{"id":2985,"date":"2025-11-09T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allurebytess.com\/?p=2985"},"modified":"2025-11-08T16:55:03","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T16:55:03","slug":"what-i-wish-i-knew-before-collecting-over-100-houseplants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allurebytess.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/09\/what-i-wish-i-knew-before-collecting-over-100-houseplants\/","title":{"rendered":"What I Wish I Knew Before Collecting Over 100 Houseplants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I didn\u2019t mean to own over 100 houseplants, it just escalated very<\/em> quickly. It all started with one ZZ plant\u2026. And 99+ more after that. At the beginning, I was humble. I thought that I couldn\u2019t keep a plant alive, so when my local plant shop (who served as a pick up and drop off package location) mentioned that they had these hardy ZZ plants that lived in a hotel before, I thought I\u2019d give it one last shot. If it can survive a stuffy hotel, it can certainly survive in my home, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Look at how small she was! Ft Booba, always.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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My pride and glory.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

She sure did, and I\u2019m proud to say I still own her and she\u2019s thriving! About six months later, I purchased a snake plant. And then an orchid. Then my partner bought me another type of snake plant. And then things escalated. The bulk of our collection was purchased in under a year! Now, after one year of many wins and losses, I believe it is my responsibility to shine some light on the hard truths of being a houseplant parent. When I first researched this topic, I found mostly positives and not the negatives. Don\u2019t worry – I got you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Houseplant Environments Vary:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Houseplants certainly aren\u2019t a \u201cone environment fits all\u201d and sadly, I\u2019ve lost a few due to this. Always research what your potential new friend needs in order to thrive prior <\/strong>to purchasing! Resist the urge to impulse buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Light is another big one. Does your home provide the plant baby with the type of light that it requires? And what about the soil? You\u2019ll probably have to buy a few different mediums and mix them together in order to give your plant the best setup.<\/p>\n\n\n

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A Peace Lily.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Tropical plants are gorgeous, but they need just that. A tropical climate. If you live in a cold, dry area, you will need to purchase humidifiers, grow lights, and perhaps even a greenhouse set up for some of the pickier ones, such as anthuriums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Believe me, if your plant isn\u2019t thriving in your environment, it will let you know in a dramatic sort of way, and often, it won\u2019t be a happy ending. You absolutely must do your homework.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Our cat, Booba, is a massive lover of plants.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I\u2019ll also mention pets in this section. If you have any pets, especially ones who like to snack on plants, please do your research. We are lucky that our cat typically prefers to rub up on plants, but we also don\u2019t keep anything overly toxic in case he decides to bite (which has happened before). For example lilies (not peace lilies)? Fatal to cats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Houseplants & Pests: <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The anxiety this one gives me\u2026 I was aware that pests were a thing, but quite ignorant in thinking it won\u2019t happen to me. Not only did it happen, it\u2019s a recurring problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s possible that only having a few plants means you\u2019ll avoid pests, but once you start collecting? It\u2019s just a matter of time. First and foremost, inspect all houseplants at the shop to make sure they are clean. You\u2019d be surprised how many places sell them already infested. Then, all new plants must be rinsed down to wash away any uninvited guests that may have tagged along. After that, I recommend spraying with neem oil or a gentle anti-pest spray (nothing heavy duty as it may damage a plant, especially if she\u2019s clean!). Finally, quarantine her for a month, away from the rest of your plant friends. They spread more quickly than you can blink\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n

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Thrips damage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Personally, I\u2019ve dealt with aphids, mealybugs, and thrips. The latter being a problem I am currently dealing with. Usually, I\u2019m quite good at handling a pest situation. However, I\u2019ve been fighting this last thrips infestation for a few months now and I\u2019ve lost some plants to it, and I believe I\u2019ll lose a few more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a bit easier to treat in the US, but in Europe, most effective pesticides are illegal, which makes it that much tougher to completely eradicate the problem. If I had known how frustrating and disheartening pests are, I never would have purchased so many plants so quickly and placed them all together. Let this be a warning to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One Houseplant At A Time:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, you\u2019ve got a few houseplants and you\u2019ve been bitten by the green bug. I get it, I\u2019ve been there myself. This does not mean you need to sell out your local plant shop. I promise you, the plant babies will always be there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plants need time to acclimate to a new home environment. Give your current houseplants the time to do that because I promise, a few of them will show signs they are not content. You don\u2019t want this to happen on a massive scale. On top of that, it is real work. Different watering schedules, fertilizer, dust cleaning, neem oil upkeep… It’s a lot and certainly time consuming!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start learning your current plants and their different needs, their tells, and just level up your overall plant parent credibility.<\/p>\n\n\n

