house plants and etc…

I got a question about an over watered cactus from Dot, guess many of you wonder about to water or not to water….

The simple way to know, with most plants (and please notice the qualifier) is that it is time to water when dry, most plants, if they are in pots and other containers, need to dry out a little before watering again.  Think about plants in our yards, there are spells of dry and spells of too much rain, but our outdoor friends have endless (mostly) room for their roots, and the water drains off after a bit.  So  we need to think of this with our house plants and potted plants, they also need their roots time to dry out.  Now there are some plants that this does not apply to, but generally most all plants want their feet to be dry.  Cactus like much dryer feet, and it is best to keep them in sand, which drains much faster than other planting soils. Other plants which have potting soils or other soils, need to have either drainage holes in the pots or under the soil, pebbles in a space for the water to drain  that is below the roots.  They do like to dry out a bit.

Take care of your houseplant friends, and they will grow and give you lots of beauty for years to come.

(later, like 3/4) One thing I did not mention at all, and I am sorry for the miss, is the use of fertilizers. Some people are religious about adding fertilizers every couple weeks or so, I am not. Sometimes I forget altogether. But I do see the need for it, so I have some, and try to remember to add it periodically. It is especially important in the spring, the days are longer, and all things growing recognize this and start getting busy doing what they are meant to do…flower, new roots, etc. And since these guys are trapped inside, usually in confining pots, they do need the added fertilizers. Usually, it is best to go weak, if instructions for general houseplant fertilizer says 7 drops in quart water, every two weeks, I do the seven drops, but maybe monthly…do not have a lot of room for these guys to grow out of control! And please water in the morning, plants cannot take up the water or nutrients unless they are photosynthesizing, which they can only do during daylight.

If you have any questions, please use the comment button after the post, and I will get back to you. Keep your thoughts positive that spring will come!!!

Another add on: Meredith got some daffodils for her birthday, happy birthday Meredith; and wants to know what to do with them. The best thing is to put them in a sunny place and make sure they are watered. Then, as they fade, just put them in a less conspicuous place, keep them watered a little, and let them fade away. But, then, when weather gets better, we want to put them in the ground in a sunny place, they may not bloom next year, but then they may! Whoo ray for spring!

pic creative commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/programwitch/
and my window shot, http://www.flickr.com/photos/vickyb/

Uncategorized | RSS 2.0 | Respond | Trackback |