Transcript
Alexis: Hello, plant people.
Emma Lee: Oh.
Alexis: Hello, friends of the pod. How's everybody doing today?
Plant People: Good. You're as high energy as your shirt. So anybody not watching the video feed now is missing it. Alexis has on some sweet tie-dye swag.
Alexis: Mm-hmm. I tie-dyed this myself, too, so I'm pretty proud.
Plant People: You did.
Emma Lee: look
Plant People: Is that for the podcast or is that the non-existent swag that we don't have?
Alexis: is
Plant People: We keep talking about.
Alexis: this is ah This is some other swag, support your local farmer swag um I have from back in the day.
Plant People: it. Love it.
Alexis: So, ah yeah, I was like I need
Plant People: Love it. Love it. Love it.
Brett: and Emma, when was the last time, was when was the last time, Emma, that you tie-dyed something?
Emma Lee: Probably when I was 12, but I did a really good job. Very memorable. Couldn't pop it. So I never did it again.
Brett: You peaked early as a tie-dyer.
Plant People: I mean, you did. i mean, straight UK one and done. That's, that's how we roll here in Kentucky.
Emma Lee: thank
Brett: Wow.
Plant People: Yeah.
Alexis: the Boyle County had like hardcore good tie dye that they use for like 4-H camp and stuff like that and when they would come back and they'd have leftover dye we just like all show up with our like dingy whites that we wanted to color something else and i have it have a tie dye party so ah yeah I got some really good tie dye that's like legit from that yeah
Brett: Okay. Okay.
Plant People: Over dirty t-shirts.
Plant People: Yeah. I love me some tie dye.
Brett: Yeah, i never I can never tell it apart from like Vietnamese dye and Laotian dye.
Plant People: No, is it tie or some other ethnicity?
Emma Lee: Yeah.
Alexis: lowation Thank you.
Plant People: We don't know.
Brett: i don't i yeah i don't know the I don't know the regional variability, but ah yours loses looks nice.
Plant People: Norwegian dye. I want that. There's the Adobe version. The clay dyes.
Alexis: I appreciate that.
Plant People: Yeah. The clay clay is super cool.
Alexis: Yeah. um I appreciate that. Just channeling channeling that tie-dye stuff.
Brett: Yeah. Yeah.
Plant People: You're mid summer sunshine.
Alexis: Well, you know what? It's summer, baby. So if you've not tie-dyed yet this summer, you know what?
Plant People: It's high summer.
Alexis: Go do it. Go do it. You know the other thing that
Brett: It sounds like many summers have passed since Emetai died, so.
Emma Lee: yeah
Brett: You
Plant People: Minnie, I think it's, maybe she's overdue.
Alexis: Emma missing out, man?
Plant People: think she's overdue.
Emma Lee: Yeah.
Alexis: Missing out.
Brett: should return to your roots.
Alexis: You got those grungy white things that you're like, hmm, this is stained, but it's super comfy, so I want to keep wearing it, but I shouldn't wear it in public.
Emma Lee: Yeah.
Alexis: Tie-dye, baby.
Emma Lee: Yeah. I also like it when you can tie-dye like bags and random other white stuff.
Brett: Ah, wow.
Emma Lee: So I might get into that. Not the shirt business, but the knick-knack tie-dye business.
Alexis: and
Brett: Okay.
Alexis: Yep. Yep.
Plant People: you're you're You're approaching it from a novel angle.
Alexis: Yes.
Emma Lee: Yeah.
Plant People: You're gonna corner the market on some novel angle, so yeah. It's good stuff. It's very appropriate for midsummer. I feel like that tada is.
Alexis: Well, as you all, our listeners, can hear, we have a ah different voice, another female voice. Thank goodness. I've been without without the the feminine energy here for a little while. So, Emma, why don't you introduce yourself to the to the listeners?
Emma Lee: Hey, everybody. So I'm Emma. I am actually an ag agent in Estill County, and I have only been at this for a little over three years, but I'm sure if you've seen the UK houseplant page, you're very familiar with my voice.
Emma Lee: I have worn it out making those houseplant videos. And if you haven't heard it, please go like it. I'm begging. So thank you. Thank you.
Alexis: We will put a link in the show notes to that. But I love your videos and I watch them as a houseplant nerd. So I appreciate you.
Plant People: Wait a minute.
Alexis: and
Plant People: ah that There's two different ones themed out. Emma reminded me at the very beginning of the show, there is the main page and then there's a secondary page with a primary superstar, a fuzzy superstar.
Plant People: So yeah, more than one page.
Emma Lee: More than one page. My cat runs the other one by himself. its All the videos. He just records me. He just holds the phone. so
Brett: What's his name?
Alexis: Yeah, yeah.
Emma Lee: His name is Pep.
Brett: Pep.
Emma Lee: Yes.
Plant People: Pep.
Brett: That's awesome.
Emma Lee: Yeah, it started out
Brett: So you like you see, so he's like a he's like the director, you're like the onscreen talent and maybe the executive producer.
Alexis: Just pep behind the scenes.
Emma Lee: Yes, he knows exactly what's going on. He just holds up the little cards, you know, with the words and records the video for me, edits it, posts it, whatever.
Plant People: you
Brett: Mm hmm.
Brett: I like that.
Alexis: some good Some good teamwork right there.
Brett: So I'm i'm less less familiar with this. So if you were to if you were to pitch this or explain this to someone, like what what kind of stuff is on there? And I'm also interested in hearing like what made you start this in the first place?
Emma Lee: So I started my master's degree shortly after I started working because I figured that's one of those things that's better done sooner than later.
Alexis: Yes.
Emma Lee: And now we're at the later part where I have the master's graduate project. So I figured, you know, might as well pursue something that interests me, something I'm really into right now. And at that time, I had just started getting into houseplants.
Emma Lee: And now I'm in a deep houseplant pit, but at the beginning, beginning i was like, oh yeah, let's buy all these houseplants because it's for content.
Emma Lee: We're past that. We're past that. And if anyone needs any plants, please let me know.
Plant People: You're into the save me phase of the project.
Brett: I see.
Alexis: Now have to take care of them all.
Emma Lee: There's so many.
Plant People: Yeah. Yeah.
Emma Lee: ah There's so many, but yes, so there's a lot houseplant information when you start digging into it. So when I was trying to get into stuff, of course, I have a horticulture background, a degree in it, but that's mostly like vegetables and there's not a lot of emphasis on the indoor plants as much.
Emma Lee: So when I was digging around for information, it's that typical Facebook vibe where five different videos say, oh, you should do this. And then it's like, oh, you should never do this.
Emma Lee: And it's talking about the same thing. so I was like, you know, this is kind of something that's not been... really touch too much. And Extension, of course, has a present on presence on social media, but there's not as many just short little TikTok top link videos that are just quick, straight to the point for houseplants.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: And so my goal of this whole project was to first and foremost, make those videos that are easy to Access for housemate people straight to the point because I don't like watching YouTube videos for very long.
Emma Lee: If I need to know right now, like, okay, do it and tell me what I need to do. um so I tried to provide that. And then of course there's two different Facebook pages. One that's kind of geared more towards just your friend, your neighbor, just kind of hearing it from someone, you know, that doesn't have a background in this.
