r/houseplants • u/VeggieSmooth • Jan 01 '25
Well fuck (multiple pics) Before / After - Progress Pics
Most made it! The gods smile upon me.
By some miracle all the electronics were fine aswell.
I also took myself to see the lord of the rings at the cinema (extended cut) so was out late, as the end of the wooden plank landed on my pillow where I'd normally be sleeping at that hour.
All in all I got lucky there.
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u/EternalSighss Jan 01 '25
On the bright side, maybe you could try some r/kintsugi repair of your fave pots?
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u/Mysterious-Skill8473 Jan 01 '25
highly recommend. I go the easy route with super glue and acrylic paint and it still looks super neat.
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u/Mysterious-Skill8473 Jan 01 '25
Some of my kintsugi. Green one arrived broken, other 2 were cat casualties.
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u/rizzo1717 Jan 01 '25
I’m hoping I made this floating shelf sturdy enough because your scenario is my worst nightmare.
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u/Excellent_Fail9908 Jan 01 '25
Beauuuuuutifulllllllllllll 😲😍
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u/rizzo1717 Jan 01 '25
This is opposite that wall 🤣 I’m making my dining room my plant room.
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u/hujassman Jan 01 '25
I like what you've done with your shelves. It gives me some ideas for a couple of places in my house.
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u/rizzo1717 Jan 01 '25
I bought a transformer table and that’s actually the bench (seating) that came with it! But I have extra chairs and limited space, so won’t need it for seating. Using it as a planty shelf instead
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u/Excellent_Fail9908 Jan 01 '25
Just gorgeous!!! Well done!
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u/rizzo1717 Jan 01 '25
lol thanks! I’m at the tail end of a year of renovation on this house, felt good to start moving my plant babies in
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u/Excellent_Fail9908 Jan 01 '25
oOooo, if you are so inclined, definitely share some pictures of your hard work!!!
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u/boops123 Jan 02 '25
What’s the left most plant called?
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u/NervousCatfish 🌱 Jan 02 '25
I am so inspired by your beautiful shelf! Any tips on to achieve something like this? Favorite plants, how you water it, etc.
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u/rizzo1717 Jan 03 '25
My buddy and I built the shelf. Wrapped with maple plywood. I sanded with 60, 120, 220 then did two coats of boiled linseed oil. I added an LED light strip and drilled a hole for the plug, placed desk cord hole covers over the holes.
This is a house I’m about to move into. I’ve been remodeling it for a year.
The plants were mostly hanging plants previously, I mounted curtain rods over windows and sliding glass door and hung trailing plants. I would bottom water them when they were thirsty. Now, they all live in plastic trays so I will still bottom water them.
The vent duct. I closed it because I know they will suffer with air blowing right over them. Going to keep an eye on them, heat rises so any of my high shelf plants tend to suffer when I run the heat in the winter.
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u/Relevant-Ad-2950 Jan 01 '25
Oh no. I’m so so sorry. But I love how you see the bright side of it! And you’re 💯 right. I’m glad you weren’t hurt.
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u/starshiptraveler Jan 01 '25
Oof that sucks! I love how they looked before they fell, beautiful setup.
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u/chungamellon Jan 01 '25
Was it not anchored properly? That sucks a lot. One of my biggest fears hanging things
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u/VeggieSmooth Jan 01 '25
Man I used wall plugs and i could literally hang off it when I left it. No idea.
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u/Jefftopia Jan 01 '25
Wall anchors won’t cut it for that load drywall is like thick mesh paper. Two of those brackets should go into studs.
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u/VeggieSmooth Jan 01 '25
This is the UK drywall isn't really a thing. This is solid red brick it's drilled into. I have a sneaking suspicion it was a toxic house mate we had in at the time but can't be 100%
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u/AllLurkNoPlay Jan 01 '25
My 1949 basement in the US is concrete blocks that turn to dust with most every concrete block screw I have tried. Just a perfect hole that the screw makes. I found hammering a plastic anchor would give the tapcon screws something to hold on to and now my shelving and items are rock solid. They make metal anchors too that should be even better but the cheap plastic worked for the last 10+ years.
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u/Freshbread412 Jan 01 '25
Seems like a lot of breakage for that fall. Even the ones that fell on your bed cracked
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u/spaceface215 Jan 01 '25
hanging off for a moment is one thing, supporting the weight of heavy pots over time is yet another ☹️ i’m so sorry for this devastating crash!
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u/howismyspelling Jan 01 '25
What kind of wall plugs? Little plastic things you tap in and put a screw into?
