New Plant Parent: Learn the Ways of Plant Parenthood
- Downloads：4661
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-17 11:57:34
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Darryl Cheng
- ISBN：1419732390
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
For indoor gardeners everywhere， Darryl Cheng offers a new way to grow healthy house plants。 He teaches the art of understanding a plant’s needs and giving it a home with the right balance of light， water， and nutrients。 After reading Cheng， the indoor gardener will be far less the passive follower of rules for the care of each species and much more the confident， active grower， relying on observation and insight。 And in the process， the plant owner becomes a plant lover， bonded to these beautiful living things by a simple love and appreciation of nature。 The House Plant Journal Handbook covers all of the basics of growing house plants， from finding the right light， to everyday care like watering and fertilizing， to containers， to recommended species。 Cheng’s friendly tone， personal stories， and accessible photographs fill his book with the same generous spirit that has made @houseplantjournal， his Instagram account， a popular source of advice and inspiration for thousands of indoor gardeners。
Reviews
Gwen
，
Reframes your understanding of plant careCheng moves away from the usual descriptions of "how to take care of [plant name]" and reframes plant care （and your expectations） in a holistic manner。 "By approaching plant care in a holistic manner， you'll develop the knowledge and confidence to observe how any plant responds to your home conditions and give it appropriate care， instead of feeling lost because you were not told the specific instructions for the plant。" （21） He walks you through:* the t Reframes your understanding of plant careCheng moves away from the usual descriptions of "how to take care of [plant name]" and reframes plant care （and your expectations） in a holistic manner。 "By approaching plant care in a holistic manner， you'll develop the knowledge and confidence to observe how any plant responds to your home conditions and give it appropriate care， instead of feeling lost because you were not told the specific instructions for the plant。" （21） He walks you through:* the transition period after bringing a plant home from the optimal conditions in a nursery to adapting to your home。 Plants need to adjust to your light and growing conditions， and losing leaves and yellowing can be perfectly normal。 "Many new plant parents mistake the effects of adjustment to a new home as the plant's dying。" （67）* rethinking your expectations of plants。 Cheng brings up the concept of a "subjective life span" for house plants。 "Focus on understanding your environment， do the best you can for your house plants， and let nature take its course。" （13）* understanding the basic plant needs of the right kind of light， water when needed， and soil management。 And also understanding your own lifestyle: what factors are worth doing something about。 * light requirements。 Plants need the right kind of light， and extremely subjective terms like "low light" don't necessarily help us understand what that means for our plants。 Apparently， "low light" is brighter than you might think！ I appreciated Cheng's focus on what he terms "#WhatMyPlantSees，" which assesses what kind of light your plant can see from this spot。 Can your plant actually see the sun？ Or does your plant only have a view of the sky？ （And the gradations in between。） "Bright， indirect light"—what most house plants prefer—indicates either/a combo of filtered sun （like through trees or a curtain）， reflected sun （light bouncing off walls or reflective surfaces）， or blue sky。 Once you've ensured the plant receives this light， the main requirement is keeping the plants appropriately moist。 * soil structure/management。 This was new for me！ Cheng emphasizes the importance of soil aeration， and he provides excellent graphics explaining why you need to aerate your soil。 Gently poke the soil with a chopstick before watering to loosen the soil and allow air and water to evenly penetrate the pot。 This ensures that the water actually makes it to the roots。 "Dry pockets of soil can cause roots in those areas to die even when you think you've 'watered' the plant。" （56）The section on individual plants was understandably not comprehensive: this is his collection of plants and what he's learned about them over the years。 I loved how he showed change over time and shared survival strategy， growth strategy， and subjective life span for each。 He had great information about the plants that I've learned do best in my house with its light conditions: peace lily， pothos， and snake plant， and based on his experience， I could possibly get a ponytail palm to survive and maybe even thrive。 Overall， an excellent book that goes beyond how to take care of individual plants and helps you understand plants' needs and preferences。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Hitessh Panchal
，
Lovely。 this is a complete guide on house-plants。
Treva
，
About 90 pages of general information on light， watering， repotting， fertilizing。 Found it all helpful。 The remainder of the book had pictures and helpful hints for specific plants。