Emma Lee: And then the other page that is, more uk extension focused and kind of has the extension vibe so to speak
Brett: Well, as someone who does watch a ton of long form YouTube, um how dare you?
Alexis: On four times speed.
Plant People: Yeah, yeah.
Emma Lee: sorry
Plant People: three the yeah they They all sound like chipmunks on when um Brett's feed, yes.
Brett: How dare you? But as someone is into houseplants and appreciates the extension mission and knows that most of our clientele appreciate a short form video with good information, thank you.
Plant People: Long form video.
Brett: But I will not forgive you, but thank you.
Plant People: mean
Emma Lee: this this is not about yeah this isn't about the plant holes me i love watching those ones that like an hour long that's like watch me water all my plants this isn't about that this is about stuff that you need to know right now because i'm
Plant People: We like a good 12-minute introduction. Yeah.
Plant People: No ASMR, just straight to the point.
Brett: Yeah, I love that. I love that. if you actually watch videos, people will say things like, thank you for no, they'll say, thank you for no BS, no music, no, you know, stupid voiceovers, just got straight to the point.
Plant People: to the point
Brett: Thank you. there And there's like a thousand comments that are like that. And so, yeah, I think that that is the actual market for a lot of this informational stuff.
Emma Lee: Yeah. Yeah.
Plant People: Yeah. That's definitely the trend. Yeah.
Brett: Yeah.
Plant People: Yeah. Even though I love me some good long videos.
Brett: So can you take us...
Alexis: Thank you.
Brett: Like, so I i actually um not, I guess it was this past year. um My wife had kind of been into houseplants for a while. um i keep bonsai, but outside bonsai.
Emma Lee: ah
Brett: um And I was like, oh, you know, let's, let's get into some houseplants over the, over the winter. And I found myself sort of. I wouldn't say necessarily overwhelmed, but inundated. I could see that my wife was getting overwhelmed, but I was excited by the volume of information.
Brett: um But where did you start? Like, is there ah you know an on-ramp for houseplant people as far as the species at first kind of ah wigged me out a little because there were so many of them and they were so far outside of what I was used to.
Brett: But I found that there okay there are some that are like these on-ramp plants and then start to make a mental map of the you know light light needs and all that kind of stuff. But I'm curious, like if you're taking some noob like me and on-ramping us, where do you what do you start with?
Emma Lee: So my top picks, I know everybody says succulents are the easiest. I don't ever recommend that. I literally am on like a journey right now to learn how to keep them alive.
Emma Lee: And as someone who has hundreds of houseplants, succulents are not my easy one. I think that it's hit or miss.
Alexis: No.
Emma Lee: You're either a succulent person or you're not. um So you have to kind of look at that deep within yourself before you start.
Plant People: Yeah.
Emma Lee: And if you're not a succulent person, things like trade scantia that you can, you know, basically try really hard to kill and it won't.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: It'll live through, persist through all conditions. I have one that I don't even think about water or care about. And it's still going. I'm like, okay, it's time to put it outside in the winter.
Emma Lee: ah But that is definitely some easy vining plants are always my go-to for new beginners because I think seeing all those leaves grow that fast and you're thinking, hey, I just got a new leaf.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: And then you get the excitement and everything and it kind of gets you into the houseplant hobby.
Brett: And so that would be that would be the Tradescantia that you mentioned would be an example of that?
Emma Lee: Yes, or philodendrons.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: I'm trying to think of the exact kind.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: The heartleaf philodendrons were one of my first plants that I was really excited about because it puts off leaves very quickly.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: And so I like things that I can see a fast turnaround and make sure that I know it's healthy, there's new leaves, because that's my thing that I gauge everything off of, is this putting off new leaves.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Brett: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: And so that's what I started with. Or spider plants even.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: um aloe is not not the vibe though a lot of people do that I can't keep aloe alive I don't know
Alexis: Thank Thank you Listen, aloe is way more difficult.
Plant People: but
Alexis: I have one that my aunt gave me and dug out from her like yard in Florida. And it's been slowly dying for probably eight years now. um it's It's not cute, but I still have it.
Alexis: And I'm like, what why do I still have this? But yeah, aloe, the other thing, um air plants.
Brett: And
Alexis: Air plants are my kryptonite.
Emma Lee: Yes.
Alexis: I've said it before.
Plant People: You're...
Alexis: I'll say it again.
Plant People: Well...
Alexis: If it doesn't grow in soil, i can't grow it.
Plant People: e Your problem is you're trying to take care of it and you shouldn't do that with airplanes.
Emma Lee: Right.
Plant People: You should just ignore them.
Alexis: Well, but then I forget about it completely and then it's all shriveled up and dead.
Emma Lee: Right.
Alexis: Like I just, I can't win with them.
Plant People: Well, you can't put them in the oven, Alexis. You shouldn't do that. I mean.
Alexis: I. i
Plant People: But but you know why do we see, like, i mean, I know there's social media.
Emma Lee: miss you.
Plant People: You've already kind of mentioned that you're on social media, but years ago, i mean, I would never see a succulent at a local box store, but now every single store that has a home and garden center, and and I love succulents, um but they're not the easiest thing in the world because people try to love on them and take care of them and ba and then they, you know, they have issues.
Alexis: Also, your house is not the desert. Like, the...
Plant People: Yeah.
Emma Lee: So yeah, yeah.
Alexis: Just... It's not the desert. Okay.
Plant People: Yeah. Yeah. But, but why do we see that? i mean, what what's the rise of some of these things? And I know they're, they're, they're definitely not the easiest just from personal experience of those. Is it kind of social media or what's, what's the theories here?
Brett: Well, i have ah I have a little bit of a theory. I have a theory of why in the marketplace.
Plant People: ah need to know.
Alexis: Why?
Plant People: I need to know.
Brett: this is not This is sort of based a little bit on um on biology.
Plant People: It makes money.
Brett: I think that if you think about most people's ability or interest in taking care of a plant and you put it at maybe like four to six weeks at most,
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Brett: There are certain plants that are kind of in, I mean, some of the really easy stuff that's going to make it that long, but the succulents can look that good and cute and hip for that long, even if they're dying.
Plant People: Her
Brett: And so by the time it dies, you've lost interest.
Plant People: short form plant.
Brett: And so it's sort of like fits a nice little market niche of, as opposed to like, if you don't, if you don't water at your peace lily for six whole weeks, you're probably going to, going to lose that.
Plant People: o
Plant People: Peace out.
Brett: um
Plant People: Yeah.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Brett: So that that that that's one of my theories is that it's just, it's, it's a, it's some supposed to be a consumable disposable good. Unlike some of us who that treat our plants like members of the family that we'll keep around for.
Plant People: Most of my succulents are like 12, 15 years old. I mean, I don't know what you guys are doing on those.
Brett: Yeah. Well, I do like the idea of, of referring to there are succulent people and non-succulent people. And when I'm asked to describe my body type, I might refer to myself as a succulent person in the future.
Plant People: but
Emma Lee: Thank you.
Brett: yeah,
Emma Lee: yeah
Brett: but
Alexis: I would say I can do succulents, I can't do cacti.
Brett: Okay.
Plant People: Cactus are different. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Brett: I am curious what what what makes Ray the succulent guy versus not, you know, what do you think that is?
