Ficus tips??
Hey #GregGang! I’ve acquired THREE new ficus trees in the last couple months #FicusTineke , #FicusGinseng & #FiddleLeafFig ) and they’re all doing okay, BUT I can’t honestly claim they’ve improved, and have possibly declined, from the condition in which I got them.
I know I’m missing something obvious. What makes these guys happy??🙏 #FicusGang #Ficus #FicusFam
I know I’m missing something obvious. What makes these guys happy??🙏 #FicusGang #Ficus #FicusFam
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@botanicalarts congrats on your happy ficus! I guess it would make sense that mine are stunted, having gotten them in winter that hasn’t relented 😂
Thank you so much for the tip! 💚
Thank you so much for the tip! 💚
@botanicalarts actually, my Tineke does have some browning. The leaves have gotten huge and there’s new growth, but what is this??
@botanicalarts that’s so interesting! And explains why none of the traditional wisdom helped! Ohhh thank you for the advice and validation! 😅
@WelsomeRhodotus oh no, I’m so sorry about your Tineke! I hope I don’t lose any of mine! But that is helpful! (Seriously why is this info so hard to access…) light—ok! I can do that. They can do shifts in the greenhouse 😎
@WildNorth wishing your babies a pest-free journey with you!! Great that you have a green house! If you are interested in grow light resources, feel free to holla out! My plants started to thrive when I started using grow lights. And I’m not talking the pinky-“blurple” lights but white/yellow white colour temperature lights that look normal inside a living room 😅😅😅 I’m a bit obsessed with this topic now!
@WildNorth when you change the lighting conditions the white part is the first to show signs. They are literally freeloaders because they don’t/cant photosynthesis. It’s fine as long as all the leaves don’t start.
@WelsomeRhodotus omg how awesome to meet you right now, because my obsession is growing faster than my focus, as usual. 😂
So first, ugh, pests are my nemesis. My biggest problem is fungus gnats—I know they don’t usually harm the plant but I do once I start messing with the ecosystem! 🤦🏻♀️
AND thank you for the tip on the browning leaves! Today I noticed that the one patch had spread and the tip of another leaf was turning brown (and a gnat buzzing around it, so I’m having an all-around annoying day 😒)… I am not sure I did the right thing, but I kind of felt like it was better to just traumatize one more time and hope for the best— I repotted it and now, just living on a prayer 🤞
Ok, BIGGEST question, since you opened the door… I have two grow lights—one is white, I guess closer to bright daylight, but the other one is WEIRD. To the naked eye it looks normal but my kitchen looks like it belongs in the red light district. I cannot even tell you how many purple photos I took 😅… and my plants do not seem to like it either!
GIVE ME ALL YOUR KNOWLEDGE!! 😂💚
So first, ugh, pests are my nemesis. My biggest problem is fungus gnats—I know they don’t usually harm the plant but I do once I start messing with the ecosystem! 🤦🏻♀️
AND thank you for the tip on the browning leaves! Today I noticed that the one patch had spread and the tip of another leaf was turning brown (and a gnat buzzing around it, so I’m having an all-around annoying day 😒)… I am not sure I did the right thing, but I kind of felt like it was better to just traumatize one more time and hope for the best— I repotted it and now, just living on a prayer 🤞
Ok, BIGGEST question, since you opened the door… I have two grow lights—one is white, I guess closer to bright daylight, but the other one is WEIRD. To the naked eye it looks normal but my kitchen looks like it belongs in the red light district. I cannot even tell you how many purple photos I took 😅… and my plants do not seem to like it either!
GIVE ME ALL YOUR KNOWLEDGE!! 😂💚
@Azplantchic would you recommend trimming the brown parts off the leaves? I’ve gotten mixed advice. Because it doesn’t photosynthesize, is it better to remove it so the plant can use that energy elsewhere? Or leave it?
@WildNorth try nematodes for fungus gnats - they are a biological (ie bugs eating bugs) method to eradicate the larvae from your soil - win! You just add them to your watering can and water as normal. And they usually keep in the fridge for a few weeks.
Now onto my favourite topic.. 🤣🤣🤣 Have you had a look at House Plant Journal blog? It’s basically an engineer who got into plant care and was frustrated by the common term “bright indirect light” and wanted to quantify that exactly. When I first stumbled upon this I thought “so relatable!!!”.
Anyway, his blog provides ALOT of excellent info about plants and light, how grow lights work etc. This is the page that I have bookmarked because it gives guidance around the specific light requirements for different types of plants: https://www.houseplantjournal.com/grow-light-strength-recommendations-by-plant/
First thing to do is to get a light meter! It will empower you with the ability to measure the light output and work out if the placement of your plant in the room is sufficient for your plant’s light needs - you measure the light at the plant and angle the meter towards the light source. It will give you a reading (usually in foot candles or FC) and this is what you can cross-check in the table on the web page.
