Categories
Fact check

Ferret-wrangling with the Garden Professors

Uncovering the Garden Professors’ cult of expert personality, as they go to extraordinary lengths to avoid admitting mistakes or learning anything.

Categories
Fact check

Cults of expert personality

They might be the group admins or they might be well-regarded longstanding members, but almost any niche topic or hobby group online will have its handful of experts. But groups like this can often develop into something more sinister: the cult of expert personality.

Categories
Care tips Experiment Fact check

The myth of the myth of drainage layers in containers

My research study shows that drainage layers really do reduce the water retention of plant pots, contrary to popular mythbusting belief.

Categories
Commelinaceae Fact check

Are tradescantias toxic?

Tradescantias are often included on “toxic” plant lists, but these lists can be unreliable and inaccurate. In reality tradescantias are not severely dangerous to humans or animals.

Categories
Cultivar identification Fact check

There are no shortcuts for plant identification

Correctly identifying an unknown plant is a difficult task. Because of that, people often hope for easier ways to identify their plants. But there are no shortcuts to this process. The ID charts and AI apps people often turn to are unreliable and lead to misidentifications and misplaced confidence.

Categories
Commelinaceae Fact check Plant naming

Let’s talk about the wandering elephant in the room

On the history and implications of the most controversial common name for tradescantia.

Categories
Care tips Potting mix

When (not) to repot a plant

Repotting is an important part of long-term maintenance for any container plant. It’s also a stressful process for a plant to go through. So keeping container plants healthy means repotting when they need it, and only when they need it.

Categories
Care tips

The golden rules of watering container plants

Learn about the golden rules for watering plants, which provide a regular saturation and drying cycle to keep plants healthy. And find out how to apply those rules in practise, and avoid both underwatering and overwatering.

Categories
Care tips Commelinaceae Potting mix

How I grow my outdoor tradescantias

Learn about how I care for my outdoor tradescantias, including soil, watering, and other maintenance.

Categories
Care tips Commelinaceae Potting mix

How I grow my indoor tradescantias hydroponically

Find out how water-retentive live sphagnum moss turns out to be a perfect medium for growing these indoor succulents.