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Easy Care Houseplants
Posted On 2010-08-02 , 1:45 PM
Have you noticed how one person will say a particular houseplant is easy to care for and a second will call it tempermental or difficult? And they are speaking about the same plant!
Truly the large majority of houseplants fit into the easy care category if they are given the proper care and room conditions.
Your house plant needs the proper amount of light. If you provide it with too little light it will produce leggy or no growth and smaller leaves. Many houseplants, like croton or golden pothos will lose their color or variegation if there is not enough light.
Your houseplant needs the proper amount of water. Be sure to check your houseplant often enough that you can give it water when it needs it- not necesarily every time you check. I check mine 3 times per week in spring and summer and twice a week in fall and winter giving each plant water as needed.
Your houseplant needs the proper temperature range. Most houseplants like temperatures lower at night, just as it was in their original environment outdoors.
Houseplants almost invariably dislike drafts whether hot (heating vents) or cold ( air conditioners in summer or outside doors in winter).Some plants, like poinsettia, will immediately show you their displeasure by suddenly dropping leaves.
Be sure to use the proper soil type for your houseplant and only use grow pots with holes in the bottom for proper drainage.
If you provide a houseplant with the conditions it needs it will be easy care.
If you try to grow a houseplant in conditions it doesn't like, you are setting yourself up for failure.
To get an easy care houseplant, check out the conditions where you want the plant to be displayed. Then buy a plant that will thrive in those conditions.
Follow the link for information about many easy care houseplants.
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Indoor Houseplants All Year Round
Posted On 2008-10-29 , 10:54 PM
At this time of year many are thinking of bringing plants back into their homes that they had moved outside for the summer.
I personally don't move houseplants outside for the summer for several reasons.
1. Houseplants, when moved outdoors, will need to adapt to new growing conditions for the summer. Then, when they are returned to the indoors in the fall, they will need to re adapt to the indoor growing conditions. While many houseplants will adapt easily, others will not. these plants will have to be moved to a location with less light before their final move indoors. This will enable them to adjust gradually to the light level they will be in during the winter.
2. Houseplants that have spent the summer outdoors may have collected some insect pests to bring inside with them. They will need to be thoroughly examined , cleaned and isolated from the other indoor houseplants until we are certain that all insect pests are gone.
3. When the houseplants are brought back indoors, we need to find a place to put them- a place that is suitable for the houseplant. This location will need to have sufficient light, proper temperature, free of hot and cold drafts, and sufficient room for the plant to grow ( and they will have grown during the summer). During the summer we may have acquired new plants, redecorated our home or made other changes that make the old location unavailable.
4. Lastly is the question of timing. We need to wait long enough in the spring so that night time temperatures do not drop below what the houseplant will tolerate. In the fall we must return them indoors before the first "killing" temperatures occur. For many indoor houseplants it does not even need to go down to freezing to be deadly to the plant. Also we have all heard the term "unseasonable temperatures". A sudden cold snap in the spring or late summer can shorten the safe window by months. Unusual cold spells can leave you scrambling to protect your houseplants outdoors.
I have chosen to enjoy the beauty and feeling of my houseplants indoors all year long. For my yard, I choose a selection of other plants suited to growing outdoors.
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Buy houseplants- Some tips for getting the right plant
Posted On 2008-02-11 , 10:04 PM
Buy houseplants- Some tips for getting the right plant.
We can buy houseplants from many sources including grocery stores, dollar stores, big box stores, garden centers, nurseries, greenhouses and online merchants. Good plants can be found from all these sources if we know what to look for.
Garden centers, nurseries and greenhouses probably have the most knowledgeable staff, however the big box stores are striving to hire staff with knowledge in the area of the store in which they work. With online merchants, check return and refund policies. The best have excellent policies in place and have solid shipping and delivery systems in place.
We have decided on a particular houseplant or maybe a choice between two or three varieties based on the location in our home we want the plant to grow, the light, temperature and humidity of the location and the size we want the plant to be. With this knowledge we go to buy a houseplant.
In this decision, we have also considered that many houseplants are poisonous to pets and children. We have considered whether pets or children will be able to access the in their display location.