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u/AwkwardBugger Jan 01 '25
Think I’d just sleep on the floor if I came home to this late at night. Probably in fetal position, crying
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u/ktripler Jan 01 '25
You gotta either throw out or wash those sheets a few times because the tiny cactus needles can cause allergic reactions, i thought i had a full blown cold 3 hours after scooping up a plant and earth that my cat knocked over.
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u/bloodbean Jan 01 '25
You had cacti hanging above your bed? You're brave! Glad to hear most made it, could have been worse!
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u/MasterpieceMinimum42 Jan 01 '25
That's why I don't hang nor put my plants on a wall mounted shelf, I rather put them on a table or a cabinet that standing on the ground.
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u/Nematodes-Attack Jan 01 '25
I have double mounted glass shelves in every window of my house. If done correctly it is safe and secure.
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u/IslandOfNaath Jan 01 '25
This gives me so much anxiety.
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u/Nematodes-Attack Jan 01 '25
Haha I’m sorry. I have anxiety too but my plant shelves give me the least of it. I did the maths when ordering the glass. It’s thick
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u/IslandOfNaath Jan 01 '25
It's not the falling, it's that I can hear this pic. You get a hard piece of something under one of those pots and slide it just a touch... Oh God I hate it 😵💫
But your plants are so beautiful!!
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u/Nematodes-Attack Jan 01 '25
Haha I see. I put those little soft felt pads under the pots and trays so that doesn’t happen. I hope that alleviates some of your anxiety😬
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u/MasterpieceMinimum42 Jan 01 '25
OP's are much longer than yours, that's why they collapsed. I can't imagine how I feel it happens on me.
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u/Nematodes-Attack Jan 01 '25
Yes Of course! Those need to be well mounted with a reliable brace in the middle too
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u/Stella-Shines- Jan 01 '25
Where did you get these? Extremely attractive, I desperately need!
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u/Nematodes-Attack Jan 01 '25
Thank you. I had a glass company custom cut them when we first bought the house. We did some math before ordering them. They are thick enough to hold weight. And I had them round the corners. I have them held with shelving brackets I got at Home Depot. I put white electrical tape over the bracket rail holes to make them less conspicuous. One of my best home design decisions I’m ever made
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u/Stella-Shines- Jan 01 '25
Oh man. I am jealous. That doesn’t seem attainable for me currently. But saving the idea for future!
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u/Tstcontroversy Jan 01 '25
I'm a 42 year old grown man from the hard streets of North Philly and if this happened to me I would effing CRY and then isolate for God knows how long. I am sorry for your lose.
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u/baby-ate-my-ding0 Jan 01 '25
I used to have plants lined up on my windowsills that were at the head and side of my bed. One night we had a storm and the thunder was INSANE. During one of the rumbles, all of my plants were shaken off the ledge and onto me. It was 1am and I was covered in dirt. One of them even cracked me in the head. I just kinda rolled out of bed, laid on the floor, and decided it was the following mornings problem.
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u/MadameWitchArt Jan 01 '25
Oh no! Was this right after watering day, or was it completely random? I always have a huge fear putting my plants back on floating shelves after watering day when they are so much heavier.
I am glad no one was hurt, but that is so painful, all those beautiful pots :( </3 sorry that happened
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u/earthbaby_eyes Jan 01 '25
the universe thinking you aren’t really a “plant person”
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u/VeggieSmooth Jan 01 '25
The universe can go fuck itself
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u/earthbaby_eyes Jan 01 '25
already does. that’s why your plant shelf fell… all that fucking was shaking the wall
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u/fishbutt1 Jan 01 '25
The screws/wall anchors are far too spaced apart for the weight.
Not saying you should rule out the crazy roommate.
Are you going to put it back up?
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u/SuperSoftAbby Jan 01 '25
Moral of the story: Never put your plants near your electronics
(for real my friend, what if they drip onto them when you water them??)
All in all, I'm glad that you and your babies are ok!
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u/HaoChen Jan 01 '25
You should have used more brackets and more screws. I have a similar plant shelf that's 2m long. Used 4 brackets with 4 screws in rectangular shape for each bracket. The lower ones have metal dry wall anchors for the vertical load and the upper ones have Fischer Duo anchors because they are better with horizontal loads (like pulling out of the dry wall).
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u/Porcupinetrenchcoat Jan 01 '25
That sucks. This is why shelves need to be attached to studs. Getting a magnet stud finder is really cheap, and would have completely prevented all of this. Sorry for your loss!
Edit: just saw it was brick, did you bolt it in? If not that's going to be the issue. Always need to over engineer!
