They tissue cultured it that’s why. such a shame

" They tissue cultured it that’s why. such a shame "

Why is that a shame? Tissue culture is an excellent means to reproduce hard to propagate plants or those that have a very limited supply as a means to increase their availability to the general public. Nothing "shameful" about it at all!!

It’s a controversial topic for sure. i know a lot of people who spent a fortune for these rare plants are rapidly leaving the house plant community because of what TC had caused. you need to understand that a lot of people found enjoyment collecting them. i think TC is good for hybrids but not for species.

i have nothing against TC. maybe others do. for me, it just needs to be labeled properly. TC or non TC.

Why? What difference does it make?

TC plants are weaker. they are pest prone, will die of root rot and does not have great variegation

Really?

" TC plants are weaker. they are pest prone, will die of root rot and does not have great variegation "

There is really nothing that is true about this statement!! If any documentation exists that supports this wild contention, Mike needs to provide it. Otherwise, we can all just conclude this is another of Mike's bizarre contentions regarding houseplants....and there are many!

there are tons of videos on youtube that explains this. Here’s just one that is very recent that says it. i know that we all have high hopes with this method but unfortunately, it isn’t there yet. just like anything else like would you clone yourself and say it is perfect?

To begin with, to rely on something posted on YouTube as scientific evidence to support this preposterous contention only illustrates a profound lack of knowledge about the tissue culture process. And assessing far too much weight to the concept that YouTube actually produces accurate horticultural content.......95% of it does NOT!! If you want proof that something does or doesn't work, access a few scientific or educational based websites. As previously noted, TC has been around for more than 100 years and recent technologies in the TC laboratory have advanced the process to very high degree. It is indeed cloning and very accurate cloning at that. On the surface, the plants are exact reproductions of the parent tissue and it would take a TC scientist to detect the difference.

The fact that one specific plant variety, Monstera Thai Constellation, didn't do well under Tissue Culture conditions, isn't really a reflection of TC as a whole.

I dont know what to say. i was just asking for a label so we know which ones are from TC and non TC

sounds like all the arguments in the hosta world.. in the 90s about how TC is inherently bad.. genetically unsound.. yada yada yada...

all it did was make the rare stuff more readily available.. and make a bunch of snobs start selling their plants for reasonable prices ...

anyway.. THIRTY DOLLAR PLANTS at the grocery store... i didnt think that was a thing ... but maybe its a more urban thing... the plants i see out here in rural-land are couple buck splurge plants ...

ken

Ken, whenever confronted with the "TC is bad" from houseplant enthusiasts, I always fall back on the hosta as an example. On some of the more popular social media sites, a lot of the users are relatively new to plants. They are new to houseplant care and maybe never have had outside gardens. So they often don't know the history of plant stories. There are three big ones that come to mind: tissue culture, poaching, pinching, and plant price indexes. They tend to think these are "new" issues when really they really aren't. But I try to make my "history" lessons fun rather than shooting people down just because they haven't been plant lovers for long.

History is useful and interesting.

And believe it or not, the Pink Princess Philodendron for $30 is a bargain. Three years ago, these same size PPP plants would have been well over $300.

I just watched this video about monstera TC. basically, they are now creating versions 1.0 and 2.0 via tissue culture. this is crazy. when will this end

Ken, they up-sell plants now, pretty plants sold in useless small pretty pots with no drainage holes (so water doesn't spill on the grocery floor), so they can charge more. I've seen a few Philo types at groceries lately.

If you want something rare, try this... I'm not interested.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1175837742/philodendron-spiritus-sancti-variegated?click_key=bbd37f46008d7fd69eb2a292204af7ad67580f4c%3A1175837742&click_sum=63aa5a58&external=1&rec_type=cs&ref=landingpage_similar_listing_top-6&frs=1

Variegated monsteras of more than one kind I see at independent garden centers in my rural area are still hundreds of dollars apiece for quite small specimens. And it is interesting that the country subculture-oriented outlets here even have these at all. For instance, one place is basically a bark and soil yard with a garden center as a sideline. Or appears to have least started out that way. Anyway, the small houseplant room was added to the store just in the last year or so, has a quite limited inventory - about the same number of units as a body might see in a grocery store floral department. And yet last time I looked here were these pink-and-white variegated monsteras, for something like $400 in the 4 in. pot and $800 in the 6 in.

