Wandering through the plant section at Home Depot can make anyone believe they could have a lush jungle in their living room, but beautiful house plants can also be nearly impossible to maintain.
TikToker Dana (@leafydiva), who specializes in plants and gardening, garnered over 238,000 views when she named three plants she recommends avoiding at Home Depot, no matter their beauty.
Alocasia Polly
This compact house plant from the elephant ear family has distinctive glossy leaves. According to the home gardening site Garden Betty, the Alocasia Polly can grow up to 24 inches high and 10 inches wide. Its soil needs to be kept slightly moist, and it needs bright but indirect sunlight. Created as a hybrid between two Alocasia species in a Florida greenhouse in the 1950s, the plant was bred specifically for indoor purposes and has no natural habitat.
Dana says she is “attached to this plant and can’t let it go,” but “the spider mites are relentless.”
According to plant care site Greg, spider mites are practically microscopic insects that wreak havoc on a plant. Signs of this pest include fine webs and yellow or brown spots on leaves. Leaves will also appear strangely dusty. The site suggests using a DIY spray comprised of 1 cup of alcohol and 30 oz. of water as a quick method to rid yourself of the pests.
Dana, however, advises viewers to avoid the trouble entirely. “Ask yourself, ‘Do you really want to spend all your precious time spraying for mites or purchasing and constantly replenishing predatory insects?’ You don’t.”
Anthurium regale
According to Plant Girl Boss, Anthurium regale is one of the most sought-after tropical houseplants. Its symmetrical, elongated, velvet-like leaves can grow up to 6 feet.
However, Plant Girl Boss says it’s not a plant for beginners. The site states that these plants have a tendency to grow only one large leaf at a time when they are grown inside. They require a porous pot, light that is not too bright, and a cooler temperature. Still, they are slow growers and require lots of attention. The most common problem is a bacterial infection that causes the leaves to deteriorate.
“This is an absolute stunner,” Dana says of the Anthurium regale. “However, it grows incredibly slow … you’ll still go gray waiting for a new leaf to pop out.”
Queen anthurium
According to Plant Girl Boss, Queen anthurium is one of the most sought-after plants by beginners and advanced house plant enthusiasts. However, it is also “high maintenance, notoriously finicky, and can seemingly die for no reason.”
These tropical plants are beautiful, though, and can grow stunning foliage that reaches 4-6 ft in length upon maturity. They are native to the rainforests of Columbia, and their coloring ranges from dark to lighter green with silvery white veins. A healthy Queen anthurium can grow up to six to eight leaves.
Though they are beautiful, they are more likely to drive a novice to madness. With a natural habitat underneath a thick canopy of trees, Queen anthurium is used to heavy rainfall and high humidity. Gardners may need to purchase a humidifier if the humidity in their home is less than 50 percent. The plant is also sensitive to sodden soil and can drown easily. To avoid this, a well-draining potting mix that provides lots of aeration for the roots is needed. Potential mixes include orchid bark, charcoal, coarse perlite, and coco chips. They are also incredibly sensitive to airflow and require bright indirect light but not sunlight.
“This plant’s actually not that hard to take care of,” Dana says, “just near impossible to keep pretty. It’s sensitive to even the slightest changes in humidity, temperature, or watering. Even the nicest specimens have scarring, browning around the leaf margins, and cuts made to hide the browning.”
@leafydiva I love these plants so much but their care sometimes makes me question their place in my home! 😅 #Plants #planttok #houseplants #plantsoftiktok ♬ Blue Blood – Heinz Kiessling
Many at-home gardeners in Dana’s comments section wondered if they’d bitten off more than they could chew.
“I literally just bought an alocasia, should i take it back,” one asked.
“Love/hate relationship with some plants, for real,” a second remarked.
“I made a mistake. I got an alocasia Polly,” a third added.
Others offered gardening tips of their own.
“Wipe undersides of leaves to get the eggs,” one viewer suggested as a way to prevent spider mite infestation.
“I just keep a Venus fly trap around to keep insects down,” another replied.
The Daily Dot reached out to Dana and Home Depot via email for further information.
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