plant pests

Easy Plant Care Tips for Beginners

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You may think that you just aren’t meant to be a plant owner. Perhaps you end up killing your plant every time you try to have a green thumb. Consistently asking yourself “how can I keep this plant alive?” while cursing into the air. Or maybe you just picked up a plant and want to know what you should do.

You may think that you just aren’t meant to be a plant owner. Perhaps you end up killing your plant every time you try to have a green thumb. Consistently asking yourself “how can I keep this plant alive?” while cursing into the air. Or maybe you just picked up a plant and want to know what you should do.

I started out thinking I was horrible with plants. That I could never be the person with a bunch of beautiful hanging greenery in my living room. Always thinking “how much do I water?” or “does this orchid need nutrients?”

I started out thinking I was horrible with plants. That I could never be the person with a bunch of beautiful hanging greenery in my living room. Always thinking “how much do I water?” or “does this orchid need nutrients?”

I’ve also talked to so many different people who just stopped trying because it seemed like too much.

So unless you are buying some rare finicky plant. You can do it. Have you ever thought you may be doing too much?

Stop Watering Your Plant Every Day

If your first step to plant care is watering it every day. STOP… Your plant most likely does not need to be watered every day. In fact, I can get away with watering some of my plants once a week or week and a half.

I know it’s time to water when the soil is dry. At least this goes for a lot of my plants. I treat my Monsteras, ferns, Alocacias, and other like this. They sometimes look a little thirsty and I make sure to soak the soil completely with water to fill that need.

Heck I have some String of Pearl, and two orchids that are healthy by just being in the bathroom shower mist.

My point is that; your plants will tell you when they need water. They won’t just die instantly.

On the other hand… If you water your plant too much it can lead to root rot, and fungus growth which can be a pain to get rid of.

A lot of people think that you need to water every day. Just avoid doing it. Set a reminder on your phone or something to check the soil dryness twice a week to start off.

Here is my article about overwatered plants in case you suspect it has been overwatered.

How To Know When Your Plant Is Overwatered: What To Do.

Another common issue with overwatering is dealing with powdery mildew which I wrote about below.

Identifying Powdery Mildew: Treat in a natural way

Let there be light

If your plant is recommended to have indirect light. It doesn’t mean keep it in the shade or closet. You can put your plant behind light curtains, or in the open. Just don’t let it get blazing direct sunlight all day. I have been able to tell when my plants get too much sun usually when the ends of their leaves get a bit crisp.

Don’t be afraid to find a spot that your plant loves.

I have one plant that hated to be moved. Every single time I moved it, the leaves would droop and it would look sad. Until I found the spot for it. It took some experimenting but it was worth it and now it’s thriving.

Don’t give up on your plant

You may be asking yourself “is this plant ever going to come back to life”. I say, give it as much of a chance as you can.

I had an alocasia in the corner of my office. It started dripping black stuff out of it’s leaves. Every part of it looked dead besides the little stem that was poking out. I didn’t water that plant for months. It was in the worst unlit area of my office.

One day I walk in, and what do I notice? About 5 little things poking up from the soil. Over the next few days, they grow exponentially.

I have no clue how that plant survived but it is a miracle plant, that survived against all odds.

My point is. Don’t give up on your plant until it gives up. Because it may just be your own miracle plant.

Have fun, Don’t get discouraged

Being a plant parent shouldn’t be a stressful thing. Plants are supposed to make your space look comfortable, and relaxing. Don’t get upset if it doesn’t work out the first time.

Start out small, don’t go overboard. Once you know how to take care of one or two plants, get another.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. Whether it’s with different areas in the house, or perhaps supplemental lighting. If your plant doesn’t like what you are doing, it will tell you. And then experiment some more. If worse comes to worse, you have to get another plant and try again.

But please… Stop overwatering your plants as the first sign of an issue.

Best Plants to Keep in the Bathroom

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By – Plant Dummy

Have you ever felt groggy and irritated in the morning? I am taking a wild guess and saying the answer is most likely yes. What if there were things that you could implement in your life that not only looks good, but has a function as well.

I wanted to put together a list of plants that aren’t terrible to take care of that also help with something in the bathroom that has to do with either convenience, or functionality to you. I actually ask myself quite often if my plants are happy and in the best place. So I hope that this can help you in your decision making. This is my list of plants that should be in your bathroom.