Another place here, basically an independent flower shop with a mediocre outdoor plant area off to the side has the 'Thai Constellation'. This time with a tubbed "demo" specimen backing up the same presentation of a few dinky propagules for hundreds each as I've seen of other kinds elsewhere. In person viewing of the larger example, with leaves maybe 10 in. long at this point merely serves to reinforce that the spattered looking yellow variegation pattern is as unattractive - even jarring - as photos of this variety appear to indicate.

Every grocery store I've been to sells the majority of their plants in nursery pots that are either in pretty cache pots or wrapped in foil.* Cute pots sell better than basic pots ... it's a grocery store, not a nursery where people go specifically for the plants.

*The exception to this is Tillandsia, obviously, since those aren't potted, and orchids ... those are in solid pots (probably recommending ice cubes); those poor things need help.

Should we be cancelling these grocery stores? big corporations killing botique rare plant stores. i dont know…

In the early 2000's etc many these, now again, popular aroids were in TC and being sold super cheap. They went out of favor (as plant trends will) except for the plant collectors that kept theirs. The Pandemic unexpectedly, renewed the fever of houseplants and aroids. The collectors then had stuff people really wanted and would pay big bucks for. Those plants were considered rare. So now those plants (plus their new hybrids) are back in TC due to increased demand. So TC is nothing new or evil. Only the sellers or buyer who paid $$$ will be angry. Plant trends will change again once TC aroids are pumped out in abundance. Then something else will be lusted after.

As a seller, you have to be able to predict the market a little. If you want to beat TC a little you need to see what direction buyers are going in and get those plants and propagate ahead of time. Some things are patented so you have to deal with that as well. If you make your own hybrids, of plants that are in demand, you will be ahead of the game.

Asian (Thai, Japan, Indonesia etc) hybridizers are really cranking out some interesting things that will soon be making their way here.

If I have 2 plants for sale, but don't sell any, I'm not "selling" them for what the price tag says. Could be more like selling a used car. You always ask for more than what you will settle for so the buyer can "talk you down" and feel good about your real price. I have no idea. With just a few exceptions, $20 is my limit for a plant. I don't want an expensive plant, it feels bad enough if a cheap one dies.

The type of plant does not automatically connect to a price for me. I want to see how big it is, feel the leaves, stems, check for pests, assess the pot if it's something other than a plastic nursery pot. Then I'll decide for myself if the plant matches the price tag.

I have paid quite a bit for certain plants in the past lol. They weren't aroids though.

In 2009 Monstera deliciosa Thai Constellation was being sold in FL nurseries very cheaply. I bought 3 for about $13 each in 6 inch pots. They were small without "panes" yet. They weren't labeled as Monstera but as philodendron. Nurseries get big shipments of plants from growers and just kinda lump stuff together, especially in Big Box stores.

If you have a trained eye, you can spot rare or unusual things sometimes. Also, about that time period, you could buy Three -8 inch Pink Princess cuttings on ebay for about $20 and free ship. Monstera Albo is already much cheaper now being about $100 or so whereas before it could easily be $500.

In 2009 Monstera deliciosa Thai Constellation was being sold in FL nurseries

What was this material being called?

Here at Costa Farms, we know you’re excited about Monstera ‘Thai Constellation’—and we are, too. We also know that so many of you are sad about the fact that it’s still not commercially available since we unveiled it at TPIE, an industry trade show in 2020. The fact that we haven’t been able to release it for you has made our team equally sad.

Monstera Thai Constellation Update | Costa Farms

I think the ones that Costa Farms will release are the version 2.0 of the Thai Constellation which would be weaker compared to the version 1.0 according to Kaylee. the version 1.0 hopefully will keep its price point

I think the ones that Costa Farms will release

Note that the Costa Farms page I linked to was from last March. And that Costa Farms is supposed to be the originator of 'Thai Constellation'. In addition to my previous comments about seeing it in person on the market in my area.

Maybe the ones you are already seeing are the 2.0 ones… they are weaker

As far as I know it wasnt being called anything except for Variegated Monstera. The ones I got were mislabled as philodendrons.

monstera version 2.0 is the new name