TIL that $150 'rare' monstera albo cutting I bought was actually just a sick regular monstera

2 comments

2 Comments

...and that's exactly why I stopped buying rare plant cuttings from random people online. I had this whole thing happen to me back in 2022 with a "Thai Constellation" cutting that turned out to be just a standard monstera deliciosa that had been sitting in a dark corner and getting overwatered. The seller had all these fancy photos and a story about how their cat knocked it over and they needed quick cash. Spent $200 on it and watched it slowly turn into the most boring green plant ever over the next few months. Learned my lesson though, now I only buy from local nurseries where I can actually see the mother plant and check for root health first.

taylor_patel1mo ago

Oh man, you too? I got burned almost exactly the same way with a "rare variegated alocasia" from some seller on Etsy that showed these gorgeous creamy white and green leaves in the photos. When it arrived it was just a normal dark green alocasia with some yellowing from shipping stress. They claimed it was just stressed and would "color up" once it settled in. I babied that thing for six months, gave it perfect light and humidity, and it stayed the most boring dark green plant ever. The final kicker was when I messaged the seller about it and they just ghosted me. Now I drive an extra 20 minutes to a nursery that has a whole greenhouse of variegated plants I can poke and inspect before buying.