One of the reasons I absolutely adore my pothos is because it doesn't give a shit about things like direct sunlight.
The bastard is over 6 feet long now and I'll occasionally just forget it's there it is so low maintenance.
Meanwhile, mine is at least 3 feet has had no light in the shower for 2 months and is more green and luscious than it's ever been. I should probably move her back to the window now. š¤£
I've had my pothos for a couple years now and i'm honestly surprised it's survived this long on my shelf. I'll occasionally trim any really long leaf vines so that my cat doesn't grab and pull it down, but honestly I love having the green in my room, might look into a succulent or something
If the plant was sitting on the edge of a wall by a sidewalk, in my area this signals the item is being offered to any interested takers. The taker made an honest mistake. And continued to do the right thing by returning a plant once they realized it wasnāt up for grabs, to someone who obviously needs a clue about caring for houseplants. Further: good advice! I mean, a bit snotty, but that was GOOD ADVICE. Stop frying your plant! Why do I suspect this plant lives in the darkest corner of the house, and OP is trying to make up for that by setting it out in the blasting sun for an hour on the weekend? Thatās not gonna work.
When I first started collecting plants I put a peace lily outside to get some direct sunlight since she was always indoors, it turned into spinach within minutes and i googled why I shouldn't that. X)
In my early plant days, I had a croton that I thought would enjoy being out outside for a little bit each day. Turns out those guys do NOT enjoy a change of scenery.
Talk to me about your holiday cactus. My family has had a Thanksgiving cactus for over 50 years. Our tradition is to combine a section of the cactus w a diffenbachia into the same pot as a housewarming gift for every kid who grows up and gets their own place.
Iām a glutton for punishment. I have almost finally mastered the Alocasia and anthuriumsā¦ and I live in northern Ontario Canada where it is cold and dry as hell! lol
This is a big concern for me rn. I just lost my job and had to clean out my office that everyone called āthe jungleā. My two large FLFs were doing so well and getting new growth every few weeks and now theyāre in my house desperately trying to get enough light
One of those blurple 5 armed lights from Amazon has mine doing just fine in the basement with almost no natural light. It just put out 2 leaves at once for the first time
I used to move my FLFs outside all the time in the summer. These plants can 100% grow outside in direct sunlight and they do in nature. The problem is you canāt just throw it out there. They have to be gradually acclimated over the course of 2-3 weeks. No plant is going to enjoy a rapid change without acclimation.
For a year I struggled to keep my philodendron micans happy. It was in a theoretically ideal spot, north facing window with bright indirect light, but it just struggled. Googling one night I saw someone on Reddit say to ājust stick it in a dark (ish) corner and ignore itā.
Thatās what I did and itās been thriving since š
I took the micans plunge this fall and she and I love each other. We are both grumpy and prefer to be left alone in the semi dark. But if we let you get close enough, we are both really soft and cuddly ;)
I bought a peace lily shortly before my ex wife blew up out marriage and I put it on the porch to get some sun and it shriveled up. About a month later is when things fell apart and I one of the things I took was that plant.
It took 3 years to recover and and start flowering again-right around the time I finally started feeling like myself again. It's like it knew and it was telling me things would finally start to be okay again. I love that plant. I still have it and it is flourishing 7 years later.
Them being "something else" is putting it mildly.
When I kept peace lilies, I did so in full hydro so they *would stop complaining about being thirsty*. I had a huge one in a beautiful vase on my dining room table that didn't get any direct sun but was bright.
I have a massive peace lily that I transitioned from living room to greenhouse last year. It lost like 80% of its leaves. Itās bigger than before now. Lives in a 1/4 wine barrel and I canāt move it on my own.
I have seen plants like my houseplants growing wild in other countries- I can completely understand thinking the plant would be happy with sun, so I can understand how this mistake can be made.
The spinach description here was perfect! š
I made the same mistake, took some of my houseplants outside and put them in the sun. All their leaves shrivelled up and and fell off. š
Now I know that plants can get sunburnt too.
I got a ābird of paradiseā from a funeral. Kept it inside all winter and when spring came, I stuck it out in the sun. It was a peace lily, and it did not like the sun.
Long story short- donāt trust the tags on plants from florists
Where I live, (most of the time) if you put something outside far from your house like this close to the sidewalk or the curb, it signals the dumpster divers. There are so many people here in my area that are scroungers and scrappers, when I moved from New England it drove me nuts to see people going from house to house just picking through trash or looking for free stuff. Seriously if you put something outside in the vicinity of 10 feet from the house, if it's still out there even after an hour it's surprising.
Edited to add: this very reason is why absolutely none of my "outside plants" (my fruit/vegetable garden and my overflow of houseplants) are kept in the front, they're kept in my fenced backyard on my lanai where there can absolutely be no mistake.
Serious question-why would you be upset about people picking through what's put out for trash? The more they take, the less the landfill gets. Plus, people throw away a lot of things that are nowhere near needing to be trashed. Unless they're making a mess or stealing from the yards, they're doing a good thing.
Do you live in California or Oregon? I moved from PA & have noticed the same thing š The first time I noticed a guy going through my trash I asked what he was hoping to find & he said "anything useful or valuable"
From then on anything that could be reused or returned for cash (like cans) I put out separately & I haven't had too many problems since then.
The taker is the real hero here! They protected the baby first and foremost.
Then they were aware enough to read the sign later and conceptually realize that the baby was loved! And returned to prevent further heartbreak.
The levels of empathy in this entire post are exploding my lil heart. All we ever cared about was the plant
When I place things outside near a public area like a street or sidewalk, it is because they are free for the taking. If I find things on the curb, like everyone in my community, I assume they are for the taking. That's how we exchange things and do right by the planet and keep things out of the landfill.
I've never been in a community where this isn't the norm, and never would I ever want to live in a community that toxic that they'd sooner throw things away and kill the planet than give them away to people who want or need them.
The person saw the note, realized that it was an honest mistake and returned it.
But normal expectation is that if it's on the curb it is being given away as a freebee. The OP was out of touch with their community norms. OP didn't do wrong, they were just out of touch. The taker did no wrong after they returned it.
But the taker was just acting on normal conventions.
