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teengardener1888

Toni, you are missed on Gardenweb

teengardener1888
10 years ago

I msorry for your losses but please dont abandon us on gardenweb. Alot of people miss you, including me and asleep in the garden. Please come back~~~~~ :-)

Comments (14)

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    10 years ago

    Pretty sure she will be back. In real life she has a full enough plate to keep her busy for awhile but she really seemed to enjoy posting here before so I kinda doubt she's gone for good. In the event that she had to destroy her collection entirely,it's not like her knowledge went with it,right?

    But in a way I kinda understand what it must feel like to post here after that...I would equate it to watching a soccer game from a wheelchair on the sidelines.

    We DO miss you Toni.

    Come back when you are ready,ok? :)

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    10 years ago

    Well said, I agree on both counts. FWIW, I know what it's like to lose a TON of plants, a whole garden and the house, which in my mind was much easier to replace. I can see the same thing happening to me, I feel the same way about chems and would hesitate similarly to use them.

    I'm sure many peeps would be happy to send donations of especially any most-missed favorites, starting with me. Toni, just say the word...

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    10 years ago

    I got rid of all of my plants a few years ago and felt nothing but relief, lol. And they weren't infested with critters, either! I'm not at all sure that I'll ever get that desire back but I sure do love seeing what everyone else has.

  • teengardener1888
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    i have been shortening my houseplant collection. I will never give up gardening though

  • teisa
    10 years ago

    Is everything ok with her besides her pest problem?? I sure hope it ok! I too miss her knowledge about ALOTof various plants and her humor! :).

  • plantomaniac08
    10 years ago

    I don't have as many plants either. Long story, but someone killed most of my outdoor container plants (including my beloved cacti)... Guess I just don't have the heart anymore to get so many again. But, on a plus side, I don't feel as overwhelmed and like rhizo, I felt better not having as many but I like to see what everyone else has. I hope Toni find that "perfect number" where she can enjoy her plants and not feel overwhelmed. I also hope she comes back soon, I miss her posts. :(

    Planto

  • teengardener1888
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I almost thought of getting rid of all but one plant, but i dont have the heart to do. I hope toni is okay

  • marguerite_gw Zone 9a
    10 years ago

    This is such a forum of ennablers, that after I first came here I accumulated over a hundred houseplants. Then I lost a lot of my mobility, hence I now have only around 20 which I am very fond of. Members of my family who live here also have plants, it's just that I don't have to take care of them, but I can still enjoy them.

    I recall a plaintive email from another poster here, years ago, from Canada, who had been carried away by her enthusiasm and then found she couldn't cope with all her plants. I don't know if she is lurking here still, but I would hope that like me she is still very much 'into' indoor gardening. You don't need a large amount of plants to enjoy GW and reading about other people's collections.

  • teengardener1888
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    i agree, but i will always have houseplants

  • birdsnblooms
    10 years ago

    Teen, thank you. I feel like boo-hoo'ing. :)

    Thanks to others who commented, too.

    No matter what the circumstance, (except physical disability,) there will never be a time I'll be without plants. Just, not as many. lol.

    From now on, I'll view photos of my dear GW, friends' beautiful, well-groomed plants.
    Chit-chat, etc.

    I do feel chagrined giving advice, when my own plants have mealy.

    For those who had to toss plants, how did you do it? What prompted you to do away with one or more plants? Do you have regrets? And, what were the reasons?

    Teen, thanks again...

  • teengardener1888
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thankyou Toni it is nice to see you again

  • RioSeven
    9 years ago

    This post is older but Toni asked about others who have had to throw plants away so here is my story, and my perspective!

    I am not only new to Garden Web, but new to houseplants, having only started growing plants for less than six months. I have the typical houseplants a beginner would have, a couple pothos, a croton, a couple spiders, jade, dracaena, and a few struggling African violets, etc.

    I had been noticing that the potting soil was not drying out. Plants that I should be watering weekly (like my ferns), were staying wet for two or even three weeks. I knew that was wrong, and then I lost an African Violet to root rot. So I starting reading about Al's 5-1-1 receipe for potting mix and that is when I realized that Miracle Grow is pure crap. For a beginner, that is a surprise.

    Now, in my area the main ingredient of 5-1-1 (pine bark fines) is not available so in desperation to save all my plants from root rot, I came up with my own soil mixture that used orchid mix, perlite, and potting soil. Not ideal but I needed something to get me through the winter. Anyway, I started re-potting my plants in the new mixture.

    This lead to me finding mealybugs!!! Now, this is in no way as terrible as Toni's situation. I understand that she owns hundreds of plants, and a large portion had mealybugs, but it certainly was a disappointment. But I was lucky. So far, I have only found one or two mealybugs on several different plants. It has been a week and so far no more mealybugs.

    In the end, I put my jade and croton in quarantine. There are less places to hide on those plants, and I liked those plants, so they got to stay. I check them several times a day for new bugs. Quarantine ended up helping those plants because now they are spending a few hours outdoor each day, and they love it.

    I did destroy six plants, an Areca Palm (which I am sure was the instigator!), a couple ivy, and three African violets. I was upset at first, but I learned a lot about mealybugs. I also learned that I need to check plants before I buy them, and to keep new plants separate from my collection until I know they don't have pests.

    Destroying plants is hard but for new life to occur, death must also happen. Like, for example, the lush forest that grows after a forest fire.

    And, to bring my story up to date, I have repotted about half my plants in the new potting soil mixture, and the soil dries out much faster! The plants seem much happier. My ZZ was starting to get root rot so hopefully I managed to save it!

  • teengardener1888
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the story Rio, its nice to know that you are learning:). I haven't seen this post in a year

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    9 years ago

    Welcome to GW, Rio! Good luck with your plants!