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After an irresponsible stop at IKEA and Jumbo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A mistake I did, aside from coming home with 5-10 plants a pop whenever I went to the store, was getting into the mystery boxes online. Sure, they\u2019re super cheap and it\u2019s always exciting receiving a package and not knowing what\u2019s in it. I did it a few times and seeing as how each package was about 8 small to medium sized plants\u2026 you can imagine how quickly my collection grew. This also meant that you can\u2019t inspect a plant prior to purchasing. While I don\u2019t think any of my mystery boxes harbored thrips, I can\u2019t say for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just take your time with it and buy one or two at a time, max. Which brings me to my next point\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grow What You Love, Not What\u2019s Trendy: <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Following up on the mystery boxes I previously mentioned, I ended up with a ton of cute plants that were never on my radar in the first place. I love all plants, but that doesn\u2019t mean I want to own all of them, either.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Syngoniums – a plant I highly recommend! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Go for houseplants that actually make your heart happy, and not the ones that influencers or Reddit are convincing you that you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep in mind that trendy, popular plants are very much overpriced at first due to supply and demand. Give it a few years, tops, and you\u2019ll find them at large surface stores, guaranteed. The Monstera Thai Constellation is a wonderful example of that. She started off in the hundreds at first and can now be found at Loewe\u2019s or Jardiland for 25\u20ac, if that. I\u2019ve found one for 15\u20ac, personally.<\/p>\n\n\n

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My Thai Constellation, post-thrips, pushing out new leaves. I am so proud of her!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Finally, trendy plants or even impulse purchase plants are often very difficult to care for. Just because it\u2019s cute or wanted doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019ll be a breeze to own. Anything variegated has additional needs and can be quite a pain to keep happy. If it\u2019s not? It may revert back or, well, go to the light\u2026 And believe me, seeing your hundreds of dollars waste away is devastating. I got about three anthuriums in my mystery boxes, which are notoriously hard to care for (some more than others). I\u2019ve lost two out of three, with the third not doing too hot. I can tell you this was never a plant I wanted for that exact reason. I am not surprised they ended up in the mystery boxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overwatering Your Plants: <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m going to keep this point short and sweet. We\u2019ve all been there and overwatered our plants. Don\u2019t be that person. Your plant can (usually depending on the family) handle a bit of dryness, and it will be fine.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Alocasias – gorgeous, but finicky. And my personal favorite plant family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The large majority of houseplants will show you when they are thirsty. They will droop, start to shrivel up at the edges, or become soft in the case of succulents. However root rot? Good luck backtracking from that death sentence!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not kidding when I say I water my ZZ plants every 3-4 months. I promise, it\u2019ll be okay. Just pay attention to their tells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Placement > Aesthetics: <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I know, I know. A houseplant would be perfect<\/em> in your bathroom with zero windows! Low-light tolerant doesn\u2019t mean it can live with no light, and certainly not thrive. And just because you have this idea of greening up your house doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s best for that plant.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Florida Ghost Philodendron.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

They should be placed based on their own personal preferences, as mentioned above. Some like full sun, others bright, indirect light. Others will literally loose all of their leaves and throw a fit if placed by an area with a breeze. You have to adapt to their needs, not the other way around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This led to us to create a plant nook in my office as it gets the best light exposure for the large majority of our plants. It wasn\u2019t the original plan, but they are much happier now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You Will Have Wins and Losses – It\u2019s Okay:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Houseplants can be finicky. You can have the best of intentions and do everything right and for some reason, the plant says \u201cnope\u201d and goes to the plant graveyard. It\u2019s okay. Don\u2019t be hard on yourself. It will happen.<\/p>\n\n\n

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He\u2019s a big fan of orchids and monsteras.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

You will probably make some rookie mistake and perhaps, feel guilty about it afterwards because you should have known better. Such as buying a coconut tree from IKEA and assuming it\u2019ll be fine outside during a Swiss winter (I don\u2019t want to talk about it). Or not noticing an infested plant who passed it on to her housemates. It\u2019s okay, just don\u2019t repeat your mistakes – learn <\/em>from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And you will have wins! Seeing a complicated plant push out a new leaf. A pothos doubling in size. Your orchid reblooming. Bringing back your Venus fly trap from the brink. All of these happy little wins make houseplant parenthood so worth it. Just don\u2019t beat yourself up over the losses and make sure to celebrate the wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Thoughts On Houseplants: <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I truly hope you were able to learn a thing or two before starting your own houseplant journey. It is a rewarding hobby, but the learning curve can be much smoother if you are armed with the right knowledge and expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Pickle plant – one of my favorites.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

If you\u2019re curious on what houseplants you should purchase and which ones you should avoid as a newer plant parent, be sure to check out these two blogs with all of the details (and why!) below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n