Plant People: for For me, probably i came to like this revelation. It's like, well, how what is what was I doing wrong? The first five, eight years, it goes all the way back to Berea when I was there at college.
Plant People: I tried to grow the dumb things and I didn't use any special potting soil and put them in just a container of deep soil. Way too much moisture all the time. And it's at some point a few years ago, I was like, well, how do these things grow in nature?
Plant People: Well, for me, it was using the correct soil, actually a well-drained soil with a little bit higher, you know, a succulent soil, cactus succulent soil. They're really easy to get. And the number one thing that helped me out personally, it may be different for you, but was floodwatering.
Plant People: when I water these things, I do it infrequently.
Alexis: Yeah.
Plant People: I put it in the sink and I just flood the thing with water and rinse.
Emma Lee: um
Brett: You didn't sync with it.
Plant People: you know Yeah. Get in there, get that water in there. And then that allows all the the dead stuff to float up and out because, you know, and once it dries, it floats out.
Emma Lee: yeah
Plant People: And I use gravel on the top of my succulents. I just always have, I want I want it to look like a desert. I want it to look cute. But between those two things, the right soil and flood watering, I mean, that's the trick for me. And then I don't water it again for a,
Plant People: period of time, good period of time. It's different for everybody.
Brett: Where are you keeping it? Where are you? What are you doing? Where are you?
Plant People: South facing windows for my succulents. And in the summer I put them out on ah the front of my home, which gets just the right amount of sunlight. It doesn't bake them out and cook them. But now my succulents I treat as an indoor outdoor sort of plant that gets moved in and out.
Plant People: um They just seem to do better when I, like Alexis said, you you know, our hot summers and if the storms come and I will protect them a little bit, but yeah. is I move the things in and out and there's lots of cool, like they're not the aloes Alexis talking about, which Alexis, I find very hard to grow the traditional aloe.
Alexis: Thank you. I appreciate that.
Plant People: But now the new, ah the new succulent type aloes, they, they look like they're from another world that are variegated red and spiky.
Alexis: Yes.
Emma Lee: Yes.
Plant People: I mean, the even the Haworthias, it kind of looks like aloe. They're a little different, but I love all of those, but yeah, yeah. The right soil and floodwatering. I mean, have you covered any of those, Emma on your, uh,
Brett: She said she's on a succulent journey. I'm curious what the journey is yielding.
Plant People: Yeah, I know. I want to hear about this. I need some tips because they can be difficult to grow.
Emma Lee: So I did one recently about basic succulent care because that's one of the fun things about succulents is everybody's like, oh, you never have to water them. And even if you do, just a tiny little bit.
Emma Lee: And I'm like, no, every every video I make is pure like hate mail.
Plant People: um
Emma Lee: I'm like, hey, don't listen to these people that are lying to you.
Plant People: The feedback is all negative.
Emma Lee: i know
Brett: but
Emma Lee: You know, I mean, and they don't have to be watered very often, but when I do water them, I bottom water them maybe like once every month, unless it's my ones that I put outside that I just remembered about that I haven't watered in like four months, whatever.
Plant People: Yeah.
Emma Lee: But um they're out there.
Plant People: but
Emma Lee: They're hanging on. i'll only cover indoor plants.
Plant People: they thriving? Yeah.
Emma Lee: But yeah, so that's one of the big things is watering with succulents. Because you're not putting a dropper on there, you know you're soaking it.
Plant People: Yeah.
Emma Lee: But not very often. um Unless you're my wonderful boyfriend who learned how to take care of houseplants through um me going through this big houseplant journey. And he does everything, almost the opposite of me. And he actually takes care of them. And his are so much better than mine. And I take all my dead ones to him as a rehab. Yeah.
Emma Lee: And so I'm out here making these videos and meanwhile I'm killing all the plants and then taking them to his house. ah
Alexis: You're just figuring out what won't work so that you have good, you know, feedback. It's good. It's research.
Plant People: There you go, Alexis.
Emma Lee: Yes, i I'm fostering these plants until they get to go to their forever home, which is at his house.
Plant People: Positive spin, yes.
Alexis: Yeah.
Plant People: Yeah.
Alexis: Yeah.
Plant People: It sounded like he was a sick bay, yeah.
Alexis: You're like, I can tell you for certain that not watering it for six months is not the way to do it.
Plant People: No, no, you you don't want that.
Alexis: Yeah.
Emma Lee: Yes, I have a feeling those plants I forgot about on the back porch are going to be showing up on his back porch very soon.
Plant People: and
Brett: Thank
Emma Lee: Yes.
Plant People: And I see it's a lot, like a lot, even commercially available, like big succulent pots. Like they have different plants in there that have completely different cultural requirements, different light, different moisture, but they stick them in there because they look pretty together.
Emma Lee: Yes.
Plant People: And I'm like, well, those are getting ripped apart. And I and i see that all the time um to this very day, both of
Alexis: yeah
Emma Lee: yes
Alexis: That's my biggest rage when you go to a um a store or, you know, you get like a ah gift basket of, you know, plants or something like that. People will send them as as gifts from like a florist or something.
Alexis: And it's like a peace lily in there with a philodendron in there with a cactus.
Plant People: the
Alexis: And I'm like, none of this goes.
Plant People: A cactus, yeah.
Alexis: Like, no wonder people fail. Yeah.
Emma Lee: Yes, I saw one.
Brett: Well, I will just say one more time, it's not a good business model to sell someone a plant that's going to live forever.
Plant People: Yeah.
Emma Lee: Right, you're right.
Plant People: Not everything can be a snake plant. Not everything.
Alexis: He's got a point. He's got a point.
Emma Lee: Yeah, I saw a pot.
Brett: and just Just like the the dishwashers our grandparents have or the washing machines our grandparents have that lasted for like 68 years, not a great business model.
Plant People: No money in that. No money in it.
Alexis: Good point.
Brett: So just saying...
Emma Lee: Yeah, they they put the stupidest some combo things. I saw one in Lowe's and it had an alocasia, which has to be like pretty moist all the time with succulents.
Alexis: Very humid.
Emma Lee: like
Plant People: Yeah.
Emma Lee: You're going to kill everything.
Alexis: No.
Emma Lee: Like not even just one or the other.
Alexis: Yeah.
Emma Lee: It's all gone. It's all gone.
Plant People: Yeah.
Emma Lee: Mush.
Plant People: far succulent love, I mean, I see the appeal of that. I mean, first of all, you know, if you search for it one time on social media platforms, like your algorithms are skewed forever, that's all I see now is dish gardens.
Emma Lee: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: Um, but for the, you know, I see the draw on those because as I guess our population gets more urban or it was at a point, i don't know if that's still the trend, uh,
Emma Lee: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: But, I mean, they don't grow. Most succulents don't have this huge growth rate, some kind of do, that would be classified as succulents. And you have this container, and you could have a tiny little miniature garden, and you can put a fairy in there, a bridge, and you can embellish it.
Plant People: so i So I totally see the draw of that, and they look wonderful on social media. And I, you know, I still think that's the the rise and interest of all of these things, dish gardens and succulents and, and all of that, that, that angle of indoor plants, indoor, outdoor plants. um But I can see it.
Plant People: They don't like grow crazy. Like you would have pothos or something that may grow and take over. If you nap too long next to it, it may just crawl right over top of you.
Brett: can
Alexis: I wanted to
Plant People: Yes.
