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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
The plants I’d keep away from eggplant are fennel, potatoes, sweet corn, black walnut trees, and big, hungry crops like cabbage or broccoli that crowd its roots. Other nightshades, such as tomatoes and peppers, can grow nearby with good spacing, but they shouldn’t follow eggplant in the same soil year after year. Eggplant is the … Read more >>
Pothos is the hanging plant I’d pick first for a dim room. It trails for several feet, keeps its leaves in a north-facing window, and recovers from a missed watering faster than almost anything else you can hang. Heartleaf philodendron is a close second for rooms that are even darker. For most homes, golden pothos … Read more >>
Yes, you can grow these two crops in the same bed, and they make easy neighbors. You can plant tomatoes and eggplant together as long as you give each plant 24 to 36 inches of space, keep the taller tomatoes on the north side, and move the whole bed to a new spot every 3 … Read more >>