I am totally useless with house plants too. I'm fine when plants are outside in the ground or a pot, but give me one inside and it commits suicide.

That said, I do understand the theory of it all ... plants need 3 things to be right: climate, light, water. I think succulents are probably most likely put off by too cold or too much water (they're desert plants afterall).

I have an oleander that was doing fine until I thought it needed more light and put it in the windowsill .... right above the radiator. Oops. It's now recovering over by the bookshelf.

PS. You might also ask the green-thumb-neighbour about how they cared for the plant...

If it makes you feel any better I know someone who's killed a cactus before. =D

Just making some guesses without knowing what plant it is but perhaps your house is too dry? Maybe it's a plant that likes humidity thus more moisture in the air? The other thing is sometimes it helps to take a spray bottle and mist it to clean off the leaves. If there's too much dust on the leaves they can't breathe which can affect the plant too.
Have you tried putting it in different parts of your house for more than a couple days so that you can truly test out if the location is making a difference?

And I would agree, ask your neighbor! Good luck!

One of the things my husband has taught me is that plants do better with water that's been sitting out for at least 24 hours. That way the chlorine (and maybe other things) evaporate and don't hurt the plants. I have a pretty pitcher in which I leave water so I can water the plants when they're thirsty.

HA HA! You are tooooo funny, but no worries - you're not the only one out there that plants might be afraid of...they're afraid of me too! Wish I could give you advice...all I can say is water them, give them sun and talk to them. lol. No, for real - my mom swears by it. But then again she's also the one who talks to the birds...she's like Snow White! Or wait - was that Cinderella? Oh dear.

Good luck!
-Jaime :)

Hey Holly,

I think I can help, but I am going to need some info first...Where were they placed (sunlight, no sunlight, etc)? How much did you water? Was it drafty? There are a lot of factors that can affect house plants, so I will need all of the deets.

If you would rather not go back and forth in the comments, just shoot me an email. I think I can help!

I'm going to be reading this thread too. I just repotted an aloe plant yesterday that was beginning to look stupid in the giant pot -- after dropping seven of its leaves! I think I actually underwatered it (pendulum swing after killing a hisbiscus and damaging a violet by overwatering). I don't know why the rosemary died, but it might have been suicide.

SUN! Succulents LOVE LOVE LOVE the sun- stick them in as much hot sunlight as you can and they will prosper. In the summer, put them outside- which is what your neighbor probably did while you were away.
Succulents don't need that much water either- just spritz them when the moss feels really dry.
You can kill a plant with too much water.
For the most part as long as they get some light, aren't too cold and you water them when they are BONE dry you will be okay.
Something a lot of people do when they don't know what to do is water, and that kills them.
If you have southern facing windows- that is where your plants should be.
if you want to email me the pictures of your other plants I'd be happy to help you ID them.
I have a big green thumb and I love plants! My trick this summer to get my plants perky before the cold and dry winter was stick them outside all summer long so they could bask in the hot warm sun.

Plants:

Mostly in a shady spot. My home gets very little sunlight which is horrible I know. My living room gets a good amount in the morning but by midday it's gone. My house is very dry. VERY DRY. The only space with sunlight is the large window in my living room but again, only morning for the most part.

Succulents are in the kitchen window over the sink, large unknown plant in a dark corner in my entryway, and the other plant is in the large window.

Does that help? THANK YOU ALL!!

I just found out (love the internet!) that my mystery plant is a philodendron. Now I need to ID the other one...

Once you have them identified, you'll be able to determine their specific needs. Some like sun (the succulents), some like to dry out in between waterings. There is no catch all key other than meeting their needs. Good luck!

I think the more important question is.... who is this neighbor/babysitter and what was she doing to it while you were gone??? Do you think she was feeding it chocolate and letting it stay up way past its bedtime? I think you shouldn't be looking inwardly... but outwardly at the real culprit here.

:)

You should move the succulent to the living room- it will do SO MUCH BETTEr in the sun, even if it just morning sun. If you are at home during the day, it won't hurt to move it to where the sun goes too...
The philodendron will do fine as long as it gets some light and not too much water- maybe every other week?
If you are really committed to a plant you could always get a lamp for it :)

Well, for succulents the key is to not over water them. Let the soil get dry between waterings. If the container they are in is anything like the container above, it looks like it doesn't have a drainage hole. Is that right? If so, that is one of the problems. There's nowhere for the excess water to go - the plant just sits in it. So when you water it, like someone else said spritz it or just 1/4 cup water at a time.

The phil. also doesn't need too much water. I water mine twice a week. And they do okay in shady areas. If it gets too leggy you can pinch it back and they'll get bushier.

If you have your plants in a plastic pot inside a decorative pot with no holes a good trick is to put something in the bottom of the decorative pot - river stones or something like that - to keep the roots from sitting in water. They will still get moisture as the water evaporates but they aren't sitting and rotting.

Good luck!

Hi Holly, I'd be glad to help a fellow blogger. You're not alone in your plea for help. It's a reflection on our out of date horticultural education.

Go here...

Instead of a high light requirement succulent try out sub-irrigation (aka self-watering)with a low light tolerant Dracaena Janet Craig 'Compacta' in a sub-irrigated pop bottle planter. You can then use them for other plants even cacti and succulents. All you need is adequate light and even moisture "in the zone". A measured amount of sub-irrigated water will keep you "in the zone". Any questions...feel free to ask.

I have a philodendron as well, and PRECISELY the same problems with plants. I even managed to kill a rosemary plant while living in the East Village. Rosemary! That's an evergreen! What's worked for my philodendron so far is watering it about 3 times a week but being careful not to over water it, and making sure it get lots of light. Lewis (that's the plant's name) loves the light (even the artificial lights) and grows toward it. Now, I just have to figure out my bamboo plant...

Okay, I don't know JACK about plants (they wilt as I walk by), but have you checked out You Grow, Girl? http://yougrowgirl.com/ -- Gayla is like a plant GODDESS. Perhaps she could help.

Good luck!

K.

LOVE you guys. This is great information. I already moved ALL of my plants to my window today with the sunlight. They look better already. I promise to be a better plant mommy everyone. Thank you all so much. This is just what I needed -- I have all your tips on recipe cards so these plants are going to LOVE me now.

As an aside.....Brandi,
Bamboo plants need sunlight and take in water like crazy. If their leaves start to yellow just snip the yellowed parts off [I usually snip them into a peak so they blend in =) ]. The other thing is, is your container big enough for it? If the roots are overtaking the bottom of the container it might need a bigger container? But usually not, I have mine in a small container with just about 1" around the bamboos and it does fine. If one of the stalks are definitely done (black and mushy) just pull that one and throw it out....good luck!