, and never ever let anyone keep water standing in the outer pot.. When spring arrived I was happily waiting for warmth, and then I took most of them outside on my front porch and to the back as usual thinking that this year, every bug out there would be happy with extra food.. I left them out there from May until October (watering maybe only once every 8-10 days).. Now I only have 3 yellow sticky things left, but no gnats 🤗
.. Gnats and their cousins loves wet and very moist soil.. They hate spagnum moss and chunky chunky soil.. And absolutely they hate clean plants.. Now I've only got a few still struggling after a very long and stressful period, but this winter they can have a peaceful recovery 🤗
@@aingealtara1479 to be fair I do put mine outside in the summer but this was the wettest summer it rained almost every second day, then I brought them in and didn't turn my heat on because it wasn't cold enough yet, so they stayed much wetter than ever before.
I finally turned on the heat to try and dry them up when I noticed my new tiny pets around a couple of my plants 😕
But it's November here and we only had snow sprinkles once and it's warmer than usual this year.
I have never had this battle before, I find myself sitting and staring at a plant, then I gently shake it, then I stare again unblinkingly at it, I'm wasting so much time 😂
They happen to the best of us. Beneficial nematodes is what worked for me
Absolutely WONDERFUL to watch your videos. I´m using all your suggestions and knowledge. All with grandeur humor! Love it!!!!👏👏👏
Thanks so much!
I thought the problem was me being a disastrous gardener, turns out it's them. Thank you! Totally identified with your experience
Great stuff 👍
Mr. Sheffield, I’ve killed far less plants than usual since I started watching your videos about 8 months ago. Thank you.
Super!
I “found” a piece of the wandering dude at the local grocery store.
I now have 3 pots of it PLUS I’ve been giving them away in others, along with my 27 year old spider plants
My Burkin has given me this issue as well where the leaves just can not unfurl. I looked it up and seemed to be a humidity issue. Whenever I see the leaves getting stuck I sprits it with some water under its leaves and it has been doing great. I don't think light is the issue as it has some lovely white strips already 😊
I had bad experiences with croton. They really do seem to attract spider mites! That tradescantia tri color is a beauty! One of my first plants to ever own was a phalaenopsis orchid. I followed Miss Orchid Girls advice, and still own that first orchid to this day.
Exactly what happened to my Croton. ☹️
I have two crotons, one of which is doing absolutely amazing (a croton Mamma that i bought as a baby plant a few months ago) and a "normal" croton which i moved like three times now because it didn't get enough light and threw away its leaves. Also the air wasn't moist enough (and i hope the moss i bought might resolve this issue). Interestingly enough, i never had any bugs on my Crotons. But yeah, that normal one kinda frustrates me too but i like its leaves.
Yeah right mine also keeps attracting spider mites but it's really a hero even it sheds most of the leaves it doesn't surrender and keeps fighting!
That’s odd. We have a number of plants, are by no means especially talented in this area, yet crotons (of which we have several) seem to be no problem for us at all. They are a bit difficult to give adequate sunlight to over the winter, and we do keep them out on the patio during the summer, which really seems to recharge their battery and aid in a big growth spurt.
We grow crotons outside in full sun to part shade in Florida, so I wonder, is it a light issue with them for people indoors? Because unlike so many houseplants that lived under trees in their former lives, crotons can be seen in the landscape directly in the blazing sun everywhere here. .
I have a love-hate relationship with orchids-they’re gorgeous but so tricky! 😂 I currently have three (the first was gifted to me back in May, and I couldn’t resist picking up two more at the store because of their stunning blooms). But after a few months of dealing with them, I’m ready to call it quits! I might end up giving them to a friend who already has a collection and actually enjoys the challenge.
On the other hand, I have two Calatheas (the Dottie and the Rosey), and while they can be a bit fussy, I’d gladly take them over orchids any day. Great video-loved the humor! Thanks for sharing ❤ and happy growing! 🪴🪴
I hadn't had that issue with Birkins or that alocasia (but I have with other alocasias).