Brett: Can I ask you a controversial question?
Plant People: Hudson. Oh, always.
Brett: She didn't say yes. She just sort of.
Plant People: Oh, she's not going to say yes.
Emma Lee: me you can always ask me closer if i'm the last one if i can give you a controversial answer you can ask me
Brett: Yeah, I'm asking you, Emma.
Plant People: I was encouraging you.
Brett: Controversial question.
Plant People: She
Alexis: She said, I might not answer, but you can ask.
Brett: Yeah, you can ask.
Plant People: says, you can ask.
Plant People: um
Brett: To a seemingly innocuous question.
Emma Lee: but
Plant People: Yes, for this only loaded Yes.
Brett: ah we weren looking for Are there any popular plants, and this is not a not you know easy or hard to take care of, whatever, any popular houseplants that you are just like, nah, not for me, dislike that, overrated, basic, whatever other what other other judgmental words, you know your words, not mine.
Emma Lee: yeah
Alexis: Overrated.
Plant People: Mm. Now we're meddling. I love it.
Plant People: ah just plants you don't like.
Emma Lee: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: They may be good plants, but you have a bad attitude towards them.
Emma Lee: um Oh, there are one. Do you all know the prayer plants, calatheas?
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: Everybody loves those and thinks that they're so cute. And I'm like, have you ever had one? Because they are the hardest, most dramatic things to take care of.
Emma Lee: Honestly, mine were hanging on by thread. And I think they're cute and everything. But I mean, if you look at it wrong, like it's like... leaves immediately down on the floor.
Emma Lee: And so I have a Pac-Man frog. And the only way that I got these things to live is to put them, plant them in the tank. Cause he has a little bioactive tank, you know, got to have all stops here, but his little plants are in there.
Brett: Oh, that's so awesome.
Emma Lee: and of course they're perfect. Like I'm going to have to take them out of the tank. And when I put them in there, they were like this tall and now they're busting through the lid.
Plant People: Now they're thriving.
Brett: So in the various quick side...
Emma Lee: So
Alexis: Yeah, they love to like brown, don't they? They're just like, the humidity is not exactly 85%, so brown.
Brett: Yeah...
Emma Lee: yeah
Emma Lee: Yeah.
Plant People: Looking cute, made out of day.
Brett: Entire outer ring gone. So do you in the bioactive tank, do you have like the little arthropods and other little things in there and with the, well, you said what else, is what else goes into that tank?
Plant People: oh
Emma Lee: Yes. So he used to have his little isopods and
Brett: Isopods I meant, sorry.
Emma Lee: That was very tragic and they are no longer with us. But there are springtails in there that clean up stuff.
Brett: Cool.
Emma Lee: And I mean, you can open the tank and if there was anything left over, like a little crumb of food or something, springtails everywhere just doing their thing.
Plant People: Oh, wow. Mm-hmm.
Brett: That's so awesome.
Emma Lee: um And it's a amazing because usually you have to, which heck man, frogs, they don't, I don't know how they live in nature. This, they're just, I mean,
Brett: I think they eat go eat ghosts.
Emma Lee: I'm holding the food in front of his face for like 30 minutes every time I feed him. And he's just like, no. And then he tries to bite me. I mean, he hasn't eaten in like three months because he hates me.
Brett: Oh, buddy.
Emma Lee: um and he did So I just let him be free, you know, hang out. But yeah, he has this little plans, whatever.
Brett: just For those who aren't initiated, could you could you just give ah a real quick explanation of what a bioactive enclosure for an animal is
Emma Lee: Absolutely. So I'm big into exotic pets. I have tarantulas, ah everything that anybody's scared of. Basically, I've got one in a tank.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: So, but bioactive tanks are great options for pets because it kind of mimics their natural ecosystem and habitat. And it's also, it's a lot of money sometimes to get the initial bulk started, but it pretty much takes care of itself.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: So when you have a bioactive tank, you've usually got like carbon, um you know, or charcoal is what I'm thinking of, kind of at the bottom of it.
Brett: Yeah.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Brett: Almost like a biochar granule kind of thing.
Emma Lee: Yes, those little granules in the bottom. um And then like I use coconut fiber for all of my tanks. um And then you put plants in it, you put some kind of decomposer in it, whether it be isopods, springtails.
Emma Lee: I think there's some other options um that I'm not thinking of off the top of my head.
Brett: Yeah, yeah. Some sort of a little low on the, ah so like a saprophytic kind of low on the food chain totem pole decomposer kind of thing.
Alexis: Totem pole.
Emma Lee: Yes.
Emma Lee: Yes. So whenever you get food anywhere, the waste of whatever pet it is, those immediately go clean that up. Because if you don't have it bioactive, you're going to be, you know, it's kind of like cleaning a cat litter box, except it's a frog. And so you have to get in there and manage everything and change the dirt completely like super often, which is a lot harder than you would think.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: I don't like doing it. And that's why i made it bioactive.
Alexis: A
Emma Lee: But yeah.
Brett: That's so awesome.
Emma Lee: Yeah.
Brett: And you've actually integrated some plants ah into it as well, which some people do that. Then it's kind of like ah this circle where the the plant makes waste and the the things, does decompose it or or eat it or whatever and turn that into then this nutrition for the plant.
Alexis: little ecosystem.
Brett: And then and the water cycle is also kind of happening within the enclosure. Man, that's so cool.
Plant People: I don't have...
Brett: That is so cool, Emma.
Emma Lee: Yeah, and it's a great option for houseplant people because it was more like, oh my goodness, the decor for these tanks, why am I having to cut my arm off to pay for, you know, like a little rock cod for a frog?
Emma Lee: um I was like, actually, I can just take a cutting off of a couple different plants and And I mean, I literally just took a cutting and stuck it in there. And the humidity and conditions that certain things are in, which you would have to kind of look and see which pets you have.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: If it's more deserty, then you would need different things, obviously. But the Pac-Man frog, very humid, very nice and warm in there. And so the plants go wild.
Emma Lee: And it's basically free minus your original plant cost.
Brett: Man, that's awesome.
Emma Lee: Just...
Brett: So, so so in other words, the bioactive maybe changed your mind on the Calathea.
Emma Lee: I still feel very strongly about the flag now.
Plant People: Not really.
Emma Lee: It's just doing its own thing now.
Plant People: in summary, not really.
Alexis: Thank you.
Emma Lee: I sacrificed it.
Brett: What about you all? Do you all Ray or Alexis, do you all have a like nah plant?
Plant People: i I mean, it almost sounded like as you were talking here, I mean, lower life forms, but like like the old bigger scale terrariums, I mean, that you would create the whole ecosystem minus, you know, frogs and higher life forms.
Plant People: But it sounded a lot like that, that I was into, you know, several years ago. I mean, ah to get a terrarium actually up and working and get the atmosphere in there and water recycling is kind of difficult, but It's kind of cool what you're talking about, Em and Brett, the conversation you guys were having because you have those higher order life forms in there.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: Frogs and things, and it's kind of cool.
Emma Lee: Thank you.
Plant People: And the little lid comes ah on and off there as you need to maintain that so you don't have to worry about that, which is pretty cool. Yeah. Oh, I got it.
Alexis: My nah plant would probably be alocasias.