Nicole
，
While there wasn’t a whole lot of in-depth information in here， I did really enjoy this cute little plant book。 I’m a fairly new plant owner but over the course of six months I’ve accumulated around 140 plants。 As spring comes I wanted some reassurance that I knew what I was doing， and this book reassured me of that。 The book simplifies some confusing and commonly used terms like overwatering。 The biggest takeaway for me was the importance of adequate light。。。 seems so simple but often overlooke While there wasn’t a whole lot of in-depth information in here， I did really enjoy this cute little plant book。 I’m a fairly new plant owner but over the course of six months I’ve accumulated around 140 plants。 As spring comes I wanted some reassurance that I knew what I was doing， and this book reassured me of that。 The book simplifies some confusing and commonly used terms like overwatering。 The biggest takeaway for me was the importance of adequate light。。。 seems so simple but often overlooked。 Definitely a few aha moments in here for me and some neat little tricks I will be incorporating。 Full of nice little diagrams and written in a friendly approachable tone。 I may have even gone out and bought the light meter he recommended。 All in all really enjoyed this book， especially all the pictures。 I am a little nervous about what my monstera will turn into after seeing the photos of his。。。 I’ve had mine about two months and it’s already spit out four new leaves。 。。。more
Logan Hughes
，
An information-packed houseplant guide with a pleasing layout， useful tables and diagrams， and aesthetic photos。 While its references to social media will instantly date it， the houseplant care information is timeless。 Like most books of its type， it's divided into general care tips and profiles of individual plants， but its general care section is longer， more detailed， and more holistic than most books of this kind， making it a lot easier to learn how to become a good plant parent in general w An information-packed houseplant guide with a pleasing layout， useful tables and diagrams， and aesthetic photos。 While its references to social media will instantly date it， the houseplant care information is timeless。 Like most books of its type， it's divided into general care tips and profiles of individual plants， but its general care section is longer， more detailed， and more holistic than most books of this kind， making it a lot easier to learn how to become a good plant parent in general without memorizing special instructions for each plant。 As an engineer， Darryl Cheng has a more rigorous and evidence-based approach to plant care than most books; he doesn't simply parrot back the （often contradictory） common wisdom， but explains the why behind each recommendation。 For example， he gives a good simple explanation of photosynthesis with the actionable conclusion that the more light a plant receives， the more water it needs， since more water is used up in the photosynthesis process。 This seems so common-sense in retrospect， but it was never explained to me that way before。 While there's nothing earth-shaking in most of his conclusions （plants need water and sun）， it's nice to get what feels like confident and well-researched answers to common plant questions。 For example， I've seen books that recommend putting a layer of gravel in the bottom of the pot to aid in drainage， and those that don't， and those that do AND don't in the same book！ Cheng is against it， because water that makes it down to the gravel has nowhere to go and becomes stagnant and bacteria-filled， leading to root rot。 The main new technique that this book taught me is aeration。 Cheng stresses the importance of aeration time and again。 As you water plants over and over， especially with those that need to dry completely such as succulents， the soil can become compacted， meaning less air and water can get to the roots as time goes on。 This helps explain why， after a few years， plants can eventually fail even when their watering and sunshine needs are being met in the exact same way。 Luckily， aeration is easy: you can simply gently probe the soil with a clean chopstick about a half-inch from the plant to break up any soil clumps prior to watering。 。。。more
Kanan Choquette
，
Amazing book。 Beautiful pictures and intuitive instructions/lessons
Danielle
，
I really enjoyed this book and felt I learned a lot。 I got a copy from the library but I plan to buy this so I can reference it as needed for my plant journey。
Keisha Adams
，
A beautiful intro to owing plants that doubles as a coffee table book。 Cheng breaks down the basics of caring for common houseplants in simple to understand language， with emphasis on providing adequate sunlight， and that even healthy plants will not look picture perfect。Got a new pilea to test my new knowledge on！
Megan
，
This book is extremely helpful in speaking to people who live in smaller spaces without benefit of a yard。 I appreciated the author’s perspective on being a plant parent。 My one critique is that I found the second half， which was devoted to individual plants， a bit long。 Definitely worth reading in physical book form for houseplant parents！ 4 stars
Laura Risdall
，
Though I’m not new to having house plants， I learned so much from this book！ Beautiful pictures！ I loved it。