If the FC is too low, your plant might be surviving but not necessarily thriving and you may need to reposition until you get the FC in the right range. Sometimes that means setting up a grow light above it.
It’ll also help you work out how far away the grow light should be placed so that you get the sweet spot for light requirements without burning the leaves.
The only thing though is that light meters won’t give you an accurate measurement of the “blurple” light you described. IMO I think they are fine in a greenhouse but in a home (unless your aesthetic is cyberpunk/ vapourwave) I think it’s a bit jarring.
I have tried and tested a few different types of grow lights - mainly the light bulb style that you can either hang on a cord or insert into a lamp and shine on your plants. I also use a couple of different bar lights on my plants shelves. I bought the light meter that the House Plant Journal dude created (I thought it was great to support his work) but you can buy less pricey ones on eBay or Amazon etc. Just don’t use phone apps as they are usually pretty inaccurate.
Grow lights can be pricey too. I started off with the cheaper ones - it goes without saying that they won’t last as long etc but you need to start somewhere so I think that’s fine. I still use them along with my pricier lights.
My priciest bulb is the Soltech Vita light but my favourite (and way less expensive) is the Grow Gang Pianta (bought on Amazon as the company only ship to the UK if buying from their website). I have heard good things about the Rousseau lights as well thought haven’t tested myself. And same for Plant Spectrum’s Mother lights though again that’s waaaay out of my budget and I’ve only ever seen plantfluencers with these because they get them for free 😅😅
An inexpensive option for bulbs is the ikea grow light - it has a mildly pinky tinge but not the full blown blurple you described. If you’re in the US I think you guys have a ton of other options.
My plant shelf bar lights are mostly Barrina 2 ft lights. In the US you can get them in different colour temperatures - unfortunately over here they only sell them in cool white (5000k) and the pinky tone again. I wish they sold the warm white because aesthetically I think it’s much nicer in a living space.
I also have a standing Glowrium bar light. I should mention that I have used a Barrina knock-off too but the Barrina bar lights have a shade/reflector that can be inserted and the other ones don’t and don’t even have a slit for it. It actually makes a huge difference because the light doesn’t go directly into your eyes when you look at your plant shelves.
I can feel myself ranting now 😅😅😅 Please feel free to free to ask any questions!!! 🌿🌿🌿
Now onto my favourite topic.. 🤣🤣🤣 Have you had a look at House Plant Journal blog? It’s basically an engineer who got into plant care and was frustrated by the common term “bright indirect light” and wanted to quantify that exactly. When I first stumbled upon this I thought “so relatable!!!”.
Anyway, his blog provides ALOT of excellent info about plants and light, how grow lights work etc. This is the page that I have bookmarked because it gives guidance around the specific light requirements for different types of plants: https://www.houseplantjournal.com/grow-light-strength-recommendations-by-plant/
First thing to do is to get a light meter! It will empower you with the ability to measure the light output and work out if the placement of your plant in the room is sufficient for your plant’s light needs - you measure the light at the plant and angle the meter towards the light source. It will give you a reading (usually in foot candles or FC) and this is what you can cross-check in the table on the web page.
If the FC is too low, your plant might be surviving but not necessarily thriving and you may need to reposition until you get the FC in the right range. Sometimes that means setting up a grow light above it.
It’ll also help you work out how far away the grow light should be placed so that you get the sweet spot for light requirements without burning the leaves.
The only thing though is that light meters won’t give you an accurate measurement of the “blurple” light you described. IMO I think they are fine in a greenhouse but in a home (unless your aesthetic is cyberpunk/ vapourwave) I think it’s a bit jarring.
I have tried and tested a few different types of grow lights - mainly the light bulb style that you can either hang on a cord or insert into a lamp and shine on your plants. I also use a couple of different bar lights on my plants shelves. I bought the light meter that the House Plant Journal dude created (I thought it was great to support his work) but you can buy less pricey ones on eBay or Amazon etc. Just don’t use phone apps as they are usually pretty inaccurate.
Grow lights can be pricey too. I started off with the cheaper ones - it goes without saying that they won’t last as long etc but you need to start somewhere so I think that’s fine. I still use them along with my pricier lights.
My priciest bulb is the Soltech Vita light but my favourite (and way less expensive) is the Grow Gang Pianta (bought on Amazon as the company only ship to the UK if buying from their website). I have heard good things about the Rousseau lights as well thought haven’t tested myself. And same for Plant Spectrum’s Mother lights though again that’s waaaay out of my budget and I’ve only ever seen plantfluencers with these because they get them for free 😅😅
An inexpensive option for bulbs is the ikea grow light - it has a mildly pinky tinge but not the full blown blurple you described. If you’re in the US I think you guys have a ton of other options.