Plant People: ah yeah
Alexis: I don't really get the hype. It feels like a lot of work for something. I mean, like, there's some cool ones.
Brett: I don't get it.
Alexis: There's some, like, sweet black ones, like, ah leaf ones, like, black velvet-looking ones. and But I just don't want something that difficult. I don't want to try that hard.
Alexis: And I have a lot of houseplants.
Emma Lee: Yeah, I'm going to have to quote Brett on that one. First of all, how dare you?
Plant People: First of all, how dare you?
Brett: Wow.
Emma Lee: okay Allocasia is my baby and I have all of them. Yeah.
Alexis: nice i like it i'm here i i support you it's just i don't want to try that hard
Brett: wow Wow. I can feel the tension developing in the room.
Emma Lee: Do they look good? No, absolutely not. um But the thought was there and I can see their potential I actually water them.
Alexis: do you have one of the like fancy ah ikea cabinets that people have been making
Emma Lee: ah No, but I thrifted glass cabinet. I just haven't put anything in it yet because I need to get the grow lights like put up under it.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: um But I do have like one of those old, you know, it's a curio cabinet. I have a curio cabinet that I got from my grandma.
Alexis: Hello?
Emma Lee: And I think she thought I was going to put, you know, like cute little figurines and important stuff in it.
Alexis: Nick-nacks?
Brett: Mm hmm.
Emma Lee: And now it's just full of plants.
Brett: Small like ceramic bells.
Emma Lee: Yes, there are no ceramic caps in there.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: It's just plants. And so, um but they love that. Like, in my best work I have done, my best allocations, I guess, I actually bought like a weird little closed container and I just keep it filled up with little water in the bottom and I leave them in there and I know you're not supposed to leave them in water but they really like it I don't know.
Alexis: Yeah. Yeah. ah There's a lot of plants that if you follow the recommendations online, you're just kind of like, you do that and then you kill them and then you keep killing them. And then one day you just don't, whether it's on accident or you're like, I just want to try it. I'm going to kill it anyways. And then it lives. You're like, what?
Alexis: Yeah.
Plant People: Why is it, why is it living?
Emma Lee: Yes. Yeah.
Alexis: What? Yeah.
Brett: That's the famous Sherry Dutton, Plants Don't Read the Books.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: yeah
Alexis: Planes don't read books.
Brett: Shout out Sherry.
Plant People: Sometimes they just live.
Alexis: just Just a reminder to people.
Emma Lee: yeah
Plant People: I always found it like um offensive when I would like go to Florida and there's all these orchids terrestrial non-terrestrial orchids that just live in ditches or in trees. And I'm like, how offensive, how rude that I've been trying to grow this, whatever bird of Eureka paradise, you know, South America.
Brett: yeah
Plant People: And, and here it is growing on the ditch in Southern Florida, a weed, how rude.
Alexis: The weed.
Brett: Yeah, some road comfort road maintenance people come out and just spray it with Roundup.
Alexis: Stackhorn friends.
Plant People: Yes. Staghorn that are so beautiful and just hanging there majestically. And I'm like, total fail, total fail.
Alexis: and
Plant People: everyone
Alexis: and
Brett: Yeah, I remember Rick, Rick Besson talking about climbing trees and getting orchids out. It's like, all right, bud.
Alexis: Oh yeah.
Emma Lee: Okay.
Plant People: Yeah. Public lands acquisition.
Alexis: Shipping them back.
Brett: In the and the world of in the world of bonsai, people who.
Plant People: Oh, oh yeah.
Alexis: Making some money.
Plant People: Yeah. That's super cool.
Brett: Like there's certain things we can grow here that can't really grow further north and vice versa. And they refer to it as zone envy that you have this, like, I really wish that I could grow it, you know, here, whatever.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: yeah wow
Brett: Of course, houseplants, it's little different because we keep bringing them inside. But yeah.
Emma Lee: Yeah, on the topic of bonsai, so whenever I took my boyfriend along with me unwillingly on the houseplant journey, he went the bonsai route.
Brett: yeah
Plant People: hmm
Emma Lee: And so do you leave yours like outside all year round?
Brett: i I do, but I have only hardy species. By the way, this guy sounds really cool. I would i would husband him up, you know what i'm saying?
Emma Lee: He is super great.
Plant People: Lock that down.
Brett: Because the bonsai world is...
Emma Lee: He is great.
Brett: Yeah, so i I have only species that would be hardy here outside in the ground.
Emma Lee: Okay.
Brett: And I do leave them generally outside. If it gets really, really cold and stays that way, I'll sometimes protect them a little bit. But in general, yeah, they stay outside most of the most of the year.
Plant People: awesome
Emma Lee: um My next bonsai question, have you been in any of the bonsai Facebook groups?
Plant People: you
Emma Lee: Oh my goodness.
Brett: Oh, yes.
Emma Lee: Facebook groups because I have been eating alive in there. Like, wow.
Plant People: It was probably Brett.
Brett: Hopefully not by me.
Emma Lee: I don't know. i don't, I think I would recognize your name and would have been like, are you kidding me? um But be here today.
Plant People: She came on the show with one purpose in mind, revenge, revenge.
Alexis: Excuse me.
Brett: Do you have a printout?
Alexis: Payback.
Brett: A printout of all my...
Alexis: She's like, this is payback.
Emma Lee: got some stuff we need to talk about. No, but I mean,
Brett: Airing of grievances starts at 32 minutes and 32
Plant People: Speaking of bonsai.
Emma Lee: I have never seen as much drama in a Facebook group as in a bonsai group. And I mean, like they were eating me alive until i was, you know, we're at like surface level knowledge. And then I get in there and when i see the beginners ask questions, I'm like, don't ask, just go go, Google this and delete your post before they get to you. Yeah.
Brett: Yeah, some of the bigger groups have a ton of drama. Yes, I definitely agree. And I try to stay out of those. I do try to be nice to people on the Internet. And so if I see people piling on, I'll be like, well, but I mean, this is redeeming about this.
Alexis: He doesn't.
Brett: Or like, I think this is a good attempt, but next time you're going to need to water it. ah And but um there that we do have like a central Kentucky group and it's generally quite positive.
Plant People: Occasionally, yeah.
Emma Lee: should
Brett: There's a central Kentucky one.
Emma Lee: I need to join that.
Brett: Yeah, please do. Central Kentucky Bonsai on Facebook. I'm in there. I post ah not super frequently, but somewhat frequently. There's also a Cincinnati area Bonsai group. um I'm not sure if they have a social media presence, but actually, if you know um Mark Maines, the director, he's he's into Bonsai.
Emma Lee: Okay.
Emma Lee: Yeah.
Brett: um
Emma Lee: Okay.
Brett: So he yeah, he and are gonna he and I are going to get a coffee sometime and talk talk tiny trees.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Brett: But yeah, it is an interesting kind of outgrowth of similar to the house plant stuff. It's a tree. It's a tiny thing in a pot that fits what can fit well with like apartment living or reduced mobility and all those kinds of things.
Brett: um and And in that regard, it's really it's been really cool.
Emma Lee: Yes.
Brett: i'm I'm very, very into it. So I would be very into talking about it more. but our audience may be, I mean, I'll let them speak for themselves, but sometimes it's kind of like, oh yeah, bonsai, cool, man.
