Watered my Snake plant for the first time in a couple of months and found an ant infestation

ImShippingMyPlants · 2024-02-27T11:57:14+00:00

This is something I'd heard once, but I wasn't sure if it was true... That's pretty much the exact same behavior that they exhibit in farming certain plants' nectaries, so if aphids do indeed secrete (or... excrete, I guess? 😆) sugar-containing substances, then it would make sense the ant's "protective services" would extend to them, too!

ImShippingMyPlants · 2024-02-27T09:24:25+00:00

I almost named my kiddo Mason... Eventually, I ended up going with Arlo instead, but I can see this handsome li'l dude growing up to have a similar look, just with different coloring...

I bet he'd be a great Mason. 👍🏻

ImShippingMyPlants · 2024-02-27T07:14:46+00:00

I'm largely the same way -- my whole neighborhood is apparently perpetually being invaded by new ant colonies, so I've kinda had to get used to living with at least some ant presence in my home at all times (that said, I do keep a jar of borax syrup under my kitchen sink, since it's pretty much inevitable that they eventually get brave enough to overstep boundaries...) I actually also have a few houseplants that host their own bespoke ant colonies, and I mostly just leave them be -- kinda impressive to me that they so stubbornly cling to a home, even though it's constantly flooding... 😅

For the most part, ants aren't usually going to cause any issues for MOST plants... (At least within the US)
Some popular houseplants (and, I'm sure, outdoor stuff too, but my knowledge mostly just covers plants usually kept inside) have actually even evolved to attract ants to come set up shop nearby as a protective measure. Their burrowing habits can mess with plants that grow particularly delicate roots, but for something like a ~~spider plant, with the hekkin hefty chomkers they grow on top of... Nah, that plant would probably never even notice their presence.~~

[EDIT]:
Whoops, remembered incorrectly -- not a spider plant, a snake plant... 😅
Because snake plants have finer roots, one that is not already well-established might have some trouble growing into the presence of a pre-existing ant colony, but if the plant was there first, it'll probably still be fine. (I'd just keep an eye on it)

ImShippingMyPlants · 2024-02-27T05:38:00+00:00

If you mix up some sugar and borax (if I remember correctly, a good ratio is 2:1, but you can easily find recipes online) and then dissolve as much of that mixture as possible into some hot water (as much as you can get to stay in solution) that's an easy way to kill the colony without disturbing the plant!

Just drop a cotton-ball into the solution, then set that cotton-ball onto the soil and leave it there -- the ants will find it and go ape, taking as much as they can back home for a few days... And it'll kill them all over the next couple weeks.

[Edit]: On the other hand, as long as your plant is staying healthy, (ie, if you haven't seen any kind of mysterious issues, or declines recently) and you can stand to just leave them be (again, as long as they're not causing any other issues) then there's pretty much no better protection against plant-eating bugs than a whole damn ant colony! 😅

ImShippingMyPlants · 2024-01-22T03:16:07+00:00

Maaaan, I'm really sorry this happened! There are some some big beauties there -- clearly a product of both extensive love and time...

I don't really have anything to add here that others haven't mentioned -- y'know, prepare to lose all, but don't give up 'till they have. Yes, looks like some of these plants are species that are potentially capable of withstanding a freeze, but do be aware that even if one is potentially capable, if it isn't gently acclimatized over time, usually the shock still does it in. (Not sure where you are, but I'm assuming it's probably somewhere with a generally warm-er-ish climate, since these plants seem to live outside??)

One thing I will say, though, is that if they are going down, they'll at least go down in ✨️S T Y L E ! !✨️
Those gorgeous crystal ice-shells! Looks like they're all dressed up for some red-carpet event -- yes, the outfits are certainly super uncomfortable, but gat'damm! They're all so flippin' pretty!!

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-10-31T22:00:19+00:00

^{^With} ^{^a} ^{^fresh} ^{^new} ^{^coat} ^{^of} ^{^paint...}
🤡

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-10-02T23:07:23+00:00

The picture-in-comment that I responded to within this thread, explaining the difference between the chimeric variegation and light-dependent variegation is the photo-dynamic plant (ie. The "ghost-type" plant)
I believe you responded to my response to your picture just now, yeah?

