In my search for reliable information about plant care, I’ve found three main sources: Google, Facebook Groups, and YouTube. For me, there are pros and cons to each of them. Here are my top pros and cons:
PROs
- Lots of information
- Great source of different type of information
CONs
- Too much irrelevant information
- Little or no interaction
GROUPS
PROs
- There is a group for everything and everyone
- Ability to interact with others
- Ability to ask questions and get answers quickly
CONs
- It can be hard to find a group that “fits”
- Too many opinions/experts
- Some groups require admin approval for all posts
PROs
- Lots of video information
- Short and long form videos
- Beginner to expert level search results
CONs
- Influencers who are looking for maximum views or viral fame
- Hacks that don’t work or may be bad for your plant
Where I go for information depends a lot on what I need to know and how quickly I need answers.
For Answers to Questions
When I need to know something quickly, I head straight to my Facebook Groups. These groups can cover a broad range of topics, or focus on a single plant species. One sure thing to know about Facebook Groups is that you will get answers, lots of answers. Some answers will be the right answer and some will not. Some answers can even kill your plant. This is the blessing and curse of these groups. For this reason, smaller groups can be better and evoke more of a sense of community. However, it can take longer to get answers in a smaller group. That being said, larger groups often require a group administrator to approve all new posts. This can also add to the amount of time it takes to get an answer to a question.
For Topical Information and Simply Chilling
Sometimes I am simply looking for basic information or I just want to watch a good plant video. Of course, that’s when I head to YouTube. There, you can search by topic and find just about anything you need to find. Over the last couple of years, I’ve found a few plant content providers that I really enjoy. I have also found that I don’t particularly enjoy watching influencers. In my opinion, there is a difference between a content provider and an influencer. I see content providers are sincerely interested in sharing good, solid information. On the other hand, influencers are more intent on how things look and getting views. A content provider knows their subject and their opinions come from careful research. An influencer may not fully understand what their topic, but they can tell you how to style your plants. There are merits to both Whatever your taste may be, you can find what you are looking for on YouTube.
For A Deep Dive
For in-depth plant research, your favorite search engine will offer more than you can ever read. There are scientific papers on water purification, types of fertilizers, growing methods and on and on. You can also find instructions and warnings for plant supplements you’d like to try. For me, I’m more into information in small bites. That’s why I prefer my Facebook Groups and YouTube.
What to Watch Out For
Regardless of where you look for answers to your questions, there are some things to watch out for.
The first thing that comes to mind is old, possibly outdated information. For example, I saw a three year old video where the content provider used a specific method for potting Alocasias. For a few months, these plants grew and appeared to be thriving. Fast forward a few more months and the plants were dropping leaves, yellowing and in distress. After months of swearing by this method, the content provider moved them back to a more traditional setup. I am still seeing people who proudly show their Alocasias potted using the content provider’s outdated method.
Beware of information that works for one genus of plant but not another. I have made that mistake, not once, but twice. I grow my phalaenopsis orchids in water culture, and have had very good luck doing so. My mistake came when I tried the same method on a vanda orchid. It absolutely did not work and nine months later, my vanda died.
The second mistake I made occurred after seeing a respected plant content provider re-potting a monstera into a self-watering pot. They wound the wick up through the substrate to draw more water to the roots. (I just saw another content provider showing this method today.) That made sense to me, so that’s how I did the wicks on my alocasias. The problem didn’t show up for a couple of months when my plant developed yellow spots, edges and edema. is that alocasias are prone to root rot and monsteras are not. I lost my alocasia dragon scale because the pon around it’s roots was too wet.
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