Have you ever brought home a beautiful house plant and had a terrible time? You’ve got company. A Redditor recently posted in the house plants community asking, “What house plants would you never buy again?” Here are the top-voted responses.
1. Croton Plant
Although they have a lot of health-related uses, like treating digestive problems and wounds, they attract web-spinning spider mites on dry and dusty leaves. Once they get infested with spider mites, it will be very frustrating as the leaves start falling. Miss one day of misting, and the leaves begin to drop.
2. Ivy Plant
Ivy plants are just as bad a mite-magnet as crotons. Sure, they look great in hanging baskets or with other houseplants, but the maintenance can get to you. The commenter said they were tired of neem-oiling them daily; it felt good to throw the plants out.
3. Maidenhair Fern
Many people in the thread noted the problem with Maidenhair ferns is they are too thirsty. Therefore, you must always make sure that the soil is moist. Maidenhair ferns are also susceptible to diseases like root rot and leaf spot disease.
4. String-Of-Pearls
One Redditor aptly said, “First it’s pearls, then it’s just a string.” They are already short-lived succulents with delicate leaves. People must try many times before they can keep a plant alive.
5. Alocasia
Many in the thread noted that they are easy to care for once you understand what kind of environment they need. You can even get Alocasia plants to flower. But before that, they like to die. They love high humidity, slightly dry soil, and bright indirect sunlight.
6. Begonia
Begonias have a list of conditions you must fulfill before they give you the privilege of calling begonias your houseplants. First, you cannot overwater them. Don’t underwater them.
Don’t give them too much sunlight. If it’s too dry in your house, their leaves are toast. “Brown toast.” Finally, if the stems are rotting, it’s likely a water drainage issue. “Yeah, that’s about it.”
7. Pink Polka Dot Plant
Another plant with particular sunlight allowance issues is the Pink Polka Dot Plant. If you give it partial sun, it fries off. If you give it partial shade, its roots start to rot. As a result, it looks leggy and ugly.
One house plant lover advised, “The best way to keep a pink polka dot plant is not to water it and let it die. At least you will spare yourself a whole bunch of frustration.”
8. Fiddle Leaf Fig
Many in the thread agreed that the fiddle leaf fig plant on Instagram looks impressive in the kitchen. But do you know what the owner does to keep it alive? They probably keep it in the backyard sun.
The plants need bright, even sunlight or they drop the leaves. They also like humidity and moist soil. But if you overwater it, guess what happens? Yup! They DIE! Also, these plants are toxic for cats.
9. Philodendron Birkin
The Philodendron Birkin. One shared, ” I have multiple Philos, and they’re all doing well. Still, my Birkin has yet to grow a single leaf for months and just started browning.” Another shared, “I kicked my Birkin outside to die, and now it’s thriving… Go figure.”
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10. Venus Flytrap
This one is interesting. Many people use venus flytraps to lure kids and interest them in gardening. However, one noted the first problem is that you have to “feed” it.
They eat bugs, so you will need to catch insects and bugs and feed the carnivores. The trick is that the prey must be alive when caught. Dead flies won’t work. The bug has to move inside the trap. That triggers the closing, and the digestion begins.
Other than their bug diet, they die if kept in dry, cool environments like the inside of a home. They like their humidity.
We hope you liked this little Reddit list of houseplants that people would never want to grow again.
Davin is a jack-of-all-trades but has professional training and experience in various home and garden subjects. He leans on other experts when needed and edits and fact-checks all articles.