Rant: My friend in Portland said my plant care was 'too gentle'

We were at her place last spring, and she saw me carefully misting my fiddle leaf fig. She laughed and said, 'You're babying it, just put it outside in the rain for a week and forget it.' I argued that these plants need specific care, but she insisted being tough makes them stronger. Has anyone else had a friend give plant advice that went totally against what you know?

3 comments

3 Comments

rowan_roberts491mo ago

Maybe plants just need different things like people do.

stella_murray28d ago

Plants are tougher than people give them credit for and sometimes neglect teaches them to adapt. Your friend's advice actually lines up with how most figs grow in nature with harsh seasonal swings.

simonp471mo ago

That "put it outside in the rain" advice would kill my fiddle leaf fig. I tried the tough love thing once on a peace lily, basically ignoring it, and it got all brown and sad. Now I stick to my routine, bottom watering when the soil's dry. It's thriving, so I just smile and nod when people say I'm too careful.