Time to send to the compost bin?

[viridian-skies]

I'm curious about how other growers deal with plants that don't seem to thrive. I find it interesting how I can have 2 same genus plants of relatively the same age + in the same growing conditions and while one takes off like gangbusters, the other just sits. It may not be dying, but it doesn't do much else. I think some just don't have the same vigor, which would make sense... same as any living creature.

I'm kind of torn between giving the plant in stasis TLC and seeing what happens (I tend to be stubborn), but then on the flip side, I didn't get into this hobby to have plants that don't grow well. Ugh.

I'm interested in hearing others' thought about this. Do you toss at some point if you have a plant that just doesn't do much of anything, but otherwise appears healthy? Are you impatient or is there a set amount of time you give things before making this decision?

[Paul]

For me, the answer is "it depends".

If the plant is rather rare/hard to find and I really really like the flowers it is supposed to get, I will likely keep it and try changing some part of its culture.

If the plant is in good shape but just has refused to bloom for me for several years and/or doesn't grow at all (when I know it does not have a rep for being a slow grower), then I would likely try to trade it, sell it, or gift it to a recipient willing to give it a go.

If the plant looks like crap and is "nothing special", then I'll pitch it.

[MrHappyRotter]

Hard to find, sentimental, or expensive plant? I'll hold on to it and put some effort into its recovery. Eventually if I don't see evidence that the decline has at least stalled, I tend to toss it to save myself the stress. Sometimes if I catch the problem early enough, I'll give an ailing plant to someone that I know is better at caring for them than myself and who is interested in growing it. I'd rather it thrive under someone else's care than die in mine.

Anything else? I'll usually make an effort to recover it unless it's a plant I'm already on the fence about keeping. However, if I don't quickly see signs of recovery then it goes into the trash to make room for the rest.

[Mountaineer370]

I've gone through the same dilemma -- and continue to, more or less. I actually started a similar thread sometime last year. What I ended up doing was eliminating quite a few plants from my collection by donating them to the raffle table at my monthly society meeting. I have a few more that are on the fence right now. I only have room for a small collection, and I can't see devoting the time and space to plants that are just never going to bloom for me. If all I want is foliage, there are other houseplants out there with more attractive foliage than most orchids, IMO.

It goes without saying that I would only donate/give away/rehome a plant that I believe to be healthy, and it would be my hope that somebody else's conditions are more to its liking. If I had a plant that I felt was diseased, virused, infested with pests, or otherwise in dire straits, I wouldn't hesitate to send it to the compost pile.

It also sometimes happens that we have plants that we are just no longer excited about. Maybe our tastes have changed, or maybe it's just gotten too big for our space, or maybe it "just sits," as you said. Don't feel bad about making decisions that work for you, your personal feelings, your growing conditions and space, etc. I think our preferences evolve the longer we are in this hobby. It's totally natural.

[fishmom]

I find that if a plant is just limping along,not diseased, I can always find it a good home by offering it on Freecycle, Nextdoor, or the Gardeners Facebook page for my local town. Plus then I get to recruit new members for my local Orchid Society, and sometimes make a new friend. It works well for me.