Emma Lee: yes
Brett: Can we get back to the houseplants? um
Alexis: Whoa. woe
Plant People: Um,
Brett: But yeah, so yeah, i i think what what kind of species does he have before we move on?
Emma Lee: so there, we're not professionals. And of course, there's the typical like umbrella tree tropical ones that we got um just because they're supposed to be indoor.
Brett: That's right, yeah.
Brett: Yeah, yeah.
Emma Lee: But we also have like the junipers.
Brett: Yeah.
Emma Lee: And we had a really expensive juniper we got that we were really proud of. And ah we don't know if it's dead. Like, It's brown and crispy, but I swear there's still something there.
Brett: Yeah.
Brett: Yeah. It just happens.
Emma Lee: And I don't want any opinions on that.
Brett: i've I've had junipers just go down and I don't understand why.
Emma Lee: it
Brett: And they're right next to one that got the exact same treatment and they just go down and you don't know why.
Emma Lee: Yes. All the other ones are alive except the expensive one. And I think it knew it's worth, you know, and it's like, I'm done.
Brett: Yeah. Yeah.
Emma Lee: um But don't know. This has just been a really interesting thing as someone who's always been into like vegetables and houseplants. Bonsai is a totally different thing where you have to start from ground zero learning about and like
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Alexis: It kind of feels like a lot of things about bonsai, like, I mean, there obviously it's a plant, like there's some rules that are true, but then you really get into it and it's like the opposite of what we tell people for normal plant care.
Emma Lee: Yes.
Brett: Yeah.
Alexis: And it just, it like, it takes rewiring of my brain to to do that.
Emma Lee: Yes.
Alexis: Like the what all the root pruning and just like when you prune and it's just kind of some of those things,
Emma Lee: Yes.
Brett: Cutting in the middle of a leaf.
Alexis: yeah
Plant People: Yeah.
Alexis: It's the exact opposite and I'm blown away by it.
Plant People: Indiscriminately.
Brett: Yeah. Truly wild.
Alexis: Yeah.
Brett: Someone, somewhat one of the leaders of North in north American bonsai refers to, and it's something he's heard before and that he had passed on, refers to a that there is a rickety bridge between bonsai and horticulture.
Alexis: ah
Brett: There's connection, but it is not a tight ah connection.
Alexis: That feels right.
Brett: there's There's some things that are kind of crazy.
Alexis: It's not an easy trek across.
Brett: And at the same time, there's things you can learn about like pruning and and thinking about that stuff.
Plant People: It's more about breaking the rules. Yeah.
Alexis: Yeah.
Brett: um
Emma Lee: Mm-hmm.
Brett: So we talked about nah houseplants. um What about like ones that you wish, you know, if either because of the care or because they're cool, like the ones that are just a little maybe underappreciated that you'd like to see more people get into or give a try two
Emma Lee: um My always top pick will be philodendrons. There's so many different ones and I didn't even realize it until I started getting on the Facebook plant sales.
Plant People: Yeah.
Emma Lee: I am, I'm not allowed.
Alexis: Oh, yeah.
Emma Lee: I'm blacklisted from that.
Plant People: yeah
Emma Lee: I can't take any more children from the Facebook sales. um But cause they'll just sell a cutting for like $2 and then it turns into a big plant. So
Plant People: yeah
Emma Lee: But the philodendrons, I mean, there's so many different things and they're all pretty easy to take care of, in my opinion, which I mean, some of mine, they don't even see me for like weeks and they have new leaves everywhere.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: think it's tripartinum or some, I don't know how to pronounce it, but that's my favorite.
Plant People: like one the variegated ones or something.
Brett: The tripart mission of the extension or the land grant institution.
Plant People: Different thing altogether, different plant.
Brett: Oh, sorry. that My programming kicked in there.
Emma Lee: Yeah, yeah.
Brett: and
Plant People: Automatically.
Alexis: Is it philodendron? You're saying the species is ah is a try something?
Emma Lee: Yes, it is a trisomping.
Alexis: Okay.
Emma Lee: I wish I had um the name. I can't think of it.
Plant People: it
Emma Lee: But it has like three little leaves. But there's so many. And then there's also just so many different ones.
Brett: Tripartitum.
Emma Lee: Yes, tripartitum. That one is my favorite. And also, ah have one called a mottled dragon that I bought just because it was fun sounding.
Alexis: Okay.
Emma Lee: And it's turned out to be one of my favorites as well.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: So, i and
Alexis: how What's your vibe on ah like, just your your personal vibe on, you know, especially during COVID, we saw these, like, cuttings of, you know, different, you know, Pink Princess and all of these variegated ones that were going for, like, thousands of dollars.
Brett: That's cool.
Alexis: And and they're still expensive. I mean, you can get them now a lot more easily. I mean, even places like Lowe's carry some of those that have come, you know, off patent or, they're still in patent but they're mass produced now but they're still really expensive like what's your what's your vibe on that
Emma Lee: So personally, I don't go over like $20 to $30 for anything because of course, unless it's like a huge house plant, because of course that price is going to drop.
Emma Lee: I mean, we've seen it by the time when I first joined, i'm in the group called House Plants of Lexington.
Alexis: yeah
Emma Lee: That's where I buy like a lot of my house plants from the people in there. um a I mean, when I first joined, it was like a Thai Constellation Monstera.
Emma Lee: They were going for like $100 a cutting.
Alexis: Yeah.
Emma Lee: And I i was like, they're like, unrooted.
Alexis: Yeah, ah and an unrooted cutting. Like, wild.
Plant People: Of a Monstera.
Emma Lee: Literally.
Plant People: Yeah.
Emma Lee: Sometimes it's just a node.
Alexis: Like, you don't even know if it's gonna root.
Emma Lee: They're like, okay, node, $50.
Alexis: Yeah.
Brett: Gambling for houseplant people.
Plant People: I got out of the back of a van on Facebook.
Emma Lee: Yeah.
Plant People: What could go wrong?
Brett: so are they have they stayed Have they stayed at that level?
Emma Lee: Yeah, no, I...
Brett: Have they stayed at that high level? Ooh.
Emma Lee: No. So I ended up getting one that's like this big for $30 that's completely rooted in everything. And so, i mean, in a pink princess, I bought for $2.
Alexis: and so
Emma Lee: Mine that I have, and it's growing really big now. um So I just kind of waited out is my theory.
Brett: Got to buy the buy the dip. Buy the dip, as they say in the trading world.
Emma Lee: Yeah.
Brett: Maybe that could be.
Emma Lee: Yeah.
Alexis: Yeah, I think for plants, like... that That makes sense.
Brett: Never mind.
Alexis: Yeah. Because they're eventually going to come down or unless you really are trying to make money off of it and you got to buy you buy one to you know make 50 and make your money back, I guess.
Alexis: But ah it's it's pretty fast. I mean, basically as fast as something roots is how quickly the market can drop.
Plant People: Yeah.
Emma Lee: I was going to say it'll be basically like worthless by the time you actually get it established.
Alexis: Yeah.
Emma Lee: I wouldn't know bank on that one.
Alexis: Right, right.
Brett: Have you all heard like the historic story of like the um but tulip bubble in Holland? where there were certain varieties of tulips that got more and more popular and more and more popular and more and more valuable.
