~ Goldfish Plant ~

plant care tips here

Wandering Jew

Tradescantia Zebrina

a very easy & beautiful house plant

ourhouseplants.com

✿ Oxalis ✿

Care checklist:

• Place oxalis in a bright, sunny window, and keep soil moist but not waterlogged.
• Specimens may go dormant for several weeks in the depths of winter; suspend watering until light levels increase.
• While plants are in active growth, feed with a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants (such as 15-30-15) at half strength.
• Remove spent stalks and leaves with a gentle tug. Note: Oxalis does not require deadheading.

info via Canadian Gardening

Spider Plants

Lush and Fast Growing
article via Tipnut

Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) have long been popular because they’re so easy to grow (both indoors and outdoors). If you’re looking for a lush, fast growing houseplant that’s fuss-free, this one’s for you. Here are a few tips to get you started…

Appearance:  Green leaves with either a white or yellow (or cream) central strip or along the outside edges (it can also have ones that are all green). It looks similar to thick, wild grass and there are several different varieties found that have different features: leaves that curl, are very short or very long.

Watering:  They like an evenly moist but well draining soil, allow the top of the soil to dry between watering. Slow down watering a bit during the winter months. It doesn’t care for fluoride usually found in tap water (the common cause for brown leaf tips). Use distilled water or water that has sat for at least 24 hours. If you have an aquarium, it thrives on that water.

Humidity:  It will grow heartily in both humid and dry air but let it sit in the bathroom for a day or two once in awhile so it can get a nice dose of a humid environment–your plant will love you for it. You could also occasionally mist the leaves with distilled water using a spray bottle.

Growing Tip:  Rotate it occasionally so it will grow evenly rather than lopsided.

Lighting:  They’re happy in both full sun and shade but if plantlets fail to develop it’s likely because they’re not getting enough light or too much light. An ideal location would be somewhere it will receive lots of natural light but not in direct sun.

Fertilize:  You can feed it during Spring and Summer (every two to three months or so), but don’t fertilize during late Fall and Winter when it is typically dormant.

Outdoors:  Can be grown in a hanging basket or in flower beds for edging and ground cover. They can spread up to 3 feet so make sure you choose a spot that will accommodate their growth. If you’re moving it outdoors for the summer, first acclimate it by starting it in a shady spot then slowly moving to a sunny location.

Plantlets Tips:  The plant will develop long stolons that will grow flowers and then plantlets (offsets) or even seeds if pollinated and keep producing them until they trail several feet (stolon–>plantlet–>stolon–>plantlet–>and on and on for up to six feet). These look like “baby spiders”. The plantlets are what you want to snip to propagate and multiply. Young plants won’t produce plantlets. If it’s not growing “babies”, it could be because it isn’t mature enough (around two years old), it’s growing in too small a pot or overcrowded, receives too little sun or too much sun.

How To Propagate:  Snip off the little plantlets to root in compost or rooting medium, or you can divide the whole plant. Tip: you can propagate while the plantlet is still growing on the “mother” plant–just press the “baby” plantlet into rich potting soil that’s kept moist–it will root and then you can snip it off the mother. You can also root plantlets in a cup of water then transfer to soil once roots develop. As you can see, they are so easy to propagate!

Troubleshooting Brown Leaf Tips:  A common problem with spider plants is that they can develop brown leaf tips. There are a few reasons why this happens: Either it’s not getting enough water or it’s receiving too much water. The browning could also be caused by too much salt in the soil (from fertilizers, etc.). To avoid this occasionally flush the soil with lots of distilled water (until it runs out the bottom of the pot). You might also want to use distilled water only to water since tap water usually contains fluoride levels that it doesn’t like. You can remove the brown ends by snipping them off with sharp scissors (Tip: Cut the ends in points so the leaves look more natural).

Did You Know:

• Spider plants are believed to improve indoor air quality.
• It’s also known as “Ribbon Plant” or “Airplane Plant” (because the little plantlets look like airplane propellers) and is part of the lily family.
• They originate from South Africa.

Kitchen Love

Easy to Grow Houseplant: The Jade Plant

article via Tipnut.com 

The Jade plant (Crassula ovata) is a succulent and is one of the easiest to grow houseplants–it can live for decades with the proper care (or maybe neglect is a better word). A native of South Africa, it grows naturally in dry conditions and has developed thick fleshy leaves to hold the moisture which it needs.

It’s smooth, round leaves symbolize vitality and is known as a “lucky” or “money” plant in feng shui.

