＊Field Guideto houseplants
Plant care, diagnosed — not decorated

Something's wrong with your plant. Let's find out what.

Most plant blogs sell you a lifestyle. This one is a field notebook: the light, water, and soil facts that actually matter, plus the specific reason your leaves are doing that thing they're doing.

Diagnose a problem → Browse species
Field notes, by species

Pick a plant, get the whole picture

Each guide is written like a specimen card: what it needs, what goes wrong, and how to propagate it once it's thriving.

Monstera
Monstera deliciosa
Swiss Cheese Plant
LightBright, indirect
WaterCheck soil first
DifficultyEasy
Guide live →
 Pothos
Epipremnum aureum
Pothos
LightLow – bright
WaterCheck moisture first
DifficultyVery easy
Guide live →
 Snake plant
Sansevieria trifasciata
Snake Plant
LightLow – bright
WaterLet mix dry; check first
DifficultyVery easy
Guide live →
 Calathea
Calathea / Goeppertia
Calathea
LightBright, indirect
WaterKeep evenly moist
DifficultyDemanding
Guide live →
 Fiddle leaf fig
Ficus lyrata
Fiddle Leaf Fig
LightBright, indirect
WaterCheck moisture first
DifficultyDemanding
Guide live →
 Heartleaf philodendron
Philodendron hederaceum
Heartleaf Philodendron
LightMedium – bright
WaterCheck moisture first
DifficultyEasy
Guide live →
 Succulents
Echeveria spp.
Succulents
LightBright, direct
WaterCheck species and mix
DifficultyEasy
Guide live →
 Moth orchid
Phalaenopsis spp.
Moth Orchid
LightBright, indirect
WaterWhen nearly dry
DifficultyModerate
Guide live →
 African violet
Saintpaulia spp.
African Violet
LightBright, indirect
WaterRoom temp., avoid leaves
DifficultyModerate
Guide live →
 Peace lily
Spathiphyllum spp.
Peace Lily
LightLow – bright
WaterKeep lightly moist
DifficultyEasy
Guide live →
 ZZ plant
Zamioculcas zamiifolia
ZZ Plant
LightLow – bright
WaterLet mix dry; check first
DifficultyVery easy
Guide live →
 Alocasia Platinum
Alocasia 'Platinum'
Alocasia Platinum
LightBright, indirect
WaterCheck moisture first
DifficultyModerate
Guide live →
 Aloe Vera
Aloe vera
Aloe Vera
LightBright; acclimate to sun
WaterLet mix dry; check first
DifficultyEasy
Guide live →
 Spider Plant
Chlorophytum comosum
Spider Plant
LightBright, indirect
WaterCheck moisture first
DifficultyEasy
Guide live →
 Madagascar Dragon Tree
Dracaena marginata
Madagascar Dragon Tree
LightBright, indirect
WaterLet upper mix dry; check below
DifficultyEasy
Guide live →
 Nephrolepis Fern
Nephrolepis · sold as Cordata
Nephrolepis Fern
LightBright, filtered
WaterLightly moist; check first
DifficultyModerate
Guide live →
 Yucca
Yucca · indoor cane forms
Yucca
LightVery bright; acclimate to sun
WaterLet upper mix dry; check below
DifficultyModerate
Guide live →
 Potted Lily
Lilium spp. & hybrids
Potted Lily
LightBright indoor display
WaterLightly moist during growth
CareSeasonal care
Guide live →
How this site is organized

Three ways in, depending on what you need

Diagnose

Something looks off

Yellow leaves, brown tips, drooping, pests. Match the symptom to the cause before you change anything.
Learn the basics

You just brought one home

Light, water, soil, and humidity — the four things that decide whether a plant survives its first year.
Propagate

It's thriving, now what

Water propagation, soil propagation, and division — by species, since the "right" method isn't the same for all of them.