All in the (Plant) Family

 For starters, I would just like to say how proud I am of myself for not flooding my blog with plant-related content by now. This makes only my second planty post, so I am impressed. I'm also a little surprised that doing a plant collection post hadn't crossed my mind until the other day, but we're here now and that's all that matters.

I want to preface this post by saying that I am absolutely not a houseplant expert by any means. I've done like very minimal research on any of the plants that I have and I don't have all the right answers when it comes to taking care of or even identifying plants. I have the plants that I have because I liked the way they looked when I saw them, and that's pretty much the full extent of my " should I buy this plant" thought process.

So, without ado, here is my plant family (in no particular order because I want to save rankings for another post):

Money Tree or Pachira Aquatica

This plant is actually the current source of all of my headaches. It has spider mites right now, so I'm a little frustrated with it. I still love it and I'm sure once I'm done treating it, I'll be able to look at it without rolling my eyes. Aside from its little pest problem, this is a pretty easy plant to take care of. I try to make sure it has access to bright, indirect light, but it can also survive lower light conditions. As far as watering goes, I try to let the soil dry out completely in between waterings so that I don't over water it or give it root rot. The pot that it's in actually doesn't have a drainage hole, which is a major no-no actually. So, I try to be extra careful about watering specifically for that reason. 

I really like the money tree because it's easy to care for, in general. I also love that it's tall and has that twisty, braided trunk. Money trees are supposed to be good luck too, so that's a plus. I don't really have any dislikes for this plant, other than its current little pest invasion. It's all around a pretty great plant.

Philodendron Congo or whatever it is

I'm actually not even sure if this plant is actually a philodendron congo. I bought it online from an etsy seller when I first started getting into plants, and that's what they said it was, but it really doesn't look like any other philodendron congo I've seen photos of. It is still young though, so that could be it. This plant is really stubborn as far as getting it to grow, but it's pretty easy to care for. I just give it bright to medium indirect light and water it when the first inch or two of soil is dry. When I first got it, three of its leaves died and fell off like within a week of me having it, and I was convinced the whole thing was going to die, It's been chilling with its two OG leaves and is trying to sprout a few new little ones, so we'll see how that goes. 

I don't have any specific things that I love about this plant, honestly. I know that sounds kind of bad, but I just like it because it's green and it stays alive when I nurture it. I'm not a huge fan of not knowing exactly what kind of plant it is, but hey who doesn't have a mystery plant? 

Variegated Peperomia or Peperomia Obtusifolia Variegata

I haven't had this peperomia for very long and it's actually the only one I have. I got it because it was variegated without knowing anything about peperomias, but it's been doing pretty good in my care. It lost two leaves when I first got it, but it has grown a couple inches and has some baby sprouts on it too. The care for this one is pretty simple, too. I water it when the soil is completely dry since it's still in its little nursery pot. I haven't transplanted it to its decorative pot yet, so the nursery pot is just sitting in there. I currently have it under grow lights during the day with a lot of my other plants, but before then I was just giving it bright to medium indirect sunlight.

I like this peperomia mainly because I like anything with variegation. For those who don't know, variegation is just little spots of "discoloration" I guess. Most peperomias are just one color, but this one is green and has little splotches of really light green/yellow. I also like it because it kind of reminds me of a succulent without being a huge pain in the ass. I don't dislike anything about this guy because it just chills and it's easy to take care of.

Variegated Rubber Plant or Ficus Elastica Ruby

This rubber plant is the first "rare" or like uncommon plant I ever got. It might be the only one now that I think about it. This plant is what made me love variegated plants. The pink on it is just so precious. Rubber plants are pretty easy to care for, for the most part. They like direct light, so I typically keep mine closer to the window so it can soak up the sun. Right now, I have it under grow lights and it has actually started sprouting a new leaf. I only water this one when the soil is completely dry because I was watering too much when I first got it and two of its leaves fell off. They were big, beautiful leaves too so I was kind of hurt.

I obviously loves this plant for its variegation, but also because it's just little and cute. Me and this rubber plant had major beef the first month that it was in my possession, but I started paying attention to figure out what it needed and we're good now. My only real issue with this plant is that is grows slower than I want it to- like I want it to have a billion leaves and it doesn't. That's not a real issue, though. That's just me being impatient.

