Plant Care: Norfolk Island Pine

I love this plant! I bought one and got an amazing deal at $14 but like it says below, it's a slow grower so I'm waiting and waiting for it to get bigger! There's some growth but it sure is taking it's time! 


Common Name: Norfolk Island Pine
Scientific Name: Araucaria heterophylla
Lighting: Moderate
Watering: Moderate to Low

The Norfolk Island Pine prefers medium lighting so keep the plant within 5 - 8 feet of a window. The plant also prefers cooler household temperatures in general. Watering this houseplant is also quite simple. Water thoroughly once a week or when the soil becomes dry to touch and be sure to discard the extra water in the drain pan after a half hour or so. Also, I have found this houseplant prefers to be watered at the same time week after week. The Norfolk Island Pine also requires high humidity levels, so if humidity is low in your home, be sure to mist the plant with cool water at least once a week.

If the needles begin to fall, it may be 1 of many reasons. The first to check is that you are not over or under watering the plant. Secondly, be sure the pine is receiving enough sunlight, so you may want to try and move it closer to a window.

The Norfolk Island Pine is a medium to low maintenance houseplant, plus with its attractive appearance makes a great addition to any plant room. The only down side to this popular houseplant is that it is a slow grower so be sure to purchase the size you prefer.

Care info from here

How to grow avocado trees from pits

 Photo Source

So I've been eating a lot of avocados lately and I've seen people grow trees from pits so I thought I'd give it a go.

I found a couple of great videos to show how it's done so..... here's how it's done!

I'll be sure to post some updates of how my experiment goes!

A couple of take aways:

1) Take of the skin
2) Make sure you put the flat/bottom in the water
 3) Put it on a heating pad (I used my radiator because it's perfect)
4) Make sure it has leaves before planting it on soil

How to care for False Aralia Plant

I recently got this plant from a friend and sort of forgot about it. I was watering it and "taking care" of it but I don't like to bring a plant into my house until I've done some research to make sure I take care of it correctly from the beginning. And of course the one time I do it the plant starts to die so now it's time to do my research and see what I'm doing wrong.

Leaf drop. Dizygotheca likes to stay put. Moving it to a new location may cause its leaves to drop. Shedding leaves may also indicate that humidity is too low. Mist the plant every morning or stand the pot on a tray of wet pebbles. Misting also helps to prevent spider mites that may invade this plant.

Pruning. False Aralia is slow-growing and doesn't need pruned unless you want to control its height. Over time, it will drop its lower leaves, revealing a single tree-like trunk. If you want, you can keep it short and shrubby by cutting it back each year. Don't be afraid to prune it to 6 inches (15 cm) from the soil level. Spring is the best time to cut it back. New offsets will grow from the base of the plant.

Repotting. Repot in spring only when it has outgrown its pot, but use the smallest container that will hold its roots. It grows best when its roots are confined. Taller plants should be potted in a heavy container to prevent toppling.

Origin: South Pacific Height: This Pacific Island native can grow to 20 ft (6 m) in the wild, but indoors this tree will slowly reach about 6 ft (1.8 m).

 Light: Bright light, no direct sun. Water: Water thoroughly and allow top 1 in (2.5 cm) of soil to dry out between waterings. Wilted leaves are a sign of overwatering.

Humidity: Moderate to high humidity.

Temperature: Warm 65-85°F, 18-29°C. Do not expose it to temperatures below 60°, which can cause leaf drop. Soil: Any good potting mix

Fertilizer: Feed every 2 weeks with a balanced liquid fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) diluted by half. In fall and winter, feed monthly.

Propagation: Seeds or stem tip cuttings. Take stem tip cuttings in spring. For best results, dip cut end in hormone rooting powder before inserting in moist potting mix. Cover with a plastic bag to raise the humidity around the cutting. Keep it warm and out of direct sunlight.

Info Source 


So it looks like the firsts things I need to do is put it a little closer to a window and mist it more. I'm thinking maybe because it was moved that is the first reason why it's a little sad. We'll see how I do!

How to care for Venus Fly Trap

venus flytrap

I recently got a Venus fly trap and it went from doing well to "dead" within a week and I was really frustrating. I'm usually really good with plants and I'm still not totally sure what happened. Long story short I left it hoping it would start some new growth. Right when I was going to bring it back to the store I saw hope; a couple of new steams. I'm leaving it but I thought I'd do a little more research.

This video is very helpful but here are some basic tips as well:

1) Put it in a bright place - 6 hours of sun a day
2) Lots of humidity! 70-80%!
3) A good idea is to put it in a terrarium, or tall vase to keep the humidity in
4) Don't try to feed it yourself with "people" food
5) Only give this plant distilled or rain water 

How to force bulbs

I was getting a little board with my house plants and wanted to try something new so I thought I'd take on growing bulbs inside. 

So far so good! I have a Hyacinth and a Amaryllis growing so I thought I'd share some videos I found helpful. 

I've gotten a bit of mixed info. Some people say put the bulbs in the fridge until you start to see growth from the top, others say plant then in soil or water (depending on the type of bulb) and then put them in the fridge until you see growth. I'm trying a couple different ways so I'll let you know what I find works best!