My plant shelf bar lights are mostly Barrina 2 ft lights. In the US you can get them in different colour temperatures - unfortunately over here they only sell them in cool white (5000k) and the pinky tone again. I wish they sold the warm white because aesthetically I think it’s much nicer in a living space.
I also have a standing Glowrium bar light. I should mention that I have used a Barrina knock-off too but the Barrina bar lights have a shade/reflector that can be inserted and the other ones don’t and don’t even have a slit for it. It actually makes a huge difference because the light doesn’t go directly into your eyes when you look at your plant shelves.
I can feel myself ranting now 😅😅😅 Please feel free to free to ask any questions!!! 🌿🌿🌿
@WelsomeRhodotus holy wow, I’m just gonna screenshot this so I don’t lose it! I will definitely check out your guru’s blog (didn’t know a light meter was a thing!) THANK YOU!! 💚
@WildNorth you’re welcome!! Happy reading!! This was eye opening for me, so empowering and had completely changed my plants’ health! And as always, don’t hesitate to reach out again with any questions!
@Azplantchic glad to hear that it’s inconsequential! Because my obsession with happy plants just couldn’t let it be ugly… I carefully trimmed two leaves before knocking the thing over and breaking a healthy one off 🤦🏻♀️ so now we’re livin on a prayer again 🙃🤞
@isoiledmyplants hi there, I certainly haven’t tried the full gamut of grow lights out there and of course what works for you will be dependent on your plant setup/spaces (eg plant shelves or cabinets/ single surfaces/ corner of the room zones/ floor etc), your budget, your plant types (eg foliage plants, succulents), your preferences for vibe/ atmosphere (eg will it be part of your living room decor or are you looking for something to light a grow tent?) and whether you’re trying to supplement natural light or rely entirely on the grow light(s) to supply light to your plants.
I won’t get into the mechanics of grow lights and highly recommend you read my earlier post and have a look at House Plant Journal for detailed info, particularly on measuring the light output and how much light each of your plants require.
That being said, my setup is mixed at home - I have a whole bunch of plant shelves, low cupboards that that have plants on top of them, random nooks and corners, side tables etc.
My plant shelves are spaced between 45 and 60cm apart (exception is my succulent shelf which is about 30cm in height). All are about 80cm in width and 30cm in depth (I use Ivar shelves from ikea, have had these since I was a kid and then are very house move friendly!). For these shelves I use the Barrina 2 foot T8 bar lights. I started with the T8 ShopLED lights (from Amazon) but they don’t have reflectors/shades on them so when looking at the shelves from the front the lights can get a bit blinding. So I switched to the Barrina. I have the 5000K versions but found that colour temperature to be too clinical so when they became available, I switched to the 3500K lights as they are warm white-yellow. My plants are mostly all in my living room and I need the space to be cosy and inviting so for me the warm colour temperature is a must. I use 1 x T8 light per shelf. There’s one much taller shelf and on that I have 2 x T8 lights. If I could afford them, I would buy the Soltech bar lights or the Plant Spectrum bar lights but as I have more than 12 shelves to cover, it’s not likely to ever happen haha!
For plants in weird places and in nooks, I hide ordinary lamps with a variety of LED grow lightbulbs. This is a very flexible option because you can basically just use any standard E26/E27 lamp or light fixture (and sometimes E14 but those bulbs emit very weak light) - bonus! One thing to check when buying your light bulb is how many watts it emits - you need to make sure this doesn’t exceed the maximum watts your lamp or light fixture can handle. Very important if you want to avoid electrical issues, fires starting etc.
So basically I use a combination of lamps and hanging fixtures (attached to the vertical support parts of my ivar shelving). The best quality bulbs I own are the Soltech Vita and Grow Gang Pianta. The Grow Gang ones can be bought on Amazon or straight from the website if you’re in the UK. Both of these are great! The Grow Gang ones are my fav though and are half the price of the Soltech. Most LED grow lightbulbs are chonky and way heavier than normal lightbulbs. So you need lamps that won’t topple over or flop. One example is the Hektar floor lamp from IKEA. It’s a chonk but it’s not likely to topple from a heavy bulb.
I have a bunch of cheap and cheerful grow bulbs from ikea, Amazon and EBay too. Some of them have little fans in them but they can get noisy. The ikea ones are not at all heavy and are probably good entry level bulbs. They won’t topple your desk lamps or floor lamps. And if you find those clip-on lightbulb fixtures with the movable arms, they tend to stay in place without flopping with the ikea lightbulbs. The only thing with those is that they have a *slight* pinkish hue, not overly intense but it is there.
