You can keep an air plant in glass, but the glass has to stay open. No, air plants can’t live long-term in a closed terrarium, because a sealed lid traps damp, still air around the leaves and the base of the plant rots before it can dry. An open globe, bowl, or wide-mouth jar is … Read more >>
You can grow a new ZZ plant from a stem cutting, a single leaflet, or a division of the underground rhizomes. All three work because Zamioculcas zamiifolia stores water and energy in thick rhizomes and swollen stem bases, so even a small piece can live for months while it forms roots. For most home gardeners, … Read more >>
Houseplants don’t clean the air in a typical American home in any way you’d notice. Air purifying plants absorb tiny amounts of chemicals in sealed lab chambers, but in a real house, normal air leaking in and out does far more cleaning than any number of pots you’d want on your shelves. I still think … Read more >>
Most tiny white bugs on indoor plants turn out to be one of a short list of culprits. If the white bits look like cotton and sit still on stems, you most likely have mealybugs; if they fly up when you brush the leaves, they’re whiteflies; and if they jump around in the soil, they’re … Read more >>
Yes, you can grow these two crops side by side, and they make easy bed partners. You can plant eggplant and peppers together because both are heat-loving nightshades that want the same full sun, warm soil, steady water and rich, well-drained ground, as long as you space them 18 to 24 inches apart and watch … Read more >>
Yes, most indoor plants can go outside for the summer once nights stay above 55°F, as long as you start them in full shade and ease them into brighter light over one to two weeks. Tropical foliage plants, succulents, and many flowering houseplants grow faster outdoors thanks to stronger light, fresh air, and higher humidity. … Read more >>
A yellow leaf on a dumb cane is a clue, and the pattern tells you what it means. When yellowing is limited to one or two of the oldest bottom leaves while new growth stays green, that’s normal aging; when several leaves yellow at once, overwatering and root rot are the most likely cause, followed … Read more >>
Dieffenbachia, the big-leaved houseplant most people call dumb cane, is one of the easier tropical plants you can grow indoors. Good dieffenbachia care comes down to bright indirect light, watering when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil are dry, warm rooms between 65 and 80°F, and a loose potting mix in a pot … Read more >>
Most cabbage plants produce one main head, and that head weighs about 1 to 3 pounds for small early varieties or 4 to 8 pounds or more for large late varieties. If you cut the head carefully and leave the stem and lower leaves in place, the same plant often adds 2 to 4 small … Read more >>
The secret to areca palm care is steady conditions. Give your butterfly palm bright indirect light, water it when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil feel dry, and use filtered or rainwater so the frond tips stay green. Add 40 to 60% humidity, a fast-draining mix, and light feeding in spring and summer, … Read more >>