Dwarf Fiddle Leaf Fig or Ficus Lyrata Bambino

My good ole fiddle leaf fig- the plant I was dying to have so I had to get it. Watching this plant grow is probably the most rewarding for me because I remember seeing tons of people talk about how they were impossible to care for and that kind of scared me. I think I've gotten in a good little care routine for this one and it's grown four new leaves since I've had it, a new leaf just about every month. I give it bright light, keeping it pretty close to the window. Fiddle leaf figs don't like to be moved around, so I found a good spot and left it there to get comfortable. I only water it when the first couple inches of soil are dry because I am very serious about making sure I don't over water it. They also like humidity and for their leaves to be misted so I try to do that regularly as well. I told myself that if I can keep this one alive and thriving for a year, I'll let myself get a big fiddle leaf fig tree.

I love this plant as a whole. I love the way that it grows and the way I can clearly see all of the care work I put in paying off for a healthy plant. One thing that is weird to me is the way some of leaves grow out kind of ugly or small. Fiddles typically have those big floppy leaves so the small ones are just off putting to me sometimes. Again, that's not a real issue- just me being judgy.

Snake Plant or Sansevieria 

There are so many types of snake plants, and I honestly have no idea what kind this one is. This was actually my first plant, and it was a perfect first plant because they're more or less impossible to kill. I recommend that anyone who is interested in getting into caring for plants starts off with a snake plant. They're not the most eventful in terms of sprouting leaves, but they're great in my opinion. Snake plants pretty much get what they get and they don't throw a fit. They can tolerate just about any light condition and they don't require super frequent waterings. Mine gets filtered light for the most part. I just let it get whatever sun comes through the curtain. I water it like twice a month, I think. I just wait till the soil is completely dry and then give it a good soak to last it a while. Its leaves can get pretty dusty, so I wipe them down about once a week or so.

My favorite thing about this plant is that it just does its thing. It's so low maintenance and grows on its own time, yet it's still really cool looking and rewarding to take care of. Snake plants are one of my favorite kinds of plant and I'm surprised I don't have more by now. I say that but I literally just ordered a moonshine snake plant like three days ago. Once I'm in a bigger space, I want to get one of those huge snake plants for sure. I don't have anything that I dislike about this plant. 

Monstera Deliciosa or Swiss Cheese Plant

I actually really hate that people call these swiss cheese plants, but that's neither here nor there. Monsteras are great because they usually have these huge leaves and once they get a little older and have the right light/water situation, they start to sprout leaves with fenestrations (which are the holes and slits that you typically see in their leaves). My monstera doesn't have any fenestration currently, but a couple weeks ago, it did push out that huge leaf in the middle and I was really excited about that. I've had it under grow lights for a couple weeks, so those have been it's main source of light, but I typically make sure it gets bright, indirect sunlight. I only water it when the soil is pretty much completely dry, but this thing is regularly pretty thirsty overall. I try to mist its leaves daily and I like to give it some time with a humidifier at least once a week (when I remember) since it likes humidity. All in all, monsteras are pretty easy to care for.

The only thing I don't like about this plant is that I'll never know whether or not a new leaf is gonna have fenestration until it pops out. I know that sounds like a "duh" kind of thing, but with most plants where all the leaves pretty much look the same, you know what you're going to get every time. With these it's like a crazy waiting game. It's cool, but it makes me a tad bit anxious. I love literally everything about this plant and monsteras in general. I love how big they can grow if you give them the room to. Once I'm in a bigger space, I definitely want a huge one. I recently purchased a huge cutting from a massive plant with tons of fenestration, and I can't wait for it to get here. I haven't decided if I want to combine it with the one I currently have when I move it to a bigger pot or if I just want to grow it on it's own. I'm sure I'll update y'all when it comes down to it.

Jade Pothos

Pothos are another one of those plants that can tolerate just about anything. This one actually usually hangs from my ceiling in a cute little macrame hanger, but lately I've had it sitting under the grow lights so it can get a little more light than it usually gets. I only water this one when the soil is completely dry or when the leaves get really droopy. Pothos are trailing plants, so they're meant to grow long and kind of hanging down or wrap around things. This one is still pretty young, so it's not trailing yet, but I'm sure it will as it gets older and once it's moved to a bigger pot. 

One thing I really like about pothos is that they're really easy to propagate. You can take a cutting of a pothos, put it in water and it'll sprout roots within a week or two. You can grow like five or six of your own plant just from trimming one single plant, and I really like that. I also like that pothos signal you to tell you they're thirsty. The leaves will start to droop a little when they need water, and then they'll perk back up right after you water them. I love the theatrics. One thing I don't particularly enjoy about them is how fragile their leaves are sometimes- like I've definitely ripped a couple of leaves on accident. Sure, that's my fault, but I'm still not a fan.