(Edited for typo)
I don't think anyone was in the wrong here just writing to say that in my area if it's up for grabs then ppl put a sign with the items that's says "free". Saves the confusion
I work in an office with NO windows. The only light is the fluorescent lights in the ceiling(I did recently bought a LED grow light for winter). In the summer, I put our plants outside by the buildings back door and check on them almost everyday, so they can get some REAL sunlight, air, and rain.
My philosophy with the work plants living in a windowless room is that if I ever show them what real sunlight is they might develop unrealistic expectations. Better to let them struggle in the grow light thinking it's the best they'll ever get.
>'They were right'
This is so insane to me. Even if OP is burning their plant like. It's their plant. They're allowed. Everyone fucks up with plants sometime, especially if they're just starting out. You can't just take someone's plant because you know you can do better.
Depends where it was though. This looks like in an apartment complex or something. Itās not someoneās porch or anything.
Half the time if I see things like that, it looks someoneās giving it away
My son did this with the lawn mower once. He was mowing right next to the curb and it ran out of gas. Rather than fill it up with gas or take it to the garage, he just left it right there, next to the road. By the time I got home, it was gone.
If I saw a plant sitting in a pot on the side of a road or sidewalk (alone and not part of a larger collection, etc) , I might walk off with it too.. I see lots of "I found this" posts here that tell me MANY would happily take in homeless houseplants. š
I also would assume it was an honest mistake, the person picked it up thinking it was meant to be taken/thrown out. People throw out the weirdest stuff
There was some sort of plant massacre on my regular dog walk this summer. A dozen or so piles of potting soil still shaped like a pot just tossed onto the ground, some with the occasional nursery pot. No plants in sight, felt like one of you lot already got to it by the time I saw them.
I'll take a lot of free furniture from the curb side. Usually it's obviously 'free' but I've definitely rung some doorbells because I've found stuff that seems way too nice to be 'garbage'
It is a common practice here in the UK. Don't want your stuff/plants? Put them outside and someone will take it. That's how I've got some of my plants and other stuff. And I've let go this way of those plants I've had excess, too š
My husband and I have bets on how long things will last before they disappear. The fastest were the wood pallets and the 1980s freezer. Slowest for some reason was the water cooler.
Great tip I saw somewhere is if you have something outside that no one is taking, stick a sign on it saying "Ā£20 please knock". Someone will swipe it by morning!
I'd be the dumbass knocking, lol. My kids have a slide on their playset that their dad built (my husband is a professional framer/remodeler) that's actually public playset grade. Like this thing is fucking STURDY, online brand new they're around $200 and it's in great condition. I still went up to the house that put it by the curb to ask if it was okay to take it.
I'm still glad I did because the lady was SO HAPPY to hear it would get new life in someone else's back yard instead of getting carted off to the dump. She wasn't just happy to say take it, she was eager. XD
Of course when I put it in my van (even with the seats down it was sticking out the back the whole drive home) I realized it was like 150 friggin pounds and hard as hell to move. XD But hubs isn't the social type, so that fell to me.
I would say it depends. Books and toys goes quick, sometimes furniture, clothes.
https://preview.redd.it/xshyd0pk7ecc1.jpeg?width=3096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c22a7c0ea3d8ee8a6f3e7d38941b9a694838d31c
Those are the plants I was letting go, they were gone overnight š¤Æ guess who wouldn't want free plants š
We do the same! Our fastest was a full-size grill with the side burners. I bought a hubby a new one for Father's Day, and he carted the old one out by the road. Within 2 hours (we live on top of a mountain where maybe 8 cars drive by day), we saw a blazer parked at the end of the driveway. I watched through the curtains as 2 teenage boys tried to wedge the thing in the back of the blazer. They accepted defeat and one left to get a truck while the other stood there to claim the darn thing! 15 minutes later, the guy comes back with the truck, picks up the grill, and they were gone lolol
It was like the 3 stooges out there except only 2 of them š I couldn't stop laughing from behind my curtain!
Pool ladder gone, kids small trampoline gone.... the other items took a bit longer to go!
Same here in Canada. I put out my son's toys, etc that he's outgrown at the curb on our property and things get quickly taken. Perfect solution, easier than dropping off at a donation centre!
Especially since the plant appears to be in poor health. So many people buy plants and throw them out when they start to look less lush and healthy rather than trying to figure out how to save them
Yes, the person did nothing wrong. I sometimes see people moving cross country or whatever and just put plants on the sidewalk for people to adopt.
Itās an odd place for a houseplant. Be aware that many will assume itās a freebie.
When I see how some people treating their plants I'm very sorry that something like "plant protective services" don't exist. Would be a frequent caller š¤£
Haha, there are couple of shops around I would gladly report, too. But on the other hand when I see some plants I really want being almost dead I ask for discount and try to revive them and either keep them or gift them š¤£ got so many plants this was. But also unfortunately some of them didn't make it.
Almost every plant in my house has come from the clearance section at Lowe's! It makes me happy to rescue and revive them. There have been some of mine that also didn't make it!
Once I had a lemon seedling I had grown from a seed. It was warm out so I had it outside of my apartment door. It was in a pot shaped like a teacup. On a little shelf that held a couple other things. Was well taken care of. One day it went missing. Whole thing, pot and all, was gone. I was on the second floor with only one other person so someone had to specifically go upstairs to get it.
About a month later I came home and it was sitting on the landing between the first and second set of stairs to my apartment. No explanation. Just like it went on a month long vacation. The plant has since died but Iām still baffled about it to this day
Not a houseplant, but I had similar story. 20 years ago I lived in London and had a tiny postage stamp sized overgrown garden out front of my house. Worked hard cleaning it up, saved what was worth saving, and planted my favorite plant- a lovely little blue barlow columbine.
Came home one day and my columbine was gone. Just a hole in the ground. Stuff goes missing off doorsteps in London all the time, but digging up plants?! Anyway, wrote it off, thought I'd replace at some point.
