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Debate: should you pull dead leaves off your houseplants right away or leave them?
Six months ago I yanked every yellow or brown leaf off my pothos the second I spotted it, felt like I was doing something. Now I leave them on until they are fully dry and crispy, maybe two weeks, because a guy at my local nursery in Tucson told me the plant pulls nutrients back out of the leaf before it drops it. I cannot tell if he was right or just tired of me asking questions. My pothos looks about the same either way, so I have no data, just a feeling and a habit. Which side are you on, pull early or wait it out?
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knight.felix1mo ago
Man, this is the same thing as cutting grass too short or scrubbing a cast iron pan with soap. We get this itch to do something, anything, because doing nothing feels like letting the problem win. The nursery guy might have been right about the nutrients, but even if he was wrong, the leaf still isn't hurting anything sitting there for a couple weeks. I've started asking myself if my urge to fix something is actually about the plant or about me needing a win that day.
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