I have always liked houseplants but never really got into them. I have decided my groovy bachelor pad could use some plants, so I ask you all to help me out.
I would like plants that don’t need a whole lot of sun, as when I am at work I don’t leave blinds and such open, but I could put the plants out before/after work and on weekends.
I don’t mind plants that need a lot of water or tending to, but I smoke, so they should be able to handle that. Big or small plants are equally cool.
The best advice I can give you, really, is to go to a nearby plantseller and ask them what plants they sell that suite best the condions you describe. That sitoation is very common, so they should be able to help you just fine from their selection of semi-indestructable houseplants.
Besides, with houseplants there’s always a bit of trial an error. Some plants (even withing the same sub-sub-subspecies) will florish no matter how you neglect them; and some will start wilting within five minutes of having crossed your treshold and deciding they don’t like your houses aura, or whatever.
My SO used to own a flower/plant shop - he can turn a dead branch into a thriving plant. Our house is practically overrun with plants and I don’t think a single one has died in all the years I have known him (over 25!).
His “tricks” for keeping them alive and thriving?
Water. Too much is bad, too little is bad - he takes the plants, once a week, and totally soaks them with lukewarm water (usually in the kitchen sink if they are small) and then does not water them again until the following week. Only exception is in the hot summer months and maybe, just maybe, he might add a little water mid-week.
Dirt - when plants get bigger, so too must the planter grow. Re-pot the plants when they get bigger, and add fresh dirt at the same time.
Fertilizer - less than you might think. For the large trees and tall plants, maybe two or three times a year (tops) he will mix some Miracle Grow or something similar and add it when he waters them. Don’t go crazy with fertilizer.
Placement - surprisingly, few indoor plants like direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time. Some of our best plants only get indirect sunlight and thrive quite nicely. Be careful putting any plant in a window where the sun blares down on it.
Also (and this sounds strange, but is true) some plants don’t like to be moved! Changing position of plants from one corner to another corner of the room can actually cause the plant to drop leaves or die. This is especially true with really large indoor trees. Be careful and try not to move large plants all that often.
Some plants are more difficult than others, depending on your geographical location. The best bet is to ask a garden center which plants do best in your area.
Buy a bunch of plants - they make the house look great, and once you get into the rhythm of watering them on the same day of the week (every Saturday morning for instance) you will find they are actually not all that difficult to keep.
When I say “totally soaks” the plant, that means he puts the plant in the sink, runs lukewarm water in the pot until it is full of water and then some…leave the plant in the sink until the water is no longer dripping, and then put it back. For larger plants and trees, he usually puts in enough water, slowly, to keep the soil really wet, but not enough to spill out of the tray under the plant. Hope I explained that clearly.
Problem is I don’t know the names of anything. I just want to show the plants to the computer screen so you can see them.
I was thinking palm…I had a palm a brought home from palm Sunday when I was a kid which we stuck in some dirt and it pretty much turned into a tree.
Then there’s that one…with the leathery leaves…all pointy…
And recently, some cool sinous plant that, well, a bit fell off of the orginal and I stuck it in a bottle with water and have ingnored it ever since and it’s been spouting leaves like crazy. Would be very good for a groovy bachelor pad.
But I’ll come back with some actual names. My mother will know, she has all those indendification books.
Cool, thanks you all, great advice, I am gonna take the plunge and hit the local garden store tomorrow. I understand we have a great local plant people place out here. I will go in as a newbie and ask questions.
And betenoir, I don’t know the names either, but if you hold that damn plant still I could get a screenshot…
Also tough and not needing a lot of light - aspidistra and spathiphyllum.
Two other hints - supplemental (fluorescent) lighting will increase the range of plants you can grow.
This is probably not a big risk - but smoking around plants could spread tobacco mosaic virus to them (some growers prevent smoking in greenhouses for this reason).
Listen to DMark on the watering issue. It makes a big difference. I use to put my plants in the shower and water them slowley for an hour. Damn things took over the house!
If you do move a plant from indoors to outdoors, it’d be best to put it in the shade. Many house plants will not tolerate direct sun.
Aloes have a groovy bachelor pad look (do not overwater these guys-once a week is too often) They have spikey plump leaves, while the snake plant (also called mother-inlaws tonge, I think) has spikey flat leaves. I’m pointing my screen at them right now, can you see them? A really big Jade plant is beautiful. When big, they are tree like. I think everything I’ve mentioned is a succulent. They need to dry out between waterings. Also, I smoke alot… these plants are doing much better than I am.
You could also get yourself a plant light and grow orchids. Orchids are way cool. I’ve never grown them myself, cause I think they take a bit more fussing than I’m capable of these days.
Spider plants are neat too, also easy to take care of.
Anybody grown tropical pitcher plants? I’ve been reading about them and don’t think I can handle the temperature and humidity needs-but what could be more cool bachelor paddish than a carnivorous plant?