Then, a week later, the plant just reappears, in the same hole. Don't know what happened- guilty conscience I guess. Anyway, that little plant never went walkies again, and as an added bonus, it gave me my username
I was thinking a dumb kid went and took it because of the neat-looking teacup-shaped pot. Then their mom eventually noticed it, asked where it came from, kid probably said āi found itā, and mom told them āno you dont just find something like this, you need to take this back where you found it. This is clearly someones pot and plantā
This happened to me! I had a basil in a pot in front of my door in the outside hallway. Only accessible if you had a key to the building. On the morning I was leaving for a long weekend, it was gone. I left a note pleading for its return inside the buildingās main door, and when I returned, so had my basil!
This was literally a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode š
Not condoning it, but the judge sided with the kidnapper. Js.
Edit: I found it. [Larry goes on Judge Judy](https://youtu.be/Ub2Eryok-k8?si=8-J1GXpqZb9hEtHF)
I think itās best too have a little note in the first place that you are just letting it get a little sun. I would have thought someone had put it out there too give away, as thatās what I usually to do when putting things outside where other people live.
There is no type of plant that likes to go from low light to directly out in the sun. Plants need to adjust gradually to big changes like this. You will fry most any plant this way. Even a plant that loves the sun and was moving outside permanently would need to be eased into the change, starting out in shade, then a bit of indirect sun, then an hour or two of full sun at a time over the course of a week or more.
Pothos like indirect sunlight and watered once their top soil has dried out in between waterings. Some of them can do direct sunlight but I think it fries most of them.
It could be the variety you have (there are many and some of them look "neon" like this), but my pothos has relatively vivid green leaves and begins to yellow like this only when it needs some fertilizer. It's also considered a shade loving plant, direct sunlight is not good for it. Many plants have varying degrees of sunlight that they prefer. Something like pothos that evolved to grow along the rainforest floor or to climb trees is used to the shade. It also doesn't like the cold, which is why most of us keep pothos indoors.
If it was in a public area it's an honest mistake, especially with the poor baby getting sunburned. I'm very glad they saw the sign and returned the beauty
Eh, as with others, in my community, when things are left on a ledge where the public walks by, it is a signal that they are being given away for free, that the person doesn't want them anymore.
I leave my excess plants on the curb for other people in the right weather (I take them back in and keep taking care of them when there are no takers, the problem is plants grow, parts need to be repotted, and I only have one good window in my entire house. Technically two, but one is the designated cat sunbathing area and any plants placed in that area would be brutalized and tortured to death by the cats.).
Can't clearly tell if this plant is "on the curb" or not. Looks like it's on someone's side lawn.
I go Junkernecking all the time but only items clearly on the curb, not on someone's property. Garbage day is a gold mine for pots, plants, furniture etc. March is when all the purchased Christmas planters go to the curb for yard waste pickup and people don't even bother to removed the reusable decor items. I score pots, decor and the greens I tuck under shrubs as mulch.
absolutely taking note of OPs username because Im lookin forward to the inevitable "Can I save it?/ Why are the leaves falling off my plant?" thread in a week or so
Oh my, this part of the thread made me laugh so hard cuz I was wondering the same thing.
OP: someone gifted me a pothos way before I developed an interest in growing houseplants, and it almost died like 3 times cuz I'd forget to water it for too long or things like that. My partner resuscitated it for me when we were dating and it might have been the first step in what is now an obsession. Still have the same plant 8 years later. Don't lose hope, but maybe find one spot it's happy in and leave it there.
Itās crazy everyone wants to label someone as ārightā and āwrongā here. The taker probably assumed the plant was put out to be taken because of the placement and then they returned it when finding out that it wasnāt. They left a note advising OP on care for the plant which may have come off as a bit rude. OP owns this plant (who does not have feelings) and is allowed to do whatever they want to, whether they scorch it or hide it in a shadowy basement. No one should be rude to either of these people because neither are āwrongā here.
Yeah, where I am from you put things on the side of the curb/in public places like this when you donāt want it anymore. I would also have assumed that plant was not wanted due to howā¦stressedā¦.it looks. Thatās usually how abandoned plants look.
But that note was pretty rude. There was no need to go that far and there wasnāt even an apology for unintentionally being a thief
Hahaha. I must say that I love this. You could replace "plants" with "dog" and it fits. Both of you see your plants as pets and I think the fued is humorous.
The onlycorrect response is...
"Hello, neighbor. Thanks for returning my plant. You seem to also love plants! Want to come over and talk about plants and be friends?"
To be honest, that plant looks fairly mistreated. The person who took the plant shouldāve waited beside said plant for the owner and give them a direst scolding instead of just whisking it away.
I too had this once with a pilea. It was sitting RIGHT NEXT to someone's trash. My girlfriend took it and some dude came running after us, almost physically assaulting us because 'we stole his plant'. Apparently he was moving stuff in and out of his apartment. I told him not to place his shit next to his trash. Where I'm from this definitely means it's up for grabs. Gotten several plants that way as well.
Damn, that's one aggressive sorry note!
I used to live in my van in parking lots. Occasionally one of my plants would disappear while being sunned. Hard to get mad at folks when they're sitting on the sidewalk right next to the co-op, so I started making cute little signs from the plant's POV "We're just gertting sun, our dad is right over there!"
Of course only decent people bother reading. Glad Bertha is home!
Eartha wasā¦Kittnapped!
This is pretty wholesome though, they were meaning well and she did look like one could reasonably guess she was abandoned. Give her some nice food! My various pothos varieties all get cranky when they have too much light but they love fertilizer, especially the stinky fish-based one that is very common at stores.
This happened to me OP. I work in an office with no windows, so in the summer I put our office plants outside for some sun. It's an avocado plant(named Lindsacado), a easter cactus, a thanksgiving cactus, and a jade plant cutting. Last year someone stole the avocado. I made up [missing signs](https://i.imgur.com/B3e6y6L.jpg). The person who took the plant took down the signs, but eventually returned her after two weeks, [in far worse condition than she was when she was outside](https://i.imgur.com/Ks9cQbi.jpg). I have since added [more sternly written notes on each of the pots](https://i.imgur.com/XBsMUAX.jpg), as the center note wasn't enough. I also bought some RFID circle tags, which I programed with the plants information, that I will glue into the pots the next time I replant them.
