Houseplant Haul + Care Tips

If you follow me on Instagram you’ve probably seen my plant obsession grow in the last couple months. I was watching Kristin Johns on youtube because I love her makeup videos and I came across her houseplant collection video. You know when you watch one video and the suggested videos come up and you’re in a hole of youtube videos, yeah that happened to me. I watched endless videos of people talking about plants, this is probably really weird to a lot of you. Anyway, thats where my obsession stemmed from. It’s a super fun hobby to collect them and care for them. Hopefully at least one of you enjoys this and is curious as to what plants I have because I personally love seeing what other people have. I want to mention I am in no way an expert on plants this is just information I’ve gathered from youtubers and google. Also, I named this plant haul but it’s really the plants I’ve gotten over the past couple months.

Sansevieria Trifasciata(Mother in Laws Tongue//Snake Plant)

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So this was one of the first plants I got and I honestly had no idea what it was when I picked it up. My biggest pet peeve with plants so far are ones that aren’t labeled! Luckily, this was labeled as sansevieria trifasciata. So, naturally, I googled it. Its also known as a Mother in Laws Tongue or Snake Plant(which are definitely easier to pronounce than the scientific name)I was extremely surprised to see what it will look like when its full size, I was expecting it to stay as a small succulent but these can get pretty tall. I got mine from Home Depot and they still had them in stock last time I was there but I couldn’t find it online to link. You can get a similar one, here, but unfortunately this one doesn’t come with a fancy pot and is a little bigger. As for care, so far it has been extremely easy to maintain. I water it maybe every two weeks and keep it in indirect sunlight. They can also survive in very lowlight. There isn’t much to say about this one since it is super easy to care for. I did have to purchase a larger planter because it started to outgrow the smaller one it came with. You can purchase the planter I got here.

Pilea Peperomioides(Chinese Money Plant)

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The pile plant(also known as the Chinese money plant) was the one I was most excited to get. When I was looking this plant up before I got it I noticed a lot of people saying how hard it was to get. Earlier this year it was super popular and really hard to get, making it really expensive. But obviously since the demand started going up, people starting growing more. These plants also grow little babies which you can then propagate and grow new plants so this helped with the demand as well. Mine hasn’t started growing babies yet but once it does i’ll probably give them away to friends or family and I’m excited! The one I got was from Trader Joes and is actually a cute little share kit that comes with two little pots. Last time I was at Trader Joes they didn’t have them but I found the same kit online here, from Walmart. I’m not sure how a plant would be shipped but you might be able to find one at your local Walmart! One of the most common mistakes made with the pilea plant is overwatering. I only water when the soil is almost dried out and then I water it throughly, this is usually every 1-2 weeks. Emphasis on almost, you don’t want to wait till it’s completely dried out. I also keep it in indirect sunlight. This plant will definitely start directing itself towards the sun so I try to rotate mine pretty much every day(lets be real I forget a lot its probably more like every 2-3 days). Once my pilea starts growing babies, I’ll probably do a post on how I propagated it and how it goes. This plant has been growing a lot lately so hopefully that happens soon!

Spathiphyllum(Peace Lily//Spath)

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I LOVE this plant. This one is more of a recent purchase. This one is fun because it has leafy greens but then will also grow flowers, how cute! I usually like buying smaller plants because I like seeing them grow but I bought this one a little bigger. Mine hasn’t had any flowers yet but I’m hoping it will any day now. I’ve read that the flowers not blooming might be because the light they’re receiving isn’t bright enough. Mine is pretty close to the window but it might need to be a little closer. Although these might struggle to bloom without bright light, they will still survive if they’re living across the room out of direct sunlight. The peace lily is cool because it tells you when it needs to be watered, sounds silly right? But the leaves will start to droop when it needs more water, making it super easy to maintain. This plant likes moist soil so if I see it starting to get dry, i’ll water it.

Fittonia Albivenis(Nerve Plant)

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I was SUPER excited to get this plant because it looked so cool! Unfortunately, this plant has been a little more fussy for me but I’m determined to get to the bottom of it. When I looked up this plant an article came up that literally said something along the lines of “you’re guaranteed to not kill this plant.” My plant isn’t dead per se but she’s definitely not thriving so when I read this I was like sh*t what am I doing wrong here. I know these plants like high humidity so I keep it in my dining room. I do this because theres a large window and we don’t have air conditioning in our house but I do have an AC unit in my room so I’m hoping this will help. I also have been spritzing it with water every once and awhile and water when the soil is dry. I’m thinking this plant might have root rot, which can happen from overwatering. I’m not sure how it was cared for before purchasing it so this is very possible. My other theory is that the planter is too small. It fits in its planter fine right now but I’m not sure if it needs more room for the roots. If any of you know anything about this, please let me know! I actually ended up getting a different type of nerve plant that is smaller so hopefully I can keep that one alive.

Aloe Vera

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Even if you know nothing about plants you probably still have heard of an aloe vera plant. These plants have many great benefits. Some of these include; antioxidants + antibacterial properties, accelerates healing of burns, reduces dental plaque, helps treat canker sores, may have anti-aging effects on the skin and more! I haven’t broken off my aloe to try any of these yet because I want it to grow more. I just got this plant so its still pretty small but its also a super cute decoration. I keep mine on the windowsill to get indirect but bright sunlight. I only got this about a week ago and I’ve watered it once but it will probably only need to be watered every 1-2 weeks, maybe more, depending on the temperatures. 

