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Niki Jabbour
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Tag: houseplants
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Gorgeous Indoor Plants that LOVE the Dark
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These are the best low light indoor plants! If you need to brighten up a dark corner or add a little life to your basement, one of these gorgeous low light plants are sure to do the trick. Here’s which plants thrive without rays, and how to care for them.
Adding plants to the house is my favorite way to bring a little lift to any room. Having plants around makes everything feel lighter, brighter, and more alive. Whether you are new plant parents or seasoned plant owners, houseplants add color and texture to a room, purify the air, and just look nice.
In this post, we will cover:
Jade, pothos, and a peace lily. The Biology of Low Light Indoor Plants
But what about when you have lighting conditions that are less than ideal? Often people think you can only have house plants in bright spaces that receive plenty of nutrients from the sun. Thankfully, that isn’t always the case.
A handful of tropical, broad-leaf plants are primed for low-light conditions through basic biology: large leaves that soak up as much light as possible. Some also have a waxy outer layer that helps to retain moisture and makes them double-duty crowd-pleasers and low-maintenance indoor plants as well.
How to Care for Low Light Plants Indoors
I often get asked about the care of indoor plants that prefer low light, and my answer is always the same: it depends on the type of plant.
That being said, it is generally true that low light plants don’t require much water, so caring for them can be as simple as planting them in well-drained soil and watering on a monthly basis.
Great Read: Grow in the Dark
I originally wrote this post years ago, but I wanted to update this to include a bit of info about a fantastic resource for growing plants in the darker areas of your home. Grow in the Dark is written by the houseplant guru, Lisa Eldfred Steinbkopf.
I had the chance to meet Lisa at an event in Dallas last year after being a long time fan of her as a houseplant expert. She has another book that I refer to all the time for houseplant care, Houseplants: The Complete Guide to Choosing, Growing, and Caring for Indoor Plants.
If you’re interested in diving deep into the fascinating world of low light plants, I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Grow in the Dark. I’m including some quotes and info from Lisa throughout this post.
9 Houseplants to Grow in Low-Light Areas
Here are a few of my favorite low-light houseplants. I hope they bring as much cheer to your home as they have to mine!
1. Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen)
Aglaonema has striking variegated leaves in shades of red, pink, yellow, and green. Pop this plant in a space that needs some color and you won’t have any need for flowers.
Chinese evergreens thrive in low-light areas and they are also very drought tolerant, so if you forget to water it for a while there will be no harm done. Perfect for people new to houseplants or those who consider themselves “black thumb gardeners.”
When choosing a Chinese evergreen, pay close attention to the color of the plant, says Steinbkopf. “The older hybrids, mostly green colored, can take low light and grow well. The newer colorful hybrids need medium light and do well in an east or west window. If placed in low light, they will lose their bright coloration.” – Grow in the Dark
2. Chlorophytum comosum (Spider Plant)
Spider plants love low light and do not require much attention other than occasional watering when the soil feels dry. They send out long spindly green foliage and small white flowers that will cascade down the edge of their container, making them a great choice for an indoor hanging basket.
3. Dracaena fragrans (Corn Plant)
These low-maintenance houseplants look like small tropical palms, so they will bring a ray of sunshine to that dim, drab area you’ve been meaning to spruce up. Place it somewhere that doesn’t get any direct sunlight and water occasionally, being careful not to overwater. Here’s a bit more info about watering this plant:
“It is important to water evenly over the whole potting medium to avoid rotting the corn plant’s canes. These canes can have small root systems and may need to be straightened after traveling home as well as later as they settle in. Be careful when straightening the canes not to firm the medium too much, which will compact it and force the oxygen out. As they grow, the root systems will get larger and be better able to support the canes.” – Grow in the Dark
Keep in mind that corn plant is toxic to a pet such as a cat or dog, so if you have a furry friend that likes to chew on the houseplants, skip this one.
4. Epipremnum aureum (Pothos / Devil’s Ivy)
If you want a plant that can lend itself to a hanging basket in a low-light spot, this one’s for you! Plant it in a basket or up on a pedestal and watch the variegated green vines trail down in an elegant display.
5. Maranta leuconeura (Prayer Plant)
Marantha leuconeura is a good choice if you want something with a low light indoor plant with bright foliage to add a pop of color to a drab area of the house because its leaves have variegation in rich green, purple, yellow, and red.
This houseplant needs to be kept out of direct sunlight in order for the variegated pattern on the leaves to remain vibrant. Plant it in well-draining soil and mist its leaves regularly. The leaves will point upwards at night like hands in prayer, which is where it got its common name “prayer plant.”
6. Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid)
If you want something that blooms to bring a little color to a dark corner of your home, choose a moth orchid! You may need to stake the stems to give added support, but this plant thrives indoors.
They like low light and will bloom away happily if planted in a soil-less orchid mix, watered regularly, and given a simple humidity tray.
7. Sansevieria (Snake Plant)
Snake plants are known for being difficult to kill, so they are perfect for a small windowless bathroom, stairway, or bedroom corner. Sansevieria is a type of succulent, which means it retains water in its leaves and can be easy to overwater. Pay attention and only water when the soil feels completely dry to the touch, every three weeks or so.
8. Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily)
These pretty houseplants have lush, dark green leaves and delicate white flowers. In addition to being beautiful, they also do an exceptional job of cleaning the air and keeping it healthy for us. Peace lilies do well in dark or bright areas, so feel free to place these all over your home if you like!
These plants like to be kept moist and humid. Water regularly and mist the leaves as well to keep your peace lily happy and blooming. If you aren’t watering it enough, you will know because the leaves will droop.
Don’t worry, if you see this happening. Just give it a good drink and watch it perk back up in no time. Peace lilies take well to propagation. You can divide them and get new plants for other dark areas in your home.
9. Zamioculcas zamiifolia (Zee Zee Plant)
Not only does this houseplant grow happily in low-light areas of the home, but the zz plant is also very low maintenance. It can be left alone with no attention at all for long periods of time, so you can go on vacation and not worry about coming home to a dead plant. Its glossy, bright green leaves add a cheerful pop of color to any dark space.
Plus, this plant is one that can propagate! Here’s what Grow in the Dark has to say:
“The unusual part of this plant is that it can grow new plants from an individual leaflet, but it takes quite a long time. Place the cut end into moist potting medium and cover with plastic or glass. This process may take many months. The plant can also be divided.”
There you have it! Go ahead and add some plants to that drab corner–you’ll be amazed at how much more welcoming it looks and how much better you feel as a result.
More Posts About House Plants
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
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Stephanie Rose
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5 Common Houseplant Bugs and How to Get Rid of Them
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Types of houseplant bugs: Who they are and what to do about them
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Jessica Walliser
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Indoor Plant Care: How to Grow Tropical Plants in Geometric Terrariums – Garden Therapy
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I love the look of these geometric terrariums. They make me think of nineteenth-century conservatories or vintage apothecaries, yet the geometric shape feels fresh and modern at the same time. With a few small houseplants, some reindeer moss, and a little know-how, you can transform simple glass containers into lush, thriving terrariums in no time!
This post will cover…
Tropical Plants Indoors
Tropical indoor plants like pothos are used as houseplants because they tolerate the lower light and warm, temperate conditions usually present indoors. Tropicals often really love humidity, which is why they are such good candidates for closed-top terrariums or glass bell jars.
Soil and plants naturally release water vapor, and when they are inside an enclosed space like a glass terrarium, the vapor collects on the roof and sides of the container and creates a humid environment.
Succulents and cacti are wonderful houseplants as well, but with a terrarium that has a closed lid like these ones, tropicals are the way to go. Even though there is an opening in the front of this geometric terrarium, the covered roof still creates a more humid microclimate perfect for tropicals.
If you place cacti and succulents in the same terrarium, they need much brighter light, and that will also dramatically increase the temperature inside the glass. If you want to make a succulent or cactus terrarium, then use an open bowl and save these beautiful geometric terrariums for tropicals to thrive. They will grow and morph over the years and show so much personality!
Terrariums create humid microclimates, which are desirable for tropical plants. Tips for Working With Glass Terrariums
Look for glass containers in interesting geometric shapes. I like the metal detailing on the terrariums I found—it gives the shape a dramatic outline and the slightly weathered look of the finish lends a vintage feel.
If you can find a terrarium with a plastic liner inside, that is ideal, as you can use it to keep the soil and plants in place, but if your container doesn’t have one, you can make your own out of a plastic tray from the recycling bin. It won’t look as attractive, but you can easily disguise your makeshift liner with a little strategically placed reindeer moss.
Keep in mind that glass terrariums are not going to have holes for drainage. If you are used to caring for houseplants and terrariums and are confident that you will not overwater the plants, don’t worry about the lack of drainage, and just be mindful of how often you are watering.
However, if you are concerned about overwatering, you can create drainage inside the terrarium by spreading out some pebbles at the bottom of your plastic liner. You could also add charcoal to the soil to help prevent damage caused by overwatering. Charcoal works to absorb and remove odour and toxins produced by pooling water.