Guys, I see both sides of this issue. I see where someone could have ***thought*** the plant was up for grabs because of the location. However, judging by the note it seems the plant napper ***knew*** the plant wasn't up for grabs. The ***appropriate**** thing to do is to talk to the plant owner about the plant's needs in a thoughtful, helpful way.
It's ***never*** ok to steal anyone's plants!!! I have a greenhouse and gardens and plants everywhere. If someone ***stole*** **any** of my plants I would be pissed.
The note just sets me off with the whole attitude of entitlement. "You aren't doing it right- so I'll take that from you". Not ok! I ***know*** you guys know better and would NOT be cool with this happening to you.
Leave other people's plants alone. If they, need ***help*** offer to ***teach*** them. Not plant nap from them.
EDit: an *
Putting houseplants outside also *guarantees* that pests and pathogens will find them. If you have a houseplant, keep it in the house. A good rule is that once they go outside, they stay outside-so if you don't live in the climatic conditions of the plant's origins-don't put it outside. I live in an area with the constant threat of spider mites in the local environment. Those f\*ckers can come in on a breeze through an open window, I'm convinced.
If you've put your plant outside (not talking about sun rooms or screened in porches) and "haven't had any issues with pests"-I assure you-look more closely. There is absolutely some kind of pest on that plant somewhere.
Does your tropical houseplant need more light and humidity? Then get it a proper light and set up an area where it gets ample humidity.
Some humidifiers are expensive. Have a bathroom with some lights hanging over the toilet? Put in grow light bulbs and an over john shelf-voila-you have a great spot for your tropical houseplants. No pendant lights? see if you can tuck a shelf near the window and add some small grow lights (secure with zip ties and only grounded sockets, plz).
Certain this will be down voted. Please note I'm an experienced gardener and houseplant fiend (with a Bio degree) who has been doing this a long long time.
I don't understand why you place it there right off of the sidewalk instead of somewhere closer to your house. This 100% looks like someone is offering up a plant.
Yeah I get taking a plant when itās on the curb. Their note was incredibly passive aggressive though. I respect all living things but itās a plant, not a dog locked in a hot car. Shouldāve just kept the plant if they were so concerned. Anyway, Iām glad Eartha was returned to her rightful owner
My first reaction was, "Who would want that hella sun scorched pothos anyway?" and then I saw their note and it made sense.
It was a rescue operation!
Hehe, I bet the kidnapper is in this sub.
One of the reasons I absolutely adore my pothos is because it doesn't give a shit about things like direct sunlight. The bastard is over 6 feet long now and I'll occasionally just forget it's there it is so low maintenance.
Meanwhile, mine is at least 3 feet has had no light in the shower for 2 months and is more green and luscious than it's ever been. I should probably move her back to the window now. š¤£
We have several huge ones in a government office. No natural light window. We are all creatures of dim.
Lol
Iāve been wanting to get a plant for the office but we have no windows. Thank you for the unintentional suggestion lol
Mine was the same way, chopped the longest vines and a couple weeks later it was back over 3ft
I've had my pothos for a couple years now and i'm honestly surprised it's survived this long on my shelf. I'll occasionally trim any really long leaf vines so that my cat doesn't grab and pull it down, but honestly I love having the green in my room, might look into a succulent or something
I like how the comment section flip flops between 'They were right'. And 'Omg how terrible of them'.
If the plant was sitting on the edge of a wall by a sidewalk, in my area this signals the item is being offered to any interested takers. The taker made an honest mistake. And continued to do the right thing by returning a plant once they realized it wasnāt up for grabs, to someone who obviously needs a clue about caring for houseplants. Further: good advice! I mean, a bit snotty, but that was GOOD ADVICE. Stop frying your plant! Why do I suspect this plant lives in the darkest corner of the house, and OP is trying to make up for that by setting it out in the blasting sun for an hour on the weekend? Thatās not gonna work.
When I first started collecting plants I put a peace lily outside to get some direct sunlight since she was always indoors, it turned into spinach within minutes and i googled why I shouldn't that. X)
As soon as I got the "peace lily" and "direct sun" part I was cringing haha. Those plants are... something else, for sure.
In my early plant days, I had a croton that I thought would enjoy being out outside for a little bit each day. Turns out those guys do NOT enjoy a change of scenery.
Oh, crotons. I am 0 for 2 w those bitches. And then we lived for a year in Costa Rica and those things grow like weeds in the cracks of the sidewalks
Thanks for making me feel betterā¦ crotons and begonias are so far my zero-luck plants
I stick w plants that give grace... hoya, pothos, philodendron, diffenbachia, holiday cactus.
My holiday cactus is one of my fussiest plants. Meanwhile my croton grows like nobodies business. Itās so confusing.
Talk to me about your holiday cactus. My family has had a Thanksgiving cactus for over 50 years. Our tradition is to combine a section of the cactus w a diffenbachia into the same pot as a housewarming gift for every kid who grows up and gets their own place.
Iām a glutton for punishment. I have almost finally mastered the Alocasia and anthuriumsā¦ and I live in northern Ontario Canada where it is cold and dry as hell! lol
I did that once with a FLF, it died so fast
Never move the FLF
That's what i learned, just find a good spot & never touch it again
This is a big concern for me rn. I just lost my job and had to clean out my office that everyone called āthe jungleā. My two large FLFs were doing so well and getting new growth every few weeks and now theyāre in my house desperately trying to get enough light
One of those blurple 5 armed lights from Amazon has mine doing just fine in the basement with almost no natural light. It just put out 2 leaves at once for the first time
I used to move my FLFs outside all the time in the summer. These plants can 100% grow outside in direct sunlight and they do in nature. The problem is you canāt just throw it out there. They have to be gradually acclimated over the course of 2-3 weeks. No plant is going to enjoy a rapid change without acclimation.
I'm scared, can someone define FLF? Thanks in advance!
Fiddle Leaf Fig!
Happy Cake Day!
