by Matt Lollar | Nov 22, 2021
Houseplants can soften up the interior of your home and help clean the air. They can also supplement your holiday decorations and help create stunning focal points. To help determine what plants do best under certain conditions and to give pointers on plant care, this month’s Gardening in the Panhandle LIVE! was all about houseplants.
A spider plant on a coffee table. Photo Credit: University of Florida/IFAS
Environmental Conditions for Houseplants
Unless you live in a glass house, you’ll probably want to choose houseplants that do well in low light conditions. A guide for what light level different houseplants prefer can be found on the Gardening Solutions Light for Houseplants page. This page also provides useful tips on supplemental lighting.
Some houseplants are better at cleaning the air than others. A list of houseplants that do a good job improving indoor air quality can be found on the Gardening Solutions Houseplants That Clean the Air page.
The best way to determine if your houseplants need water is your own green thumb or whatever finger you choose to stick in the potting mix, but for some interesting information on outdoor soil moisture meters check out this informative publication on soil moisture sensors.
Houseplants need a good quality, well-drained potting mix to thrive. Tips on selecting a potting mix can be found on the Gardening Solutions Container Media page.
Houseplant Pests
One of the best ways to rid houseplants of insect pests is to set the plants outside for a few days and let the pests move on. For some information on pest control products in and around the home check out the publication Natural Products for Managing Landscape and Garden Pests in Florida.
Fungus gnats are mainly a nuisance, but some species can feed on living plant tissue. Darkwinged fungus gnats are known to feed on ferns, orchids, and geraniums.
Houseplant Propagation
One way to increase your houseplant population and save a few dollars is to propagate your own plants. The University of Florida/IFAS created the Plant Propagation Glossary to help with any propagation questions you may have.
Air layering is a propagation technique that not only allows the prospective plant to thrive from the nutrients of the mother plant, but it also saves space.
A moth orchid (Phalaenopsis spp.) outdoors. Photo Credit: University of Florida/IFAS
Specific Species Info
Orchids in the genus Phalaenopsis are easier to care for than other genera of orchids. The American Orchid Society provides some great tips on caring for orchids indoors. Some people choose to water their orchids with ice cubes. The Ohio State University has a publication that provides some more insight on watering Phalaenopsis orchids with ice cubes.
A lot of cacti do well indoors. A popular cactus during the holiday season is Christmas cactus. Christmas cactus have interesting foliage, but their blooms are what people want to see. Some tips on getting your Christmas cactus to bloom on time and general care information can be found in this Christmas Cactus Preparation fact sheet.
Have you ever wanted to grow fruit trees indoors or do you want some tips on bringing containerized fruit trees indoors for the winter? The Growing Fruit Crops in Containers publication provides some good tips on growing fruit trees indoors.
Unless you have a house with a lot of windows or a sunroom, plumeria don’t make the best houseplants. They need at least six hours of sunlight per day and need to be at least three years old to bloom. If you are interested in propagating plumeria, then check out this publication on propagating plumeria from cuttings.
by Sheila Dunning | Nov 13, 2017
University of Minnesota Extension
Julie Weisenhorn
Is your grandmother’s pass along Christmas cactus blooming really early? Do the leaf segments have “teeth” along the edges? Are the “stringy things” sticking out of the flowers yellow in color?
Well, I hate to tell you this, but that is not a Christmas cactus, (Schlumbergera bridgesii). It is a Thanksgiving cactus, (Schlumbergera truncata). You can tell the Thanksgiving cactus apart from the Christmas cactus by the shape of the leaves and flower anthers. The leaves, botanically referred to as phylloclades, are serrated on the Thanksgiving cactus. Additionally, the pollen-bearing anthers in Thanksgiving cactus flowers are yellow. Christmas cactus have smooth-edged leaves and pinkish-purple anthers.
Both of these species are native to the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil, where they are found growing in trees or on rocks. Therefore, the preferred potting media for Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti should contain about 40% perlite to ensure good drainage and aeration.
To care for your Thanksgiving cactus, allow the soil to dry out when it is not blooming. As flower buds develop, the soil should be moist to the touch. However, overwatering can kill the plant. Additionally, provide plenty of indirect light and temperatures of 60-65 degrees F.
Want to get last year’s plant to bloom again? Beginning in mid-September, it will need 12-14 hours of total darkness along with cool (60-65 degrees F) nighttime temperatures for 3-4 weeks. To achieve the light control the cactus can be placed in a closet or covered with a large brown paper bag overnight. Once buds start to form, fertilizer can be applied to encourage growth and blooms. However, flower buds will fall off with any significant changes in temperature (below 50 degrees F), light or watering.
Now, if your “Christmas cactus” doesn’t set flowers until spring, it is probably an Easter cactus, a totally different species (Rhipsalidopsis gaetner). The leaf margins of Easter cactus have small bristles and are more three-dimensional with a thick ridge on one side. Additionally, the flower are more star-shaped than the other two cacti. All three cacti species have flowers that come in a range of colors including variations of red, pink, peach, purple, orange or white.
by Gary Knox | May 26, 2015
Summer is here, along with its heat, humidity, drought and stress! One easy way to garden during summer is to use succulents and other drought adapted plants.
The sea urchin cactus (Echinopsis spp.) produces large, stunning flowers.
Succulents are heat-adapted, water-efficient plants often associated with deserts and dunes. Usually succulents have thick leaves or stems that store water. A cactus is a familiar type of succulent, as are agave, aloe, yucca as well as bromeliads like dyckia. Other dry-adapted plants can retreat into bulbs, rhizomes or other thick plant parts to go dormant until rains resume. A few other strategies used by plants to save water include: waxy or hairy coverings to reduce water loss; extensive root systems to absorb water; and silver- or blue-colored leaves and stems to reflect light and reduce heat.
Succulents’ tough qualities make them well-adapted to the harsh conditions of urban living amid concrete, brick, asphalt and other “hardscapes”. This adaptability translates into low maintenance since they need little or no irrigation, fertilization, pruning or spraying. Do you like container gardens? Succulents are almost the perfect container plant, because they hardly ever need watering!
The American century plant (Agave americana) is a large growing succulent with silver-grey leaves.
Above and beyond their toughness, succulents capture our imaginations because they are often dramatic, dangerous and slightly unpredictable. Drama stems from the architectural forms of many thick-leaved plants like agave. Danger arises from the thorns and spines of plants like cactus. Unpredictability results from bulbs and perennials that can quickly explode into flower, and then disappear just as suddenly. Often succulents have outrageous flowers with wild, bold colors and strange shapes!
While many succulents are native to deserts, others are Florida natives where they can be found in coastal dunes or in areas with sandy soils that have little water-holding capacity. For example, many native yuccas are excellent succulents for use in dry gardens or in containers.
For best growth and appearance, most succulents require well-drained soil and full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day). Succulents are ideal plants for garden beds near roads, sidewalks, driveways and south-facing walls because they tolerate limited soil moisture, higher soil pH and reflected heat and light usually associated with these areas. On the other hand, try to avoid planting succulents in shady areas, wet areas, low areas that collect water and areas with heavy soils.
Summer gardening is easy with succulents!
For more information:
Agave and Yucca: Tough Plants for Tough Times
