Medicinal Milk for Mildew
Dear Ivy,
What is this causing these white powdery spots all over my ivy?
-Dusty Tendrils
Dear Dusty,
My first guess is to say powdery mildew. Yikes! Get in there and get crackin’! This problem is fixable if you act quickly. I’m not sure if this is an indoor plant or not, but the same basic guidelines apply to [...]
Mail Call!
Dear Ivy,
I have Over watered my bromeliad, What can I do? The leaves are turning brown on the ends and Have spots on them. Please help I love this plant!
-Brown Betty
Dear Betty!
Cease and desist! Bromeliads evoke images of steamy jungles and high rainfall, so most people feel the strong urge to water them constantly. In [...]
Even Plants Get the Winter Blues
Dear Ivy,
The branches of my Croton are old and black looking, help!
Sincerely,
Croaking Croton
Dear Croaking,
My first reaction, since it’s the dead of Winter would be to say that your Croton is being exposed to a draft! Croton is a tropical plant that needs constant warm temperatures to thrive. This beautiful house plant is a bit demanding, [...]
Legginess is a bad thing?!
Dear Ivy,
Why is my grape ivy indoor plant leggy?
-Long Tall Sally
Dear Sally,
Leggy is something that we’d all like to be, but something you shouldn’t look for in a healthy indoor plant. Luckily, this problem is easy to fix.
“Leggy” refers to a growth pattern some plants will resort to when they aren’t getting enough sunlight. The [...]
Terrarium Conundrum
Dear Ivy,
I have a large 55 gallon terrarium (fish tank). It has gravel on the bottom, and soil on top. Do you think the Thirsty Light would help? I think I have been over watering my plants and ferns.
-Terrarium Tom
Dear Tom,
The Thirsty Light moisture meter will surely help you to curb your over watering habit!
Terrariums [...]
Gem Dilemma
Dear Ivy,
My Zanzibar Gem looks healthy as the leaves are glossy, but recently I have noticed that the stalks of the plant have blotches all over them, almost like they are bruised or look like little wet patches (but it’s dry) I only water once a month. Any ideas what it might be and how [...]
What Are These White Spots?
Question: What are the white spots on my trailing ivy?
Answer: Well, they could be lots of things… A really great thing to do would be to invest in a magnifying glass (I use the word “invest” here loosely, since magnifying glasses can be bought most anywhere and are pretty cheap). It is underestimated how helpful [...]
Disconcerting Droplets
Question: My Ivy plant will have water drops on the leaves in the morning, what causes this and do I need to do something?
Answer: Well, first we must figure out the “when, where, and how” of the water droplets.
“When”: You say it is in the morning, which leads me to believe that the droplets are [...]
Croton Comparison
Question: I have two curly leaf Croton plants and one is losing its leaves. From the top to the bottom to the plant is becoming bare. It’s potted outdoors and the soil seems moist enough. New foliage seems to be coming in the same area as the fallen leaves. Why do you think it’s losing [...]
Capsicum Casualty
Question: If you “botch” a transplant and cut or break a significant amount of a plant’s roots, should you: pro-actively trim foliage; trim foliage as it appears to die off; or leave it the heck alone (after transplanting, of course)?
Specifically asking about capsicum annuum, but curious if the instructions would be nearly universal.
The plant in [...]