Ashley Brooks
，
This was a great introduction to the basic philosophy behind caring for houseplants for people who have zero experience with keeping foliage alive。 Cheng's explanation of how plants will grow and change based on their environment in the home as well as the concept of "starving gracefully" were game-changers in how I approach houseplants。 Now I know that a plant changing shape or dropping some leaves doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong， especially right after bringing it home。 He really we This was a great introduction to the basic philosophy behind caring for houseplants for people who have zero experience with keeping foliage alive。 Cheng's explanation of how plants will grow and change based on their environment in the home as well as the concept of "starving gracefully" were game-changers in how I approach houseplants。 Now I know that a plant changing shape or dropping some leaves doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong， especially right after bringing it home。 He really went in-depth on helping readers understand the connection between water and sunlight。 It was mind-blowing！Readers who are experienced in caring for houseplants or who are looking for in-depth information on specific plants may be disappointed， but it was the perfect starting point for me。 。。。more
Andrea
，
Picked this up from Harry Hartog yesterday and barely put it down。Since working from home the last twelve months I’ve really wanted to increase the amount of life in the apartment。 But it’s all been trial and error， and my lack of success has hindered me from investing more time and energy into the endeavour。But the way Darryl Cheng not only explains to but soothes the budding plant parent has been very encouraging。 Knowing that sometimes plants get infested and die and that’s okay。 That yellow Picked this up from Harry Hartog yesterday and barely put it down。Since working from home the last twelve months I’ve really wanted to increase the amount of life in the apartment。 But it’s all been trial and error， and my lack of success has hindered me from investing more time and energy into the endeavour。But the way Darryl Cheng not only explains to but soothes the budding plant parent has been very encouraging。 Knowing that sometimes plants get infested and die and that’s okay。 That yellow leaves are to be expected。 And that with an understanding of light， water， and soil it is possible to make most house plants happy， at least for a time。 Then when they’re unhappy， there are ways to save or rejuvenate them。With a hopeful move from apartment to house in the next few months， I won’t be rushing out to buy more plants only to have to readjust them to a new home。But I do have a renewed energy to get to know my current plants better。 I’ve already moved a few after learning about and measuring the light and realising they were either over or under exposed。 I’m also ready with a proper watering can and stick to aerate the soil when it needs watering。Cheng’s profiles at the back of the book have also created a nice list of plants I’d like to try next。 。。。more
Ana Pau De la Borbolla
，
La verdad me daba poquito cringe el título del libro， pero fue una buena decisión darle una lectura。He leído muchas fuentes sobre cuidado de plantitas， pero creo que Cheng logra explicar las cosas de forma tan clara que nos permite comprender realmente lo que una planta necesita para vivir confinada en una casa （en mi caso un departamento miniatura）。 Antes intimidada， ahora empoderada para crear una pequeña jungla urbana。
Sarah
，
Super informative and easy to understand。 I learned a lot - especially about the kinds of light different plants need。 Happy to say that no plants have died in my care since I started reading it。
Yvonne
，
Such a cute book！ I loved the pictures and I did learn a lot about keeping my indoor plants alive。 I immediately downloaded an app on my phone to measure the Foot Candles in my house where I want to put plants。 I am really excited to put some plants in window boxes in my bathroom over the tub where we have lots of natural light。
Laura
，
I thought this was excellent。 I really liked the author’s approach to houseplant care because he uses an ecological， holistic viewpoint。 Cheng simplified the task of keeping plants alive by focusing， first and foremost， on the amount of sunlight， measured in foot-candles， that your plant would see from where they sit。 Part one of the book covers topics about light， soil， water， pruning， propagation， repotting， pests， and how to buy plants。 Part two is comprised of nineteen specific houseplants t I thought this was excellent。 I really liked the author’s approach to houseplant care because he uses an ecological， holistic viewpoint。 Cheng simplified the task of keeping plants alive by focusing， first and foremost， on the amount of sunlight， measured in foot-candles， that your plant would see from where they sit。 Part one of the book covers topics about light， soil， water， pruning， propagation， repotting， pests， and how to buy plants。 Part two is comprised of nineteen specific houseplants that he describes in detail， gives a survival strategy， growth strategy， life span，and how to propagate。 This book had great photos throughout it， and was an easy and enjoyable book to read。 I read this as an ebook from my library， but now I want a hardcopy of my own。 It would make a great reference book。 。。。more