I have a mystery plant that has me stumped. It was labeled a swiss cheese philodendron. However, the leaves were shaped like monstera adansonii without the fenestrations which never came. It loved the sun and grew 10 ft long in less than 6 months. It was bushy and happy. But winter came and it lost all of its leaves like a deciduous tree in fall. Ive about had it with this one too. It might be going out
Hmm that’s odd. Can’t think what they might be
I agree with you and chain of hearts. I bought one in a Lowes store one fall and by spring it was practically dead. It didn't like anything I did. Then came spring and I transplanted it and put in on my porch and it was amazing how fast it grew and how wonderful it looked. I took it in for the winter and it's all but dead now. So I am going to split it up, let it get another start and next fall leave the pots on neighbors porches. Maybe they will like them but I am not keeping one for myself! And as to orchids I totally agree!!!
We own a Philodendron Birkin and we've had it a good year or so. It's very healthy, thriving, pushes out new leaves often and I have even propagated it once. Zero issues or complaints whatsoever.
Hmm interesting
I’ve had my Birkin for 2 years and it is thriving.
I've just found your channel today. I found the same problems with tradescantia - it gets straggly and the the leaves go brown and crispy then drop. Can't wait to see your other videos.
Thanks!
Interesting choices, and I agree with you about some of them. Now, I have five different species and cultivars of Ceropegia: String of Needles, standard String of Hearts, variegated SoH, String of Spears/Arrows, and String of Hearts Silver Glory, and they all do splendidly. I thought it was you who did a 'hair cut' type chop a while back, which is what I do--shear them all back by 6-8 inches, root the cuttings and either plant a few in the top of the pot or share with others. As for Phalaenopsis (moth) orchids, the type you are growing, they don't NEED a lot of light, and yours are getting a bit too much because the foliage is lighter green than it ought to be. Stick em anywhere--they thrive on benign neglect. And try trellising your hoyas, on hoops or other shaped trellises. But wrap them counter clock wise onto the support.
You can keep all the calatheas, though. Drama queens, inviting spider mites to come and play. I put all mine outside a year ago summer, and "forgot" to bring them in come freezeup. Mischief managed.
Ooo what's your secret with the strings?
String of hearts was the reason why I started my plant collection this summer. I absolutely love this plant more than any of my others and I have 30 now. Still new to all of this so I’ve never purchased other plants you mentioned in the video except for Berkin which does great in my care so far. Everything else- no thank you! Pick easy plants when you first start
I love the humor! Thank you for sharing your planting tips! They are so helpful for new beginners like me!
My pleasure 😊
What an amusing and very informative video. I watched it through twice as I have similar problems with Calathea and never buy orchids (although they are gorgeous) because of their leaf habits. Will keep watching. By the way, took your tips about root pruning and it seems to be working so far, thanks
Glad you enjoyed it!
I love your descriptions of the plants lives. I can relate to a lot of those quirks of the plants. Thanks for the fun video.
Thanks for watching!
Haha I'm loving your channel!! I feel this way towards a bunch of plants I have. I constantly am cutting back or propagating....even threatening them to behave or I'd leave them on the balcony.
Thank you 😊
I haven't had all of these, but I agree 100% with the ones I have or had.
Thank you for the video 👍🏻
Have a nice weekend everyone 😊
Same to you pal!
The problem with being obsessed with plants is always running out of space for more plants
Tell me about it!
Same here... I think I need to move to a bigger house...
A bigger house and more time would be great to have for my plants. Since I live in a mobile home, I use grow lights alot. When it's not 75* or higher, I can open the drapes and give natural light to the rooms I have plants in. 😊
I’m so lucky! We have an enormous house with a cavernous living room. I haven’t counted how many plants but it’s a lot. Thankfully my daughter-in-law, who originally got me into plants, comes over at least once a week and tends to them all. She brings me HUGE plants, like 6 feet tall.
Oh, and I’m not bragging about my house, yes, it’s big but it’s wacky and VERY quirky. The floors are all different from each other, the big living room has old wood flooring that is a MESS. It needs a complete overhaul of sanding and finishing. The planks are huge, which I think dates the house. 2 rooms have PAINTED floors! WTF. It’s a 4 bedroom but only has ONE bathroom, which also dates the house. The kitchen has that 70s orange countertops. I think you get the idea.
Thanks for the upload
This has nothing to do with plants, but the real reason we bought the place is that it backs up to a huge green belt, 10 acres of redwoods are ours, the rest belong to Pacific logging , and they can’t legally cut the trees so we really have it made (for us) . The house is so weird I doubt many people would want it. Anyway, at least I can have as many plants as I like. That’s the important thing right?
