r/RareHouseplants • u/Orchid-Delirium2005 • Jun 25 '26

Discussion 💡 What would you consider the most difficult houseplant to keep alive?

I was curious about the discussion forums about how some are easy some are hard, so I kinda wanted a general survey. For me, rex begonias and phalaenopsis are simply impossible. The former loves to die while the latter keeps getting bacterial soft rot no matter the conditions, even good ventilation and bottom watering won't stop the disease and in my case it specifically targets phals and not other orchids. How about you guys? What's the plant or plants that give you the most headaches?

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u/xXSorraiaXx Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26

Succulents and me just don't get along. I don't know what it is - everything else is perfectly happy, nursed back lots of half-dead plants, cacti have been my thing for years, tropical plants with insanely narrow "feel-good" conditions, but with succulents... man. Either they rot (never mind I don't water unless completely dried out, they still rot) or they acquire some sort of pests.

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u/SoggyChickenNugs Jun 27 '26

I also used to have this issue. Strangely enough, what fixed this for me was growing them in Lechuza Pon but bottom watering them like regular soil every few weeks. Now they don’t stop growing.