Lotus seeds will sprout in a bowl of plain water, and the seedlings can live there for a few weeks. After that, the plant needs real soil to keep going. You can start a lotus without soil, but to grow tubers and get flowers, you need to move it into heavy clay loam under shallow … Read more >>
Dieffenbachia, the big-leafed houseplant many people call dumb cane, does take up small amounts of chemical pollutants in lab tests. In a normal room, though, its effect on indoor air quality is too small for you to notice or measure. No, dieffenbachia isn’t a practical air purifier for your home: it absorbs traces of chemicals … Read more >>
Every shower sends gallons of perfectly usable water down the drain. If you want to reuse bathroom water for gardening, you can turn that waste into a free, steady water source for your shrubs, trees and flower beds. It takes a little care, but the process is simple. In this guide, I’ll walk you through … Read more >>
Spider mites on dieffenbachia are tiny, and you’ll usually notice their damage long before you see the mites themselves. They suck sap from the leaf undersides and leave pale freckles that slowly turn a dull, dusty bronze. If you ignore them, a healthy dumb cane can look tired and washed out within a few weeks. … Read more >>
Water trickles off lotus leaves because waxy microscopic bumps trap air under each drop, so it beads up and rolls away, cleaning the leaf as it goes.
How many inches does a plant grow in a week? The honest answer is that it depends on the plant, the season, and the care it gets. A sunflower in July and a snake plant in January live on totally different timelines. In this guide, I’ll walk you through typical weekly growth for common plants, … Read more >>
You can grow podocarpus from cuttings by taking 4- to 6-inch semi-hardwood stem tips in summer or early fall, dipping the cut ends in rooting hormone, and keeping them in a moist, airy mix under high humidity until roots form. Plan on a slow wait. Most cuttings need about 2 to 4 months to root, … Read more >>
A small hydroponic system at home lets you grow fresh lettuce, basil and other greens without a single bag of potting soil. You can build one from a mason jar, a single pot or a storage tote in an afternoon, and most of the supplies cost very little. In this guide, I’ll walk you through … Read more >>
Your dieffenbachia weeps because of guttation. When the soil is very moist and the air is humid, the roots keep pushing water up into the plant faster than the leaves can release it as vapor. In short, it’s pushing extra water out through tiny pores at its leaf tips and edges, and an occasional droplet … Read more >>
Growing cucumbers on black plastic is one of the simplest ways to get warmer soil, fewer weeds, and cleaner fruit. Cucumbers love heat, and a dark film over the bed traps the sun’s warmth right where the roots need it. The result is often an earlier harvest and less work all summer. In this guide, … Read more >>