Care: It thrives when treated as you would a cactus (leave it alone and water once in awhile). Use a potting mix that is well draining (contains a lot of sand or use a cactus potting soil).

Lighting: Keep in a sunny location but it will tolerate less light (if it begins to “flop”, it’s not getting enough light). In the warm summer months it will thrive outside but keep in a location that is sheltered from the hot noon sun for best results (the leaves can get sunburned…if it starts browning on its leaves, this is sunburn). Always gradually introduce to direct sunlight.

Watering Tips: Water once a month or when top inch or two of soil is dry. During growing season you may need to water a bit more frequently and once every six weeks over winter (this is its resting period, keep it on the dry side). Good drainage is a must and water can never be allowed to stand around the roots. Poor drainage and overwatering will cause the roots to rot and is one of the most common ways of killing it. If stems or branches suddenly fall off the main plant for no apparent reason, this is a sign of overwatering and root rot. Watch the leaves and learn from them, just before they get to the “wilting” stage, that’s the time to water.

Pruning Tips: To keep it from getting too top-heavy or lopsided, trim back occasionally. Remember those leaves hold a lot of water so it can get heavy. If it’s getting leggy, pinch off buds to encourage bushier growth.

Propagation: It starts easily from cuttings–simply cut off a tip 2 or 3 inches long and place it in moist sand (or cactus potting soil). You can also snip a cutting and leave it on a saucer to “heal” for a couple days before placing it about an inch or so deep in sandy soil that has been thoroughly watered and well-drained before adding the cutting. Leave alone for a few weeks until roots begin to form (water infrequently during this time and leave at least 4 weeks before checking for root growth).

Repotting: Only repot when it becomes root bound and you see roots growing out of the bottom drainage holes. It’s happy in less than ideal conditions so re-pot to a larger pot only when necessary.

Flowering: It does have tiny pink or white flowers but it seldom blooms as a houseplant (Tip: go easy on watering during the winter months to encourage blooms and allow it to experience chilly Fall nights–no frost though).

photo via SAllan's Corner

Growing an Avocado Tree

"You can make some pretty tasty dishes with an avocado but did you know that you can grow a tree from it too? It probably won’t produce any fruit, but it is a nice addition to your home plant life.

For best chance of success, try this with a pit that has been taken from a very (very) ripe avocado that hasn’t been refrigerated. You may also want to start 2 or 3 at a time in case one fails.

Tip: If you have plenty of sunny locations in your home, you could start several of these in the early Fall and have a bunch to sell at your annual summer yard sale or donate to church raffles, team fundraisers, etc. Depending on what part of the country you live in, these can be hot sales items."

Directions:

• Wash all the flesh off the pit, pat dry and set aside for a couple days.
• After the drying time, remove the skin and insert 3 toothpicks 1/2″ deep into the pit equally distant from each other around the fattest part (circumference).
• Suspend in a dark glass (pointy side up) with the toothpicks resting on the rim of the glass.
• Fill the glass with water until the bottom 1/3 of the pit is submerged.
• Place glass in a sunny spot. Change water every two days so there’s fresh water instead of stagnant.
• Once you have a 6 inch stem with a couple leaves (this will take several weeks), cut the stem down to 3 inches.
• Wait several more weeks until you have a few stems with leaves, you’re then ready to plant. The roots should now be about 2″ long.
• Taking a 10″ diameter pot, fill with good, well draining potting soil (sandy mix works great). Removing the toothpicks, plant the pit roots down (pointy end and stems up), the top of it should be level with the soil surface.
• When soil is dry, water. Feed regularly with houseplant food once or twice a month.
• If the leaves turn yellow, you’re watering it too much. If leaves turn brown, you’re not watering enough. If it looks sickly, make sure you’re feeding it.
• If you want a bushy tree, pinch the leaves after it grows every 6 inches.
• Can be left outside during the summer months.

article via tipnut.com ~ how to grow an avocado tree

Aloe Plant

Free People Blog

"The benefits of having an aloe plant at home? Any time I need aloe all I have to do is cut off a branch and get fresh aloe right from the source. You don’t have to worry about hurting the plant either when you cut off a leaf – they are amazing at sealing themselves back up and will continue to grow.

In addition to its use for sunburn/minor burn relief, aloe gel can also be used on acne, psoriasis, frostbite and cold sores to heal irritated skin. As for its beauty uses – the opportunities are endless! The gel straight from the plant can be rubbed on the scalp to promote healthy hair growth, and putting a little on your hands and running through the hair helps to moisturize dry hair."

Source: Aloe Plant Uses and Benefits | Free People Blog

 other succulents ...