How We Research Our Plant Care Guides

Parenting Plants exists to give plant parents care advice they can trust and actually use. This page explains who writes our guides, where the information comes from, and how we keep it accurate.

Who writes our guides

Every guide is written by Manik, the plant parent behind Parenting Plants. Manik started with a single pothos and has since grown a wide range of houseplants, from hardy succulents to fussy tropicals. Our advice comes from that hands-on experience, checked against the trusted sources below. Read Manik’s story.

Where our information comes from

• University and cooperative extension services, such as horticulture extension guides from land-grant universities
• Botanical gardens and established horticultural organisations
• The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center list for every pet-safety statement
• Hands-on experience growing and troubleshooting the plants we write about

Each care guide ends with a “Sources and further reading” section, so you can check the original information yourself.

How we write and check each guide

• Answer first: every guide opens with a short, direct answer, then explains the details.
• Plain language: no jargon without an explanation, and measurements in both inches and centimetres where it helps.
• Pet safety on every plant guide: checked against the ASPCA list, never guessed.
• No guesswork on problems: each fix lists the likely cause, how to confirm it, and the step-by-step solution.
• Clear images: photos are our own, properly licensed or created for us, and AI-generated images are labelled as such in their captions.

Keeping guides up to date

We review our guides and update them when we learn something new or a reader points out a problem. The “Last reviewed” date at the end of each guide shows when it was last checked.

Affiliate links and products

Some guides link to products, and some of those links are affiliate links. We only recommend tools we would use ourselves, and earning a commission never changes our advice. We also sell our own ebooks and printables. Read our full affiliate disclosure.

Spotted a mistake?

Plant care has a lot of myths, and we want to get it right. If something in a guide looks wrong or out of date, email manik@parentingplants.com and we will check it and correct it.