It’s easy to assume a money tree is some kind of succulent the first time you see that thick, braided trunk, and to water it accordingly, barely at all. The leaves start drooping within weeks, which reads as confirmation of overwatering, so watering gets backed off even further. The trunk isn’t a water-storage organ the … Read more
The way a prayer plant’s leaves fold upward every evening can look like a reaction to something done wrong. It takes a while to notice the pattern: they fold up like hands in prayer every night and open flat again every morning, on a schedule as reliable as a clock. Once you start watching for … Read more
A single leaf from an African violet can turn into several separate plants, which is the moment this plant wins most people over completely. Few houseplants multiply so reliably from one small piece with almost no effort. It’s the easiest, most satisfying propagation in this entire guide series. Care area What it needs Light Bright, … Read more
Potting an orchid in regular potting soil, because that’s what every other plant on the shelf is sitting in, is close to the fastest way to kill one: within a couple of months the roots can rot away almost entirely. Orchids aren’t like the rest of this guide series, they grow attached to tree bark … Read more
Cactus care runs almost backward from most of the plants in this guide series. The usual way to kill one is with kindness: watering it on the same weekly schedule as everything else on the windowsill, so that by the time the base goes soft it is too far gone to save. The biggest risk … Read more
Aloe vera is a popular home remedy for minor burns: slice off a lower leaf and smear the gel on the skin. There is a detail that is easy to get wrong, though — the yellowish layer just under the skin isn’t the soothing gel, it’s a separate compound (aloe latex) that can actually irritate … Read more
Crispy brown tips on a dracaena often have nothing to do with the watering schedule — the tap water itself is a common culprit. This genus is unusually sensitive to fluoride, which many municipal water supplies add, and switching to distilled or rainwater is the usual fix; when the water is the problem, new growth … Read more
The first sight of thick, cord-like roots pushing out of an anthurium’s stem above the soil line can look like something has gone badly wrong. Those are aerial roots, and they’re a completely normal part of how this plant grows in the wild, climbing trees and pulling in moisture from humid air. Once you know … Read more
Begonia is the plant that shows the word “begonia” barely means anything on its own. A rex begonia bought in the expectation that it will behave like a cane begonia on a porch is easy to nearly kill by treating the two the same way. This genus is enormous and wildly varied, so the single … Read more
The first time a hoya blooms, it’s tempting to cut off the flower stalk afterward, assuming it’s spent and needs tidying up like a faded daffodil. Don’t — that same stubby little spur goes on to produce new flower clusters year after year, and snipping it off would set the plant back considerably. Hoya rewards … Read more