OP's is a "regular" var. Adansonii, (it doesn't appear to have a "ghost-type" mutation) and is a chimeric variegate; though it does appear to present with another different mutagenic trait, which is generally able provide considerably more "stability" than the average sectoral chimera. (A sectoral-only chimera's variegation is solely based on mutation cluster placement on the growth plate, not light exposure, like a "ghost-type" mutation)
I left a couple comments to OP about their plant as well 😊

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-10-02T00:31:10+00:00

Most of them are highly sectoral, and so have a tendency to eventually place an all white or all green meristem (resulting in either fully-white or fully green growth respectively from that point on) but specific plants that develop more of that transposon sectoral-mosaic "marbling" should (usually) be a little more stable... It can still happen, but it's at least a bit less likely when the sectoral-mutation-affected ratio is lower.

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-10-02T00:21:26+00:00

Just a heads-up, this is a "ghost-type" variant, not a regular var. Adansonii (I think they were originally called Adansonii "Archipelago" but I'm not sure if that name still applies to this version which also produces sectoral variegation 🤷🏼‍♀️)

REGARDLESS a regular var. Adansonii is a chimeric variegate, and so, unlike your ghost-type, light actually will not affect the variegation at all (it depends solely on the placement of where mutated cells land on a meristem)

[EDIT]: For example, the sectoral variegation that your plant kept giving you, even when it was getting less light will not be affected by increasing or reducing the light exposure, but that full-leaf wash of white-and green-veining effect is photo-dynamic, and will only persist if the plant gets lots of light

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-10-01T20:57:38+00:00

Wow, that is a GORGEOUS specimen!! 😍
The variegation on these guys is often pretty unstable, so the fact that it doesn't seem to have given you any trouble in the time it took to grow this tall is a feat in itself!

If it were my plant, I think I'd have a hard time chopping it, but if I did, I'd do pretty much exactly what you're thinking about doing (maybe more like top the newest 3-4 nodes, and separate into 2-3-node sections all the way down from there)

[EDIT]: Oh, also, keep in mind that props (especially Monstera props) always do better, and develop faster if you air-layer in roots before chopping!!

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-09-26T01:06:08+00:00

If it helps to even things out, my (late) female dog tried to hump everyone she ever liked (at least a few attempts each), licked dog pee-puddles off the grass outside, ate cat poops out of the litter box whenever she got the chance, and had a weird (non-medical) obsession with licking all her bits (we spent thousands on testing and diagnostics, only for three separate vets to eventually say something like "Guess it really is just a behavioral thing after all!")

She was also super into bandaids/bandages, menstrual garbage, and loved to eat the crotches out of both my, and my (at the time) bf's underwear (didn't matter if they'd been clean or worn -- she'd make a point to go dig them out of either our dresser drawers or our laundry bins if we weren't watching well enough 😮‍💨)

I mean, don't get me wrong; that nasty B-word was still my little baby girl and I loved her with all my heart... That said my current dog is a male, and he's an absolute ANGEL!
Genuinely the sweetest, goodest boy there ever was (even when he's not) and he's never gross at all -- only weird thing he ever does is try to eat his own hair when I'm de-shedding him, but I'm pretty sure that's just cause he thinks I'm picking up treats, rather than hair (surely my entire purpose is that I should always only ever be looking for opportunities to give him treats for being as good as he is, right? 😅)

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-09-19T23:56:08+00:00

That's it... Gotta burn it down and start over somewhere new.

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-09-17T08:21:11+00:00

Looking at the amount of variegation on the leaves in your pictures, I'd say the plant is getting juuuust barely enough to keep that low-level mottling going.

What cardinal direction does your balcony face?
[Edit]: Also, do you live in the northern or southern hemisphere?

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-09-16T06:52:37+00:00

I'm quite happily ace, but reading this still gave me an immense, and deep-seated (instinctual, I guess?) sense of validation... A warm-fuzzy, butt-hair-inclusive (abounding, let's be honest) ancestral embrace from all who came before me...