Air plants

Photo by Michael Walter on Unsplash

Whatever you decide to stick your air plant to, most likely it will be happy. If it looks a little dry, maybe give it a little drink of water by dipping, or misting it. These cheap almost impossible to kill in a bathroom plants are perfect if you want to add a little bit of flavor to the room. They are really nice because they don’t need soil to survive which gives you a ton of options.

I really like the natural look on some natural wood, or maybe a cool decorative item that needs a top piece. Whether you need a tiny piece or a couple of bigger pieces, you can’t go wrong.

I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

I personally really want to get the Spanish moss for my bathroom and have it mounted on a small piece of wood. I have to keep my eye out for what I need.

Monstera Delicioco

Photo by chris panas on Unsplash

Considering that the Monstera is native to Central America, warmer humid places should be alright for the Monstera to thrive in.

These plants like indirect sunlight, and a pot that allows for drainage. They generally tend to love the extra humidity compared to the rest of the house. Quite a bit of indirect sunlight is preferred for them, so if you have a skylight or window, they can get indirect light from, that would be ideal.

They can grow pretty big, as you can tell in the picture. So for me they are an eye catcher for sure. Give a smaller one some time and it will be on it’s way to looking like a proper Monstera.

I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Bonus: Eucalyptus

Photo by Heather Mount on Unsplash

Okay, okay I know that this technically isn’t a houseplant that you typically would grow indoors. Most people think of big trees, but hear me out okay? I didn’t know this until recently. People tend to put eucalyptus branches, or leaves hanging from the behind of the showerhead. The mist and the scent from the eucalyptus helps with congestion and overall feeling. I think it is beneficial to most and would look nice to all.

There are some smaller eucalyptus bushes that people sell online at different vendors. I am not sure on how often you would be able to trim it to hang fresh pieces in the shower.

I love the smell of eucalyptus. It has a minty, fresh scent with a bit of honey. Usually people associate the smell with a relaxing feeling, and being able to breathe better.

How do you know when to get new eucalyptus? It is suggested to get new ones once the scent weakens and you no longer feel the benefits.

If you aren’t sure where to get your hands on some really good quality and nice priced eucalyptus branches. I would suggest to check out BotanticaFleur on Etsy They have over 2000 almost all 5-star reviews, and are just about to hit 20,000 sales overall. This is not a sponsored link. I want to make that clear, I just think that they have a good quality product that people are really loving. They are a good price, and they will look perfect hanging in your bathroom. I am endorsing it because I think the product is good to have!

English Ivy

English Ivy – Plant Dummy

I love a lot of different kinds of Ivy. English Ivy which I may be biased for right now is a great choice for the bathroom.

It looks great hanging, and loves the humidity. You could even string it along something if you wanted to give more of a climbing look to it. Like maybe if it were on the shower wall wanting to climb up, or over.

One thing that I recommend with English Ivy is making sure it stays controlled, and personally for me, inside. Once English Ivy starts growing outside, it can be very hard to stop.

That is my only fair warning when it comes to this plant. It is a gift because it is so hard to kill. Especially in preferred environments but from my own personal experience it can be very hard to get rid of unmaintained Ivy outside.

English Ivy likes a pot that can drain. To be watered thoroughly, and for it’s soil to dry to about a little bit past your first knuckle. They like temperatures around 60 degrees, a little bit cooler or warmer is okay for them as well. Another nice thing about English ivy is that propagating is pretty easy, and you have a decent amount of options to choose from with tip, or the stem trimmings.

Keep an eye out for spider mites, a lot of times when you bring an ivy home from the store. It could have some spider mites, just be prepared. It isn’t a huge deal check this out if you want some pointers on how to deal with pests.

I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Phalaenopsis orchid (Moth orchid)

Photo by Nicodemus Roger on Unsplash

The moth orchid is beautiful with other plants, or stand alone. Originating from humid climates makes having it in the bathroom a no brainer. They bloom normally once a year, but even when they aren’t bloomed they look elegant. There are a bunch of ways you can root them, whether it is in a pot that drains well, or rooted on a piece of wood. It really depends on what kind of look you want to go for.

Moth orchids don’t require too much light which is typically nice for a bathroom. They enjoy shaded light. You can mist the root system to water it, which is what we do at my house. I like the misting method because it lessens the risk of getting water into the crown (where the leaves join in the middle). Don’t let the roots sit in water because that will lead to root rot.

It is important to pick out the right type of pot for your orchid. Just make sure that it is able to drain properly. Or you could even avoid the whole pot thing and mount it on a piece of wood. However, that can be a bit more tedious and in my opinion harder to make look nice.

