Since the last time that Bored Panda wrote about the r/gardening subreddit, the community has grown by over 800k people. We’re incredibly glad to see that. We believe the sub is an incredibly wholesome niche on the internet because it helps people relax, gives them a space to be proud of their achievements, and offers a venue for all of that hard-earned gardening wisdom.

Meanwhile, the rest of the internet (us included) can borrow a bit of inspiration for our own plant projects. We might feel bad that we’ve been unable to take care of Succulent Number 39, but after going on r/gardening, we know not to give up.

In the lull between Bored Panda’s last feature about r/gardening, yours truly has improved a tiny bit. I’ve leveled up my green thumb and, this time around, the Hobbits might even let me back into the Shire!

My Ficus is doing way better than before, and the Zamioculcas I’m taking care of for my friend is flourishing. I’m no master gardener yet (far from it!), but I definitely feel more confident about what I’m doing. One of the first things I do after waking up is to check on my plants. Hopefully, one day, I’ll have my very own garden where I can grow everything that doesn’t mind being under- and over-watered.

One of the moderators helping run the r/gardening subreddit told Bored Panda during an earlier interview that there’s no such thing as a green thumb or a black thumb. “Anybody can grow plants. Just a little bit of attention paid will yield results," they told us.

"I started modding on /r/gardening after I asked the [head] moderator about a post not appearing or something, and he offered me a moderator position," the mod, who wanted to stay anonymous, shared with Bored Panda earlier. Back then, over a decade ago, the sub had roughly 50k members.

The mod explained that the popularity of the online community all comes down to how wholesome the members are. The huge following, according to them, is due to the “good nature of the gardening community that makes people sub and stick around."

"We have, by choice, never been a front-page (default) subreddit, so subs here are not accidental. As mods, we've always had a tough but fair policy on user conduct—like all gardeners have to keep the weeds at bay from time to time."

A while back, Bored Panda had a good long chat about taking care of plants with Kamilė Trakytė, the co-owner of the ‘Kambarinės gėlės’ plant shop. The plant collector and business owner explained to us that the main issue that her customers face is related to overwatering. The vast majority of the time, the problem is just that—people watering their plants way too often.

“People show their love for plants with too much attention and with too much water. Without knowing the subtleties related to the care of particular plants, it’s difficult to know how little water some of them require. People show their love with water, so ironically, they kill their plants with their love,” the plant expert shared with Bored Panda.

“Root rot sets in and it’s hard to save plants that it affects,” she urged people living in colder climates not to give their plants too much water.

“I recommend getting to know each plant you grow. The recommendations to water a plant X times every Y weeks are usually ineffective because they don’t take into account the unique conditions in your home,” she said.

“So don’t spoil houseplants with too much water from the get-go. Usually, a plant tells you what it needs: if the leaves curl up, it wants water; if the plant becomes droopy and there are brown spots on the leaves, you’re giving it too much water,” plant shop owner Kamilė told Bored Panda.

“Potted plants get all of their nutrients from the soil we plant them in. They grow in a very constricted space, unlike in nature, where complex nutritional trades occur between different organisms. Every time you water a house plant, some of the nutrients get ‘rinsed out,’ and used up,” she urged people to not forget to fertilize their plants.

According to the plant expert, all-purpose fertilizers contain the three primary elements that house plants need. These are Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium.

“Each of these nutrients has a different function. You can pick different fertilizers that contain varying proportions of these minerals to obtain different results. For instance, fertilizers with more Nitrogen will make plants bear more leaves. While more Phosphorus means more blossoms. But these considerations are secondary: all-purpose diluted synthetic or organic fertilizers do the job they need to do,” she said.

“If you’re having difficulties taking care of your plants, watching them wither can be a source of stress. Fortunately, in most cases, plants bring us joy. Especially in modern times when we find ourselves further from nature,” Kamilė shared her thoughts about how growing plants affect us. Taking care of plants at home can calm us, reduce our stress levels, and it almost works like a type of mediation that takes our minds off our problems.

“Studies show that it takes around 100 plants in a 10 square meter area to significantly freshen the air there. It’s much easier to improve the air quality in your home by opening up the window. A plant might not freshen your air much, but it will almost definitely bring you joy and calm. And it’ll help you become more disciplined as you take care of it and learn more about it.”