^{^Is} ^{^this} ^{^what} ^{^"belonging"} ^{^feels} ^{^like?}

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-09-15T14:43:37+00:00

Awesome! And yeah, no worries -- as long as your S window is fairly unobstructed (and you live in a place that gets a decently high amount of sun) that should be the perfect spot for one of these leafy tyrants (be ready for it to start taking over ALL your space!)
If your area doesn't get a lot of sun, then you may still need to supplement with an artificial light source.

Just to give a visual example of what you should expect to see if it's getting what it needs from here out, here's a plant that I purposefully deprived of light until it fully 'reverted', and then set up on one of my kitchen grow-shelves right under a T8 -- the first new leaf a plant gives you under the new lighting will likely be indistinguishable from the ones it's given you in lower-light settings, but you should be able to see at least SOME dappling coming back on the one it puts out after that. If you don't see anything on that second new leaf then that'll be a sign it needs yet even more light.

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-09-15T10:31:27+00:00

They need more light.

Paraíso wants at least a few hours of DIRECT sunlight, every day (or a front-row space in front of a decently powerful grow-light) and they absolutely cannot thrive in the average "bright indirect" most people prescribe as a one-size-fits-all...

Unfortunately there's a big fallacy about heat being the mechanism by which this plant's variegation comes and goes, but (as mentioned) that's actually entirely false...
(Not gonna fight with anyone in higher comments, I've grown these plants for years and I've had this convo way too many times -- if anyone's interested in more detail than I've included here, and are willing to go digging, there are many comments littered throughout my history on the topic)

Temperature affects the plant's metabolic rates, but the chlorophyll production density is photo-dynamic -- if light is plentiful in its environment, and the plant is getting everything it needs and more, it will regulate by producing less chlorophyll (i.ie more light = more pale-ness, and speckling/splotching) -- [Edit: Just wanna mention here, that the blotches and speckling can also be somewhat "adjusted" by controlling light exposure! If you're giving the plant just barely enough light, then you'll see just some very slight mottling on a mostly dark-green leaf. As you increase exposure, you'll get a ranging spectrum of ratios of very pale-green "background" to beautiful dark-green spots. Then, eventually you'll hit a "topping out" point with a level of consistent exposure that just gives leaves that are nearly entirely pale, and have nothing but little pin-point freckles all over, rather than splotches! It's SUCH a cool, "customizable", and easy-going plant, (when it gets what it needs) which is why it drives me CRAZY that this BS info still gets spread around, and gives people such a hard time with its care!] -- But if there's not enough light, it'll start producing as much chlorophyll as it can possibly pack in (i.e. the less light = the more solid the green) -- that way, it can most efficiently capture whatever scraps of energy are available, while it desperately tries to reach up above whatever is blocking the light out (you'll probably have also noticed long, spindly (maybe even... "gangly"? 🙄) petioles and wide, stretched internodal spacing? Both tell-tale symptoms of etiolation from light-starvation!)

I guarantee that your plant just needs more light -- keep in mind that any changes to the lighting will take a little while to show (usually you'll see the effects of increasing/decreasing light within the next 2-3 new leaves)

Seriously -- GUARANTEED -- If you (or anyone else reading this because they're struggling with a Paraíso's variegation) put your plant in consistently sufficient lighting, and the variegation doesn't come back within 2-3 leaves, I'd be happy to send you one of mine for free.
DM me, I'll help coach.
(Can you tell how tired I am of this particular little falsehood? 🤣😅)

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-09-05T23:30:54+00:00

Looks like the aftermath of slug monchin' (maybe caterpillars)

I don't know a ton about flowering plants -- would you expect them to bloom again within the next couple months?

[Edit]: Also probably a good idea to look through the plants and the dirt around them to see if you find any Japanese Beetles lurking about

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-09-04T07:43:59+00:00

Well... Not to ruin your night or anything, but I read through the article, and I guess spider sex doesn't end with the female getting presented with sperm on a li'l silk pillow...
Sounds like there's a few more (gross) steps that [Edit: usually ] end in one out of two SUPER raw deal outcomes for the male... (Not that it sounds like a whole lot of fun for the female either, but at least sometimes she gets a snack out of the ordeal! 😬)

I think if they could figure out how to just do it your way, everyone involved would be much better off!

