During our Master Gardener training this spring, we had a propagation workshop where I got cuttings from some of my classmates to get started at home. This is what I came home with in February: And this is how my baby African Violet and Pothos looks today: They will be a nice reminder of my [...]
Archive for the ‘Houseplants’ Category
8 Apr
Aloe
Aloe is one of the few plants I had in the house before I started my houseplant initiative. It’s a medicinal plant with antibacterial and antifungal properties that make it useful for skin and digestive issues. Although currently the only proven use is to aid in healing first and second degree burns. It’s an easy [...]
8 Apr
Kalanchoe
Kalanchöe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana) is the prettiest of the houseplants I picked up with it’s long lasting canopy of blooms. Because it’s a succulent, it’s also rather undemanding. It likes cool temperatures and can tolerate a variety of light levels. This is one I didn’t realize was toxic until after I brought it home. The report [...]
25 Mar
Snake Plant
Snake Plant or Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata) is a great houseplant because it can handle neglect. Because it’s a desert plant, it needs little water. It’s also tough enough to handle low light levels for those out of the way areas. It is a mild irritant, but it’s upright habit makes it an unlikely chew [...]
18 Mar
Wandering Jew
I’m still working on introducing all of the houseplants I added to my home in January. Here’s the next one: Wandering Jew (Tradescantia zebrina) is considered non-toxic but the sap can be a skin irritant. It’s not really a problem because it’s grown indoors in hanging baskets where it won’t be a nuisance. It’s an [...]
25 Feb
Spider Plant
Another one of my new plant friends is this Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum). Although not toxic, it’s long dangling leaves make it far too attractive to most cats to keep it within reach. They are hardy plants that can handle different levels of indirect light (but will loose some of their variegation in lower levels) [...]
18 Feb
Jade – and my potting method
I had a bunch of self-watering pots for containers because they seem so easy to use. In class though, I learned that these aren’t good for most plants as they like to dry out in-between waterings. The continuous moisture that self-watering containers provide is conducive to root rot. It also makes a huge, hard to [...]
4 Feb
Houseplants
I have been absolutely loving the Master Gardener training! After finishing the section on houseplants, I opted to add some to my home for a number of reasons. For one, I’d like some experience behind me when answering questions about houseplants for people. I’d been thinking of non-edibles as useless, but I suppose that isn’t [...]
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