What I would love to be able to do (but can’t because I rent) is to have part of my setup with track lights on the ceiling and with pendant style hanging lights that attach at the wall. That would be amazing and would be great for lighting the plants I that are against the wall on low shelves and cabinets etc. For those, what I do instead have bar lights setup vertically - again I just use the Barrina T8 lights and bought stands on from someone who 3D prints them on Etsy.
Other lights I’d love to try one day are the Soltech Aspect and the Rousseau light but again cost plus shipping cost is prohibitive. Because my shelves are spaced far apart, I have never needed to try the Barrina T5s but they’re cute and I like that each individual light has an on/off switch.
The lights I do not go for are anything in the total el cheapo range on Amazon and eBay. IMO they are crap quality and are a waste of money. Also I don’t go for the blurple style lights, I’m not into the grow room vibe - like I said, it needs to fit into my cosy lounge room. I’ve also never tried the more intense lights like the Mars Hydro.
Ok this was a long review but let me know if you have any questions! 🌿🌿🌿
I won’t get into the mechanics of grow lights and highly recommend you read my earlier post and have a look at House Plant Journal for detailed info, particularly on measuring the light output and how much light each of your plants require.
That being said, my setup is mixed at home - I have a whole bunch of plant shelves, low cupboards that that have plants on top of them, random nooks and corners, side tables etc.
My plant shelves are spaced between 45 and 60cm apart (exception is my succulent shelf which is about 30cm in height). All are about 80cm in width and 30cm in depth (I use Ivar shelves from ikea, have had these since I was a kid and then are very house move friendly!). For these shelves I use the Barrina 2 foot T8 bar lights. I started with the T8 ShopLED lights (from Amazon) but they don’t have reflectors/shades on them so when looking at the shelves from the front the lights can get a bit blinding. So I switched to the Barrina. I have the 5000K versions but found that colour temperature to be too clinical so when they became available, I switched to the 3500K lights as they are warm white-yellow. My plants are mostly all in my living room and I need the space to be cosy and inviting so for me the warm colour temperature is a must. I use 1 x T8 light per shelf. There’s one much taller shelf and on that I have 2 x T8 lights. If I could afford them, I would buy the Soltech bar lights or the Plant Spectrum bar lights but as I have more than 12 shelves to cover, it’s not likely to ever happen haha!
For plants in weird places and in nooks, I hide ordinary lamps with a variety of LED grow lightbulbs. This is a very flexible option because you can basically just use any standard E26/E27 lamp or light fixture (and sometimes E14 but those bulbs emit very weak light) - bonus! One thing to check when buying your light bulb is how many watts it emits - you need to make sure this doesn’t exceed the maximum watts your lamp or light fixture can handle. Very important if you want to avoid electrical issues, fires starting etc.
So basically I use a combination of lamps and hanging fixtures (attached to the vertical support parts of my ivar shelving). The best quality bulbs I own are the Soltech Vita and Grow Gang Pianta. The Grow Gang ones can be bought on Amazon or straight from the website if you’re in the UK. Both of these are great! The Grow Gang ones are my fav though and are half the price of the Soltech. Most LED grow lightbulbs are chonky and way heavier than normal lightbulbs. So you need lamps that won’t topple over or flop. One example is the Hektar floor lamp from IKEA. It’s a chonk but it’s not likely to topple from a heavy bulb.
I have a bunch of cheap and cheerful grow bulbs from ikea, Amazon and EBay too. Some of them have little fans in them but they can get noisy. The ikea ones are not at all heavy and are probably good entry level bulbs. They won’t topple your desk lamps or floor lamps. And if you find those clip-on lightbulb fixtures with the movable arms, they tend to stay in place without flopping with the ikea lightbulbs. The only thing with those is that they have a *slight* pinkish hue, not overly intense but it is there.
What I would love to be able to do (but can’t because I rent) is to have part of my setup with track lights on the ceiling and with pendant style hanging lights that attach at the wall. That would be amazing and would be great for lighting the plants I that are against the wall on low shelves and cabinets etc. For those, what I do instead have bar lights setup vertically - again I just use the Barrina T8 lights and bought stands on from someone who 3D prints them on Etsy.
Other lights I’d love to try one day are the Soltech Aspect and the Rousseau light but again cost plus shipping cost is prohibitive. Because my shelves are spaced far apart, I have never needed to try the Barrina T5s but they’re cute and I like that each individual light has an on/off switch.
The lights I do not go for are anything in the total el cheapo range on Amazon and eBay. IMO they are crap quality and are a waste of money. Also I don’t go for the blurple style lights, I’m not into the grow room vibe - like I said, it needs to fit into my cosy lounge room. I’ve also never tried the more intense lights like the Mars Hydro.
Ok this was a long review but let me know if you have any questions! 🌿🌿🌿