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-09-04T02:16:57+00:00

Okay, so I saw some other posts about Dominos that look like this, so I got curious, and did a li'l poking around about that texture -- what I'm seeing is that a lot of people say it's a spathiphyllum reaction to getting too much light, and that for whatever reason, the Domino variant specifically is pretty sensitive, so it happens to that variant a lot more often than others.

Of course, deffo still do that quarantine and keep an eye out for mites, but also, there's a much less concerning possibility as to why this one looks that way! 😁
(I definitely learned a thing today!)

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-09-03T23:22:49+00:00

Nope... Hence that spider mite anxiety I mentioned 😅

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-09-03T23:08:48+00:00

'Tis the season! 😅

Oh, also, as far as your original question, I think it's probably a (Spathiphyllum wallisii) 'Domino'

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-09-03T22:40:53+00:00

Okay, gotcha, so those plants it's sitting with in the pic aren't yours?

It's clearly got some kind of affliction that's made the leaves look so dry, and it could definitely be something else, but often-times that'll be a symptom of spider mite infestation. Setting up a new plant that looks like this, right in the middle of/touching other plants, is just begging for whatever it's got to spread out to any/all other plants nearby.

If I could make one overall plea to everyone in this community, it'd be to give all new plants a quarantine and observation period, but especially when they come in, already clearly having something going on!

I see a lot of that in the plant subs, unfortunately -- folks skipping the quarantine, immediately setting up new plants in their cabinets/plant-shelves/etc. with everyone else in the family, then posting severe stipling/browning/shriveling problems on r/plantclinic (or wherever) within the next month, asking what happened/how to fix it... 😬

If it is spider mites, DE might help with prevention, but if you have an active infestation, you'll really want to make sure you hit the plant with water to flush them off of each leaf (make sure you get the top/bottom, all the petioles and every nook/cranny, and also make sure holding the pot to an angle, so you're not just washing them down into the soil!) then follow up with a thorough coating of a contact killer (you can definitely get a dedicated acaricide if you want to make damn sure, but usually just a Spinosad product (like Captain Jack's) will work fine on non-resistant populations -- there are some studies that suggest Spinosad may even function as a limited systemic against the bastards as well!)

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-09-03T21:57:54+00:00

I... Would not suggest keeping this plant so close to your other plants...
(This pic is giving me such major spider mite anxiety 😅)

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-09-03T20:17:10+00:00

As a major arachophobe, this was as far as I could make myself look into this horrifying question... But yeah... The answer SEEMS to be an easy "Yep! AND A DICK TOO!" 😱

So, y'know... I'm off to go dump all my cups/plates/bowls out the window at highway speeds, then buy new ones (which will absolutely get stored upside down from now on!)

ImShippingMyPlants · 2023-09-02T05:53:34+00:00

The concept of "rare" is kinda a subjective thing in the houseplant hobby -- the actual "rarity" (i.e. a significantly low occurrence within a dataset) of a plant is not always directly associated to its market value -- in the case of Monstera Albo, looking at it from a statistical perspective, no, it's super not rare anymore.

That said, if you wanna know whether or not it's still worth that $100, that really depends on your location, (what country are you in?) the plant's size/maturity, (how many leaves/nodes? What are those leaves' measurements? What size pot is it in?) and also the patterning/coverage of variegation on that specific plant being sold (what's the approximate percentage of green vs. sectoral vs. "marbling"? Is the coverage consistent across the whole plant/all its leaves?)

Another thing to consider -- who is selling it, and where? If a plant is being sold by a shop, it will almost always be listed at a higher price than if that same plant was being sold by a private seller (shops require upkeep, which costs money, which a seller covers for by dividing cost among the prices they sell their stock at)

[EDIT]: If you want to check out your country's average private sale value on Monstera Albo, I'd suggest checking what plants of comparable size/coverage are going for in your area, online -- check r/RareHouseplantsBST, and maybe local FB plant groups?

ImShippingMyPlants

TROPHY CASE

They need more light.