You can also repurpose lanterns and candle vessels into terrariums. How to Make a Glass Geometric Terrarium
Now for the fun part! Once you’ve gathered the materials, it doesn’t take long to put your terrarium together. It can take a little finesse and handiwork, but it always turns out so whimsical.
Materials
Make It!
Before planting in the soil, play with positioning your plants in different configurations to get a pleasing design. Place taller plants in the back and shorter ones in the front so that none of them will be obscured. Try to choose plants with different colours, textures, and shapes to get the most interesting display.
Play around with your display before potting. If you are going to add drainage pebbles to the bottom of your plastic liner, do that first. Next, fill the plastic tray with soil and add your plants. Water the plants well and allow them to sit for half an hour, then pour off any excess water that they didn’t drink up. Place the planted tray inside the terrarium.
After planting, water your plants thoroughly and then drain the excess. Now add your decorative elements. Try placing pretty stones, moss in different colours, and bark with interesting textures into the terrarium. Move them around until you get a design that you like.
Forage for some elements from your backyard for a cost-effective but personal touch. One of my favourite decorations for terrariums is DIY clay mushrooms. I made the ones pictured, and posted a tutorial on how you can make them for yourself as well!
I also like to add some magic with waterproof LED fairy lights. These are battery-operated and made to go inside terrariums. They add just that little bit of magic that makes a terrarium its own special little world.
The clay mushrooms and the fairy lights are the perfect final touch. How to Care for a Terrarium
Terrariums don’t take much care other than watering properly and replanting every so often. When your terrarium starts to look a bit overgrown or sad, follow these steps on how to refresh a terrarium. For regular care and maintenance, here is what you need to know:
For the most part, terrariums don’t require fertilizing because you actually don’t want the plants to grow large very fast and outgrow their small environment. However, if plants are looking weak, you can add a diluted indoor plant food formula to give them a little boost.
In a covered terrarium like this that produces a ton of humidity, you don’t need to water much at all. Simply water lightly every few months and otherwise let the terrarium do the work for you.
Enjoy!
More Fun Terrarium Projects
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
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Stephanie Rose
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Fishbone Cactus: How to Grow and Care for this Fun Houseplant
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Fishbone Cactus: How to Grow and Care for this Fun Houseplant
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Jessica Walliser
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Dark Colored Houseplants: The Best Weird and Spooky Plants for the Home
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In honor of Halloween: houseplants that show off twisty tendrils, scary leaves, and macabre colors that can lend your home a moody ambiance. Here are five favorites that celebrate the dark side. Featured image above by Geoff McKay via Flickr. Begonia ‘Hallow’s Eve’ Appropriately named for the season, this rhizomatous begonia sports very dark leaves […]
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African Violet Care: Proper Care and Propagation Tips – Garden Therapy
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With fuzzy leaves and pretty flowers that come in white, purple, and blue, African violets are a charming houseplant. This guide will show you exactly how to help your favourite houseplant thrive with African violet care tips that really work. Plus, learn how to propagate your plants too!
African violets are known as friendship plant and are often used as a symbol of loyalty, devotion, and faithfulness. For those reasons, it’s long been a favourite for gifting! Whether you purchased one of these cheerful plants or received one as a gift, this guide will help you keep them thriving.
I’ll show you how to care for African violets as well as some of my propagation tips so you can have violets galore! It truly is the gift that keeps giving.
With proper care, African violets can provide almost continuous blooms in a rainbow of colours and leaf shapes. Although flower size, petal type, and colour vary widely, plants generally grow from four to seven inches tall, with hairy leaves and tightly grouped clusters of flowers.
The African violet belongs to the family Saintpaulia and is native to Africa. They are one of the most popular cultivated houseplants in the world today and are particularly well suited to the home environment. There are now thousands of varieties in existence, with new hybrids being developed almost daily.
So, without further ado, here’s my African violet care guide!
While they may appear similar, African violets are not part of the violet family, Violaceae. Basics of African Violet Care
Although African Violets are hardy little plants, they still require their own unique care. Follow these steps and you will have a happy little plant that likes to share their blooms with you.
Wicking African Violets for Better Water Delivery
Proper watering is essential to African violet care. In fact, keeping these plants healthy often comes down to watering. By far, the most common way to kill an African violet is to overwater it. There are a few things you can do to ensure you are properly watering your violet.