This is not good. Proper light is the most important things plants need to survive and thrive. It is not optional. Photosynthesis is how plantsr make their food, and growing them in insufficient light is the equivalent of starving them to death. Closed blinds will not cut it, and putting them outside every so often is not going to cut it either. Houseplants need to be gradually acclimated to the strong outdoor sunshine so they do not sunburn, and bringing them in and out on a daily basis does not allow them to do that. Besides, doesn’t most of New Mexico get cold temps at some point during the winter? Indoor plants, being tropical for the most part do not react well to sustained temperatures below 45 degrees.
That said, if you must have plants, DMarks SO’s growing tips are excellent (except personally, I have found that most plants like more light than he suggests, including direct sun–especially from an eastern exposure).
As far as smoking goes, most common houseplants are fine with it. Plants most affected by the tobacco mosaic virus tend to belong to the Solanum family and few, if any houseplants fall into that group.
Yeah, I probably should have phrased that better…but still, direct sunlight blaring through a window (especially in places here in the Southwest) is not a good idea. We have bamboo plants in the bathroom where there is almost no light at all, other than the night light and when we turn on the bathroom light and just daylight when the bathroom door is open by day. The plant is growing faster than you can believe! Of course, bamboo is not a typical houseplant, but just an example that some plants need little, if any, direct sunlight.
One important thing I forgot to mention:
Drainage! Make sure there is a hole at the bottom of the pot, with a tray to catch excess water! Without putting a hole or two, the water will stay in the pot, stink to high heaven and maybe even rot the roots. My SO cut a hole about the size of a dime (for small plants) and about the size of a quarter for larger plants. He than places a small stone over the hole when he puts in the dirt. Just be careful as some potted plants you buy do not have a hole in the bottom and you really need to make one to let the water drip out from below.
Pothos. You can’t kill a pothos. I kept one in an interior office, with zero natural light, watered it when I thought about (sometimes with leftover Diet Sprite), and not only did it refuse to die, it thrived for 7 years.
The thing that killed it was when I left it on my back deck in the lovely fresh air, part-sun and natural rainfall for a month!
Ok the pointy one is a clivia. Can’t kill those things.
The other one is perfect for a groovy pad…rather elegant, with a long woody stem ending in delicate mottled leaves… And lives forever and doesn’t need much light apparrantly.But I have now idea what it is and mom has no idea or where she got it from. I’m begining to get a little afraid of it, what if there’s a mottle leafed pod under my bed?
If I’m not an alien zombie by tomorrow I’ll try and get back to you on that.
Oh, and my mother says “snake plants”. Yeah that’s what they’re called. Also pointy. Also can’t be killed. And get nice flowers once a year.
DMark, maybe you can help me. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I, ivylass, keep killing ivy plants.
I’ve had three or four over the years and they’ve all shriveled up and died on me. I have a new one and I’m not sure if it’s struggling or not. Some facts:
I live in Orlando(ish)
The plant is inside, near a sliding glass door that gets morning sun.
I try not to overwater because I read that ivy plants like to be dry.
This one has a good clump of leaves in the middle, but the outside stems and leaves are dying.
Mother-in-law’s tongue is the ultimate in indestructible houseplants. I’m an herbalist with a brown thumb. I never remember to water, or provide light, or even that the plant exists in my house. I should be taken out back and shot by the plant police.
I’ve killed spider plants.
My mother-in-law’s tongue has been dried out (not “a little dry”, but dried OUT powdery soil), tipped over, batted about by the cat, repotted with cigarette butts (oops), sits in my dark kitchen with not a damn speck of light besides the lightbulb overhead - and it still looks like the one at that link after three years. Either it’s still living, or it stays green when it’s dead. Either way, it *looks *like I know what I’m doing!
Ditto that (except I haven’t repotted mine with cigarette butts) and not only are mine still alive, they are thriving. I’m serious, they grow like gangbusters even with neglect. My snake plants are all from a single root cutting I got 20 or so years ago,
and they grow so well that I have had them break pots with their roots because the start getting crowded. Just separate them into new pots and they’ll do it again and you’ll have plenty of stalks to give away.
I also have some long lived Jade plants, but they need a bit more light. I go for thick leaves and non-toxic plants because of my cats and Snakes and Jades are two that survive around here.
If Florida sun is anything like Las Vegas sun, it might be a wiser idea to put the plant off to the side to get the light, but NOT the direct sunlight!
Also, do the water thing - once a week, totally soak it, and then no more water, and make sure there is a hole at the bottom of the planter to let any excess water flow out so the roots don’t rot.
We have several ivy plants (none in direct sunlight for any more than a few minutes a day, and they are all thriving.
Also, don’t be afraid to pull off the dead leaves…but my best guess is, that bit of morning sun is a lot more than you think and is killing the plant.
A Spider plant is a good choice for a hanging plant. They look exotic, and once they fill out it resembles fireworks, for the mood, you know. And easy to care for.
Also, there’s a guy named Jerry Baker who calls himself “America’s Gardener.” He favors making your own formulas for various plant needs using mostly readily available stuff.
I‘ve used his Houseplant Tonic for about 8 years on everything from cacti to Spider plants. The formula is on his website, and includes some whiskey, of all things. You’d want to go with the cheap stuff, here.
