Today in our cities, and even in the suburbs, the dust and grime from the chimneys of industrial plants and automobile exhausts has become one of the first dangers to maintaining a healthy indoor garden. All plants “breathe” through their leaves, and if they are allowed to become covered with dust and dirt, it is Continue Reading …
How to Keep Plants Healthy
Systems of Watering
As a general rule, most potted plants can and should be watered from above. The main exception to this rule is the African Violet, because, as we pointed out earlier, wetting the leaves can be harmful to the foliage, and it is difficult to give them a good soaking without letting a little water splash Continue Reading …
Watering
We can’t think of a question about house plants that arises more often than, “How frequently should I water my plants?” And unfortunately, there is no set answer to it. We would like to be able to say, “Every day,” or “Once a week,” but we wouldn’t be giving you good advice if we did. Continue Reading …
Ventilation
More than a need for “fresh air” as such, house plants need a daily change of air. In any house, gases, smoke and dust particles will accumulate in the air. Over a period of time they can become quite harmful to any house plant. The big offender in this category is manufactured gas. A pilot Continue Reading …
Temperature and Humidity
As we said before, you are going to want to select the plant to fit the environment rather than the other way around. The range of temperature in which various house plants flourish varies a great deal. Some, such as the majority of Begonias, Primroses and Geraniums, will live best in a comparatively cool setting Continue Reading …
Light and Sun
Before you decide on the plants you are going to buy, you should plan the accommodations they are to receive once you get them home. If you live in a house or an apartment with exposures on all sides, it’s best to try to plan your arrangement around a south-facing window. A southern exposure gets Continue Reading …
Six Basic Healthy Tips
The second big reason for plant failure comes from trying to grow plants in an environment unsuited or badly suited to their needs. Some plants such as Lantana or Morning Glory need as much sun as they can get, and demand a south window; others like the African Violet and various species of English Ivy Continue Reading …
Introduction to Healthy Plants
IT’S ALWAYS EASIER (AND BETTER) TO PREVENT THE disease than to cure the patient. That’s just as true for house plants as it is for people. Thousands of words have been written on plant diseases and blights; we can read books on insects and plant insect infestation, but the number of house plants that fall Continue Reading …