10 Mistakes That Plant Collectors Make (and How to Avoid Them)
Let’s be honest: plant collecting is supposed to be fun. But somewhere between your first monstera purchase and your first rare, variegated philodendron cutting, which costs more than your monthly bills, things got... intense.
We get it. You’re passionate. You’re cultivating living art. Or maybe you're just getting started on your plant collection journey and looking for tips on where to start. Whether your collection looks like a jungle crime scene or you’ve got three plants that hate each other’s guts (light and humidity-wise), this article's for you.
Here are 10 mistakes plant collectors make—and how to stop sabotaging your own green dreams.
1. Buying Every Plant You See Like You’re on a Botanical Bender
Impulse plant buys are the gateway drug of collecting. You see something leafy and exotic, and suddenly it’s in your cart faster than you can say “propagation.” Live a little once in a while, but be careful not to compound the difficulty of plant care by bringing together plants with completely different care routines. As you build up your collection and prowess, you can diversify ecosystems. Just don't do it too fast. This brings us to our next mistake...
How to avoid it:
Use a tracking app like collecto.rs to log what you already own and identify the gaps in your collection. Bonus: it stops you from accidentally buying the same calathea twice (we’ve all been there).
Also, use sites like Garden.org’s Plant Database or Reddit’s r/houseplants to research before you buy. Your wallet—and your windowsill—will thank you.
2. Ignoring Plant Compatibility
You’ve got desert cacti chilling next to humidity-loving ferns? That’s like putting a camel in a rainforest.
🌤️ Plant Compatibility Cheat Sheet
Because not all plants want to be roommates. Here’s your quick-and-dirty guide to what factors actually matter when pairing plants in your collection (or on your shelf, because let’s be real—space is limited).
💡 How To Avoid It: Track these factors in your collecto.rs app to tag, group, and plan your display zones—before your shelf turns into a botanical civil war. You can also use the Planta app to organize plants by care categories.
3. Forgetting to Track Your Plants (Until They Start Dying)
You think you’ll remember when you last watered that begonia, but your brain has already replaced that memory with the latest plant meme you saw on TikTok. Tracking your plants isn't just about logging them in your collection, it also requires a separate log for care.
How to avoid it:
Log every new plant in PictureThis. It’ll remind you when to water, feed, or rotate. Basically, it is your plant mom—without the judgment. If you prefer going the manual route, we got a handy printable tracker you can use below.
4. Falling for the “Rare” Plant Hype
If every listing says “RARE!!!” in all caps, spoiler alert: it’s not. Don’t let FOMO turn you into a sucker with an empty wallet and a box full of disappointment.
How to avoid it:
Check real collector forums and trusted sellers. Use marketplaces like Etsy (check reviews), Facebook plant swap groups to verify authenticity before dropping serious cash.
We wrote an entire article on how to buy rare plants without falling for any traps or blowing your bank roll on fakes.
5. Neglecting Quarantine (for Plants, Not People)
Bringing home a new plant and plopping it right into your collection is how you get a pest apocalypse.
How to avoid it:
Quarantine new arrivals for at least two weeks. Keep a separate “plant ICU” area—your bathroom works great. A quick inspection and some neem oil go a long way.
In an upcoming article, we'll be sharing all the tips and tricks to restoring your waning plants to the prime of their lives. Make sure to subscribe to the blog to see new articles!
6. Not Documenting the Origin of Your Plants
You’ve got a shelf full of green beauties, but you can’t remember which one came from that magical nursery trip versus the Home Depot clearance aisle.
How to avoid it:
Keep notes on where each plant came from, price, and acquisition date. It makes your collection feel like a collection—and gives you bragging rights when someone admires your “vintage 2022 Philodendron gloriosum.”
The collecto.rs app makes it easy to track the origin of your plants and even allows you to filter and sort your collection by origin.
7. Isolating Yourself in Your Plant Bubble
Plant collecting can get lonely. You start talking to your plants more than people (no shame). But all collecting and no play makes Jonny a dull boy, so bring together the gang and have some fun with other collectors.
How to avoid it:
Join plant communities! Try Facebook groups, Discord servers, or local plant swaps. Apps like Meetup often have plant lover events, and collecto.rs makes it easy to share your collection with others—because bragging is always more fun when someone else gets it.
8. Overcomplicating Care Routines
If your watering schedule requires a spreadsheet, congratulations—you’ve turned your hobby into a full-time job.
How to avoid it:
Keep it simple. Group plants by similar needs, use a care app like Planta, and automate what you can. Self-watering pots, humidifiers with timers, and grow lights that don’t need daily micromanaging will save your sanity.
We published a whole blog on the best apps to manage your plant collections. Several of these apps are designed exactly for managing care routines. Go check out that blog!
9. Hoarding Instead of Curating
Collecting is about appreciation, not accumulation. If your plants are stacked four deep on a shelf and you can’t name half of them, it’s time for an intervention.
How to avoid it:
Curate with intention. Sell, trade, or gift extras. Use collecto.rs to visualize your collection and decide what fits your theme—whether that’s tropical rainforest or “plants that don’t hate me when I forget to water them.”
10. Forgetting Why You Started
Somewhere between tracking humidity levels and hunting variegations, you forgot the joy of just loving plants.
How to avoid it:
Step back. Visit a botanical garden. Volunteer at a local plant nursery. Use your collection to connect with your environment—and maybe introduce a friend to the hobby. Because plants are better when they’re shared.
Final Thought
Plant collecting isn’t a competition (though we all know who’s winning). It’s about creating a living collection that brings you joy, not stress.
So take a breath. Open your favorite plant collection app. Take lots of pictures of your green babies. And remember: even if you’ve killed a few (or twenty) along the way, you’re still growing—literally and figuratively. 🌿