Keeping it alive, honestly

Bright light, 4–6 hours a day. A windowsill or a spot right beside one. In a windowless office it will stretch pale and leggy within a month — rotate it home or give it a desk lamp for a few hours a day.

Every 10–14 days indoors, less in a rainy week. Soak until water runs out, then let the soil go completely dry before the next drink. Malaysian humidity means they need water far less often than the internet says.

Overwatering. Stop watering, move it somewhere airier and brighter, and pull off the mushy leaves so rot does not spread. If the stem is still firm, it will recover.

It just means you water by volume, not by soak: a capful or two down the side of the pot, and never let water pool at the base. Tip the pot gently after watering to check.

Bright indirect light — a metre or two back from a window, or behind a sheer curtain. Direct afternoon sun through glass scorches pale patches into the leaves.

Once a week, when the top 3–4 cm of soil is dry. Water until it drains, then empty the saucer. It sulks in soggy soil more than in a dry spell.

Young leaves start solid; splits arrive with maturity and light. More light and a moss pole to climb will bring the fenestrations sooner.

Dry air or salt build-up from tap water. Wipe the leaves, water more deeply and less often, and flush the pot thoroughly once a month.

The brightest window you have. Four hours of direct sun keeps it compact and gives the leaf edges a red blush; shade makes the stems stretch and flop.

Every two weeks, soaking then drying out fully. In an air-conditioned office it may go three weeks. Wrinkled leaves mean thirsty; soft, yellow ones mean too much.

Usually a sudden change: a move, a cold draught from the aircon vent, or a week of overwatering. Settle it in one spot and let the soil dry before you water again.

Yes. Pinch new tips to make it bushy, and cut back leggy branches at a joint. Cuttings root in dry soil in a few weeks.

Low to medium indirect light. It is one of the few in our range that is genuinely happy under office lighting and away from windows. Direct sun bleaches the veins.

Keep the soil lightly moist at all times — this is the exception to our dry-out rule. Check every 2–3 days with a fingertip.

Almost certainly not. Fittonia faints dramatically when dry and stands back up within a couple of hours of a good water. Repeated fainting weakens it, though.

Rarely. If the glass mists up daily, leave it alone. Open the lid for an hour a week for fresh air, and add a spoon of water only when the moss looks dull and dry.

Through its leaves. It takes moisture and nutrients from the air and from watering, so it needs no pot and no soil at all.

Soak it upside down in room-temperature water for 20–30 minutes once a week, then shake it out and let it dry fully upside down within 3–4 hours. Water trapped in the base is what kills them.

Bright indirect light. Never full afternoon sun, and never sealed in a closed jar or box for long — it needs moving air.

Under-watering or dry aircon air. Add a second soak each week and keep it out of the direct path of the vent.

Once a week. Water the bark or moss thoroughly at the sink, let it drain completely, and never leave the roots sitting in a decorative outer pot with water at the bottom.

By root colour: silvery-grey roots want water, plump green ones do not.

No — that is normal after 2–3 months of bloom. Cut the spike back to just above a node, keep watering, and give it bright indirect light; it can rebloom in a few months.

Bright indirect — an east window is ideal. Leathery dark-green leaves mean too little light; yellow-green leaves mean it is getting plenty.

It is happiest outdoors or on a bright balcony with a few hours of morning sun. Indoors, put it at the brightest window and rotate it outside for a weekend when you can.

Check daily; water when the top centimetre of soil is dry — usually every 1–2 days in Malaysian heat. Bonsai pots are shallow and dry out fast.

Pinch back new shoots to two pairs of needles through the growing season to keep the pads dense. Hard structural cuts are best made once a year.

Every 2–3 years, trimming the root ball by about a third and returning it to free-draining bonsai soil.

Bright indirect light. It tolerates a moderately lit office corner but will drop leaves in a genuinely dark one. Turn it a quarter-turn weekly so it grows evenly.

Every 1–2 weeks, when the top half of the soil is dry. Water until it runs through, then empty the saucer — the trunk stores water, so it forgives a missed week far better than a soggy one.

Nine times out of ten, too much. Let it dry out properly and check the pot actually drains before you change anything else.

Leave the braid tied. Trim the top and any leggy stems to shape it; it branches readily below the cut.

The easiest plant we sell. It handles low light, missed waterings and aircon, which is why it goes into desk and classroom gifts.

Once a week, when the top 3 cm is dry. If the leaves droop slightly, it is thirsty — it tells you clearly and bounces back the same day.

Not enough light. Move it nearer a window; the new growth will come back marked.

Trim the long vines just after a node and push the cuttings back into the same pot, or root them in water for two weeks first.

Every 2–4 weeks, and less in a cool air-conditioned room. This is the plant people kill with kindness — when in doubt, wait another week.

It will survive; it will not grow much. Medium to bright indirect light keeps the leaves firm and the markings sharp.

Root rot from too much water. Pull that leaf out, let the soil dry completely, and repot into gritty mix if the smell is sour.

Yes — it is compact, slow, tolerant of neglect, and one of the few that keeps exchanging gas at night.

Probably not. A dormant caudex can take 4–12 weeks to shoot. Keep it warm and bright, barely moist, and be patient.

About a third to a half buried, flat side down, with the growth point exposed. Burying the whole bulb invites rot.

Lightly, only when the soil is nearly dry — a small amount around the edge of the pot, never over the crown. Cut back sharply when the leaves die down for dormancy.

That is usually dormancy, not death. Stop watering almost entirely, keep the bulb dry and warm, and resume when a new shoot appears.

Serissa protests at any change — a move, a draught, a dry day. Settle it in one bright, stable spot and it will releaf.

Never let it dry out completely. Check daily and water when the surface is just dry; it likes consistently moist, never waterlogged, soil.

Plenty of bright light with some gentle morning sun. Too little light and it stops flowering.

On and off through the year in our climate, heaviest after a feed in the growing season. Pinch back long shoots after each flush to keep the shape.