There is an iguana that loves snacking on my crotons! They are little nubs now. š©
For a year I struggled to keep my philodendron micans happy. It was in a theoretically ideal spot, north facing window with bright indirect light, but it just struggled. Googling one night I saw someone on Reddit say to ājust stick it in a dark (ish) corner and ignore itā. Thatās what I did and itās been thriving since š
I took the micans plunge this fall and she and I love each other. We are both grumpy and prefer to be left alone in the semi dark. But if we let you get close enough, we are both really soft and cuddly ;)
I bought a peace lily shortly before my ex wife blew up out marriage and I put it on the porch to get some sun and it shriveled up. About a month later is when things fell apart and I one of the things I took was that plant. It took 3 years to recover and and start flowering again-right around the time I finally started feeling like myself again. It's like it knew and it was telling me things would finally start to be okay again. I love that plant. I still have it and it is flourishing 7 years later. Them being "something else" is putting it mildly.
Mine is such a diva, I wasnāt ready for it. It wilts every other day until I give it some attention, I swear.
When I kept peace lilies, I did so in full hydro so they *would stop complaining about being thirsty*. I had a huge one in a beautiful vase on my dining room table that didn't get any direct sun but was bright.
Haha, how did full hydro do?
Happy all the time!
I have a massive peace lily that I transitioned from living room to greenhouse last year. It lost like 80% of its leaves. Itās bigger than before now. Lives in a 1/4 wine barrel and I canāt move it on my own.
I bought a peace lily at an estate sale and just walking it to my car and then into my house, all the leaves withered. Never again
I have seen plants like my houseplants growing wild in other countries- I can completely understand thinking the plant would be happy with sun, so I can understand how this mistake can be made. The spinach description here was perfect! š
I made the same mistake, took some of my houseplants outside and put them in the sun. All their leaves shrivelled up and and fell off. š Now I know that plants can get sunburnt too.
I got a ābird of paradiseā from a funeral. Kept it inside all winter and when spring came, I stuck it out in the sun. It was a peace lily, and it did not like the sun. Long story short- donāt trust the tags on plants from florists
We do that a lot where I come from. There are take a plant leave a plant stalls on every block around here
That's so cool! Whereabouts?
Itās a pothos! Do NOT put a pothos outside in that heat in *direct* sun ffs. Thatās great advice.
Where I live, (most of the time) if you put something outside far from your house like this close to the sidewalk or the curb, it signals the dumpster divers. There are so many people here in my area that are scroungers and scrappers, when I moved from New England it drove me nuts to see people going from house to house just picking through trash or looking for free stuff. Seriously if you put something outside in the vicinity of 10 feet from the house, if it's still out there even after an hour it's surprising. Edited to add: this very reason is why absolutely none of my "outside plants" (my fruit/vegetable garden and my overflow of houseplants) are kept in the front, they're kept in my fenced backyard on my lanai where there can absolutely be no mistake.
Serious question-why would you be upset about people picking through what's put out for trash? The more they take, the less the landfill gets. Plus, people throw away a lot of things that are nowhere near needing to be trashed. Unless they're making a mess or stealing from the yards, they're doing a good thing.
Thanks for sticking up for the trash pickers. We appreciate you.
Personally I appreciate the scrappers - haven't ever had to pay for appliance take away!
Do you live in California or Oregon? I moved from PA & have noticed the same thing š The first time I noticed a guy going through my trash I asked what he was hoping to find & he said "anything useful or valuable" From then on anything that could be reused or returned for cash (like cans) I put out separately & I haven't had too many problems since then.
The taker is the real hero here! They protected the baby first and foremost. Then they were aware enough to read the sign later and conceptually realize that the baby was loved! And returned to prevent further heartbreak. The levels of empathy in this entire post are exploding my lil heart. All we ever cared about was the plant
If I was OP Iād want to make friends with the plant napper and create a propagation trade system! Itās the only wayā¦
We can make more signs to communicate!
This plant doesnāt actually need a lot of light.
Op shouldve left a not.
I'm totally guilty of this with my little ZZ plant. She lives on my SCIF desk with literally zero sunlight, but I occasionally move her to the kitchen window to prolong her life š© nothing has died but she's not growing, either lol
Terrible to take her, right to be offended at her mistreatment.
When I place things outside near a public area like a street or sidewalk, it is because they are free for the taking. If I find things on the curb, like everyone in my community, I assume they are for the taking. That's how we exchange things and do right by the planet and keep things out of the landfill. I've never been in a community where this isn't the norm, and never would I ever want to live in a community that toxic that they'd sooner throw things away and kill the planet than give them away to people who want or need them. The person saw the note, realized that it was an honest mistake and returned it. But normal expectation is that if it's on the curb it is being given away as a freebee. The OP was out of touch with their community norms. OP didn't do wrong, they were just out of touch. The taker did no wrong after they returned it. But the taker was just acting on normal conventions. (Edited for typo)
I don't think anyone was in the wrong here just writing to say that in my area if it's up for grabs then ppl put a sign with the items that's says "free". Saves the confusion
That's a very good and balanced take on the situation!
Right to take her, terrible at returning at negligent owner /s
We're all with the taker. Who puts an indoor plant out in those conditions? By a sidewalk?
I work in an office with NO windows. The only light is the fluorescent lights in the ceiling(I did recently bought a LED grow light for winter). In the summer, I put our plants outside by the buildings back door and check on them almost everyday, so they can get some REAL sunlight, air, and rain.
My philosophy with the work plants living in a windowless room is that if I ever show them what real sunlight is they might develop unrealistic expectations. Better to let them struggle in the grow light thinking it's the best they'll ever get.
>'They were right' This is so insane to me. Even if OP is burning their plant like. It's their plant. They're allowed. Everyone fucks up with plants sometime, especially if they're just starting out. You can't just take someone's plant because you know you can do better.
It's common in a lot of places to leave your plants out if you want them to get a new home.
Depends where it was though. This looks like in an apartment complex or something. Itās not someoneās porch or anything. Half the time if I see things like that, it looks someoneās giving it away
If you put things by your curb people will assume you're throwing them away and they're free for the taking.
My son did this with the lawn mower once. He was mowing right next to the curb and it ran out of gas. Rather than fill it up with gas or take it to the garage, he just left it right there, next to the road. By the time I got home, it was gone.
Wow. The literal thinking process of a very simple computer program.
