Why Are My Eggplants Turning Brown? (Fruit and Leaves)

Why Eggplants Turning Brown on the Plant

Most eggplants turning brown fall into two camps. Some brown on the plant because of ripening, sun, watering swings, disease, or pests. Others brown in the kitchen because the cut flesh reacts with air. If the fruit is still firm and the brown shows up minutes after cutting, it’s harmless oxidation and the eggplant is … Read more >>

Why Is My Oyster Plant Dying? Causes and How to Save It

Why Is My Oyster Plant Dying

Most oyster plants that look like they’re dying are suffering from too much water. Soggy soil rots the roots and the base of the stem, and that rot is the top killer of Tradescantia spathacea. Cold, low light, pests, and fertilizer salts cause the rest. If your oyster plant is dying, the most likely cause … Read more >>

Is Oyster Plant Toxic to Cats?

Oyster Plant Is Toxic to Cats

Yes, oyster plant is mildly toxic to cats. Its sap holds tiny, sharp crystals that sting the mouth when a cat chews a leaf. That leads to drooling, pawing at the face, and sometimes vomiting. Most cases stay mild and pass within a few hours. The same sap can bother dogs and people too, mostly … Read more >>

Oyster Plant Benefits: What It Can (and Can’t) Do Indoors

Oyster Plant Indoor Benefits

Oyster plant has real benefits, and most of them are practical. It’s tough, forgiving, colorful, and easy to multiply. In warm areas, it can also fill a sunny or partly shaded bed with very little fuss. The proven oyster plant benefits are easy care, bold green-and-purple color, and use as a groundcover in USDA zones … Read more >>

Oyster Plant Care: How to Grow Moses-in-the-Cradle

Oyster Plant Care Tips

Oyster plant care comes down to a short list: bright indirect light, water only when the top inch of soil is dry, a fast-draining mix, and warmth above 50°F. Get those right and Moses-in-the-cradle will hold its deep green and purple leaves for years with very little fuss. The biggest threat to an oyster plant … Read more >>

Types of Ficus Plants for Indoors and How to Care for Each

Types of Ficus Plants Indoor

The most popular types of ficus plants for indoor growing are the fiddle-leaf fig, rubber plant, weeping fig, Ficus Audrey, Ficus altissima, creeping fig, Ficus triangularis, and ginseng ficus. They share the same basic needs, but each one reacts differently to light, water, and being moved. For most homes, I recommend starting with a rubber … Read more >>

Cat-Friendly Indoor Plants That Are Safe and Easy to Grow

Best Cat Friendly Indoor Plants

The easiest cat-friendly indoor plants for most homes are the spider plant, parlor palm, Boston fern, calathea, peperomia, and cast iron plant, because the ASPCA lists all of them as non-toxic to cats and they handle normal indoor conditions well. If you want one plant to start with, I’d pick a spider plant in a … Read more >>

How to Get Rid of Bugs on Indoor Plants: A Pest-by-Pest Plan

Get Rid of Bugs on Indoor Plants

To get rid of bugs on indoor plants, figure out which pest you have, isolate the plant, rinse off as many bugs as you can, and then treat with a method matched to that pest, repeating every 5 to 7 days for 2 to 3 weeks. Most houseplant pests come back after one spray because … Read more >>

Best Plant Food for Indoor Plants: How to Choose by Plant Type

Best Plant Foods for Indoor Plants

For most houseplants, my pick is a balanced liquid concentrate labeled for houseplants, mixed at half strength every 2 to 4 weeks in spring and summer. It suits beginners and collectors alike because you control the dose each time, and you can stop the moment growth slows in fall. That one bottle covers pothos, monstera, … Read more >>