Lumping Phalaenopsis under all Orchids would be a mistake; get yourself a sympodial orchid, maybe a Cattleya and you won’t have the problem of the awkward leaves! Maybe start with a smaller one, like from the Section Hadrolaelia 😉 (I agree totally with monopodial orchids being difficult to position within one’s collection though)
Orchids were my favourite but broke my heart again and again for 20 years and in 3 different countries/climates. Every time I’d share my woes, my green-thumbed friend would always say, “orchids are easy!” and I wanted to lovingly slap her. Finally, I gave up and booted the last one (a gift) outside and bought a plastic one I found at the thrift store. My husband could not believe it, but I just refuse to shed more tears for a plant.
The fake orchid lives in the bathroom and my lounge is full of the real, lush beauties who actually like to live with me.
PS. I discovered the ousted orchid has a few green roots again. I gave her my best wishes and left her on her own behind the tree.
I love my pile plant. I got it two years ago, and it's so easy to keep it looking beautiful. I think I lucked out with the perfect spot in my living room. It gets diffused light most of the day. Recently, though, the bottom leaves started turning brown and mushy, so I cut them off. The pilea plant is now thriving again and even sprouting babies!
Great stuff 👍
I never got suckered into calathea. Just like Clint Eastwood said, "A man's gotta know his limitations."
😂
My guess on the "problem" of the first plant is a reaction to something you may have sprayed on it like some sort of natural oil pesticide perhaps
I tried with the string of hearts! Died within a month.
I started having trouble with mushy leaves on the burkin so i put her behind some other plants, i hardly see her now and always looks nice, I think i was just watering too much, or giving it too much fuss lol.
I got a nanook tredescantia and put it in a window box so it can root as it goes. She started branching out and seems better but its still early to tell how well it works.
For the chinese money tree, I couldn't get the watering right so I put a cutting of her in leca and water and shes pretty happy now, the base stem I put in a smaller pot and shes giving me lots of babies now. As long as i dont over water (my main problem).
Orchids...they are just in a league of thier own 😂 no wonder orchid people only do orchids much of the time, they're amazing plants but woooohhhh its been hard for me to keep them happy but, as my most challenging plants they are also the most rewarding when I get it right. Other than an aloe the phalanopsis orchid was my first real plant (black thumb here), and I think my husband regrets ever getting me that first one, because now I have a whole room for my plants and the balcony is also getting full! (Cant have them all around the house like I wanted originally because my cats are out to kill any plant they get a hold of. When I bring a new one home you can see the bloodlust in thier eyes 😂 Thats okay though bc my plant room is my oasis for relaxing, healing, keeping me busy, and just admiring beautiful plants 🪴 ❤
Sounds lovely. Thanks for sharing. Any cat would have a field day in my home 😅
I Water them once a fortnight they sit above a radiator with west facing light they are growing like crazy even in November
Hi there! A fan here from the Philippines! I truly love the random acting for each segment of all your videos and it is very entertaining on top of your educational and helpful advice for different plant care! Keep the videos coming, please. More power to your YT channel. 🥰
I appreciate that!
I had two struggling Birkins and in desperation, i potted them together with a rather gangly philo Imperial Red, and now they're all doing great! No idea why this is working, but I'll take it 😊 And so far, my orange Chlorophytum is doing very well - it gets rainwater year round, from what ii collect in my rainbarrels (all my plants do), so i guess no chlorine there! Calatheas are the heartbreakers for me, and maranthas. They try to beguile me in the plant shops, but i look the other way 😄
Hehe good shout
Im rather new to gardening and cattering to plants but im doing rather well at it so far. Succulents were recommended to me as a beginner plant that can take abuse and neglect quite a bit so i took home a peperomia hope. After the peperomia got a year old and was still in good health i got other kind of interior plants (schumi red, aglaonema, Spider Plant ''Bonnie'' ,christmas cactus, dracaena 'whitney' and a Scindapsus 'N'Joy') they are all doing well though im starting to run out of west/south facing windows. Its been 4-5 years since ive begun gardening and i have only lost one so far. Ive considered buying quite a few of the plants in the video but ill be sure to stay away from them for now until i get better.
Maybe try giving your tradescantia what it really wants a rectangular planter. They are ground cover in nature and look to spread across the ground instead of falling from something. I never had luck with them until I read this somewhere. I switched mine to a rectangular planter and it just fills in easy peasy and is super happy now.