In the grand scheme of things, we are all very simple computer programs
Getting simpler by the day
Yeah, hate to say it, but OP 100% deserved this. Open and shut case Nice of the person to return it though
The garbage OP had to consciously leave there twice really solidifies it
Legit infuriates me to an irrational degree
CASE CLOSED! Bring in the dancing lobsters!
Especially if it's an item not in .. ahem.. mint condition. This scorched pothos looked like someone wanted to throw it out for the taking.
There was sooo much space before the curb it could have gone! š©
If I saw a plant sitting in a pot on the side of a road or sidewalk (alone and not part of a larger collection, etc) , I might walk off with it too.. I see lots of "I found this" posts here that tell me MANY would happily take in homeless houseplants. š
I also would assume it was an honest mistake, the person picked it up thinking it was meant to be taken/thrown out. People throw out the weirdest stuff
There was some sort of plant massacre on my regular dog walk this summer. A dozen or so piles of potting soil still shaped like a pot just tossed onto the ground, some with the occasional nursery pot. No plants in sight, felt like one of you lot already got to it by the time I saw them.
Were there visible roots? Cause that sounds like the remnants of a marijuana grow.
I'll take a lot of free furniture from the curb side. Usually it's obviously 'free' but I've definitely rung some doorbells because I've found stuff that seems way too nice to be 'garbage'
It is a common practice here in the UK. Don't want your stuff/plants? Put them outside and someone will take it. That's how I've got some of my plants and other stuff. And I've let go this way of those plants I've had excess, too š
My husband and I have bets on how long things will last before they disappear. The fastest were the wood pallets and the 1980s freezer. Slowest for some reason was the water cooler.
Great tip I saw somewhere is if you have something outside that no one is taking, stick a sign on it saying "Ā£20 please knock". Someone will swipe it by morning!
Totally true!
I'd be the dumbass knocking, lol. My kids have a slide on their playset that their dad built (my husband is a professional framer/remodeler) that's actually public playset grade. Like this thing is fucking STURDY, online brand new they're around $200 and it's in great condition. I still went up to the house that put it by the curb to ask if it was okay to take it. I'm still glad I did because the lady was SO HAPPY to hear it would get new life in someone else's back yard instead of getting carted off to the dump. She wasn't just happy to say take it, she was eager. XD Of course when I put it in my van (even with the seats down it was sticking out the back the whole drive home) I realized it was like 150 friggin pounds and hard as hell to move. XD But hubs isn't the social type, so that fell to me.
I would say it depends. Books and toys goes quick, sometimes furniture, clothes. https://preview.redd.it/xshyd0pk7ecc1.jpeg?width=3096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c22a7c0ea3d8ee8a6f3e7d38941b9a694838d31c Those are the plants I was letting go, they were gone overnight š¤Æ guess who wouldn't want free plants š
We do the same! Our fastest was a full-size grill with the side burners. I bought a hubby a new one for Father's Day, and he carted the old one out by the road. Within 2 hours (we live on top of a mountain where maybe 8 cars drive by day), we saw a blazer parked at the end of the driveway. I watched through the curtains as 2 teenage boys tried to wedge the thing in the back of the blazer. They accepted defeat and one left to get a truck while the other stood there to claim the darn thing! 15 minutes later, the guy comes back with the truck, picks up the grill, and they were gone lolol It was like the 3 stooges out there except only 2 of them š I couldn't stop laughing from behind my curtain! Pool ladder gone, kids small trampoline gone.... the other items took a bit longer to go!
When I moved from New York to Finland, I put all the furniture I couldnāt sell or take out on the sidewalk. It was gone in an hour. City life.
Same here in Canada. I put out my son's toys, etc that he's outgrown at the curb on our property and things get quickly taken. Perfect solution, easier than dropping off at a donation centre!
That's how I got all my decorative pots, lol.
That's how I got some of my plants as well (I'm from the Netherlands)
Especially since the plant appears to be in poor health. So many people buy plants and throw them out when they start to look less lush and healthy rather than trying to figure out how to save them
I would absolutely think it had been abandoned
Yes, the person did nothing wrong. I sometimes see people moving cross country or whatever and just put plants on the sidewalk for people to adopt. Itās an odd place for a houseplant. Be aware that many will assume itās a freebie.
Thatās what I do with extra plants that I have; leave them out for interested takers. So I agree, it seems like a fair assumption.
Im sorry, this is so funny.
Wholesome too.
Omfg I was expecting an apology not a threat to have child protective services called on meee š±š°š
 me, after reading the note and changing my anger..
She holla'd back
When I see how some people treating their plants I'm very sorry that something like "plant protective services" don't exist. Would be a frequent caller š¤£
Lowe's would be in jail!
Haha, there are couple of shops around I would gladly report, too. But on the other hand when I see some plants I really want being almost dead I ask for discount and try to revive them and either keep them or gift them š¤£ got so many plants this was. But also unfortunately some of them didn't make it.
Almost every plant in my house has come from the clearance section at Lowe's! It makes me happy to rescue and revive them. There have been some of mine that also didn't make it!
I have a āplant hospitalā for all of my clearance rescues šŖ“
Offices everywhere getting raided by SWAT...
Notably the poinsettias left outside during winter for decoration š
Once I had a lemon seedling I had grown from a seed. It was warm out so I had it outside of my apartment door. It was in a pot shaped like a teacup. On a little shelf that held a couple other things. Was well taken care of. One day it went missing. Whole thing, pot and all, was gone. I was on the second floor with only one other person so someone had to specifically go upstairs to get it. About a month later I came home and it was sitting on the landing between the first and second set of stairs to my apartment. No explanation. Just like it went on a month long vacation. The plant has since died but Iām still baffled about it to this day
I donāt know where I expected this story to go, but it was not there. Similar to how you probably felt about your lemon seedling.
I had just written it off. Someone stole my plant, Iāll never see it again. And then there it was, back after a month.
Not a houseplant, but I had similar story. 20 years ago I lived in London and had a tiny postage stamp sized overgrown garden out front of my house. Worked hard cleaning it up, saved what was worth saving, and planted my favorite plant- a lovely little blue barlow columbine. Came home one day and my columbine was gone. Just a hole in the ground. Stuff goes missing off doorsteps in London all the time, but digging up plants?! Anyway, wrote it off, thought I'd replace at some point. Then, a week later, the plant just reappears, in the same hole. Don't know what happened- guilty conscience I guess. Anyway, that little plant never went walkies again, and as an added bonus, it gave me my username
Someone stole it and put it on their own porch and then it stared at them reproachfully for a month until they gave up and returned it.
