Plant care, explained.
Practical guides for real homes, from watering and light to yellow leaves, pests and repotting.
How Cold Is Too Cold for Houseplants?
Most houseplants struggle below 10 °C (50 °F) and tropicals can get chill injury without frost. Temperature bands, cold spots and when to bring plants in.
How Accurate Are Plant Identifier Apps?
What university tests found about plant ID app accuracy: flowers beat leaves, genus beats species, bark and seedlings are hard. How to get better results.
Hardy Balcony Plants for Sun, Wind and Winter
Hardy balcony plants that cope with sun, wind and winter in pots: lavender, rosemary, houseleeks, grasses, heuchera and more, with pet safety for each.
Grow Lights for Houseplants: A Simple Guide
Choose an LED or T5 grow light, hang it 30–60 cm (12–24 in) above the leaves, run it 12–14 hours on a timer, and read the plant to fine-tune it.
Fungus Gnats: How to Get Rid of Them
Get rid of fungus gnats by breaking their life cycle: dry the top 2.5–5 cm of soil, find larvae with potato slices, trap adults and treat with Bti.
Edible Wild Mushrooms and Their Dangerous Look-Alikes
Chanterelles, morels, puffballs and shaggy manes each have a dangerous look-alike. See how they differ, and why no photo or app can clear one to eat.
Drooping Plant: Causes and Quick Fixes
Why is my plant drooping? Check the soil first: dry means thirst, wet means root trouble. Our table covers heat, cold, pot-bound roots and quick fixes.
How to Diagnose a Plant Disease From a Photo
Diagnose a plant disease from a photo: the five shots to take, a symptom to cause table, what a picture cannot show and what to do first.
Death Cap (Amanita phalloides): How to Recognize It
Death cap mushroom ID: greenish cap, white gills, a skirt-like ring and a buried cup. Look-alikes, myths that kill and what to do if someone eats one.
Curling Leaves: What Your Plant Is Telling You
Leaves curl from too much light, heat, dry soil, dry air, soggy roots or pests. Read which leaves curl and which way, then use the table to fix it.
The Best Plants to Give for Christmas and New Year
The best Christmas and New Year gift plants, with the room temperature each needs and which are safe for cats and dogs, for both hemispheres.
Can an App Identify Mushrooms Safely? What It Can't Do
A mushroom ID app can suggest a name from a photo, but it cannot tell you a wild mushroom is safe to eat. What apps miss and how to use one responsibly.
