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 [...]
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 [...]
What in the world…?
I found this cacoon in my croton as I went to bring it inside! Or could it be an egg sac?
I’m not really sure what to do.
It’s about an inch from top to bottom. Light brown or tan in color. It looks papery, but I didn’t actually touch it. It’s not attached to the plant, [...]
Autumn is Upon Us!
The last day of summer has passed, but fall is finally here!
Beautiful foliage, pumpkin picking, mums in full bloom. Every gardener delights in the harvest season. Since the warm weather is coming to an end, the next few weeks Ask Ivy will concentrate on how to winterize your plants. I will be sharing steps to [...]
Banana Answers
Question: I bought two dwarf banana plants. I kept one and gave the other one to my sister. Well, mine died, but hers is still growing. I don’t know why. Do you know where I can get another dwarf banana plant?
Answer: Try looking up some local greenhouses in the phone book. This is a tropical [...]
Christmas Cactus Questions
Q: I have five Christmas cacti that had flowers on them when I brought them home but haven’t re-bloomed yet. What’s the deal? I have them in bright light and I feed them violet food, but no flowers, what should I do?
A: There’s a lot going on in this question. First, when did you bring [...]
Airtight Terrariums
Q: What will happen to a plant in an airtight jar placed by a window?
A: The working theory is that plants can be kept in an air tight, static (unchanging) environment, and through their own processes and those of the soil, would remain alive and even thrive. The plants take in carbon dioxide, and give [...]
Should I, or shouldn’t I?
Q: Is it good to put a Croton plant outside?
A: It’s good to let them live outside in the Summer as long as you bring them in in the Winter. Crotons love the sun and rain and fresh air. Mine has luxuriated in the full, bright sun all Summer, and it’s loving life!
If you live [...]
Reader Mail: Venus Fly Trap
Q: Can I use a five-gallon fish tank to grow my Venus Fly trap?
A: Absolutely! Actually, that would be ideal! Venus Fly traps (Latin name Dionaea muscipula) are an interesting little plant native to the Carolinas in the Eastern US. They grow in swampy bog areas where the soil is very acidic. They cannot obtain [...]
More Reader Mail!
Q: What is the watering schedule for succulents?
A: This is a good question, reader, but one that is hard to quantify. Succulents are plants, often from the desert, that store water in specially evolved organs. These organs can be in the roots, stems, leaves, or in special potato-like growths that expand and contract.
These plants like [...]