Condensed Coffee Concerns
I’ve been putting coffee grounds into my house plants. They like the extra boost the ground beans provide to the soil, but I’ve noticed that the coffee tends to become compacted on the surface, inhibiting evaporation, and hindering proper water absorption.
To remedy this, I just broke up the soil on top of my house plants [...]
Keeping Your Zanzibar Gem Zesty
Question: Why are leaves of zanzibar gem going yellow after transplanting?
Answer: There could be several reasons for this. My guess is that you may have over watered when you re-potted it. The Zanzibar Gem, also known as a ZZ plant, Latin name Zamioculcas Zamiifola, is a succulent that doesn’t appreciate being soaked. Most plants like [...]
Petunia Problems
Q: I think I over watered my petunias. They look like they died, can I bring them back?
A: This classic gardeners favorite doesn’t require much water, so it is likely you have given them more than they could handle. The soil in which you grow petunias should be very well drained. If planting them in [...]
Support for Ivy
Q: My indoor ivy plant is drooping. Is it because I over watered it?
A: It may just need some support! It’s hard for me to guess exactly what you mean by drooping. If you mean the plant is splaying out, and the stems are starting to hang, then not to worry! This is totally normal. [...]
Reader Mail: Spent Daisy Blooms
Q: My daisies are spent and all that remains are the dead flower heads. Should I cut these off, or leave them?
A: You should snip the dead heads. Daisies are perennials , and will come back next year. Whenever you have a flower or plant that is done blooming, you should cut off the dead [...]
Reader Mail: Hens and Chicks
Q: How often should I water my Mother Hen plant?
A: Rarely! This plant, also known as Hens and Chicks, is a desert succulent. It’s like to store water in it’s fleshy leaves, and let its roots dry out completely. The plant is so called because it sends off little round baby plants that look jut [...]
How to clone pothos
The term “cloning” bring to mind visions of mad scientists in labs somewhere, working through the night. Really the term “clone” is used to mean any organism that has identical genetic information as the organism it was derived from. Today I’m going to do a photo and text demonstration of a simple technique ou can [...]
Reader Mail!-
For Ivy,
I am getting ready to buy large plants for an outdoor patio. The patio gets
sun from around 9:00 to 3:00. I then want to be able to bring them indoors
for the winter. Any recommendations for types?
-Musing in Massachusetts
Dear Musing,
Congratulations, it sounds like you have a full sun patio! Lots of gardeners struggle with lack [...]
Zamioculcas Zamiifola
I’ve found another cast iron house plant!
This guy was in the green house at my favorite nursery. A beautiful plant about a foot tall, with spreading stems covered in shiny dark green leaves. I’ve had it for a few months now and, truth be told, I kind of forgot about it. I stuck it in [...]