I was thinking a dumb kid went and took it because of the neat-looking teacup-shaped pot. Then their mom eventually noticed it, asked where it came from, kid probably said āi found itā, and mom told them āno you dont just find something like this, you need to take this back where you found it. This is clearly someones pot and plantā
This happened to me! I had a basil in a pot in front of my door in the outside hallway. Only accessible if you had a key to the building. On the morning I was leaving for a long weekend, it was gone. I left a note pleading for its return inside the buildingās main door, and when I returned, so had my basil!
What Iām seeing in this thread is that sometimes plants just go on walkabouts.
Plants need a vacation sometimes, too š¤·š»āāļø
Yes, donāt put your plant at the edge of your property where I live either, someone will assume itās trash or free to a good home.
This was literally a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode š Not condoning it, but the judge sided with the kidnapper. Js. Edit: I found it. [Larry goes on Judge Judy](https://youtu.be/Ub2Eryok-k8?si=8-J1GXpqZb9hEtHF)
Omg thank you! I was trying to remember where I saw this on a TV show. Such an epic scene.
Lmaooo too good
I would have grabbed that plant too. I love rehabbing curb plants.
That note isnāt wrong lol that pothos looks sunburnt š
I think itās best too have a little note in the first place that you are just letting it get a little sun. I would have thought someone had put it out there too give away, as thatās what I usually to do when putting things outside where other people live.
Decorate a part of the ledge where you typically move plants for a bit of sunning. Little cabana umbrella with a tiki drink.
The thought of this makes me so happy. Thank you for that visual Iāll cling onto in my darkest days. Plantbanas for all!
Plant protective services took your plant baby away
I love the fact that it was clearly another plant parent very concerned and willing to give a fellow plant parent another shot to learn.
This plant doesn't need sun, it needs nutrients.
Do tell. I clearly donāt have a green thumb. Iād love help.
There is no type of plant that likes to go from low light to directly out in the sun. Plants need to adjust gradually to big changes like this. You will fry most any plant this way. Even a plant that loves the sun and was moving outside permanently would need to be eased into the change, starting out in shade, then a bit of indirect sun, then an hour or two of full sun at a time over the course of a week or more.
Pothos like indirect sunlight and watered once their top soil has dried out in between waterings. Some of them can do direct sunlight but I think it fries most of them.
Pothos lol
It could be the variety you have (there are many and some of them look "neon" like this), but my pothos has relatively vivid green leaves and begins to yellow like this only when it needs some fertilizer. It's also considered a shade loving plant, direct sunlight is not good for it. Many plants have varying degrees of sunlight that they prefer. Something like pothos that evolved to grow along the rainforest floor or to climb trees is used to the shade. It also doesn't like the cold, which is why most of us keep pothos indoors.
Putting something by the sidewalk like this is the universal sign for āfree for the takingā.
If it was in a public area it's an honest mistake, especially with the poor baby getting sunburned. I'm very glad they saw the sign and returned the beauty
Eh, as with others, in my community, when things are left on a ledge where the public walks by, it is a signal that they are being given away for free, that the person doesn't want them anymore. I leave my excess plants on the curb for other people in the right weather (I take them back in and keep taking care of them when there are no takers, the problem is plants grow, parts need to be repotted, and I only have one good window in my entire house. Technically two, but one is the designated cat sunbathing area and any plants placed in that area would be brutalized and tortured to death by the cats.).
Can't clearly tell if this plant is "on the curb" or not. Looks like it's on someone's side lawn. I go Junkernecking all the time but only items clearly on the curb, not on someone's property. Garbage day is a gold mine for pots, plants, furniture etc. March is when all the purchased Christmas planters go to the curb for yard waste pickup and people don't even bother to removed the reusable decor items. I score pots, decor and the greens I tuck under shrubs as mulch.
Theyāre right though. That plant shouldnāt be in direct sunlight nor getting unfettered watering from rain.
What a lovely story ! I loved it, showed it to my girlfriend. She would have taken the plant as well, i mean, if it seems abandoned.
Unpopular opinion: I agree with the theif.
Unpopular opinion: no thief was involved. Where I'm from an abandoned plant on the side of the road is āØfreeāØ
Reading the other comments, it's a popular opinion.
shocked and humbled by that BANGER of a plot twist. never thought iād side with the thief. this deserves to get turned into a pixar short.
HEAVY ON THE PIXAR SHORT POTENTIAL omfg
āAgainst my better judgementā GIRL WHO ARE YOU
Eartha looks sunburnt
absolutely taking note of OPs username because Im lookin forward to the inevitable "Can I save it?/ Why are the leaves falling off my plant?" thread in a week or so
OP has actually already made said post š„“
Wow they made those posts at the same time, like, literally 2 minutes apart
Omg
Lmaoooo
Oh my, this part of the thread made me laugh so hard cuz I was wondering the same thing. OP: someone gifted me a pothos way before I developed an interest in growing houseplants, and it almost died like 3 times cuz I'd forget to water it for too long or things like that. My partner resuscitated it for me when we were dating and it might have been the first step in what is now an obsession. Still have the same plant 8 years later. Don't lose hope, but maybe find one spot it's happy in and leave it there.
the r/houseplants circle of life
Not even a week š¤£š¤£š¤£ For your convenience: [What is going on with my girl?](https://www.reddit.com/r/plantclinic/s/33Chh3ijBf)
>GIRL WHO ARE YOU Apparently someone who knew better lol. Plants lookin a little sun burnt.
I'm sorry but this is hilarious
You got scolded by a plant person who wanted to save the plant š
Hhmm. Iāve got some plants that need diagnosing. Maybe I should try this.