I'm going to try this next summer...otherwise i was almost over them😂
I will try this, thanks!
Good shout 👍
❤❤❤ thank you for this advice!!!
You make my day. We need humor along with new ideas and you are the answer.
Thanks!
I've failed drastically with some of the plants mentioned in this video. I stick to the easy-peasy plants. My life is suddenly improved! Imagine that? I have a pothos growing out of my aquarium. At first the leaves were at the top and the roots expanded quite generously into the tank. Now it's decided to grow leaves under the water. They don't seem bothered by becoming aquatic leaves. I find that strange!
Have a great day
Best way to do it!
Here's what worked for me for my Birken: I use Ocean Forest soil, modified with more perlite, and horticulture charcoal. I use Big Foot mycorrhizae for the first six weeks after repotting and fertilize with fish emulsion in the growing season. I have mine in a plastic pot. I have mine in a west facing window that has some shade from tall trees. I do live in a subtropical climate and have mine outdoors in the growing season. You may need to supplement humidity and light. I just started using 1 drop of Superthrive to 4 oz of water and that has helped too. Try using distilled water. When mine get funky like that I rinse off all the soil and do a diluted hydrogen peroxide drench as a last resort and repot fresh. I hope that helps! With any luck you'll see a half moon leaf soon! 🤩🪴✨
Thanks for the tips 👌
Ihad a really cool birkin, that didn’t want to birkin anymore and built leaves that were completely green, green-brown or just brown. But not dead brown. They came fresh an juicy but brown and greened with time. Sadly I lost the plant during the big root rot of 2021
Wow, what an amazing collection of plants!❤
Thank you 😊
I know this isn't universal, but I find calathea orbifolia one of my easiest & favourite plants. It's so dramatic-looking and sculptural, and for me has always behaved beautifully - happy with pretty low light, hasn't had any issues with roots & watering, lets you know when it's a bit dry and bounces up again within hours of watering. Other calatheas have always seemed to come with spider mites or other issues, but my orbifolias have never suffered from any of that!
Thanks for sharing!
@SheffieldMadePlants Thank you for all the fantastic content and tips! I agree about all the plants in this video I've tried - orchids especially are a constant sore spot, I love how they look but they're so demanding & awkward.
My peacock calathea is the same. I mostly stopped buying calatheas because they didn’t survive, but my peacock has been very forgiving
@jennifergeorge7641 Ooh I'll have to try that one!
Dottie calathea is another forgiving one 😃
I had an alocacia lose all of its leaves one by one and i didnt know why-forgot about it and its pot ended up somewhere outside during winter. Spring this year however i went to the pot to reuse the dirt and found a bunch of alocacia bulbs! Some with roots and one even had a leaf growing from it. I planted it this spring and now ones got a cute baby leaf. Im not sure exactly how it survived but im glad to know that it goes dormant and it didnt just die for no reason lol.
I feel u! I have a Birkin I split into 2 and I use her as decor. Rarely water them, give them good med light, and don't think would ever give away, but definitely wouldn't see buying another one.
I (probably) won't toss mine
The tradescantia tricolor is also a real pain to repot when they get huge. I purchased one that was big and tried to repot it, and it just fell apart. I have grown them and they're still a pain to repot. I finally gave up on them.
Lol.!! Amen to that!!! I needed this relief (laugh) from frustration with some of my plants too!! Love your videos!!!! 63 old lady Abilene,Tx.!!!Hey!!!
Thank you 😊
My Birkin is healthy. It sits in one of the dimmest spots in my house. I water it when I think about it so it dries out. About half of the leaves don't have any variation though.
i was given an orchid as a house warming gift and my god it was so fussy and high maintenance that the flower went away and never came back, it was basically just a p*ssed of stick in a pot afterwards, so I vacated it and kept the pot for a lovely little lemon tree :)
I’m on my second pink princess philodendron right now & she seems to be loving the self watering pot she’s in. After how badly I did with the previous one it never ceases to amaze me when she pops a new leaf….
Struggling with my Hoya currently, and calathea as well. I have plenty of happy healthy plants but those two are thorns in my side 🙄
String of hearts LOVE sun. Mine get a lot and are full cascades of veautiful leaves. And ive found orchids can thrive in properly executed water culture.
