Houseplants are a source of joy, no doubt about it. Sadly, sometimes houseplants are also responsible for broken hearts. Although I saved a lot of them from the brinks of death, I also lost a few.
Monstera Peru was one of my first salvage operations, with a remarkable recovery. As soon as I published the first article on this blog about my immense success, my plant reverted to wetsticks and now is sitting in moss with no sign of growth.
One philodendron had an even worse fate. My ‘How to chop and prop a Pink Princess’ knowledgeable article turned out to be a disaster. In two weeks all the props rotted and lost it forever. I bought another wetstick online that rotted as well. Now, I have a clipping in water from a plant swap and I hope this is going to become a healthy plant.
My extensive collection of Calatheas started with a dying Zebrina that made a miraculous recovery, only to lose it to pests in a very short period of time. To this horrible list I can add a Freddie and a Leopardina, but I suspect my cat digging them up had something to do with this. Also, a Greenstar baby plant and a Rufibarba are in recovery after being attacked by white flies. After killing the Zebrina with a homemade washing up soap solution, I learned that a systemic bug killer is a much better solution.
One of the most resilient plants in existence, Chlorophytum comosum (Spider plant) is barely surviving in my care. I also lost three Ficus elastica and I was left with a tiny plant with only two leaves.
I learned from this experiences that light and watering plays crucial roles in plant care. Spotting pest infested plants in early stages and isolating them is one of the best prevention measures I apply to keep my plants healthy.
This horror stories are not only appropriate in Halloween month, are also a reminder that plant life is not only flowers and butterflies.
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