Brett: And it got to the point where like one bulb was traded for like five cows and four, you know, uh, hogs and a bushel of multiple bushels of wheat and all this blah, blah, blah, blah.
Alexis: A house.
Emma Lee: Mm-hmm.
Brett: but And then they were like, hold up bubble burst. And then the whole thing kind of fell apart. Uh, some people have likened that to like the crypto world or the.com bubble or whatever.
Alexis: yes
Brett: um But it just made me think of the same the same kind of bubble, the houseplant bubble burst maybe in 2021 2022.
Plant People: anything that can be propagated easily, uh, only has a, a very small shelf life.
Alexis: Yeah.
Plant People: And, and I know there's patents and you can't, you know, like but obviously grow those things and propagate them and sell them yourself. But I mean, and that's a short shelf life sort of a business model and they know that.
Plant People: So I guess, uh, those novel cultivars or whatever that, you know, variegated this or that or double bloomed or whatever, the unique feature is I've noticed that over time it, it,
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: Basically, it's kind of hot and fast. Get the money and get out.
Emma Lee: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Plant People: yeah
Brett: Tulip mania. If anybody wants to look up that from the 1600s, people were still flipping out over cool looking plants.
Plant People: Tulip mania.
Brett: Uh,
Alexis: what's what's wild about the tulips especially is that these um the breaks and those like the fancier ones were from virus so it wasn't just it wasn't just breeding it was it was it was accidental virus which meant that those plants were gonna go down like right they're not gonna
Plant People: who Viruses. Yeah. It was accidental. Yeah.
Alexis: continue to spread because they have a disease so like that's the extra like crazy part about it like where we're talking about just a natural a natural variegation that the plant will continue to you know live on these plants were virus to begin with and and so like they were never gonna live very long uh and that's mm-hmm mm-hmm
Plant People: Yeah. It's a good thing.
Plant People: No, but they were really novel at the time. They were into the world and never seen anything like that. I mean, it was pretty awesome.
Brett: Rich people love stuff that doesn't, that goes away and is silly like that.
Plant People: I mean, i like weird plants. I mean, i'm not going to lie. I mean, any dragon form of anything, I'm going to go for that. any Or with the word dragon it, it may not even be a novel type.
Brett: dragon form.
Plant People: Yeah, dragon form, not water form, Brett, dragon form.
Alexis: Emma, I think we got a little like, like not off track because, you know, anything about houseplants is on track.
Emma Lee: no i did that
Plant People: That's right.
Alexis: But I want to hear a little bit more about your grad, you know, research and kind of what that looked like.
Plant People: Yeah.
Emma Lee: so um basically my project i have about 20 videos posted currently on both pages And they go by the same information. It's the same research-based information. The only difference is in the delivery and the vibe.
Emma Lee: So it's basically who do people want to hear from more? Are they looking for extension stuff or are they just looking for you know some trendy person with a cat to tell them what to do? And you know sometimes I understand that.
Emma Lee: I wanna hear it from a cat. and so he's not he's not always in the videos but trust me he's there holding the camera so um yes basically i have the 20 videos out this it is extension summer right now and so if you don't see me as active on there just know i'm in the trenches but hopefully in the fall we're gonna start um getting some more out but
Plant People: fun and functional.
Emma Lee: They're just edited and I've tried to keep the content as simple yet also on more detailed stuff on all levels.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: So there's propagation, you know, if you're more advanced and are getting your first plants established, want to make some more.
Plant People: Oh, cool.
Emma Lee: And there's also, you know, the basic succulent care, which is for me also as an advanced person, because I could not keep one the alive to save my life. So yeah.
Brett: So are you, you're, are you like intentionally comparing the vibes to see which one is a more effective, like extension delivery format? Is that the part of the idea?
Emma Lee: it's one of them is exclusively extension for people who are seeking out you know research-based information and although the cat account is still that same trusted research information it's kind of more what they're wanting to see the face in front of the camera who the who's delivering their information um are they trusting just anybody to you know say this are you looking for a more laid-back um environment kind of more laid-back personality or are you wanting more hey this person looks like they know what they're talking about you know because two things can be true at one time the cat he still knows what he's talking about he is well educated but um
Alexis: Professionalism. Good
Alexis: good for Pep.
Brett: on a On a personal note, I sincerely hope they don't want me to be professional because that's going to be hard ah hard for me to...
Emma Lee: Cheers for the heck.
Plant People: Big Bill.
Brett: So are you do you anticipate using some of this like to inform future programming or like tell other people, like might you might think about this style of programming or this style of communication instead of this.
Plant People: Big Bill.
Brett: i mean, is that part of what you're anticipating?
Emma Lee: So my main goal of this project was kind of to show our extension educators that, hey, this is an option. People like hearing um information in this way of, hey, just me getting in front of the camera, showing you how to do stuff.
Emma Lee: Because I know we have a lot of publications, but there's not as many um recorded publications.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: short to the point videos. It's not a program you have to go sit through for an hour and do a hands-on activity. You can kind of just watch a, I try and keep them about a minute or less.
Emma Lee: You can just watch a one minute video and do it. Cause a lot of the things that I do, I go watch a TikTok. Sometimes when people ask me to do something, I don't know how to do. I'm like, Hey, can I just go to the bathroom real quick? I'm in there watching a TikTok, you know?
Emma Lee: I'm just So go do it real quick. um But that was my goal is to be like, hey, you know, this is also programming. This is also helping community people as well as just getting people interested in houseplants. And I try and do a wide variety of topics.
Emma Lee: So even if you're not, you know, diehard houseplant like the rest of us, you can start maybe or at least pique your interest.
Emma Lee: So.
Brett: That's really cool.
Alexis: I love that.
Brett: I think that speaks to to some of what we've tried to do with our CCD stuff is to try to personalize it a little bit more, but it's very affirming and maybe, you know, even confirms to for us to keep pushing in that direction.
Emma Lee: Yes.
Brett: and what we try to do with this podcast is have some information, but have it also be like a conversation you wouldn't mind being a part of. um That's really cool.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: Yeah.
Brett: i'm I'm really, I'm looking so the dreaded question, is there a ah timeline of when you think you might be done with it or when you hope to go and tell the deans about it or any of that kind of fun stuff?
Emma Lee: So I am on track to graduate in December. So the project, of course, is on the end. It's towards the end, at least.
Brett: and Okay.
Emma Lee: However, i have really enjoyed this and I plan to keep the UK account going. When we started, my advisor was like, if you want to keep this going, you know, after the fact, that is absolutely an option, ah which not both pages, of course, but yeah,
Alexis: Thank you.
Emma Lee: one or the other whichever one and I do feel more strongly like the UK houseplant education is a better option that's getting more traction even though we love Pep and he's doing a great job he's just not getting the numbers so he's gonna have to be cut you know
Brett: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: But I do think this is something that I probably not as frequently, of course, as it was being posted like one or two videos a week, but every now and then. And then there's also a group attached to that Facebook account where people can ask houseplant questions and get research based answers because you don't always like picking up the phone and calling your extension agent. Everything's more you know, straight to the point nowadays. And so I've had some activity in there as well. Just people saying, Hey, what do I do about this?
Emma Lee: And other people share that same experience. And so it's kind of like a, we're all in this together, but we're also getting right answers, you know, not just 500 different answers.
Alexis: Support group.
