c/botany-lovers

Read that some orchids trick wasps into thinking they're a mate to get pollinated

I was looking at a plant science blog from the University of Florida and they said a specific type, the hammer orchid, actually mimics a female wasp so well the male tries to mate with it. The flower even has the right shape and smell. It's a wild way to get your pollen moved around. Has anyone else seen a plant use a trick that hardcore?

Trying to save a fiddle leaf fig from root rot turned into a two month project

I noticed the leaves on my plant 'Frank' were dropping fast, so I pulled it out of the pot and the roots were a mushy mess. I had to cut away almost all of them, repot it in fresh soil with extra perlite, and keep it in my bathroom in Atlanta for the humidity. Has anyone else brought a plant back from that far gone and how long did it take to see new growth?

Vent: my fiddle leaf fig was dropping leaves like crazy until I moved it just 3 feet closer to my east-facing window in Portland.

I read that they need bright, indirect light, but I guess my old spot was too dim, so has anyone else had a plant totally change its mood with a small location shift?

Tried to surprise my plant friend with a rare cutting from a nursery in Phoenix

The box arrived crushed and the cutting looked like green mush, so I had to explain the whole disaster over the phone. I ended up just sending her a gift card for the nursery instead, which felt pretty lame. What's the worst condition a plant mail order has ever arrived in for you?

I thought those 'plant food' spikes were a total scam until my fiddle leaf fig put out 3 new leaves in a month.

I was convinced they were just colored fertilizer sticks, but after my plant in the corner by the west window started looking sad, I stuck one in the soil as a last resort before repotting, and the growth spurt was undeniable.

I went to the Denver Botanic Gardens and saw something that made me rethink cacti

I visited last weekend and walked through the dryland pavilion. There was this huge prickly pear cactus with bright pink flowers, and a bee was just covered in pollen, totally still. A guide told me it was a 'sleeping bee' that got too cold overnight and was warming up. I always thought cacti were just spiky and boring, but seeing that little bee resting there, it felt like a whole tiny world. Has anyone else seen something like that in a greenhouse or desert garden?

I chose a native pollinator garden over a perfect lawn and my HOA hates it

The choice was simple: keep the boring Kentucky bluegrass everyone else has, or rip it out for a mix of purple coneflower, bee balm, and milkweed. I went with the pollinator garden last spring. Now I've got more butterflies and bees in my yard than I can count, but I also got a formal warning letter from the neighborhood committee. Has anyone else fought their HOA on this and won?

After three years, my fiddle leaf fig finally put out a new leaf

I bought it as a sad little plant from a grocery store in Tacoma back in 2021, and it just sat there doing nothing but dropping leaves for ages. Last week, I saw a tiny green point poking out of the top, and now it's a full, perfect leaf. What finally made yours decide to grow?

Shoutout to the guy at the Portland nursery who stopped me from buying a plant that would have taken over my whole yard.

My new grow light timer failed and killed a tray of seedlings

It happened last Thursday, right after I set up the new system. I had to restart from seed, which set me back about three weeks. Anyone have a timer brand they trust for a basic indoor herb setup?

Spent $45 on a Venus flytrap and it bit my finger

Bought it at the Green Thumb nursery in Springfield. Thought it needed a bug, so I poked it with a toothpick. Thing snapped shut on my finger instead. Felt like a tiny green bear trap. Anyone else have a plant fight back?

My neighbor told me to talk to my fiddle leaf fig and now it's huge

She said to do it every morning for 3 months and even tell it about my day. I felt silly, but I tried it with my sad little plant. I started in April, just chatting while I had my coffee. By July, it had put out 5 new leaves and grew almost a foot. I guess the extra carbon dioxide from me talking near it actually helped. Has anyone else tried something this weird that actually worked for a plant?

My little greenhouse project just hit 100 different plant species

I was updating my plant log this morning and the total came to 100, which really surprised me. It started with just a few herbs in my apartment in Austin, and now it's a full mix of ferns, succulents, and even a small citrus tree. Has anyone else had a collection quietly grow way bigger than you planned?

