Some of the best houseplants never put on a flower show. Non-flowering plants win you over with texture, shape, and leaf color instead. They also skip the dropped petals and the sticky pollen. In this guide, I’ll explain what truly counts as non-flowering. Then I’ll share 15 easy picks, split between true non-bloomers and foliage … Read more >>
Water a dieffenbachia when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil feel dry, which works out to about every 7 to 10 days indoors in spring and summer and less often in fall and winter. When it’s time, soak the pot until water runs out the bottom, then let it drain fully. That one … Read more >>
Plant one bell pepper per square in a square foot bed. For square foot gardening bell peppers, I recommend one plant in each 12-inch square, because a pepper grows into a bushy, 18- to 24-inch-wide plant that needs its whole square for roots, sun, and airflow. A standard 4 x 4 bed holds up to … Read more >>
You can grow sweet corn in a square foot garden by planting four seeds per 1-foot square, in a block of at least 4 x 4 squares, on the north side of your beds. That works out to 64 plants in one standard 4 x 4 bed, enough for wind to carry pollen from tassel … 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 >>
Growing podocarpus from seed works best when you start with a fresh, ripe seed from a female plant, strip off the fleshy stalk, and sow it right away in a warm, airy, evenly moist mix. To grow podocarpus from seed, sow fresh, cleaned seed about ½ inch deep in a well-drained mix, keep it at … Read more >>
You make podocarpus grow thicker by giving it at least six hours of sun, then pinching or lightly shearing the soft new tips each spring and early summer so every cut stem branches into two or more shoots. Add a light spring feeding of slow-release fertilizer, deep watering in well-drained soil, and a hedge shape … Read more >>
Podocarpus survives cold weather well in the South and along the West Coast, and it struggles once winters get truly hard. Established podocarpus plants survive outdoors in USDA zones 8 to 11 and handle brief dips to about 10 to 15°F, but young plants and potted roots can be damaged in the low 20s°F. Podocarpus … Read more >>
Most yellowing on a podocarpus comes from one of four things: old inner needles shedding naturally, soggy roots, a nutrient shortage tied to soil pH, or stress from cold, sun, or pests. The pattern tells you which one. Old inside needles going yellow is normal, while yellow new growth or a whole plant fading pale … Read more >>