Alexis: Yeah.
Emma Lee: So.
Brett: We have a whole group of people who would love to be in your videos at some point as I am great, as you can tell, as the like dumb guy that asks questions.
Alexis: Yeah.
Brett: ah And we also have other smart people on our team like Alexis and others who it would be. I mean, i I love being in the videos. I love seeing what you're doing. And man, that's so cool. That's just a really I just really like this approach of of thinking about it and and Trying a couple of things. that's That's really, really cool. I hope you do keep it up and I hope that other people are supportive of it.
Emma Lee: Yeah, absolutely.
Alexis: If you want to do any on like string of pearls or string of hearts or any of those, I feel like I've got that one down.
Emma Lee: I was
Alexis: So I'm pretty proud of myself. I killed so many in the past and i I have successfully propagated, kept those propagations alive.
Plant People: That is my kryptonite. I'm glad you have them down.
Alexis: I have a lot. Do you want some plants? Because I have a lot of string.
Emma Lee: here.
Alexis: I have a tricolored string of hearts. Do you want it? Yeah.
Emma Lee: Yes, I was going to say my little crispy brown string of pearls is in the side of my office right now i saying, please but help her.
Alexis: Yes, I think yeah I've got it down that, and I ah started a bunch of dragon fruit from seed from a dragon fruit I got in the grocery store.
Plant People: Take care of me.
Alexis: So I'm pretty proud of those two.
Emma Lee: Okay, we'll talk.
Brett: Alexis, you didn't have to flex so hard.
Plant People: good He's ending on a very high note.
Emma Lee: Okay, guys.
Alexis: Sorry, you were all flexing.
Brett: think I...
Alexis: I'm like, oh, bonsai. So I just i needed to release.
Brett: Oh, gotcha.
Plant People: Dragon fruit.
Alexis: Yeah, I needed to release that.
Brett: I just...
Emma Lee: okay guys
Brett: all all ah All I really said in the bonsai was that i I try to be nice to people online.
Plant People: That was your first mistake.
Emma Lee: That's the biggest.
Alexis: Well, in my world, that's a flex.
Emma Lee: like
Brett: And that was my flex.
Alexis: so
Brett: Boom.
Emma Lee: That is the biggest.
Alexis: I try to be nice to people.
Emma Lee: Yeah.
Brett: Try to be nice. Yeah.
Emma Lee: You might be the only bonsai person um that knows how to do that from what I've gathered. Yeah.
Brett: Yeah, there it, it, it attracts, I don't, i don't know if house plans house plan seems less this way, but it attracts some of the oddest people on earth. And some of them just don't happen to come with social skills. And that is ah very apparent in some of the groups and some of the meetings and other stuff. And they just, yeah. um But our, our, our little central Kentucky group is good.
Brett: I hope that you're, you'll, you know, chime in there and and see stuff and yeah.
Emma Lee: Yeah, absolutely. I'm excited about it because I'm looking forward to making a post and not having the first comment be, are you kidding me?
Brett: yeah
Emma Lee: It's dead. you know like And it's a fully green plant. I post it like a green plant and they're like, it's dead. I'm like, are you kidding me?
Brett: dead.
Emma Lee: I'm going to be looking at it growing right now.
Plant People: It's making new leaves.
Brett: I, I was very proud. I recently in our, in our, um, so in that central, not that recently, but central Kentucky group, somebody posted a picture of, uh, his trident maple and it had a unknown pest on it.
Brett: And I, and I, deed it and he was able to take care of it. And, uh, it was a J it was Japanese maple scale on a trident maple.
Emma Lee: Oh, okay.
Brett: So that was pretty cool.
Emma Lee: You need to leave with that. A hard one to ID. Good for you.
Brett: Yeah, it was it was fun. I mean, it and it like, I don't know, if anything, it's just a little under like you aren't going to get a bunch of negative stuff. You may not get as much traction as you want, but um I'll certainly be in there being like, yeah, Emma, get them.
Alexis: Woo!
Emma Lee: Yeah.
Alexis: Go girl!
Brett: right
Emma Lee: yeah
Alexis: He's a very good hype man. So i will I will say that. He is excellent hype man. So if you just need somebody in your videos in the background going, you go Emma!
Brett: Right, man.
Plant People: bringing the energy.
Brett: Yeah.
Alexis: Like, Brett's your man.
Brett: Yeah.
Emma Lee: but
Plant People: It's Pep, it's the Pep and Brett production crew.
Emma Lee: Okay.
Plant People: They're just back there. i ah
Alexis: like Like, you're talking about a pothos and he's in the background going, pothos!
Emma Lee: Yeah.
Plant People: Yeah.
Emma Lee: Okay.
Alexis: Like, that's...
Brett: i woe
Plant People: Peace out, peace, Lily. mean
Brett: I've seen a lot of pothos in my time, but that's a pothos.
Emma Lee: yeah
Plant People: That's a hard trip, Pothos. I can watch it grow from here.
Alexis: but That's the vibe. That's the vibe. Awesome. Well, um Emma, remind us again how people can find your page and learn all of the cool things from you, the best way to find you.
Emma Lee: Okay, so the Facebook is University of Kentucky Houseplant Education. There's a cute little graphic that I made on Canva all by myself on there, so you can look for that.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Emma Lee: And also, there is an Instagram that is a little touch less active because I'm Facebook to the core, um off the record. The Instagram is UKY Houseplant Education.
Alexis: Perfect. we'll ah We'll tag you in our post about this. So if you do have any ah photos you want to share, maybe a plant you're super proud of, or if you want to share a video, we'd love to put it on our Instagram as well so people can get a little act see a little bit what they're what they're in for with your education.
Brett: Any pep bloopers, maybe?
Emma Lee: Yeah.
Alexis: So pet bloopers are very welcome.
Emma Lee: There's so many.
Plant People: It needs to be called pep talk.
Emma Lee: Yes, he actually, he's holding the camera and screaming the whole time.
Brett: Okay.
Emma Lee: So yeah, there's a lot of posters.
Plant People: Yes.
Alexis: I'm going need that one specifically.
Brett: Save me.
Alexis: Just like, please text me.
Brett: Save me.
Alexis: um
Emma Lee: Yes.
Plant People: Save me. The phone is glued to my paws.
Alexis: Yeah.
Emma Lee: Yes.
Alexis: So awesome. If you guys are interested in learning more about houseplants, I can tell you as a houseplant junkie, I have learned ah stuff from Emma's page and it's fun and awesome. So highly recommend going to check that one out.
Alexis: You can follow us on Instagram as well at Hork, UK, Hork. I forgot our Instagram.
Brett: No, Hort Culture Podcast.
Alexis: Thank you.
Emma Lee: this
Alexis: Horror Culture Podcast. I b blanked. I was so excited about Emma's. ah You can find us on there.
Emma Lee: Thank you.
Alexis: You can also shoot us an email. You can find that in the show notes. We do have a new Gmail. So if you've been using our um old one, make sure you're using the new Gmail one ah these days.
Alexis: And that comes to all of us. So if you've got questions, if you're like, I cannot find Emma's page, can you send it to me? We can absolutely do that. And we appreciate you guys being here. And we hope that as we grow this podcast, you will grow with us.
Alexis: We'll see you next time.
Emma Lee: Thank you.
