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Dear Plant Pimp

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OK thanks! But what kinda food should I use? Brands??

Orchid's are hard to take care of :mad

wiffledaddy said:
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.
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They're not hard if you do exactly as I just told you. : )

Use the Schultz, it's just fine for your orchid

SchultzOrchidFood.jpg



JadedOne said:
OK thanks! But what kinda food should I use? Brands??

Orchid's are hard to take care of :mad
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Dear wifflePlantGuru,

I have a Brassaia arboricola I've had for about 5 years. When I bought it it was about 5 to 6 inches tall, had about 6 or 8 leaf bunches off the only main stem and the widest leaf rounds were about 2 inches wide. Now it's about 12 inches tall and still has only the main stem but the upper leaf rounds are about 4 inches around. The lower ones are yellowing a bit but there is some new growth near the top. It is outside but is under an overhang so it doesn't get any direct light. It's never been repotted and is in a pot that's about 5 inches around. Now I've seen these things get pretty big and have many many stems. Nice and full. What's wrong with mine?
 
wiffledaddy said:
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

l-d-jc-cane.JPG
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Sweet! I'll go pick one up this week. :thumbup
 
Is too, cuz now I have to get my lazy ass to the store to buy food for a plant. :(

wiffledaddy said:
They're not hard if you do exactly as I just told you. : )

Use the Schultz, it's just fine for your orchid

SchultzOrchidFood.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Kind of hard to say, but generally speaking, a malnourished plant tends to be tall and sparsely foliated. My guess: underwater, undernutrion. The pot sounds like a very small pot, and likely the soil is depleted.

Pot it up a size, and gently unwind the roots when you pull it out of the old pot, which are probably going to be bound pretty tightly. You want to cover the roots with soil, but don't cover too much above the root crown, or the main stem can rot.

Water it when it gets dry. As mentioned earlier, initially after repotting, water close to the main stem.


JackTheTripper said:
Dear wifflePlantGuru,

I have a Brassaia arboricola I've had for about 5 years. When I bought it it was about 5 to 6 inches tall, had about 6 or 8 leaf bunches off the only main stem and the widest leaf rounds were about 2 inches wide. Now it's about 12 inches tall and still has only the main stem but the upper leaf rounds are about 4 inches around. The lower ones are yellowing a bit but there is some new growth near the top. It is outside but is under an overhang so it doesn't get any direct light. It's never been repotted and is in a pot that's about 5 inches around. Now I've seen these things get pretty big and have many many stems. Nice and full. What's wrong with mine?
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Dear Plant Pimp,

How did you learn so much about house plants?
 
Hey plant pimp

What do you suggest for someone like myself that still lives at home, but wants to grow a certain plant that most parents wont allow grown in their home ??
 
It's not worth the risk.


Psychochik said:
Hey plant pimp

What do you suggest for someone like myself that still lives at home, but wants to grow a certain plant that most parents wont allow grown in their home ??
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I used to pimp plants for a living.

Not so much sell, as just allow people to have a quality time with my plants. I had a fine stable of foliage.

wannabe said:
Dear Plant Pimp,

How did you learn so much about house plants?
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wiffledaddy said:
I used to pimp plants for a living.

Not so much sell, as just allow people to have a quality time with my plants. I had a fine stable of foliage.
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...and the money that these people gave you was strictly for the time that they got to spend with the plants. What happened between the plant and consenting adult was strictly their business, right? ;)
 
Dear Pland Pimp,

I just planted some wild flowers in my front yard area. There was a dead space between where the grass stops and our patio is. (condo complex) The soild was pretty hard so I broke it up a bit then mixed the seads with some potting soil and sprinkeled it over the area. Then mixed it all up a bit and watered. After doing some research the soil is probably loamy but may be clay. Will I have any luck with these seads or did I just waste $4?
 
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Dear plant pimp:

I have a large (6 foot) palm (Chamaedorea elegans I think) that I bought a 3 months ago. Since I bought it, the younger leaves toward the bottom are slowly dying. The stalks are yellowish instead of bright green like they used to be. It looks ill. The larger leaves look fine ok for now.
I water every week or two. It get's plenty of indirect sun/shade. I don't know what's wrong with it. In fact, I can't seem to maintain any palm and fern I bring home (my Bostom fern's dying too).
What does the bugger need?
:(
 
Your palm could be have a few different issues.

first of all, where did you get it? Sometimes, these guys come with spider mites, if they came from a substandard nursery, so you want to be watchful of that.

It sounds like your palm is having some difficulty adjusting to your water and to the new light conditions. Low-leaf drop is usually a sign of insufficient light. The yellowing is likely a reaction to the water.

that particular palm does well outdoors in a tropical environment, but they just don't seem hardy enough for our relatively frigid climate.

Tell me where it is: inside our outside; by a window? etc...
 
CBRWITHTVS said:
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?
:twofinger :laughing
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:laughing :laughing :laughing
 
Jacques,

I'm really answering houseplant questions here. I knew the tomato question was going to bring more outdoor questions.

It sounds like you did some good stuff, and I'll bet you get some results. If nothing else, it's a $4 experiment. So, nothing is wasted.

JackTheTripper said:
Dear Pland Pimp,

I just planted some wild flowers in my front yard area. There was a dead space between where the grass stops and our patio is. (condo complex) The soild was pretty hard so I broke it up a bit then mixed the seads with some potting soil and sprinkeled it over the area. Then mixed it all up a bit and watered. After doing some research the soil is probably loamy but may be clay. Will I have any luck with these seads or did I just waste $4?
Click to expand...
 
wiffledaddy said:
I used to pimp plants for a living.
Not so much sell, as just allow people to have a quality time with my plants. I had a fine stable of foliage.
Click to expand...
Almost sounds like Anti's "secret beer gardens" that she has yet to show us. What happened to your foilage?
 
wiffledaddy said:
Your palm could be have a few different issues.

first of all, where did you get it? Sometimes, these guys come with spider mites, if they came from a substandard nursery, so you want to be watchful of that.

It sounds like your palm is having some difficulty adjusting to your water and to the new light conditions. Low-leaf drop is usually a sign of insufficient light. The yellowing is likely a reaction to the water.

that particular palm does well outdoors in a tropical environment, but they just don't seem hardy enough for our relatively frigid climate.

Tell me where it is: inside our outside; by a window? etc...
Click to expand...

Thanks - I bought the plant at Costco. Didn't see mites or any other buggers. It was so green and healthy when I bought it too.

We have a skylight as well as a large window above our patio doors so there's definately plenty of light.

Ive been watering it with plain tap water.
Ive been considering that Miracle Grow stuff if that might help it or some other fertilizer.
 
ToxxicGirrl said:
What happened to your foilage?
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There's only so many times you can do it before you burn out. You see that new and beautiful plant, just off the boat from Hawaii waiting for you to pick it out of the line up. You drive it downtown, and put it in someone's office, or someone's home. Before too long, that young, beautiful plant is starting to look run down. It's picking up trash along the way, it's losing its luster, it's being abused...


Ah, it was a dirty business; I had to get out.
 
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