Dear Plant Pimp

[CBRWITHTVS]

if you call a plant a stupid idiot every day 5 times a day does it have any effect on its self esteem?

Does cigg. smoke stunt the groth of a plant?

Do you sing to your plants?

Do your plants talk to you?

Are you a plant?

 

[wiffledaddy]

if you call a plant a stupid idiot every day 5 times a day does it have any effect on its self esteem?

Does cigg. smoke stunt the groth of a plant?

Do you sing to your plants?

Do your plants talk to you?

Are you a plant?

no

yes

no

no

no

 

[wannabe]

One more question. I have a water softener in my place. I'm using potassium chloride instead of the sodium chloride. Is the potassium chloride going to hurt my plants?

 

[ToxxicGirrl]

Originally posted by wiffledaddy Oakland is a great spot for just about everything. You can do low-light dracaenas to bright-light palms or even cacti. Give me a specific spot by a window, and the direction the window faces, and I can give you a specific recommendation. Pictures are helpful. Is it a living room, bedroom, etc.. what goes on, ambient temps, color of paint, whole shebangie

Mostly SE facing windows: Dining room (dark red) but lots of light; kitchen window (white/teal) probably on the window with full sunlight. I'll take some pics and send them if this means I don't have to watch another innocent house plant wilt away and die

 

[wiffledaddy]

One more question. I have a water softener in my place. I'm using potassium chloride instead of the sodium chloride. Is the potassium chloride going to hurt my plants?

Is this a shill question? I can't figure out if you trying to sniff out if I'm faking the plant knowledge.

No, potassium is good for plants. Just don't let your plants sit in water.

One other thing that just struck me, make sure your new ficus is near a window. From the photos it looks like it might be far from windows.

 

[wiffledaddy]

Mostly SE facing windows: Dining room (dark red) but lots of light; kitchen window (white/teal) probably on the window with full sunlight. I'll take some pics and send them if this means I don't have to watch another innocent house plant wilt away and die

Southeast is good, probably the best light you can get for houseplants. All south is best, but SE is good for flowering plants.

My guess is that you just didn't have a good watering schedule. Pick a day to water and stick with is. Soil -- generally -- should go from wet to dry. If the soil on top of the pot is still wet, don't water, and water less on the next round.

With red paint, you will definitely want vivid green plants. Your best bet, if you have high ceilings, is the kentia palm.

Native of lord howe island

 

[wannabe]

Is this a shill question? I can't figure out if you trying to sniff out if I'm faking the plant knowledge.

No, potassium is good for plants. Just don't let your plants sit in water.

One other thing that just struck me, make sure your new ficus is near a window. From the photos it looks like it might be far from windows.

Thanks for the input. I moved the ficus to a spot closer to the window. No, it wasn't a shill question. I honestly had no clue whether or not the potassium would be bad for my plants.

 

[hondagrl]

I picked up some tomato plants yesterday. Will it be a bad idea to plant them today? Or should I keep them indoors until the rain stops?

 

[Valgar]

I picked up some tomato plants yesterday. Will it be a bad idea to plant them today? Or should I keep them indoors until the rain stops?

I want a tomato when they finally start producing...

(I miss the veggies we used to grow back in Illinois)

 

[slowpoke]

I picked up some tomato plants yesterday. Will it be a bad idea to plant them today? Or should I keep them indoors until the rain stops?

Yeah, I want some of your "tomato" too

 

[wiffledaddy]

Thanks for the input. I moved the ficus to a spot closer to the window. No, it wasn't a shill question. I honestly had no clue whether or not the potassium would be bad for my plants.

sorry, moving is making me grumpy. Lately I'm fun-loving wiffledaddy by day, angry old surly drunk by night.

 

[JadedOne]

Dear Plant Pimp - I have an orchid and I don't know how to take care of it. What kinda food does it need? How long can it go without feeding or water. I also have another plant that can go without water for 2-3 weeks, how do I kill it?

TIA!

 

[wiffledaddy]

I picked up some tomato plants yesterday. Will it be a bad idea to plant them today? Or should I keep them indoors until the rain stops?

I'd wait for the rain to stop

 

[wiffledaddy]

Dear Plant Pimp - I have an orchid and I don't know how to take care of it. What kinda food does it need? How long can it go without feeding or water. I also have another plant that can go without water for 2-3 weeks, how do I kill it?

TIA!

??

are you kidding around? dunno what the 2 finger guy means.

What kind of orchid is it? If you don't know, describe it to me. Tall with narrow leave, short with broad leaves. A picture is good.

 

[ToxxicGirrl]

Southeast is good, probably the best light you can get for houseplants. All south is best, but SE is good for flowering plants.
My guess is that you just didn't have a good watering schedule. Pick a day to water and stick with is. Soil -- generally -- should go from wet to dry. If the soil on top of the pot is still wet, don't water, and water less on the next round.
With red paint, you will definitely want vivid green plants. Your best bet, if you have high ceilings, is the kentia palm.
Native of lord howe island

Thank you, plant pimp. Do you know of a good nursery or house plant source? I really believe the plants at Home Depot or other big box stores have broken spirits and other plant "issues." Do you pimp yourself out for plant shopping?

 

[JadedOne]

I originally meant my post to be a joke but I actually do need the advice (except for the part about killing my other plant )

The orchid's got white flowers... hmm hold on.. lemme see if I can find a picture.

 

[wiffledaddy]

Non-toxic lady:

yes, a very keen observation on your part. I always tell people to *never* get a hardware store plant. These are generally of the lowest quality and come pre-loaded with pests.

Any good independently owned nursery should have a quality kentia palm. For this particular plant, the best ones come from Hawaii. For a 6 footer, You can expect to pay ~100 bucks (or more, yikes), but it will live forever.

The way to tell if the plant came from Hawaii is to check the potting medium. HI grown is in lava rock. CA or FL grown are in soil. Lava rock is a superior medium. And the HI kentias are the tops.

Thank you, plant pimp. Do you know of a good nursery or house plant source? I really believe the plants at Home Depot or other big box stores have broken spirits and other plant "issues." Do you pimp yourself out for plant shopping?

 

[wannabe]

Dear Plant Pimp, now that I moved my ficus to a more lighted location, I need to get another one to put in its place at the base of the stairs. Do you have any recommendations for any medium to low light housplants?

 

[wiffledaddy]

that's a phalaenopsis, and it's the easiest one to take care of. Put it in a window that faces east, if you can.

The way to water these is to put it under the sink and run warm water through the pot until all the roots get moist. Give it orchid food during warm months only, about once a month. Use a minimal amount in light solution.

2 things to keep in mind:

never let the orchid sit in water, ie, if you have it on a saucer, make sure no water collects there. Orchids don't like wet feet.

never repot your orchid into soil. This is an epiphyte, which means the roots are to remain in the air. The wood chip potting medium is designed to replicate the natural environment for orchids, which generally grow on trees.

I originally meant my post to be a joke but I actually do need the advice (except for the part about killing my other plant )

The orchid's got white flowers... hmm hold on.. lemme see if I can find a picture.

 

[wiffledaddy]

the beans plant in your frank n beans arrangement is called a spathophyllum, and it does okay in the low to medium light.

You can get another one of those, or if you want to go more upright, I'd recommend a plant in the dracaena family

Janet Craig is nice

Dear Plant Pimp, now that I moved my ficus to a more lighted location, I need to get another one to put in its place at the base of the stairs. Do you have any recommendations for any medium to low light housplants?