You can check out other common orchid issues here if you are curious to learn more.

Boston Fern

Photo by Lisa Moyneur on Unsplash

Let me ask you. Where do you normally see ferns? If you don’t know, the answer would be typically in the woods and in humid areas. Ferns in general typically thrive in humid conditions. This makes them a wonderful plant to have added to your bathroom collection.

Boston ferns in particular like really humid places, and shaded indirect light. Think of a forest floor with a bit of light peaking through the canopy. This indirect light supplemented with some mist on the leaves because of the humidity in the bathroom makes the ferns happy.

Make sure your Boston ferns soil is consistently damp. I remember my fern started yellowing and it was most likely because a lack of humidity, or not enough water. Ferns don’t look good when they are starting to yellow, they look sad. Make sure they get enough water.

Similar to ivy, because there is a lot of surface area to these plants. You have to keep an eye out for pests. These pests can be tricky to see sometimes such as spider mites because they are so small. Make sure you know how to spot and treat these pests properly. I really tried to take my time with that article so I hope it can help you.

I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Thanks for reading:

If I there are any plants that you think should have had an honorable mention, let me know down below. I would love to hear your ideas of what plants go best in the bathroom!

I only want to suggest things that I like myself, or think would be nice to have.

Thank you again for reading,

Plant Dummy

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Common Indoor Plant Pests -How to Identify, and Eliminate

Plant Dummy3 Comments

*Disclaimer – I may get a small commission from affiliate links in this post. I want to recommend things that I think are beneficial and worth getting, adding to the post quality.

There are a lot of different things that can hurt your plants. Pests being one of them. Being aware of those things will benefit you in the long run. This is a list of the more common pests that you may encounter with having indoor plants.

I hope that this article helps you identify, and potentially save you some trouble in the future. I really don’t like pests, I personally find them gross. So I hope for your sake you don’t run into them anytime soon.

Spider mites:

“Taro (Colocasia esculenta): Aphids and spider mites” by Plant pests and diseases is marked with CC0 1.0

Personally I have had spider mites once before, and they are no fun to deal with. If you have one that exists, then there are probably 10 more that you aren’t aware of. Especially if you start seeing webbing in more than just one spot.

How to spot them: You will usually notice them by either having small little strands of silky web, or tiny little spots on the top part of the leaves because a bugs gotta eat. They look like little specks and on close inspection they kind of look like a slight brown/reddish with 8 legs hanging out on their web.

Once you start seeing more of their webbing then you know there most likely is more than just a couple of them. Also for the sake of your other plants, keep some distance so that they aren’t able to spread to other ones as they try to exchange plants to one that won’t be treated with whatever you decide.

Getting rid of Spider mites: I personally tried putting the plants that were infected outside during the summer and at day time. I don’t know why I did that, but I heard from someone that they can leave and be outside. It seemed like that worked for a minute, but that could also just be coincidence. However what did actually work pretty effectively was the combination of soap water misted on the leaves (it is recommended to use insecticidal soap, or a neem oil extract) and sitting outside.

Neem oil can be a longer term solution for spider mites and some other plant pests. You can check organic neem oil out on Amazon, it is a good price and should last a very long time.

For stronger plants, some may recommend that you can spray the plant with just plain water at first. I would also consider this before reaching for the chemicals, sit the plant outside after on a nice day, and see what that may do to help your issue.

Note: Just make sure that if you are misting your plants, that your plant is okay to be misted with whatever you are putting on it. You don’t want to accidentally stress your plant more than it already will be.

Soft scale insects:

“Ants tending a colony of soft scales on a leaf in a landscape” by Plant pests and diseases is marked with CC0 1.0

What soft scale insects do: If you look closely, there will be little bumps around the middle of the leaf/ stems of the plant because that’s where the nutrients for them are most abundant. Those bumps are small little soft scale insects. They basically eat the life out of plants because… Well obviously they have to eat to live.

Identifying them: The soft scale insects which vary in colors create little brown spots, or generally discolored spots. These spots seem to be a little bigger than the spider mite spots because they are a bit bigger.

There are soft, and hard scale insects. However the ones that are going to be more of an issue for indoor plants is going to be the soft scaled critters. Unless you are taking your plant outside, and it has a chance to pick one up out there, you probably won’t have to deal with them.

