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Cleveland Plant Doctor

simple plant care for homes and small businesses

11/09/2026

Fungal infections in houseplants are fairly common and often mistaken for root rot or overwatering damage, which means the actual problem can go untreated and possibly spread!!

I see snake plants with fungal infections more than any other plant but a few others that I see and you may want to keep an eye on are fiddle figs, dracaena, jade and peace lilies.

If you notice a spot on your snake plant that looks to be rotting that’s not coming from the base, inspect the affected areas, remove the infected foliage with sanitized snips and treat it with a houseplant fungicide. This usually takes care of the issue quickly.

If you don’t treat it, the infection can take over the whole plant and kill it quite quickly… So as always, regular inspection is super important!

11/08/2026

You might think your plants need less water in winter but that’s not necessarily true. They could easily need more!!

I think one of the biggest winter houseplant care myths is that less sunlight automatically means less watering. But when the heat kicks on and indoor air gets dry, houseplants can actually dry out MUCH FASTER than they do in the summer!

My favorite trick for checking soil moisture is a chopstick! Shove it down into the potting soil like you’re checking if a cake is done. You can see exactly how dry the soil is from top to bottom and water accordingly.

The best winter watering advice I can give you is to check your soil more often, not automatically water less.

Every plant and every home is different. Pay attention to how quickly your soil dries out, and water your houseplants when they actually need it. Don’t fall for lies, you be the judge!!

11/07/2026

I make the mistakes so you don’t have to!

Welcome to my new series where I share all the questionable things I’ve done to my houseplants and what I’ve learned along the way.

Today’s mistake… Leaving my fiddle leaf fig propagation cuttings sitting out for over 24 hours because apparently I was more committed to my plan than I was to what my plants actually needed.

I had pruned my Ficus lyrata with every intention of propagating the cuttings directly in soil. But I got called away, life happened, and instead of adjusting my plan, I let those poor cuttings sit out.

A little drying time to allow the cut ends to callus is recommended, but leaving fiddle leaf fig cuttings exposed for that long risks excessive moisture loss and dehydration.

I should have put them in water! Even if my ultimate goal was soil propagation, I could have placed the cuttings in water temporarily or simply decided to propagate them in water instead.

But no. I had a plan, and apparently we were sticking to it whether the plants liked it or not.

Here’s the lesson!!!!

Successful houseplant propagation isn’t about following a perfect plan. It’s about recognizing what your plants need and being willing to adjust.

And for real, don’t leave your fiddle leaf fig cuttings sitting on the counter for 24 hours.

Nobody is perfect, mistakes happen to everyone - it’s the part about learning and growing from those mistakes that matters!

11/05/2026

My Venus flytrap is spending the winter in my refrigerator!! And since this is my first time overwintering a Venus flytrap, I’m taking you along on my learning journey!!

Unlike most tropical houseplants, Venus flytraps are temperate carnivorous plants that need a period of winter dormancy to stay healthy long term.

I’m trying the refrigerator method for overwintering, which means a little preparation before this plant gets shoved in the fridge for a long winter’s nap.

First, I cleaned up all the dead and dying foliage to help reduce the risk of mold, fungus, and rot. I also discovered a death plug filled with peat moss around the roots, which I wasn’t expecting!

Next, I wrapped the roots in moist long-fiber sphagnum moss. The goal is moisture without saturation. Think of a sponge that’s been soaked and thoroughly wrung out. Damp enough to keep the roots from drying out, but not dripping wet.

Throughout winter, I’ll periodically check on it for mold, rot, and moisture, adding distilled water as needed. Venus flytraps are sensitive to the minerals in most tap water, so distilled, rain, or reverse-osmosis water is the way to go.

I’m keeping mine in a bowl with cellophane but I’ve also seen people use a plastic bag - I just feel my method will have more air flow.

I’ve cared for a whole lot of plants, but this is my first winter dormancy experiment with a Venus flytrap. I’m sharing the process, not pretending I’ve mastered it.

We’ll find out together how this little carnivorous plant does when spring rolls around! As always you’ll find out the results when I do!

11/04/2026

A vining houseplant with no leaves left doesn’t usually mean it’s dying! It just means you have an opportunity to make more plants!

All you need is a node and a little patience.

This plant is a rhaphidophora tetrasperma or mini monstera, and it lost all of its leaves, so I chopped up the vine into individual nodes and decided to see what I could grow.

Keeping the sphagnum moss moist with a lot of light is the key here. I used a grow light for this propagation, but that’s not necessary as long as you have very bright light! This helps the roots to develop AND for the foliage to grow - but don’t be scared of the algae… it’s natural and not a problem at all.

This is a propagation method you can try with lots of plants!! You can experiment with this node propagation with other aroids, including Monstera deliciosa, pothos, and plenty of other vining plants. As long as you have a viable node, there’s an opportunity to grow something new.

Once this little plant gets established, it’ll start producing vines again, giving you even more opportunities to propagate, and then the whole process starts over!

11/03/2026

You don’t need a degree in horticulture, a library of plant books, or a million different fertilizers to have a green thumb.
You need to pay attention to your houseplants, get curious, trust your instincts, be willing to learn as you go and probably kill a few plants.
Honestly, the best plant parents aren’t necessarily the ones who know the most. They’re the ones who have the best relationship with their plants!!
Maybe this isn’t even about pants.

11/02/2026

Well, that’s kind of a lot! So grateful for all of you following along 🫶💚

11/02/2026

Sometimes people think I’m a psychopath because of my plant pruning proclivities… and they aren’t my people.

Pruning in the fall always makes sense… but so does pruning your plants whenever they need it!

There are a million reasons you might need to chop something off your plants and I don’t think you should be scared to go for it.

Removing a bacterial or fungal infection is always a priority - reshaping after a pest infestation is only going to make your plants look better.

Removing dead and dying leaves and branches is an immediate upgrade!

Chopping a plant that is taking over your living space and making it impossible to cohabitate is essential. What, are you gonna do? Charge it rent? You gonna move out and pay its mortgage?

If the sole purpose of pruning is bushy regrowth, hold off… but for countless other reasons - chop chop, buttercup!!

11/01/2026

A vining houseplant with no leaves left doesn’t necessarily mean certain death. Sometimes, all you need is a node and a little patience!
This plant is a rhaphidophora tetrasperma or mini monstera, and it had lost all of its leaves, so I chopped up the vine into individual nodes and decided to see what I could grow.
Keeping the sphagnum moss moist with a lot of light is the key here. This helps the roots to develop AND for the foliage to grow - but don’t be scared of the algae… it’s natural and not a problem at all.
This isn’t just something you can do with a mini monstera!! You can experiment with this type of node propagation with other aroids, including Monstera deliciosa, pothos, and plenty of other vining plants. As long as you have a viable node, there’s an opportunity to grow something new.
Once this little plant gets established, it’ll start producing vines again, giving you even more opportunities to propagate, and then the whole process starts over!

10/31/2026

All four of these can cause serious problems for your houseplants, which is why I always recommend repotting new plants and checking for them as early as possible. Catching and removing these before they become a long-term problem can make a huge difference in your plant’s health and growth.

The death plug is, in my opinion, the worst offender. I see so many plants experience prolonged stunted growth when these are left in place. For whatever reason, plants seem to have a particularly difficult time recovering from the damage they can cause.

The tape on money trees is by far the most common one I come across. Net pots seem to be the least damaging, while foam plugs are less common but can still create significant problems for root development.

Always inspect and repot your new houseplants. Check the roots, remove any restrictive materials, and give your plant a healthy foundation to grow. A little attention when you first bring a plant home can save you a whole lot of trouble down the road.

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