House plant advice

[BigMoaner]

I get through house plants. They nearly always die. I want to keep this one without drowning it. It says water once a fortnight but by Christ himself how much fucking water? I have one of those spray things. A few sprays? A cup full? And how about sunlight? It says keep in a bright place, away from direct sunlight, what does that really mean in a fundemental sense?

Help.

 

[BoatieBird]

A thorough soaking once a fortnight, but make sure it's not sitting in water afterwards, i.e. give it a really good water but tip any excess away after an hour or so.
Away from direct sunlight means don't stick it on a south-facing windowsill., but as to how much light it needs - who knows!
I am a very keen and fairly competent gardener, but houseplants are my nemesis.

 

[BoatieBird]

And thanks for reminding me to water my houseplants

 

[BigMoaner]

A thorough soaking once a fortnight, but make sure it's not sitting in water afterwards, i.e. give it a really good water but tip any excess away after an hour or so.
Away from direct sunlight means don't stick it on a south-facing windowsill., but as to how much light it needs - who knows!
I am a very keen and fairly competent gardener, but houseplants are my nemesis.

What tip all excess out of the pot the plant's pot sits in?

 

[BoatieBird]

What tip all excess out of the pot the plant's pot sits in?

Yes

 

[BoatieBird]

iona may have some words of houseplant wisdom

 

[cesare]

That's a nice plant.

 

[BigMoaner]

That's a nice plant.

16 quid in sainsburys. which i thought wasn't bad tbh

 

[teuchter]

There's already a house plant thread.

I explained on there how to take care of the things.

Let's talk about house plants

Can we see the avocado tree? :cool: I’ve got loadsa plants, and one really old one too! A cactus I’ve had since I was 19, it’s now nearly as tall as me. contadino that’s some serious thought your giving to getting a living stone :D I usually just get plants, subject them to the harsh natural...

www.urban75.net

 

[cesare]

16 quid in sainsburys. which i thought wasn't bad tbh

Decent size. I might swing by Sainsbury's later and see if they have any.

 

[danski]

We have a large one of those. We call it Tina. Apparently a lot of people call them that. Who knew?

 

[danski]

We close the curtains on the sunniest days as it’s a bit too bright there. Needs more water then too.
I say we, it’s not. It’s just she.

 

[BigMoaner]

does it grow danski? (the plant that is )

 

[danski]

does it grow danski? (the plant that is )

Oh yeah, I’ll see if she’s got pics from a year or two ago…

 

[Wolveryeti]

My rule of thumb w.r.t. watering is to insert a finger in the soil up to the first knuckle. If it's dry it needs a water.

Most plants prefer to be watered from the bottom (and doing so will encourage strong rooting). But they mostly hate sitting in pools of water (a big problem with houseplants as the pots tend to have no drainage holes). So I will quite often place a plant in its ceramic pot in the plastic pot it came in, and then water by placing in a tray with an inch of water. When it has slurped up enough I replace in the ceramic pot, avoiding waterlogging issues.

 

[danski]

Oh yeah, I’ll see if she’s got pics from a year or two ago…

Apparently not. She has definitely grown some (the plant that is )

 

[iona]

Ignore any "water every x days" advice. You almost certainly want to repot it if you want the best chance of keeping it alive - can you post a close-up picture of the potting mix it's in now?

 

[Sasaferrato]

Yuccas are hard to kill, we have one that started off as property of my daughter, she left, it stayed and is now in its 35th year.

They are incredibly drought tolerant, when miss Sas had it in her 'care', the soil was usually half an inch away from the sides of the pot.

If you overwater it, the roots will rot. A little water when it is flagging a bit seems to be the optimum, by a little, about 150ml or so.

 

[BigMoaner]

Yuccas are hard to kill

I'm sure I'll manage it.

thanks all, plenty to work on

 

[farmerbarleymow]

I've got a spider plant that's clinging on for dear life - I forgot to water it and it looks quite unwell. Killed another plant a while ago, but the two others are going OK.


You need to switch off the socket on the right otherwise electricity will leak out and dribble over the floor.

 

[BigMoaner]

View attachment 361368
You need to switch off the socket on the right otherwise electricity will leak out and dribble over the floor.

thanks, will do.

 

[BigMoaner]

Ignore any "water every x days" advice. You almost certainly want to repot it if you want the best chance of keeping it alive - can you post a close-up picture of the potting mix it's in now?

will do at some point, thanks.

 

[BigMoaner]

should i spin the bastard around so the other leaves get sunlight?

 

[iona]

should i spin the bastard around so the other leaves get sunlight?

It won't hurt

 

[Elpenor]

I keep thinking I ought to get a few house plants. But then I remember they tend to die or at least not thrive when I’ve had them before and I don’t like the hassle of watering them!

 

[existentialist]

I had a jade plant (crassula) that got left in a box and ended up in the shed. For about 2 years. When I found it, all the leaves were dessicated husks lying on the soil, and all that remained were two dead twigs. The soil was bone - and I mean absolutely desert - dry.

I chucked it out by the compost heap while I decided what to do with it (the pot was quite nice). It rained. A short while later, I happened to notice that it was growing more leaves.

I'll go and take a photo of it now and edit it back in to this post.

Moral of the story: it's a lot harder to kill plants by under-watering them.

 

[BigMoaner]

Anerley dump greet me now "more house plants?"

Joking aside I'm resisted buying some for ages. Determined to give this one life rather than slaughter

 

[TopCat]

should i spin the bastard around so the other leaves get sunlight?

Referring to the plant as a bastard this early on does not bode well.

 

[scifisam]

I had a jade plant (crassula) that got left in a box and ended up in the shed. For about 2 years. When I found it, all the leaves were dessicated husks lying on the soil, and all that remained were two dead twigs. The soil was bone - and I mean absolutely desert - dry.

I chucked it out by the compost heap while I decided what to do with it (the pot was quite nice). It rained. A short while later, I happened to notice that it was growing more leaves.

I'll go and take a photo of it now and edit it back in to this post.

Moral of the story: it's a lot harder to kill plants by under-watering them.

View attachment 361396

Yup, I accidentally left a small succulent somewhere with virtually no sunlight (it did get a little ) and forgot about it for a couple of years. It was fine when I found it and is still going strong.

Wolveryeti's finger tip (heh) is good general advice, but with a yucca or dracaena you can stick your whole finger in, and if there's any dampness at all, don't water the plant. If the tray underneath it (I can't see a tray, but I think you said there was one) has any water in it, then the plant is on the verge of root rot. Empty that water and don't water it for a month, especially at this time of year.

Turning them towards the sun now and then helps them grow more evenly (which is better for the plant as well as just more aesthetically pleasing). If any brown leaves turn up, pull them off immediately or the plant will waste energy trying to revive them..

If you have a cat (or for a different plant that's in a window), add some sharp gravel to the top of the plant. Cats won't dig into it and the wind won't blow dry soil into the room. Otherwise it's probably best to leave it open to help excess water evaporate.

 

[Saffy]

I've been given a hoya by my mum which is a cutting from an ancient plant. I'm desperately trying to keep it happy. It seems to like being near the kettle on the window sill. I'd love for it to flower at some point. I remember pinching the nectar when I was a kid.