Getting rid of soft scale infection: when you find yourself infected with these annoying creatures. You will want to get your plant away from the other plants to prevent spreading. Then you may want to try the similar approach to the spider mites. Water, and rinsing the plant off if you are able to (considering the plant type) to get the majority of these suckers, no pun intended… Off of your plant. After that, you may want to scrape off any of the ones you can see away from your plant.

Another approach if you must, and they just aren’t going away naturally would be to step it up a bit. This would of course be using indoors insecticidal soap. You want to make sure that this would be the appropriate action depending on your plant. Making sure that the type of insecticide won’t be too harmful to your plant. If worse comes to worse, you may lose your plant, and I don’t want that, but sometimes they are too far gone, so just make sure you are giving your plants the attention they deserve.

Mealybugs (yes it’s one word):

“Croton: Mealybugs” by Plant pests and diseases is marked with CC0 1.0

Mealybugs are another type of scale insect, however this one seems to be talked about in a league of it’s own, and from what I can tell has a slightly different way of identifying, as well as a slight way in difference that you may want to treat it.

How do you identify a mealybug? Well first off this bug has a weird wax that seems like a powder on its body generally. This weird wax can almost look like little strands of white fiber on your plants leaves. They generally are found hanging out on the underside of the plant leaf as well.

Just like the rest of these pests, they like eating the plant. That is why they are there, so you can probably count on there being some marks of them feeding. Whether it be little spots, yellowing or death of a leaf at first.

Getting rid of Mealybugs: there is an interesting method of treating these pests can be using a cotton swab and some alcohol on the infestation by dabbing it on. No not your favorite whiskey, you will want to use some rubbing alcohol, this will help with smaller problems. For bigger problems we will want to do like what we did for the other types of soft scale, and use some insecticidal soap, or maybe some neem oil to see if that works.

Again, I would like for you to read if you have to use that type of soap because the wrong one can potentially give harm to your plant.

Aphids:

“Eggplant (Solanum melongenae): Aphids” by Plant pests and diseases is marked with CC0 1.0

In my opinion aphids are one of the least ugly pests on this list, however they are equally as annoying. But good thing for you is that they are easily identifiable as well as pretty easy to kill.

Identifying Aphids: Aphids have fat bodies, and skinny heads. They like to crawl around on the plant grazing upon its juiciness.

They are generally greenish in color, however they can have a white tint to them as well. However some Aphids are able to fly, so don’t be surprised if you see a pair of wings. Aphids can grow on the droppings that the Aphids leave behind which is what some people tend to see as the first introduction to the Aphid infestation.

Fun fact: Aphid droppings are called honeydew, because it is sweet. Sometimes it will even attract some ants to come by and eat it.

How to deal with Aphid invaders: Making sure you are paying attention to your plants is a common theme here. Once you notice them you have to make a judgement call of how bad it is. If there are only a few, you may be able to use neem oil or an insecticide soap. 

But for people who want to try something natural, you could look into using a water vinegar spray. I personally never have had the issue of Aphids, but I have seen in different areas where it can be suggested. Make sure your plant can handle that though, as vinegar can be strong.

General notes: I understand you can’t be watching your plants all the time, but if you keep at least somewhat of an eye out this will help with reducing the pain you may have in the future. Either from an infestation, or maybe just general issues with your plant. I know that when I had issues with my plants, it has been because I either neglected them for too long, or didn’t keep enough of an eye on them to see who was moving in on them. I just noticed that preventative care is better than reactive care, and it tends to be a lot easier.

And as always, if you believe there is something that needs to be changed, please let me know. I am more than willing to look into it and improve the article. I don’t want to spread any false ideas, thank you for reading.

Reference/supplemental information gathered:

Scale insects – indoor plants. (n.d.). Retrieved February 08, 2021, from https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/scale-insects-indoor-plants#:~:text=Heavily%20infested%20plants%20should%20be,for%20use%20on%20indoor%20plants.

Scott, O., Scott, J., & Williamson, J. (2018, August 08). Common houseplant insects & related pests. Retrieved February 08, 2021, from https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/common-houseplant-insects-related-pests/

Mealybugs – indoor plants. (n.d.). Retrieved February 08, 2021, from https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/mealybugs-indoor-plants

Aphids. (n.d.). Retrieved February 08, 2021, from https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef103#:~:text=Aphids%20are%20soft%2Dbodied%20insects,undersides%20of%20tender%20terminal%20growth.&text=Saliva%20injected%20into%20plants%20by,a%20few%20aphids%20are%20present.