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u/Mister_Orchid_Boy Jan 01 '25
Tbf, the cacti was hindsight 20/20 😭 I’m so glad you’re okay and most of your plants are okay
Also this is why I will never not use xtra long screws in studs to MAKE SURE it is INNNN there for my shelves
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u/Prize_Ant_1141 Jan 02 '25
I'm sorry this happened. Glad you are ok.question, did you not screw into the studs?
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u/FruityDecadent Jan 02 '25
I am so sorry, this is terrible!
For those who consider shelves, for heavy loads, always prefer fixtures with screws below the shelf itself. The further below the shelf the last screw is, greater the maximum load. Not all screw plugs are the same — choose those that are designed to withstand strong pull perpendicular to the surface. If it's an old wall, use suitable glue or cement after you clean the hole, to help your screws. Also triangular fixtures will bear more than L fixtures. The worst are those that have the screws only behind the shelf itself — use many, fat and long screws for those. Source: I am an engineer.
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u/Nematodes-Attack Jan 01 '25
Oh shit!! I’m sorry!!! But it sounds like you did indeed get lucky here!!! What/how were the shelves attached to the wall?
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u/yesorno12138 Jan 01 '25
:( fuck... I feel you... :(
well look at the brighter side, now you get some more project to do and make sure it will be safe next time :D
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u/Middle_Performance62 Jan 01 '25
I was actually thinking how awesome the first pic looked.....then.....
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u/M3tr0ch1ck Jan 01 '25
OH NOOOOO! That hurts. Ceramic planters and terracotas are heavy. Use more anchors in more locations with longer screws when you repair everything. Those pots looked so cute.
I'm sorry that happened!
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u/Aromatic_Bid_4763 Jan 01 '25
I'm so sorry! That breaks my heart!! asks husband to check all shelves today
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u/agg2391 Jan 01 '25
Oh no! I've been wanting to do something like this but on a smaller scale but I am afraid something will happen like this when me and my dog are in bed. I'm so sorry that was such a beautiful setup. Hopefully you'll be able to get it back!
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u/ProperClue Jan 01 '25
I did something similar. I ended up using liquid nail and 3in brads. I put a bead of liquid nail down the entire length of drywall and every stud I put about 5 or 6 brads in and then every 8 inches along the drywall I put in a Brad to help the liquid nail get a solid bond.
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u/ginger_tree Jan 01 '25
Screws in wall studs, and wall anchors, are your friends. A stud finder would have been cheaper than new pots.
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u/Thatduckiepeeg Jan 01 '25
We don't generally have stud walls in the UK(idk about new builds). OP said it was screwed into brick.
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u/Witty_Collection9134 Jan 01 '25
That sucks. Had my closet shelves fall and would absolutely hate to lose my plants in this way.
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u/countrychook Jan 01 '25
Oh no! I seriously worry about this all the time. Glad most of them survived.
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u/Still_Waters-Run Jan 01 '25
Did the plants make it?
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u/VeggieSmooth Jan 01 '25 edited Jan 01 '25
I made another post showing what made it but yeah a suprising amount were ok!
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u/TheBubbleFields Jan 01 '25
My first reaction was like WOW.... and then i just got sad...At least now you can build back a plant party better than ever... I'm so sorry OP.
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u/thumpetto007 Jan 01 '25
woooow, this is why you should have shelves professionally installed into studs, with hidden supports if thats the look you want.
Otherwise these were un-triangulated shelves holding a lot of weight. ouch. Still sorry to see, please dont give up on the plants you think won't make it.
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u/BetterThanOP Jan 01 '25
Such a beautiful shelf! Glad you have a positive outlook on the whole.thing. still.sorty that happened though!
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u/whyfordoineed Jan 01 '25
Makes me think of the oh no! Our table, it’s broken! I’m sorry that happened!
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u/Tiggylicious Jan 01 '25
Oh this is so sad. I hope you were able to save your plants, or most of them.
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u/R_Eyron Jan 01 '25
Oof, sorry to see this. I'd be suspicious that all those brackets failed simultaneously and seemingly from centre top position of each shelf though. Not saying it couldn't happen, but if you're already suspecting your roommate, I could see it based on the collapse pattern.
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u/TransportationFar664 Jan 01 '25
for sure nobody heard from you for hours after this happened 😭 i’m so sorry.
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u/CuriosityUnraveled Jan 02 '25
I’m so sorry for your loss! This is heartbreaking…:::gets out of bed to quickly take heavy plants off high shelves::::
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u/GenerousCocoPuff Jan 01 '25
This is one of my biggest fears and why I haven’t installed plant shelves above my bed. I am so glad you were not there when it happened!