Euphorbia Mammillaris(Indian Corn Cob)

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Again, if you know nothing about plants you still have probably seen this cactus or something really similar. When I saw this at Home Depot I was so excited because I’ve been wanting this cactus for awhile now. This is like any other cactus, super easy to care for. These ones don’t do well in drought so in the hotter tempatures you’ll need to water weekly. In cooler climates you can get away with going longer in between waterings. Since I just recently got this one I don’t have a ton of info on it. I did also get this one from Home Depot but I couldn’t find it online. They had a lot when I was there and I think since they’re so common you’ll be able to find them at your local Home Depot!

Calathea

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This plant is SO cool, the top is a variegated green but then the underneath is a really pretty dark purple. These plants also thrive in indirect sunlight and humidity. I’ve been spritzing this with water to help with the humidity. The calathea also needs to be dusted off so it can receive the proper amount of light. These do well with minimal water, but again keeping the soil moist. I got this one at Lowes for 10 dollars, it was the last one but if you’re interested in getting one I would regularly check your local Lowes! 

PAUSE. Okay so I had this blog post finished Friday afternoon and thennn Friday night I took a trip to Home Depot. So this post is going to be even longer than I already thought it would be. Like I said before, most of the places I’ve gone to for plants lately haven’t had many options. But this particular Home Depot was STOCKED. I asked the employee why they had so much compared to the other locations and she told me they do get regular stock of houseplants and the ones I went to probably just haven’t gotten their most recent stock. Anyway, I’ll just tell y’all about the FOUR plants I got + try to keep it short(:

Epipremnum Aureum(Pothos//Devils Ivy//Money Plant)

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This is another one I’ve been looking for, for a while now. There are a few different variations of the pothos and I’m not sure what mine is but I believe its a variegated pothos. These can do well in low-light or moderate indoor light. I keep this near my window but a little further away. I like these because they can thrive in many different conditions. They’ll definitely do the best in humidity but they won’t die without it.

Chlorophytum Comosum(Spider Plant//Ribbon Plant)

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I was really excited to find a small one of these! All of the ones I’ve seen have been older + bigger ones. When I bought this it had a few leaves dying and falling off but it seems to be doing a little better now. I love this plant because its fun when its little but when it grows it will grow little babies that look so cool and it actually looks like a spider. You can also propagate these babies and grow new plants from them. These can get tip burn from dry soil so its good to keep it moist. But again, be careful of overwatering.

Ficus Elastica(Rubber Fig)

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So, I’m not going to lie, when I went to Home Depot originally I only got t three plants. I saw this rubber fig, which I REALLY wanted, but I didn’t get it because I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it fit in my room and I wanted the fiddle leaf a little bit more. But then when I got home I was really regretting not getting it because it was the last one…so I went back the next day and they still had it….so here we are. Anyway, I really love this plant. It’s a little darker than the other ones I have but I feel like it brings a good contrast to my room and it’s so different. And I also got it to fit in my room(: These prefer bright indirect light, so I keep it right in front of my window. These ones also need to be wiped down to help absorb sunlight naturally. 

Ficus Lyrata(Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree)

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I saved the best for last, the fiddle leaf fig tree. When I first started this little plant obsession I really wanted one of these but I told myself I wouldn’t because they get so big and I didn’t want it to take over my smallish room. And then I saw this one…its on the smaller side so I said why not? And it actually ended up fitting in my room pretty well. This one does well in bright indirect sunlight and consistent moist soil. I was really surprised to see that this was only 12 dollars so I had to get it. These usually sell anywhere from 50-200 dollars and more sometimes. I think it may have been because it was smaller but I was definitely expecting it to be more. I also got this one from Home Depot so if you’re looking for one of these I would definitely consistently look at your local Home Depot. 

Additional Tips/Information

I wanted to just give some extra tips and information on things that will apply to pretty much all of these plants. 

• Make sure when you get planters they have a drainage hole! This is super important because if the water cant properly drain it makes it A LOT more likely for the plant to have root rot, which will kill your plant. All the planters I have are from Home Depot. I’ve seen a bunch of cute ones online but I’m always nervous to order them because I’m not sure if they’ll have a drainage hole. If any of you have any recommendations of where to get planters from please let me know!
• The soil I use to repot my plants is by the brand MiracleGro. I have two different kinds of potting mix, one for regular houseplants and one for succulents. I’m a little biased on soils because this is the only one I’ve ever used. I haven’t had any issues with it and the price is really good for the size bag you get. 
  
• A lot of these plants are super easy to overwater so I would just watch your soil and the leaves of the plants. When you first bring the plant home it will need some time to adjust to the new conditions. If it looks like it’s dying right when you bring it home, give it a few days, don’t just keep watering it. Watering isn’t always the answer of why your plant is dying.
• For the plants that prefer a little more humidity I use a plant mister. This will give them more humidity without fully watering them. The one I have is from Target which I couldn’t find online but this one from Urban Outfitters is extremely similar. 
• As you can probably tell all of my plants are either from Home Depot, Lowes or Trader Joes. If you don’t have these in your area I know Walmart has some plants as well. I plan to look at a few local nurseries so if I find any good ones i’ll be sure to share them with you guys. I’ve had an issue lately finding the houseplants I want because a lot of places are trying to get rid of their current inventory to prepare for Christmas trees and things of that sort. If you’re from buffalo and know of any good places for houseplants, I would love to know(:
  
• Usually if a plant is unlabeled the price sticker will have the name on it or a shortened version. So I just google the name to see what it is and what comes up on it.

Now that you’ve read the worlds longest post, if you have any additional questions, please feel free to ask. I’m obviously not an expert on plants in any way at all so I might not have the answer but I will definitely try to help you figure it out! If any of you have one of these plants or plan to get one, I would love to know, leave me a comment or send me a direct message on instagram! If you liked this post and want to see more plant related posts you can also leave a comment or send me a direct message, I’m open to pretty much any type of post! 

xx,

Liv