Just realized I wasted $60 on a 'rare' succulent that was just a painted cactus

Saw this cool blue cactus at a plant fair last year and the seller said it was a special hybrid. Turns out it was just a regular one spray painted, and it died after a few months. Felt pretty dumb for not checking it over better. Anyone else get tricked by a fake plant sale?

I used to think my neighbor was just weird about his lawn

Last month, I was walking my dog and saw him on his knees, not pulling weeds, but just looking at the grass. He pointed out three different kinds of clover and a tiny moss I'd never noticed. I realized I'd spent my whole life just seeing a green carpet, not a whole little world of plants. Now I catch myself doing the same thing on my own walks. Has anyone else had a moment where they suddenly started seeing the details instead of the whole picture?

Can we talk about the plant swap in Portland that changed my whole collection?

I went to a local plant swap at the community center last fall. I brought a few common pothos cuttings, expecting to get more of the same. Someone there gave me a small piece of a variegated monstera, which I had never seen before. That one free plant made me start looking for more unique varieties instead of just the easy ones. Now I have about 15 different rare plants I've traded for. Has anyone else gotten a single plant that sent them down a new growing path?

My neighbor's neglected rose bush came back after one simple change

For two years, the bush by their fence was just a few sad sticks with maybe three leaves total... I finally asked about it last spring and they said they just dumped a bucket of water on it 'when they remembered'. I told them to try a deep soak twice a week for a month. By July, it had over twenty buds and the canes were covered in green. Has anyone else seen a plant turn around that fast just from fixing the watering schedule?

I finally got my orchid to bloom again after 18 months of trying

I have this moth orchid I got as a gift, and it was beautiful for a while. Then the flowers fell off and it just sat there, green leaves but no sign of a new spike. I tried moving it to different windows, changing my watering, even talking to it, which felt silly. The big thing was the temperature drop at night. I read online it needed a 10-15 degree difference to trigger blooming, so I started putting it on my cooler porch every evening for about six weeks last fall. Nothing happened. I gave up and just left it in a spot. Then, just last week, I saw a tiny green nub poking out. It took a year and a half of messing with light, food, and finally just the right chill to get it going. What's the longest you've waited for a plant to give you a sign of life?

TIL my neighbor's 'help' with my tomato plants nearly killed them

He decided to 'feed' them with leftover coffee grounds, thinking it was a natural fertilizer, but the acidity shock made all the leaves curl up. I had to flush the soil with a ton of water and move them into the shade for a week to recover. Has anyone else had a well-meaning plant rescue go totally wrong?

My uncle said to stop watering my fiddle leaf fig so much

He told me to only give it a cup of water every two weeks. I thought he was crazy, but the leaves stopped turning yellow and dropping. Now it's actually putting out new growth. Anyone else have a plant that thrived on what felt like neglect?

My local plant swap group in Denver started banning all non-native species last year

They made a rule that you could only bring plants that grew here before European settlement. At first, the variety dropped a lot, and people were upset. But over the last 8 months, I've seen way more local bees and butterflies in everyone's gardens. It turns out the native stuff just supports our local bugs better. Has anyone else's group tried something like this?

Serious question, I thought my new fern was a goner after a week in my dark apartment.

I moved it to a spot with morning light in my kitchen, and within three days it started putting out new fronds. What's the fastest you've seen a plant bounce back from a bad spot?

Just read that some orchids can take up to 15 years to bloom from seed. Found that in an old field guide at the Portland library.

My neighbor in Denver showed me a trick for reviving a sad fiddle leaf fig three months ago.

He said to move it just three feet from an east-facing window and water it only when the top two inches of soil are bone dry. Has anyone else found that specific window direction makes a big difference for finicky houseplants?

Vent: My entire batch of heirloom tomato seedlings got fried under my new grow lights yesterday.

I set the timer wrong and they got 18 hours of intense light, which completely cooked all 36 plants I started from seed back in February. Has anyone else had a grow light disaster and managed to save anything?