Dead-of-winter houseplant buying spree
Hi -
I've been away from this forum for a year or more. It's so inspiring to come back and look through all the excellent advice and beautiful pictures. Thanks, everyone.
It's the dead of winter here in MA, which means...I need houseplants! Ahem. I already have houseplants, but, when everything is frozen and gray outside, a person just can't get enough greenhouse therapy. So I haunt the local nurseries, and, somehow, they always have something irresistible. I know this is far from the ideal time to bring new plants home, but I haven't been able to resist some of them. I wanted to share the new additions. Thanks for looking! --Amanda
I fell in love with the stromanthe 'amergris' (I think) when I saw it online. Two days later, there it was, in my local nursery. It was a little battered, but putting out some new growth. Bring a member of the marantaciae family into a non-greenhouse environment at this time of year? I know, not optimal, but it called to me. Loudly. We'll see how it does.
Comments (18)
Amanda (asarumgreenpanda, z6MA)
11 years agoAnd, somehow, against all logic, I brought home another marantaciae family member, the even-trickier-to-keep-healthy-in-a-dry-house marantha (leucophylla, right?). I don't know, maybe the dead of winter brings optimism, but I have a good feeling about this one. I also rescued this little bronze-leaved syngonium, which looks better already, after a week here. Always nice when that happens. Oh, and I couldn't resist an orchid, one of the "Twinkle" oncidiums. Those flowers smell wonderful. (I didn't get a picture of that one.)
Again, thanks for looking.
Amanda
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Comments (17)what happens with a lot of them.. with the reduced sun.. they start getting really long .. sparse.. leggy ... so you root some new ones.. and once you see roots.. you throw out the old ones ... just keep cycling thru them over the winter... you do NOT end up with the actual piece you started with.. but you end up with the same plant ... to avoid a lot of problems.. sterilize everything.. media.. [no soil/dirt in the house] .. pots.. watering cans.. etc ... link to sterilize media in the microwave ... wet the media.. put in one gal bag.. nuke it... i dont care if the bag you buy says its sterilized.. do it again.. kill all those bug eggs and fungus spores to start with.. then there is no problem to later fix ... do NOT take anything i say to stop you from doing it.. its fun.. i am just trying to make you think about all the variables that need to be 'solved' ... and.. when you hit the wall.. just toss them out into the snowbank .... and try again next year ... the only failure is the failure to give it a try ... otherwise its all a learning curve ... ken Here is a link that might be useful: link...See MoreWhere do you all buy your houseplants?
Comments (10)I started my lil' collection this year at Kmart (aka Sears Essentials in some places) - which happens to be where I work. They've had 2 full shipments so far this year of indoor plants with a bigger variety to chose from compared to previous years. The key is: keep an eye out and purchase the plants as soon as they get them in. Otherwise, you are looking at seriously nursing an almost dead plant back to life. :( So far I have a nice sized sansevieria (mother-in-law's tongue), spathiphyllum (peace lily), and a free Majesty Palm that my mom is trying to nurse back to health (if it dies, oh well, it was free and was heading for the dumpster anyway). I was too late on nabbing an aloe plant they had with the succulent batch (we only got 3 in shipment), but that's ok. Tomorrow, I'm checking out some of the names of new plants we got in, research online first, then buy if they fit my indoor spots to fill. Otherwise, also check terrarium/aquarium websites because sometimes they sell indoor plants as well - to go with their captive pets. One of the sites I've been eyeballing is below (not sure on quality yet though). Here is a link that might be useful: Pernell Gerver's Houseplants...See MoreWhat are your favourite houseplants.