Carie
，
I will definitely be referencing this book regularly as my plant family grows。 I'm very interested in obtaining several plant species and trying my hand at propagation。 Very informative book on the basic care needs of the most common houseplants。 Glad I purchased this one！ I will definitely be referencing this book regularly as my plant family grows。 I'm very interested in obtaining several plant species and trying my hand at propagation。 Very informative book on the basic care needs of the most common houseplants。 Glad I purchased this one！ 。。。more
Camielle
，
Great book！ Practical information about keeping indoor plants alive。 I also really like the way the author includes some common， hardy， but not trendy plants （jade plant， mother in laws tongue） in the journal section - he reminded me to appreciate them more。
Sijie Cheng
，
I really enjoy Daryl’s engineering approach of growing plants， which manifested in several ways （this is not a n exhaustive list） - 1） don’t immediately repot the plants after taking it home from the nursery， let it adapt to the new environment first （change one variable at a time， similar to A/B testing）; 2） demystify the ‘low light tolerant’ phrase， and use a light meter to measure the natural sunlight （which I religiously followed and acquired）; 3） accept plant’s imperfection of yellow leaves I really enjoy Daryl’s engineering approach of growing plants， which manifested in several ways （this is not a n exhaustive list） - 1） don’t immediately repot the plants after taking it home from the nursery， let it adapt to the new environment first （change one variable at a time， similar to A/B testing）; 2） demystify the ‘low light tolerant’ phrase， and use a light meter to measure the natural sunlight （which I religiously followed and acquired）; 3） accept plant’s imperfection of yellow leaves and understand it is part of the circle of plant life （similar to product development that it is an iterative process）。 Maybe this is just me being so nerdy that I draw parallel between plant parenthood and tech product development。 I hope you are slightly entertained reading this。 Overall， I enjoyed reading this book and will periodically refer to it when I need a reminder。 I refer to it as the Bible for plants。 It also is a great coffee table book and can get my home guests to flip through the pages and excitedly chat about taking care of plants。 。。。more
Sonya Szabo
，
Great insight for this newbie plant parent。 I feel more equipt on how to care for my plants because I understand the why and how instead of just following sometimes inappropriate rules on plant care。
Alison
，
I think this would be a really helpful introduction to houseplant care for most people。 I picked up some good tips about soil aeration and how to think about light levels。 I do wish a wider variety of plants was included in the journal portion， though。 I understand the author isn’t into succulents but it was odd that they weren’t included， not even hoyas。 For that reason I’d say this is great for a beginner - it covers most of the common houseplants you’ll see - but more of a mixed bag if you’re I think this would be a really helpful introduction to houseplant care for most people。 I picked up some good tips about soil aeration and how to think about light levels。 I do wish a wider variety of plants was included in the journal portion， though。 I understand the author isn’t into succulents but it was odd that they weren’t included， not even hoyas。 For that reason I’d say this is great for a beginner - it covers most of the common houseplants you’ll see - but more of a mixed bag if you’re a slightly more experienced plant parent。 。。。more
Katy
，
This was a nice comprehensive book about taking care of indoor plants。 I'm not exactly inexperienced when it comes to tending plants， I grew up with indoor plants EVERYWHERE。 I still learned plenty from this book。 Since being stuck in my house I've discovered the beauty of grow lights！ I'm no longer confined to the one window that gets sun and now I have quite the collection。 Some I've started from seed。 There is something special about nurturing plants， especially when starting with very young This was a nice comprehensive book about taking care of indoor plants。 I'm not exactly inexperienced when it comes to tending plants， I grew up with indoor plants EVERYWHERE。 I still learned plenty from this book。 Since being stuck in my house I've discovered the beauty of grow lights！ I'm no longer confined to the one window that gets sun and now I have quite the collection。 Some I've started from seed。 There is something special about nurturing plants， especially when starting with very young plants。 I couldn't exactly go to a nursery and buy a bunch of full-grown plants， what plants I bought were either from online （aka small， 2。5 inches） or were started from seed。 If you're looking for information about starting from seed or small cuttings， this book isn't really going to help much。 As for who would really benefit from this book？ I think most plant parents would （I love that phrase。 I think it's adorable。 