Firstly check the general condition of the houseplants available. If the condition is good, look further. If not choose a different supplier.
Then look to see how the houseplants are displayed. Don't buy a houseplant that is displayed near a large automatic door that opens frequently allowing a cold blast of air ( in winter) to blow onto the plants. This condition will undoubtedly have an adverse effect on the houseplant that may only become apparent after you get it home. The houseplant you buy should be kept in conditions approximating what they will find in your home.
Examine the plants to see if they have been properly watered. Both under watering and over watering will damage the plants. Over watering may result in root rot, fatal for most plants. Under watering will result in the plant wilting. Not all plants will recover from this without damage.
Examine the plant's roots. If the roots are showing the plant is pot bound and may need repotting, with the additional investment in a new pot and soil as soon as you buy the houseplant.
Also, check if the soil smells of mold or fungus. This is a warning of problems with mold or fungus infestations if you buy that houseplant.
Check the leaves of the houseplant for signs of disease or pests. Check both the undersides of the leaves and the nodes on the stems. Never buy a houseplant that shows signs of disease or insect infestations.
Check for damage to leaves and stems. Some damage does occur in shipping and handling, but damage should be minimal and not visually apparent to the casual viewer.
Check houseplants for yellowing leaves or brown tips, both indications the plant is not in the best of health.
The houseplant you buy should also show new growth. If it is a flowering plant it should have several flowers in bloom and several new buds developing.
If you take these precautions when you buy a houseplant, your houseplant should provide you with a pleasing display to enhance your room.
Some people also prefer to buy a houseplant when it is very small and enjoy watching it as it grows to a mature plant. This allows you to purchase your plant when it is very inexpensive and over time produce the impressive houseplant you see decorating offices and public spaces.
To add that finishing touch to your room, buy a houseplant.
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Houseplants- How Do We Decide Which Plant To Buy?
Posted On 2008-01-12 , 10:29 PM
Houseplants- How Do We Choose Which Plant To Buy?
Houseplants remain with us for man years adding beauty to our home and pleasure to our hearts.
It's not everyday we decide to buy a new houseplant. Maybe we have an event to celebrate, or maybe we have a date we want to mark, or maybe we are just redecorating and want to add some new greenery to our home. But whatever the reason, we should go about choosing our new plant thoughtfully to maximize our benefit and enjoyment.
If the impetus for the purchase requires a particular variety, we must analyze the needs of the plant as to light, temperature, humidity and space requirements and locate a suitable location in which to place it. If no such place exists, can we modify our home to create the conditions the plant needs to remain healthy?
I believe that the needs of the new houseplant should be kept in the forefront of the purchase process. A heathly new houseplant will add much to your enjoyment, an unhealthy houseplant will detract from the rest of the room and will be a constant reminder of something gone wrong.
In choosing a new houseplant, I believe we should view the area in which the new plant is to be placed and analyze several factors:
Light: How much light will this location get? Is the location near a window? If so which direction? As we determine the light level in our location we will be led to consider plants that will do well in that level of light, be it low, medium or bright.
Temperature: What range of temperature will the houseplant in this location receive? Will there be a draft? Again we will be led toward certain plants that can tolerate the temperature range expected.
Size: Is the area chosen small or large? Certainly we must choose a houseplant that will suit the space available. If the plant is too small, it will appear lost, if it is too large, it will not have room to grow. And we must remember that houseplants do grow. Some grow slowly and others quickly. Can we provide for the room needed by our new houseplant or will it outgrow its new home and require relocating?
Care required: The last factor is the difficulty of growing the houseplant and the amount of care you are prepared to give to the plant. If caring for a houseplant is not high on your list of priorities, choose one of the many easy care varieties. If you have the time and interest, choose one of the somewhat more challenging. Successfully getting a more temperamental plant to produce a beautiful display of flowers will add color to your life and joy to your heart.
There will be a houseplant that will thrive in your home. Choosing the right plant will be instrumental in your plant remaining healthy. An unhealthy houseplant is a constant reminder of a poor choice.
Those are the factors that go into deciding what type of plant to select. Now is the time to go to the nursery or retailer and choose the actual houseplant.
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