I have a ficus ginseng bonsai that's always getting yellow leaves. A few went yellow to the branch tips. I had to cut those branches off.
A plant I’ve never had. Is it tricky then?
@@SheffieldMadePlants I don't think so. I think it's not getting enough sunlight. It'll perk back up when the days start getting longer.
Great vid again! Howeven I don't have any problems with my string of heart. Yes it's tingly but it choices to. Just keep in mind it's a succulent (it's weird, I know, been there as well). It's thrives in pon and rarely loses any leaves cause I water it like a succuent. I hope this may help some of us!
Thanks for the tip!
I like how personal he refers to his relationship with 🌿 plants.
I absolutely love your channel Mr. Sheffield! I went from fake plants, yes I know, to real ones. It was a big step because i was able to kill a cactus! Let's say; i was very loving with lots of water 😅 Now I have about 60 plants including several calathea's like the white fushion. My collection also includes a water meter, light meter and a lot more goodies for my plants. Thanks you so much for sharing your knowledge! 🤗 Ps. Tradescantias are some of my troublemakers too. The Nanouk already was sent to the bin. I don't need that level of attitude in my life 😂
Congratulations on your transition. Wishing you continued successes.
@@WalburgisLuppus How incredibly kind of you, thank you so much! I wish you a beautiful day 🤗
@@angelrose7451 my pleasure I am always happy when more people dare to venture into nurturing another living thing. I know you didn't jump right into it because you know what a responsibility it is. That's why this videos subject is so important because we all see gorgeous plants we would love to have and care for but they aren't all so easy to care for. This helps people realize what they might want to wait on getting until they have more details on proper care.
@@angelrose7451 almost forgot 🤗
Excellent! You're well on your way to an indoor jungle 👍
This is so good!!!! I have several of these plants and I have given up on most of them. Thank you for helping me not feel like a failure and it’s not just me!!!
My pleasure 😊
So much fun! Thankyou for sharing your knowledge and humour.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hahaha it was such a pleasure to watch it! I’ve just started buying plants and learning about them, and I love this vid! I used to try having plants before, but they all died… even the succulents and cacti!!!!!! 😂 so now I’m going to watch and learn 😎🌱
Alocasias are my favorite pain in the butt plants. I’m typing out of sight of them to say they both have 7-8 leaves, because if they knew I was talking about them, they would drop all of them. Thanks for the 15% sansi light discount, I’ve made good use of it hoping to keep the drama queens happy.
Beautiful but badly behaved plants!
Go for Hoya Linearis next time. They just hang down, continuous producing flowers. And are very elegant. It’s my favorite Hoya.
The Hoya Shooting Stars is also a hanging plant. The only problem with shooting star is the shed of flowers under the plant.
Both are very easy.
Thanks for the tip
Yes, the Linnearis is lovely! And grows so fast for a hoya! I love mine.
Oh i love this video! I’m not alone! I have 2 small tradescantia leaves left after continually propagating. Next time I’m chucking it! But it has pretty colours🤔
Thanks!
i have a Philo Birkin. its outdoors on my porch, in a container with no drainage (its a tall aluminum container), she does great. i water sparingly & infrequently. gets some direct gentle am sun. i am happy with her & vice versa. i live in Fl. i kinda ignore her, at first i wasnt ignoring her & she was feeling awkward, she prefers to be left alone. i have the perfect spot i suppose. shes lovely. i do have plants that dont enjoy me tho, so i understand. high humidity & not much direct sun does it.
Thanks for the tips 👍
I agree with tradiscantia, but for some reason i don't mind it with stringof hearts as the steing of hearts grows from a tuber thing. It means you can cut off the really long bits and force it to branch. Or you can coil and weave it as it grows. My mum kills plants for a hobby and the string of hearts is the only plant still going strong after 30 years of neglect.
Wow 30 years is decent!
@@SheffieldMadePlants yeh, they can be fickle with water, but grow in low quality soil and the corn-th8ng is the size of a new potato. I always trim it and water it when I'm home. That beast has outlived air plants in my mum's house - no kidding. There's only one plant older in her house, a weird cactus that she calls 'punkette' that she got 40 years ago.
Edit: i think punkette is a euphorbia enopla
I tossed my alocasia in the yard to die. He can be a Spidermite magnate out there as much as he likes.