That， and the term "plant babies"。） I think anyone with indoor plants would benefit from having this book around。 Especially if you always kill your plants。 Or you know， if you're like me and within the space of two weeks you decide to go from:To:I'm not going to lie， I have a little bit of a plant addiction now。 Their section on specific houseplants and their care was a little underwhelming， but I get it。 There's only so much room in a book。 It was mostly on the few very popular houseplants people decide to start with。 Especially Pothos。 Which I don't keep because they are toxic to pets。 But they are good starter plants because they're hard to kill and easy to propagate。 Honestly， I just needed something that covered a little bit of everything so I could have a quick reference。 And that's what this is。 A little bit of everything all in one place。 。。。more
Lydia
，
This is an absolutely wonderful read！ It gives really detailed and in depth information for the best techniques on houseplant care， and different types of tropical plants。 But more than that， Darryl is a wonderful writer， and you know how much he CARES about his plants。 And whilst the book was informative， it was really fun！ I've learnt alot and i really hope one day i can have a giant collection of plants like Darryl。 This is an absolutely wonderful read！ It gives really detailed and in depth information for the best techniques on houseplant care， and different types of tropical plants。 But more than that， Darryl is a wonderful writer， and you know how much he CARES about his plants。 And whilst the book was informative， it was really fun！ I've learnt alot and i really hope one day i can have a giant collection of plants like Darryl。 。。。more
Carolyn
，
I have attempted reading plant books before but couldn’t finish reading them。 This book worked for me。 I read cover to cover and took notes。 I have set my mind on a few plants mentioned in this book。 A perfect book for novice plant enthusiasts to be。
Colleen
，
I'm going to need a copy of this and some chopsticks。 This is such a practical guidebook for taking care of your plants， making sense of vague phrases like "don't overwater" and "low light。" I may also need some more plants。 I'm going to need a copy of this and some chopsticks。 This is such a practical guidebook for taking care of your plants， making sense of vague phrases like "don't overwater" and "low light。" I may also need some more plants。 。。。more
Kimberly
，
The first half of this book reads like a dissertation where the author keeps claiming in upcoming chapters they're going to show you how they're revolutionizing the field but then they never actually get to their earth-shattering information。 The second half of this book is a smattering of basic how-to tips for random plants that the author thinks are cool。 There are a lot of photographs throughout that you can find on any Instagram house plants account。 （In fact， he recommends a few。）His two ma The first half of this book reads like a dissertation where the author keeps claiming in upcoming chapters they're going to show you how they're revolutionizing the field but then they never actually get to their earth-shattering information。 The second half of this book is a smattering of basic how-to tips for random plants that the author thinks are cool。 There are a lot of photographs throughout that you can find on any Instagram house plants account。 （In fact， he recommends a few。）His two major pieces of advice for plant care？ 1。 Get a light meter。 2。 Use chopsticks to aerate soil。Also， his entire book in summary: "Falling for the label 'low-light tolerant' really means you're starving your plants。" The end。 。。。more
Kresimir Mudrovcic
，
A good book for houseplant beginners although the style of writing is a bit amateurish。 Despite that， there is some good insightful practical advice。 As an example， I have heard about the importance of soil aeration for the first time and will start applying it to my plants。 All in all， I expected a bit more professional style of writing and high-quality images and illustrations。
Timila
，
As a houseplant newbie I really enjoyed this book。 So informative and helpful！！ My plants will be cared for a lot better now （hopefully）
Hannah Hethmon
，
A really fun read for people want to get into the weeds （pun intended） on houseplant care。 The layout and photo are really lovely， and it’s a great browse if you don’t want to go cover to cover。 Would make a great gift for any house plant lover。 Word or warning to the house plant newbie though: you’ll get a lot of great advice， but it could also be overwhelming， make you think you have devote hours to your planes every week。 But if you can just take what you need and the leave the rest， you’ll b A really fun read for people want to get into the weeds （pun intended） on houseplant care。 The layout and photo are really lovely， and it’s a great browse if you don’t want to go cover to cover。 Would make a great gift for any house plant lover。 Word or warning to the house plant newbie though: you’ll get a lot of great advice， but it could also be overwhelming， make you think you have devote hours to your planes every week。 But if you can just take what you need and the leave the rest， you’ll be a well informed plant parent。 。。。more
Sarah
，