To get rid of aphids for good, isolate the plant, rinse or wipe off the colonies, then spray insecticidal soap on every stem and leaf underside every 5 to 7 days for 2 to 3 weeks. That schedule works because aphids breed fast indoors, so you have to keep treating until no new young are … Read more >>
To get rid of spider mites on indoor plants, isolate the plant, rinse both sides of every leaf, then spray insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on the leaf undersides every 5 to 7 days for 2 to 3 weeks. That repeat schedule is the part most people skip, and it’s why mites seem to come … Read more >>
For most offices, a ZZ plant or snake plant is my top pick: both handle fluorescent or LED ceiling light, and both can go two weeks or more between waterings. If you want something that trails off a shelf, golden pothos is the next easiest choice and grows faster under overhead lights. Office plants fail … Read more >>
Pothos, snake plant, and ZZ plant are the easy indoor plants for beginners I’d start with, because all three handle missed waterings and average indoor light better than most houseplants. If you want something that trails, get a pothos. If you forget to water for weeks at a time, get a snake plant or ZZ … Read more >>
For most homes, the best indoor plants that like direct sunlight are desert and dry-climate plants. Aloe, jade, echeveria, ponytail palm, bird of paradise, tropical hibiscus, rosemary and Meyer lemon all grow best when sun lands right on their leaves for several hours a day. If you have an unobstructed south- or west-facing window, I’d … Read more >>
Most dying houseplants are suffering from a care problem you can fix, and the most common one is soil that stays wet too long and rots the roots. Too little light, dry air, pests, and sudden moves come next, and they often stack on top of a watering mistake. The good news is that a … Read more >>
Yes, lotus plants need full sun: at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day, and 8 or more hours if you want the most flowers. I’d only give a lotus afternoon shade in hot desert areas like the Southwest, where the strong sun can scorch leaves and overheat a small container. A lotus in … Read more >>
Lotus plants can’t handle drought the way garden perennials do. They’re true aquatic plants, and they need standing water over their soil all season long. Lotus plants can’t survive drought as growing plants: the leaves start failing within hours once the soil is exposed, but the underground tuber can ride out a short dry spell … Read more >>
Yellow ZZ leaves almost always mean too much water. Here is how to tell the cause, fix rotting rhizomes and decide whether to cut yellow leaves off.
Lotus does best when it gets its own sunny pot and its neighbors stay out of that pot. The best companion plants for lotus are compact water lilies, potted marginals like pickerelweed and blue flag iris, and a few well-controlled oxygenators, all kept in separate containers so nothing steals the 6+ hours of direct sun … Read more >>