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HOUSEPLANTS PART #2
BY
All houseplants
need a rest period of some kind. Here in
Like wildlife
yards have certain requirements, so do indoor gardens.
Every plant is a little different so we need to find those out
before putting it in a window.
One very important factor is light. I try to find out where my
plants were from to get an idea of what to do.
My North window has indirect bright light and now has a Peace
Lily (Spathiphylum, sp.), with its white flowers that turn green as they
age. Native to tropical regions of the
Americas and southeastern
Asia,
It needs to be warm (about 55 degrees
F.), its soil moist but not wet at all times, and likes it humid.
Several plants of any kind near each other raises humidity.
There are different sizes of Spathiphylum from a dwarf to a
larger 2 foot one. They have no stems as the leaves come directly out of
the soil. Mine is in bloom nearly year around.
For many years
I have had a Boston Fern (Nephiolepsis) called Fluffy Ruffles in my
North window and it did well.
Actually the more plants you have in an area together the better
they do as the level of humidity goes up.
The fern grew year around and got so big I would cut it back to
the pot but its roots got so tangled it could no longer support that
huge top so I had to let it go.
I need to find a little one soon to go through this again.
They must never dry completely or (1) Spider Mites will take over
or (2) tips will turn brown. Mine hangs from the ceiling so the fronds
can hang down and I did have one on a tall bar stool next to the North
window and let the fronds hang down.
Over in the
corner with no direct light lives a huge Snake Plant, also called
Mother-In-Laws-Tongue and occasionally Sansevieria (its correct name).
There are no stems as leaves over 3 foot long come directly out of the
soil. There are many
varieties and cultivars of Sansevieria from short to twisted to spiky.
Their home is tropical
Another plant
you will see in dark corners in Libraries or restaurants is the Chinese
Evergreen (Aglaonema sp.). A blooming plant
wouldn’t last long in those spaces but the leaf colors and
patterns brighten any spot. It can not stand smoky air or droughts. Find
a warm and moist area for them in winter.
The leaves are patterned in white or silver or pure green. The
more white the more light the plant can stand.
There are a few with yellow in the leaf.
It likes fertilizer on a regular basis but you may go several
years without repotting.
Another, fast
growing plant in the north window is the Birds Nest Fern (Asplenium
nidus). After its first growth the leaves comes directly out of soil and
may be 2 feet long and wavy on the edges, making a nest at the center.
They do not like the edges to be handled when young. They require
frequent fertilization for those big leaves. Imagine carrying one very
far as they can get 4 foot across. Copyright 2015 |