Check out all our blog posts on Indoor gardening.
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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
The easiest cat-friendly indoor plants for most homes are the spider plant, parlor palm, Boston fern, calathea, peperomia, and cast iron plant, because the ASPCA lists all of them as non-toxic to cats and they handle normal indoor conditions well. If you want one plant to start with, I’d pick a spider plant in a … Read more >>
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 >>
Yes, you can use coffee grounds for indoor plants, but only in small amounts and only after you compost them. My advice is to compost spent grounds first and then mix a thin amount (about 10 percent of the mix or less) into potting soil, because raw grounds piled on top of a pot mat … Read more >>
Self-watering pots work best for houseplants that like evenly moist soil, such as peace lilies, ferns, African violets, pothos, and leafy herbs. They hold water in a hidden reservoir and let the soil pull it up as the roots dry. That steady supply keeps thirsty plants from swinging between soggy and bone-dry. My advice is … Read more >>
Pick a pot with at least one drainage hole, about 1 to 2 inches wider than the plant’s current pot, made from a material that fits how fast your plant likes to dry out. For most houseplants, that means terracotta pots for dry-loving plants and plastic pots with saucers or glazed ceramic planters for plants … Read more >>