21
My friend's 'plant rescue' turned into a total mess
So my buddy, who just got into plants, found a huge fiddle leaf fig on the curb last month. He was so proud, called it his 'big rescue'. He brought it over to my place because he was moving. The thing was crawling with spider mites, I mean, you could see the webs. I told him he needed to isolate it and treat it right away, but he just sprayed it with some water and said 'nature will balance out'. A week later, three of my own plants, including a really nice monstera I've had for two years, had mites too. I spent my whole weekend wiping down every leaf with insecticidal soap. It was a huge pain. What's the right way to tell a new plant person they brought home a pest bomb without sounding like a jerk?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
fionam112d ago
Oh man, that's the worst! I learned the hard way too, brought home a "bargain" pothos that gave my whole shelf scale insects. Took months to fix. You gotta be straight with him, like how @ruby659 said about landlord honesty. Just say you're not mad, but pests spread crazy fast and next time he needs to check and treat a new plant before it hangs out with others. Maybe offer to help him spot bugs so it feels less like a lecture?
6