Dear Plant Pimp

[wiffledaddy]

Dear Pimp,

I've got a plant that thrived downstairs. I've changed positions in the company, I am now in a very low light atmosphere. The leaves are getting brown on the ends. I thought it was the lack of sun. Suggestions? I can't give it more light.

Make with a picture of the plant! Or at least tell me what the plant's name is.

 

[wiffledaddy]

Dear Plant Pimp...

My otherwise kind and thoughtful wifey has been on a 2 year genocidal campaign directed toward the helpless ficus. 6 up and 6 down....the newest victim having arrived last week. After searching your thread, I've cut/pasted all ficus oriented posts and will hand her a copy tonight. If just one is saved, the effort will be worthwhile. Besides, I'm getting tired of paying for ficus that, evidently, haven't a hope in hell of survival.

Great thread, and thanks for taking the time...

hah! Ficus can be tricky, but once you figure them out, they are about as easy as it gets.

If she has any specific questions, let me know. Rules of thumb for ficus are:

1. Don't panic!

2. Don't move it around too much. They can take a while to get settled, so if you keep moving them, they have to keep adjusting. More leaves will fall. See rule 1.

 

[ThumperX]

Dear Plantpimp,
I know you are tiring of me and my orchid troubles but I really need help.
This orchid is approximately 4 years old and despite my efforts at execution it continues to live.
My neighbor says throw it out!!! That is not an option as:

1. It is a living thing with a stout survival gene and chucking it into the dumpster seems fundamentally wrong
2. I am at a karmatic deficit with mother nature currently and do not wish to make this worse
3. It is the last loving gesture of a 14 year relationship that went very bad very fast.

Can I simply lop it off at those rooty looking out growths and repot or ship express to the wiffledaddy memorial home for ailing Orchids with a small stipend for longterm care?

Picture attached

 

[kurbycar32]

It would be ultra-mega helpful if you would post up a picture of the spot where you want to put a plant. There's a lot of things you want to consider before choosing a plant. The dimensions of the spot are important.

I'm not quite clear on the spot on the porch with drip irrigation. Is it a container?

We can probably come up with something that is nice that won't needle your kids or your allergies.

The hatred of bushes, on the other hand, might be a deep-seated psychological issue, and probably won't be resolved in this thread.

Heres where i would like to put it. the brick is about 2 feet from the wall of the house and it probably has 4 feet of space wide

 

[Godsdarling]

Make with a picture of the plant! Or at least tell me what the plant's name is.

What do you think? It's name is Sam
thank you for your advice!

 

[wiffledaddy]

Hello Happy Deerslayer!

You can cut off those guys and pot them, but I wouldn't recommend it. I think they would fail pretty quickly if they weren't in an ideal setting, like the tropics, or a greenhouse. It's probably best to leave the plant as is.

I've seen these plants in outdoor settings, thriving like mad, and they have these little guys on them, complete with roots. It's probably a propogation tool for when the plant gets so big that a main stalk falls over and the new growth ends up on the ground.

It doesn't necessarily look too bad. Maybe a little more light and a warmer spot and some light fertilizer, that guy busts out in flowers and song.

Okay, I think I have a solution for you. Do you know someone who is southbound any time soon? If someone is going to San Diego, put the orchid on the boat and tell the person to plant it somewhere nice, with southern exposure, where it will get some water (somewhere it will live in someone's garden or something).

Have them mark the spot on a map, and then you go visit it in five years.

 

[wiffledaddy]

Heres where i would like to put it. the brick is about 2 feet from the wall of the house and it probably has 4 feet of space wide

Hi Kurby,

which direction does that wall face? Once I know that, I'll think it over, given your criteria.

 

[kurbycar32]

that wall faces west. and im on a corner lot so theres no shade except in the morning.

 

[wiffledaddy]

What do you think? It's name is Sam
thank you for your advice!

It's a spathophyllum or peace lilly.

It can usually deal with low light and doesn't like direct light.

How much water are you giving it? Is the soil wet right now? Is your office cold with the A/C?

It looks like it might be getting improper water and too much can also look like too little, though these plants will wilt dramatically when they dry out, but come right back once you water them. Also, these plants like fertilizer. Get some plant food!

If the soil is dry right now, water it no more than a drinking glass full, then let it dry out before you water it again. Make sure no one pours his coffee in the plant when you aren't looking.

That plant should do fine in your office. If it really doesn't do well, then it might be too dark and too cold in your office. In which case, you'll need to find a new job.

 

[classicmoto]

Good Plant Pimp,

Thanks for the identification of our NON-PALM dracaena marginata and for the tips so far.

To be perfectly clear, how much water are you giving the plant when you water it?