Comments (37)Hi everyone. I just joined this great forum and have gotten some very good tips from you guys by reading a lot of the posts about certain houseplants that I have. So thanks a lot for the great tips and advice provided! As far as my favorite houseplants, it's really hard to pick one or two since I've got quite a few. But, the ones that mean the most to me are : 1) Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen) 'Crete' - I picked this one up at a local garden center fairly recently and it's supposedly new cultivar. It may be one of the most beautiful foliage plants I've seen. It's green leaves are bordered in a beautiful bright red and splashed with the red color also. Just exquisite! I keep it by my fireplace in the den and it loves it's shady spot. My Polyscias plants are also among my most favorites. I have a 3 foot tall Parsley Aralia that is amazing. It's in a beautiful oriental-looking pot in my game room/Japanese garden. I also have 2 medium sized Ming Aralias that I love, one of which I found at Home Depot a few weeks ago, the other I got from a really nice houseplant store in a town nearby. The one I found at HD was the last one and a bit scraggly looking but is putting on some nice new growth. It has four main trunks so I'm sure with proper care, next spring it will explode with foliage *fingers crossed*. I also have a small, variegated Balfour that is very beautiful. It may be in my top 3 or 4 plants. Surprisingly, I found that one at a grocery store (again the last one!) Then I have 2 small variegated Parsley Aralias that are very nice and bushy. I absolutely love Aralias, even if they are a little temperamental. 3) Another favorite of mine is a large 7 foot tall Amate Schefflera in my den. It fills one corner with it's huge umbrella leaves and looks awesome. I've always loved Scheffs. I have 2 Amates and about 4 Arboricolas! 4) My last favorite plant (out of 4) would have to be this Jade that I've had for quite some time but it's shape is what I love so much about it. It has one trunk that splits into two that drape down on each side and curve back up. It's very Bonsai-like. I love it. I'll try to include some pics if anyone is interested. Glad to be able to join this forum! Cheers! -Chris...See MoreDO I have to pot the 'newly rooted houseplant cuttings' with dirt
Comments (17)Regarding the watering of plants... The next time you have a potted plant, make sure the bottom of the pot has at least 1 hole, take it to the sink and give it a thorough watering, so that water runs out of the hole(s). When it stops dripping, pick it up and note how heavy it feels. Note the turgidity and stance of the leaves. Then look at the plant and feel the leaves at least every other day for signs of wilting. When you determine that wilt has begun, pick up the plant again. Now you have a gauge. When the plant is slightly heavier than what you are holding now, it is ready for a drink. And now you also have a basic time frame for how long this takes but you will still water by the heft of the pot, not by the calendar since factors like humidity, temperature, and eventually the growth of the plant will alter the time frame. So, as you see, the best answer to "when should I water my plant?" is "right before it wilts." For a plant like snake plant, the wilting is not a factor you can use, but most plants will wilt, which is akin to a person first laying down on a death bed. Ideally, when the plant is thirsty, it will get a chance for thorough watering at the sink, and allowed to drip out. If you have the space and forethought, water that has had a chance to sit overnight will have the chlorine evaporated out of it, and is much more appreciated by your plants. Lots of cuttings can grow for years in water, or in ordinary yard dirt in a pot in the house. I've done both. Although some will grow noticeably bigger, I wouldn't say that most water-bound cuttings actually grow much, most are in more of a state of suspended animation. The worst thing that can happen really is you get lime scale on the jar or glass, so just don't use one of granny's antique wine glasses. If you want to try more like that, look at just about any non-woody plant trailing out of a hanging basket. Most of those will root and grow in water, and most of their owners would gladly break off a piece for you....See MoreCorry_Engelbrecht
11 years ago
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
11 years agoteengardener1888
11 years agogreybird_keke
11 years agoAmanda (asarumgreenpanda, z6MA)
11 years agoThanks for all the nice comments. It's good to know I'm not alone. ;) Yes, M. leucoNEURA was what I was trying to remember. Thank you, Purple.
Teengardener, uh-oh: I thought I was only going to have to buy 5-10 more plants if I wanted to keep up with Corry and Purple, but you set the bar at thousands! I'm just kidding, of course. You're right that a lot of it comes down to self control
...which I did not exhibit today. I had part of the day off and used my free time to commit a premeditated act of plant-buying. I actually brought an insulated lunch cooler thingy to my local nursery so I could take home a Philo I'd seen there on Saturday. It was 28*F this afternoon, but I wanted to get the Philo out of the nursery as soon as possible because they're keeping the entire lot of these plants in a too-cool location. I don't know how it will do, as a few of these Philos showed obvious cold damage. (I chose one that didn't.) I took some cuttings, just in case.
Greybird_keke, did you say there's a CURE? I thought of it more as managing an addiction to plants. That's encouraging, that there might be a cure.
New Philo:
Amanda (asarumgreenpanda, z6MA)
11 years agoI'd love it if anyone could help me ID this Philo. (It was labeled 'Black Cardinal,' which it clearly isn't.) I think the key to identifying it is in the leaf petioles, which look almost like second leaves:
Amanda (asarumgreenpanda, z6MA)
11 years agoAmanda (asarumgreenpanda, z6MA)
11 years agoTiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
11 years agoplantomaniac08
11 years agojos176
11 years agoI can relate with the urge to fill up the house with more greenery.every year I build more shelves,put up more lights,move things around,and go to town!I also do a lot of studying on light,water,air circulation,ph on different plants,and what plants look the best by other plants.I stock up on supplies and come home with tons of plants.this winter I'm practicing on doing different types of propagation.the picture is 2 elephant ears and 8more plants you can't see.
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
11 years agoAmanda (asarumgreenpanda, z6MA)
11 years agoTiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
11 years agoAmanda (asarumgreenpanda, z6MA)
11 years ago
zusya