ZZ Plant or Zamioculcas Zamiifolia 

The ZZ is arguably the easiest plant to own, even easier than a snake plant. I literally water this thing once a month and it's doing great. Up until recently, I just gave it medium to low light because they can tolerate low light levels and that was easy. For the past couple of weeks, though, it's been under the grow lights with the others and it has been sprouting new stems and leaves left and right. So, a good rule of thumb would be the more light you give it, the more lush your plant will be but a lot of light isn't required. This is one of those plants I got just because I thought it looked cool, but I fell in love with it instantly because it's just really resilient but still rewarding to watch it grow.

The only thing I don't like about this plant is that it is a little difficult to train all of the stems to stand up straight. My ZZ got a little bent when it was being shipped, so some of the stems are still bent. They're not broken or like damaged, just a little bent and a pain in the ass to try to straighten them. One thing I absolutely love about the ZZ is its weird roots. ZZ plants have rhizomes that look like round bulbs for roots. These rhizomes basically store water and that's why ZZ plants require less frequent watering. I'm currently propagating some ZZ cuttings, so I'm eager to see the rhizomes form.

Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma or Mini Monstera

To be completely honest, I only got this plant for two very specific reasons. It already had a leaf with fenestration and I just wanted to see some damn fenestration since my monstera has yet to deliver, and I needed a tiny plant to put in this tiny pot that I convinced myself I needed. It's a pretty cool plant, though. It doesn't have any super specific care needs (at least not that I know of), so I just water it when the soil is dry and put it either under the grow light or in a spot where it gets bright, indirect light. It's working on pushing out a new little leaf now, so that's cool. I was actually so worried that this plant was going to die because it was stuck in the mail for a whole sixteen days, but luckily the only issue was one dead leaf. 

I'm fond of this little guy because it's like a mini monstera deliciosa and I think mini plants are so adorable. I also like how tough it clearly is after surviving over two weeks stuck in a cardboard box. I'm not a big fan of how dramatic it is when it's gets ugly little brown spots, but that's really the only downside I've seen so far.

These Random Little Cacti

In my dedication to keeping it real with y'all, I'm going to admit that I have no idea what the name of either of these mini cacti are. I just know it's a cactus when I see it, and that's that. The one on top is named Clydell, though. My boyfriend and I went to Virginia Beach for a little weekend trip and the hotel I booked for the first night was actually the worst, and there was a huge "water bug" (those are roaches and I don't know who told y'all they were anything but roaches but whatever) in the hallway, and I started calling it Clydell. I was basically like "Clydell better not have any friends and he better stay out of our room." Anyways, the little cactus on top was my souvenir from the trip because we visited a plant shop while we were there and that's what I got. I named it Clydell so that I could remember that part of the trip and blah blah. Back to what's important- cacti are easy to take care of. Just leave them alone and they'll leave you alone. I water them every two months and they sit in their spots getting whatever light comes through the window. I haven't done any cactus care research because I just assumed they didn't want to be bothered, but I'm sure I'll look into it soon.

I like that I don't really have to do anything to these. They're cute and they just sit in their little pots. I don't like accidentally stabbing myself on the thorns or whatever their technical name is, but that's definitely my fault and not theirs.

Propagations- Mostly Pothos

Out of all of the plants I have, I think propagations are the most rewarding for me right now. I love being able to see how much the roots have grown just from a little piece that I cut off of another plant. I have like four other jars of pothos cuttings that I'm propagating that I didn't take pictures of. My boyfriend's grandma has two massive golden pothos plants and she gave me like three feet worth of cuttings to propagate. So, I'm going to have a ton of babies to pot once spring rolls around. Caring for water propagations is easy because I really just have to change the water once a week and make sure they get plenty of light. I also make sure they get time with the humidifier when I set it up for the other plants. 

As you can see, I have a ton of plants in my small space, but they are all well loved. The money tree has about a week to start acting like it's got some sense before I give it the boot, but other than that, we're a happy bunch over here.

I'll probably do an updated post like this in the spring as I get more plants (if I get more plants) and as the ones I have change and grow. So, keep an eye out for that and keep an eye on my instagram for regular plant content and updates!