After years of killing house plants, I finally found the plant that loves me as much as I like it. And... it's orchids. Heh. At least, some of them. Honestly, the flowers are nice, but I really quite like the foliage - especially on those lovely mottled Paphs! However, if you really want an orchid that looks great, is easy to take care of, and isn't hard AT ALL to find a good spot for... stay away from those horizontally spreading Phalaenopsis shown in the video. Go for an Oncidium instead. Easy to care for, vertical growth for the most part, and if you're really tight for space, get a 'Twinkle' cultivar - tiny, adorable, easy to find (I have three of the Oncidium Twinkle 'Gold Dust' alone, two of which came from an orchid grab-bag mystery package) and remarkably hardy! The Twinkle cultivars can be found in several colors. To reiterate - really, really adorable plant. The mature plant can be kept in a 3 inch pot.
Please know that I live in the low desert of Arizona and about 80% of the plants you see as challenging are challenging here as well. I'll never do another tradescantia other than the red Setcreaseas. No more Pilea Peperomioides. Same problem with Chlorophytum ochideastrum. However, tge Ceropegias and Hoyas are happy (must be genetic, they're cousins). And the hoyas are growth-controlled. The current Birkin seems happy, but it's in a sunny window for hours a day. I just bought an Ali Asia amazonica yesterday, so the growlight gets installed tomorrow. Thanks for sharing your woes.
Thanks for sharing yours 👍
Pls explain what it means that your Hoyas are 'growth controlled'. I've collected Hoyas for over 25 yrs. & have never heard that expression before.
I have a string of hearts for years and years, well, almost like forever. I've got one of these selfwatering cones (usually used for vacation I think) in it, the ones where you put the water into and the plant just takes the amount of water it needs. The tangles? I just drape them around the pot and sometimes cut them if they got too long or stuck under something they shouldn't.
Ive got my orchids on a shelf suction-cupped to my bedroom window, since I was running out of room too
I also recently saw someone take a piece of wood (i think), drilled holes in it, and then "sewed" the roots covered in sphagnum moss to the wood with fishing line. You could probably hang that on the wall somewhere that gets lots of light
My amazonica is my prize! I keep it under a strong grow light all winter long and it flowers about 3 times a year. For orchids I mount them on driftwood so space isn't an issue.
I hope you see this. The Birkin situation... From my experience, leaves not erupting has to do with the lack of consistency in watering. I don't have one, but I tend to have this exact issue sometimes with plants that like the soil to always be a bit moist. Top covering with moss can help achieving that, and a terracotta pot is probably not the best for it, for obvious reasons. And the mainly white leaves is a curse of variegates. If you fertilize too much for the plants needs, they end up putting out mainly white growth. Took me two years and a bunch of dead plants to figure this bit out. Best of luck with your favourite plant, please don't give up on it just yet.
Thanks for the tips
I think the Rosary vine plant is easy to grow…very forgiving of neglect, but they do get sparse on the top, even when you provide great amounts of light. I’ve also noticed as the tubers grow, the soil gets very hard and compacted. So every couple of years, except for one I have that is over 20 years old, I cut mine back and repot them in nice fresh new soil and add a lot of cuttings to the pot. Yes, kind of a hassle, but I love this plant so it’s worth it to me.
So true about Hoyas. They all look great when young….but eventually get too heavy, even for the largest hanging pots. I have a monster obovata that I just don’t know what to do with. Best option would be to give it a trellis, but I really don’t have the space for that. A lot of people just take cuttings and restart their Hoyas when they get unmanageable.
That's a great shout!
Best plant ever, Hoya. I’ve put mine through the ringer and they keep coming back for more 😂
Which Hoya do you have?
I’m currently obsessed with String of Hearts & I always think of you as I detangle my “String of Nightmares…”
They’re so pretty tho!!
😂
My string of hearts is doing just fine. You must have it in the wrong position. Keep it in the shade and it will love you. I won't bother mentioning my orchids as I have no trouble getting them to flower every year.
My heart vines love my dappled Western window! But my orchids hated life when I switched from evaporative cooler to air conditioner, now I have to use people trays and peace lilies to keep them moist and happy.
Now your channel has so many visitors that you can easily replace every problem plant twice or trice a year. Makes the grower happy too.
Just love your descriptions of these plant, but agree on most of them
Thanks!