The best thing about being a plant parent is tangibly seeing your baby plants grow! In part, a thriving plant reminds me of the rewards that patience bears. But mostly, it brings me sweet relief to know that I didn’t kill something. As soon as I see a cute little sprout poking out of a stem, I forget the heartache of that snake plant with the stinky root rot or the succulent that shriveled up indoors.
My plants have really been growing lately, thanks to a steady diet of fertilizer and water, with a good dose of indirect summer sun. And so, to curate a little bit of what I looked at this weekend, I put together a roundup of some of my babies with new growth! Just a few of my favorites at the moment, because mostly everyone — and by everyone, I mean my 50+ plants — is sprouting left and right!
Wax-Leaf Philodendron
Ironically named Hope, my philodendron is a product of frequent neglect. It’s over a year old and obviously hasn’t seen much growth. However, I switched it to a bigger pot, fed it liquid Miracle-Gro, et voila, baby shoots!
Snake Plant
This snake plant is really two — one a Grocery Outlet find, and the other a gift. I don’t feed it at all, but giving it adequate sunlight has really been a game-changer.
Philodendron Brasil
My philodendron brasil has been going through a renaissance with extra fertilizer and its new clay pot home! After it grows more, my next game plan is to trim off the rough-looking foliage.
Calathea Zebrina
My calathea zebrina is definitely one of my favorite plants. What a beaut. The dry heat is testing it, but it is otherwise enjoying daily misting and biweekly watering. (Some of the edges are crispy because I get lazy about using distilled water.) I’m too scared to give it fertilizer because calatheas are dramatic and finicky!
Philodendron Narrow Tiger Tooth Plant
It was never my intention for this to be a philodendron post, but c’mon, this philodendron is a thing of beauty! Investment plants pay off, y’all. $13 isn’t much, especially if you collect rare plants, but it is one of my more expensive plants. Anyway, my philodendron was worth that pretty penny from my local nursery. It keeps pushing out new leaves for incessant joy! I don’t feed it and honestly don’t water it much — I dump residual water into it mindlessly.
Ruby Rubber Plant
My ruby rubber plant is having a moment! A few leaves dropped during the winter, but now the plant is thriving with more consistently weekly watering and fertilizing. Those fresh red baby sprouts are such an auspicious sign.
Money Tree
Look at this cute, not-so-little money tree! Exactly a year old, it’s giving off a lot of growth, and I should either prune it back for a fuller look or give it a repot. I fertilize it every other week or so and allow it a medium amount of light so that it doesn’t burn.
Prayer Plant
I usually don’t have good luck with plants that require “wetter” environments (read: ferns), but my maranta is so ridiculously productive, I’m actually a little jealous of it. Even though some leaves dry off every so often, it keeps producing new ones. It doesn’t get fertilizer, but I do give it TLC with daily misting and weekly waterings. Again, it pays to invest in a bigger plant with a stronger root system in place. And for $8 bucks? Pft.
Umbrella Plant
I can’t take all the credit here because this plant came big and healthy. It’s getting weekly waterings to produce all those glossy baby leaves that are giving my Fenty Gloss Bombs a run for their money. I will cut back on the misting, though, since I’ve noticed a brown spot or two.
Spider Plant
Woof, this spider plant keeps producing little babies, especially as it sits in a particularly bright spot in my room! This isn’t even a quarter of all the growth that’s shooting out. It also has little flowers! I don’t fertilize it (I mean, look at it), only misting every so often with weekly watering.
Plants are just so lovely. Anyway, keep calm and grow on!