Caring too much for my Jade Plant

Ok so a while ago (I'm thinking it was well over a year) I bought some jade plants. I'll be honest I really didn't know anything about them but that I liked how they looked. I really really liked them and they were growing really well but then for some reason they started to die! I tried to bring them back but it was like they were rotting from the inside and there was nothing I could do. I managed to save a couple of small cuttings before "the death" made it's way through the whole plant. In my last plant love post you can see some picture of them, but I won't even give you an update photo because it's really rather sad. To add to it? I didn't realize these plants could turn into trees and lives for years and years! I was at an appointment the other day and there was a 10 year old jade plant there! It looked amazing!! I was sad that I totally killed mine (normally I'm really great with plants!) but now I have a new goal; to grow a tree!! I know it will take a many many years but how cool would that be? Have a plant that's growing with you! So here are my inspiration photos and for all of you that need a little Jade Plan care tips (apparently I did! I cared too much and it turns out I over watered. And leaving it in the kitchen or near fruit is not a good idea for some reason) here's the best once I've found.

Isn't this one just perfect? I'd love to have a jade plant that looked like this!

(I'd love to get to the point of being able to grow other plants off of my first plant. I love giving plants as gifts!)

The Jade Plant

(Crassula argentea)

* Light requirements - Moderate to bright.
Its recommended to provide the jade plant with direct sunlight, at least four hours daily. Keep the plant 2 - 3 inches away from window glass to avoid scorching it's leaves. The glass can act like a magnifier intensifying the sun's rays.

* Moisture requirements (spring and summer) - Let dry.
Water plant thoroughly but allow the soil to dry completely between waterings.

* Moisture requirements (winter and fall) - Dry.
Jade plants will enter a dormant growth cycle as the days grow shorter. Cut back watering during the cooler months to help prevent rot and leaf drop.

* Soil requirements - pH 6.1 to 6.5, quick draining.
A soil that is quick draining works best for these plants. A commercial mix suitable for cacti and succulents is a good, but sometimes expensive, choice. I've read that cactus and succulent soil mix contains peat moss, sand, perlite, small amounts of lime and sometimes gypsum. A quick recipe is 1/3 peatmoss, 1/3 coarse sand and 1/3 perlite. Perlite is used to help prevent water loss and soil compaction.

* Soil pH requirements - pH 6.1 to 6.5.
Jade plants thrive with a pH balance of around 6.3. A great guide to understanding and changing soil pH can be found here Soil pH - Acid Soil or Alkaline Soil - What You Need to Know.

* Fertilizer requirements - Every 2-3 months with mild succulent fertilizer. Fertilize with 10-20-10 or 5-10-5 ratio soluble plant food once every 2-3 months during the spring and summer months. Use only liquid fertilizer mixed weaker than the directions recommend. Do not fertilize from November through March, the plants dormant cycle.

* Temperature requirements - 55° nighttime and 75-80° daytime.
Jade plants seem to do well between 55° at night and 75-80° during the day. They can even hang in there when temperatures drop to 40° but it's not recommended to allow them to get so cool. They are from south Africa after all.

* Repotting - Springtime, when necessary.
It is recommended to repot in the spring time, when new growth appears. After the winter dormancy period is the ideal time.

* Country of origin - South Africa

*Latin pronunciation - Krass-yew-luh ar-JEN-tee-uh

*Life Span - Perennial

(Source)

You should really also check out the info on Jade plants on Wikipedia. There is a plant that is taller then a grown man! I think it's over 6', amazing!!

Amarylis Plant Care

Source

I was at the MCC on a thrifting trip around Manitoba and I got two of these plants! I didn't really know what they were when I got them but the lady there tried to explain them to me but I thought either way for $1 each I couldn't really go wrong. 

Like every time I get a new plant; I took pictures right away and starting looking up care instructions. And of course then is started on this post! So here's what I found on this wonderful plant! 

Quick Tips:

• Planting Period:  October until the end of April.
• Flowering Period:  Late December until the end of June.
• Flowering time is 7-10 weeks.
• Larger bulbs produce more flowers.
• Always store un-planted bulbs in a cool place between 40-50 deg. F

When it's blooming:

A blooming amaryllis does NOT need to sit in a bright room or sunlight. Heat & light causes the bloom to wither. Blooms may last several days to a week. Be careful to not let the pollen get on fabrics - it can stain some cloth.

When it's starting to grow:

Water your amaryllis thoroughly right after you plant it (or repot it), and allow the soil surface to dry a bit before watering it again. Place it in a warm spot to stimulate root growth. A sunny spot is best. If you try to rebloom your amaryllis in dim light conditions, the flower stalk will grow long and your amaryllis will be more prone to breakage or tipping. Wait until the first flower has opened to move the plant to a location with subdued light and cool temperatures to preserve the flower as long as possible. 

(This is mine. It's coming along. It already has one new leaf so that's a good sign!)

There is a lot to this plant and it has different care all throughout the year so it's a little hard to condense info about it; so if you want to read more about this great plant go here and here! Oh and here!