#plant psa

[kirorokat1132]

Plant PSA for Pink lovers

So I’ve discovered the joy of houseplants somewhat recently, and that they can be bought on Etsy. I also know that pink foliage is Cool as Fuck. I have noticed, however, there are several listings on Etsy for Philodendron Pink Congos.

BEWARE the Pink Congos! They will NOT STAY PINK. They will revert to a completely green plant within a year.

They look cool, don’t get me wrong. They have green leaves, and they also have completely pink leaves. They’re pretty! HOWEVER. They’re essentially FAKE. These plants have been treated with a chemical that makes they’re leaves grow pink, but that chemical will wear out, and the plant will revert to completely green in 6-12 months. Even the pink leaves will bleed out to green.

I’m only making a PSA about this because I clicked several listings and none of them mentioned the guaranteed reversion of the plant; whether it’s seller ignorance or something else is whatever. I just think people should know that when they spend $40-50 plus $70+ on shipping (import inspection fees, essentially) they should be made aware they’re buying a short-term novelty...

You can see the pink starting to fade out in the ends of a few of these, image taken from a listing. Here’s another one:

I will also say, all the listings I clicked on are shipping from Indonesia from what appeared to be nurseries and given how long they’ve been in the market, I’ve drawn my own conclusions on whether I think it’s seller ignorance or not. I’ve also seen a couple listings for Philo. Dark Lords with pink leaves like these; those have also been chemically treated to produce pink leaves, and will revert.

Anyone selling these, or plants like these, without putting a disclaimer about the reversion -or worse insisting it doesn’t happen- is essentially lying. I know I, as a relatively new plant person, would hate to spend the money on a plant I thought was hella cool only to have it turn out to be a fake that didn’t last.

There’s a Youtuber Kaylee Ellen who did a whole video about these, so if you’re curious I’d definitely recommend checking it out! She owns a rare plant shop and is very knowledgeable about plants.

[andersonsallpurpose]

Re: being an accidental plant serial killer:

my life changed when a florist told me that these tiny potted flowers (roses, gerbera, stuff like that) that you can buy already in bloom and often in a decorative pot of some kind - aren’t actually meant to last! They’re basically like a bouquet, just one that lasts slightly longer (because roots and soil and stuff). But you’re not meant to keep them alive after the flowers have fallen off - they’ll die and then you throw them out, that’s it.

And like I wish someone had told me this as a child because I’d often get those kinds of tiny potted roses for birthday, and then they’d die and I felt AWFUL. For like years afterwards. So yeah, PSA for anyone who keeps killing tiny potted flowers: apparently they’re meant to do that.

That said, I’ve killed pretty much everything from cacti and succulents, to geraniums and whatever those plants are called that love loads of water and are often referred to as unkillable, so idk.

[jukebarks]

little elton john loves his tiny dancer im so happy