We give it about a quart a week.

We also live about 200 miles south of The Bay -- along the coast. On average, our climate is about 5-10 Degrees warmer here and the plant is in a non-AC home.

---EDIT---

Today I noticed that there is quite a bit of dust on the leaves. I am betting that has something to do with it? Tomorrow we will take it outside and give it a little shower and maybe wipe the leaves down for good measure.

 

[weak_link]

Well, let's just run down the very basic things about orchids, then to the more specific.

First of all, your plants want bright light, but no direct afternoon sunlight. An east window is very nice, a south window is great as long as the light doesn't hit the plant directly. West windows may spell doom.

Orchids don't like to sit in water. The way to water one of these plants is to run warmish water over the roots and potting medium -- usually bark or moss -- until everything is nice and damp. As you do this, the water should be freely running out of the bottom of the pot. The plant's roots require both moisture and air, so you want to be sure not to leave them sodden.

The plant with the roots growing out of it looks like this one? This plant likes brighter light and a warmer environment.

Do any of the plants have leaves like this? This is a very easy plant, and extremely forgiving. It can take a cooler environment and lower light. As a rule, though, warm temps and bright light is good for orchids.

Hit me with specific questions. If you haven't had any spikes or flowers in a year, then we can discuss how to fertilize orchids.

Dear PP,

I have both of the plants in this post. They are in pots that allow free flowing drainage and sitting on my kitchen counter on the East wall. There is a bright window that allows afternoon light but not directly on the plants. One of the plants, the one with the skinny leaves, has spikes but has not flowered in a year and a half. The one with the big leaves has no spikes above the bark. I feed these every couple weeks with an orchid fertalizer about once a month as per the directions on the bag. I can get a better description of what it is if you like. How do I get these beauties to bloom again?

Also, I have a problem with a cat who likes to occasionally munch on the leaves. Is there something I can apply to the leaves of these and other plants that will be safe to the plants and the cat but make him not do that anymore?

 

[Godsdarling]

I've got the coldest office here. I don't have control on it. Sam is planted in a pot that has this straw like thing so I can tell when it needs water. I've got artificial light and a bulb is right above it. Should I move it? I'll grab some plant food. Thank you! I had no idea it was Peace Lily, it was a gift.

It's a spathophyllum or peace lilly.

It can usually deal with low light and doesn't like direct light.

How much water are you giving it? Is the soil wet right now? Is your office cold with the A/C?

It looks like it might be getting improper water and too much can also look like too little, though these plants will wilt dramatically when they dry out, but come right back once you water them. Also, these plants like fertilizer. Get some plant food!

If the soil is dry right now, water it no more than a drinking glass full, then let it dry out before you water it again. Make sure no one pours his coffee in the plant when you aren't looking.

That plant should do fine in your office. If it really doesn't do well, then it might be too dark and too cold in your office. In which case, you'll need to find a new job.

 

[poach]

hah! Ficus can be tricky, but once you figure them out, they are about as easy as it gets.

If she has any specific questions, let me know. Rules of thumb for ficus are:

1. Don't panic!

2. Don't move it around too much. They can take a while to get settled, so if you keep moving them, they have to keep adjusting. More leaves will fall. See rule 1.

Roger that...will do.

I told her to start start taking a pic once a week so I'd have a photohistoric series to show you when victim #7 goes tits up.

She threw something hard and pokey at me...

 

[wiffledaddy]

Hi Moto:


the dust is probably not an issue. If you do want to give it a little shower, just don't, don't, don't set it out in the sun to dry! It'll burn to a crisp.

I dust my plants with an old-fashioned feather duster. Ostrich feather, to be precise

I suspect your issue is that the plant just isn't getting enough light. You might want to try leaving the blinds open for longer during the day, or moving the plant to another, brighter spot and getting a lower-light plant for that spot where you have the marginata.

You might find a dracaena janet craig or dracaena michiko or dracaena fragrans. This is a very groovy 70's picture of one.

If you do buy one, don't get it at the hardware store. Part of the problem with hardware store plants, besides the low quality and the high incidence of pests on the plants they sell is the poor potting medium hardware store growers use. Large tropical indoor plants like these do much better when planted in lava rock than when planted in cheap soil. Even if you pay double for a better plant, it is still cost-effective if the plant lives ten times longer. (I did the math!)

One alternative for the existing plant is to try giving the plant the same amount of water you are giving, but every 10 days to 2 weeks. You might see that the plant is able to adapt to the lower light. There is a balance you must achieve with light, heat, and water. Given the cool-ish temps and the low light, try watering less.

Good Plant Pimp,

Thanks for the identification of our NON-PALM dracaena marginata and for the tips so far.