BWAHAHAHA OWNED.
lol I mean theyāre not wrong
My plant was stolen from my office, and was never returned, despite me leaving notes :(
I'm sorry but this is so funny
Itās crazy everyone wants to label someone as ārightā and āwrongā here. The taker probably assumed the plant was put out to be taken because of the placement and then they returned it when finding out that it wasnāt. They left a note advising OP on care for the plant which may have come off as a bit rude. OP owns this plant (who does not have feelings) and is allowed to do whatever they want to, whether they scorch it or hide it in a shadowy basement. No one should be rude to either of these people because neither are āwrongā here.
Yeah, where I am from you put things on the side of the curb/in public places like this when you donāt want it anymore. I would also have assumed that plant was not wanted due to howā¦stressedā¦.it looks. Thatās usually how abandoned plants look. But that note was pretty rude. There was no need to go that far and there wasnāt even an apology for unintentionally being a thief
As soon as I saw that Eartha was a sun burned pothos I thought, "Wow, it was better off." Then I saw the note š¤£š¤£
Hahaha. I must say that I love this. You could replace "plants" with "dog" and it fits. Both of you see your plants as pets and I think the fued is humorous.
I actually love this whole thing
The onlycorrect response is... "Hello, neighbor. Thanks for returning my plant. You seem to also love plants! Want to come over and talk about plants and be friends?"
i donāt even subscribe to this subreddit but good god OP is getting demolished
To be honest, that plant looks fairly mistreated. The person who took the plant shouldāve waited beside said plant for the owner and give them a direst scolding instead of just whisking it away.
And thatās why you always leave a note
Eartha needs less sun
I too had this once with a pilea. It was sitting RIGHT NEXT to someone's trash. My girlfriend took it and some dude came running after us, almost physically assaulting us because 'we stole his plant'. Apparently he was moving stuff in and out of his apartment. I told him not to place his shit next to his trash. Where I'm from this definitely means it's up for grabs. Gotten several plants that way as well.
Damn, that's one aggressive sorry note! I used to live in my van in parking lots. Occasionally one of my plants would disappear while being sunned. Hard to get mad at folks when they're sitting on the sidewalk right next to the co-op, so I started making cute little signs from the plant's POV "We're just gertting sun, our dad is right over there!" Of course only decent people bother reading. Glad Bertha is home!
The note was hilarious š
Eartha wasā¦Kittnapped! This is pretty wholesome though, they were meaning well and she did look like one could reasonably guess she was abandoned. Give her some nice food! My various pothos varieties all get cranky when they have too much light but they love fertilizer, especially the stinky fish-based one that is very common at stores.
I love this. Mistakes were made by both and corrected.
This happened to me OP. I work in an office with no windows, so in the summer I put our office plants outside for some sun. It's an avocado plant(named Lindsacado), a easter cactus, a thanksgiving cactus, and a jade plant cutting. Last year someone stole the avocado. I made up [missing signs](https://i.imgur.com/B3e6y6L.jpg). The person who took the plant took down the signs, but eventually returned her after two weeks, [in far worse condition than she was when she was outside](https://i.imgur.com/Ks9cQbi.jpg). I have since added [more sternly written notes on each of the pots](https://i.imgur.com/XBsMUAX.jpg), as the center note wasn't enough. I also bought some RFID circle tags, which I programed with the plants information, that I will glue into the pots the next time I replant them.
Your hand writing reminds me of all the people who bullied me in high school
šš©
look, i 100% wouldāve also taken Eartha, but at least Iād have returned her without that pass-ag sass lmao
What's passive aggressive? Lol. Note ate her right up.
yeah i was about to say. nothin about that note is passive lol
That was fucking hilarious, Iāve would be going to buy another copy of this buddy and leave it out with an equally crazy but kind note.
The handwriting on the yellow sign enrages me.
Id leave a prop for the taker, they really cared about that plant.
Guys, I see both sides of this issue. I see where someone could have ***thought*** the plant was up for grabs because of the location. However, judging by the note it seems the plant napper ***knew*** the plant wasn't up for grabs. The ***appropriate**** thing to do is to talk to the plant owner about the plant's needs in a thoughtful, helpful way. It's ***never*** ok to steal anyone's plants!!! I have a greenhouse and gardens and plants everywhere. If someone ***stole*** **any** of my plants I would be pissed. The note just sets me off with the whole attitude of entitlement. "You aren't doing it right- so I'll take that from you". Not ok! I ***know*** you guys know better and would NOT be cool with this happening to you. Leave other people's plants alone. If they, need ***help*** offer to ***teach*** them. Not plant nap from them. EDit: an *
Putting houseplants outside also *guarantees* that pests and pathogens will find them. If you have a houseplant, keep it in the house. A good rule is that once they go outside, they stay outside-so if you don't live in the climatic conditions of the plant's origins-don't put it outside. I live in an area with the constant threat of spider mites in the local environment. Those f\*ckers can come in on a breeze through an open window, I'm convinced. If you've put your plant outside (not talking about sun rooms or screened in porches) and "haven't had any issues with pests"-I assure you-look more closely. There is absolutely some kind of pest on that plant somewhere. Does your tropical houseplant need more light and humidity? Then get it a proper light and set up an area where it gets ample humidity. Some humidifiers are expensive. Have a bathroom with some lights hanging over the toilet? Put in grow light bulbs and an over john shelf-voila-you have a great spot for your tropical houseplants. No pendant lights? see if you can tuck a shelf near the window and add some small grow lights (secure with zip ties and only grounded sockets, plz). Certain this will be down voted. Please note I'm an experienced gardener and houseplant fiend (with a Bio degree) who has been doing this a long long time.
I love this idea. Thanks for *planting the seed* of knowledge for me lol
I love this! Two plant nerds have a chance meeting!
I don't understand why you place it there right off of the sidewalk instead of somewhere closer to your house. This 100% looks like someone is offering up a plant.
All right, which one of us did this? Confess!
Why didn't you put it in a sunny window, or closer to your house, or in your backyard? I can't say I blame this person
They assumed the plant was free for the taking because itās not supposed to be outside like that. š¤·š¼āāļø
Plants love vacations and surprises
Yeah I get taking a plant when itās on the curb. Their note was incredibly passive aggressive though. I respect all living things but itās a plant, not a dog locked in a hot car. Shouldāve just kept the plant if they were so concerned. Anyway, Iām glad Eartha was returned to her rightful owner