We give it about a quart a week.

We also live about 200 miles south of The Bay -- along the coast. On average, our climate is about 5-10 Degrees warmer here and the plant is in a non-AC home.

---EDIT---

Today I noticed that there is quite a bit of dust on the leaves. I am betting that has something to do with it? Tomorrow we will take it outside and give it a little shower and maybe wipe the leaves down for good measure.

 

[Janna]

Dear Plant Pimp,


I have no houseplants. I will be planting a full vegetable garden outside, but that's another matter. I'd like to get some indoor houseplants. Tell me, O Great One, what to do. I am a blank slate.

The downstairs has windows facing west, north, and east. The kitchen (with east window) has a lot of diffuse, indirect sunlight.

The living room is generally kept low-light, for privacy (the front windows look out onto the street, and our neighbors are home a lot, and curious). Are there any nice indoor plants who thrive on low-light situations?

 

[wiffledaddy]

Heres where i would like to put it. the brick is about 2 feet from the wall of the house and it probably has 4 feet of space wide

Kurby,

your spot had me tied in knots because of that downspout. But, I've been thinking and thinking and I suspect that what you might want for that spot is a yucca.

since you don't like bushes, and actually that spot probably wants something more vertical than a bush, anyway, this might be the right thing.

I think Manteca is in hardiness zone 14, so you can get a yucca gloriosa, which is a soft-tipped one. It should do well in that spot.

Here is a pic of it in flower. It only flowers once a year and it will not produce a lot of pollen so likely won't aggravate your allergies.

Keep in mind that the plant doesn't have to be allowed to grow this big. You can keep it the size you want so it doesn't outgrow the spot. You just cut the thing back aggressively.

The other options would be to trellis some kind of vines here. Maybe jasmine, trumpet vine, honeysuckle, etc... but that will require more effort. Dunno if you are into effort.

 

[wiffledaddy]

Crap, I didnt see this til now. I dont have pics, but I can describe the areas, one is in my dining room area, which has a window but gets no direct light through it because its on the side of the house with my covered patio so its real low light, the other is next to the entertainment center in the living room, there are windows, but that part of the living room gets very little direct light, so yeah, very low light.

Crap! I didn't see this until now!


So, here is what I think you should do: go to a nursery and buy yourself a pothos.

You also get yourself a nice pot to put it in and then you bring that thing home and you take care of it.

If the plant survives until March 15, 2009, then you let me know and we will pick out a nice floor plant for your home.

Your new plant!

 

[wiffledaddy]

I've got the coldest office here. I don't have control on it. Sam is planted in a pot that has this straw like thing so I can tell when it needs water. I've got artificial light and a bulb is right above it. Should I move it? I'll grab some plant food. Thank you! I had no idea it was Peace Lily, it was a gift.

If there isn't any natural light in your office at all, then you might want to take that plant home. Unless it is a grow light. But, I guess she is the fluorescent?

The only kind of plant I know that can really handle only fluorescent light is the aglaonema species. You can pick one up for five or six bux!

Uses less water than your peace lily - maybe water every other week.

 

[*Tina*]

Crap! I didn't see this until now!


So, here is what I think you should do: go to a nursery and buy yourself a pothos.

You also get yourself a nice pot to put it in and then you bring that thing home and you take care of it.

If the plant survives until March 15, 2009, then you let me know and we will pick out a nice floor plant for your home.

Your new plant!

Ooh, I like that plant. Me thinks I'm gonna go shopping after work tonite.

Thank you pimp daddy wiffle !!!

 

[wiffledaddy]

Hi weak_link

stop fertilizing the plants first. Let them go through the fall and winter without any fertilizer.

In the beginning of February, put them in brighter light locations than they are currently in. Again, no direct light, but brighter locations. The phalaenopsis (broad, flat leaves) in an east window with light from as early as possible. If you can move the dendrobium to a south window with diffused light, that would be good. We'll see flowers.

You can try bitter apple on the leaves to keep the cat away, but can you really keep a cat away? I have a maine coon kitty who eats plants whole.

Dear PP,

I have both of the plants in this post. They are in pots that allow free flowing drainage and sitting on my kitchen counter on the East wall. There is a bright window that allows afternoon light but not directly on the plants. One of the plants, the one with the skinny leaves, has spikes but has not flowered in a year and a half. The one with the big leaves has no spikes above the bark. I feed these every couple weeks with an orchid fertalizer about once a month as per the directions on the bag. I can get a better description of what it is if you like. How do I get these beauties to bloom again?

Also, I have a problem with a cat who likes to occasionally munch on the leaves. Is there something I can apply to the leaves of these and other plants that will be safe to the plants and the cat but make him not do that anymore?