Always water at the base of the plant, and avoid getting water on the leaves. Leaves are susceptible to rot if they get too moist. You also want to ensure you only water with room temperature water as cold water can chill the roots and cause your leaves to curl downwards. Only water once a week and allow the plant to completely dry between waterings.
One ingenious way of making sure your African violets are never over-watered is by setting up a wicking system. To do so, draw three lengths of string from different points at the base of the plant down through the soil and out the hole at the bottom of the pot. With marbles or small stones, raise the pot off the drip tray by at least half an inch. Secure the strings under the layer of stones.
When you place water in the tray, it is drawn up through the strings into the planting medium where the roots have safe access to it. This method of watering ensures that the plant receives a regular source of moisture but is never left with its roots sitting in water.
With the right care, African violets can live up to 50 years! The Best Soil for African Violets
For African violets to flourish, they require a special soil composed of two parts peat moss alternatives, one part perlite, and one part standard potting mix. This keeps the soil well-aerated. The soil should be loose and well-drained. You can also add organic matter to the mix if you wish.
When selecting pots, the smaller the better! African violets do well in small pots and don’t necessarily need to be repotted very often. You can repot into a slightly larger pot once a year, but they also will flourish and produce more blooms when rootbound.
African Violet Care – Keeping Them Healthy
African violets are very hardy and do best in indirect or filtered sunlight. If it is getting too much light, you may notice brown spots forming on the plant. On the opposite side, a violet that is not getting enough light will produce thin, dark leaves and leggy stems. Other indicators include yellowing leaves and failure to produce blooms.
To ensure your plant is getting equal amounts of light, try rotating the pot every time you water. Otherwise, you may notice your plant reaching for the light. This isn’t unique to violets and is actually a good routine to implement for most houseplants.
I recommend fertilizing your violets every two weeks during the spring and summer seasons. They also need an acidic fertilizer specially designed for them. You can fertilize with specific African violet food or a fertilizer with a high phosphorous level. I make my own fertilizer and use it on all my houseplants. If you notice reduced flowers and pale leaves, it could mean that your violet is not getting enough fertilizer.
When it comes to temperature, your African violet will follow you. If you feel comfortable, so will your African violet. They also really like humidity, so if that’s something you also enjoy, then you have even more traits in common!
Although their temperature requirements are not critical if they are maintained in the home, they should be kept well back from the window if temperatures outside are going to be near or below freezing.
Encouraging More Blooms
Most people buy African violets to appreciate their blooms. When we fail to get blooms or have very few, that’s when we begin to scratch our heads. If there are no flowers, it could mean the plant is not getting enough light. Alternatively, violets need at least eight hours of darkness to bloom which could be an issue if you use grow lights.
Another reason could actually be too many leaves. Each rosette of leaves will produce one round of flowers. If you prune off the largest outer layer of leaves, it will encourage more violet blooms.
As mentioned earlier, keeping your violet rootbound can also encourage them to bloom. Finally, always remove spent flowers and foliage to encourage your violet to produce more. Look at your violet and see if any of these may be the culprit behind zero blooms!
Propagating African Violets
Who doesn’t want a ton of tiny little African violets!? I like to propagate African violets often since they look so lovely in clusters. Always be sure to start off with more cuttings than you think you’ll need, as all of them may not be successful.
Whether you want more or you are propagating a bunch for gifting, this is my surefire way to propagate violets.
Propagating African violets from cuttings are the easiest way to get more plants. - Choose healthy leaves from the middle of the plant, as the outer ones will be too old and the inner ones will be too young.
- Make a cutting at the base of the stem, careful to leave no stem on the host plant as it will rot. Shorten your cuttings to one inch.
- Water your soil and place it into SMALL containers. Poke a pencil in the soil to make room for the stem.
- Optional. Lightly dip your stem into a rooting hormone and tap off the excess. This will help encourage the leaf to grow roots.
- Place your stem into the soil, letting the tip of the leaf just touch the surface of the soil. Pat down the soil firmly.
- Put a support behind your leaf to help hold it up.
- Optional. Place your pots in a makeshift greenhouse, such as an empty salad container. This will help to keep the humidity level in and keep warm temperatures.
- Place your cutting in a well-lit, bright spot that won’t get too hot. Wait and be patient!
- Transplant when the leaf has sprouted a good root system and a few small leaflets have grown.
Wait until there are some leaflets formed before planting your cuttings. African Violet Care FAQs
Can you propagate African violets from seed?Most people choose to propagate African violets from cuttings or plant divisions, but it is possible to grow them from seed. However, you need to cross-pollinate two plants for the plant to produce seeds, and the resulting seeds may not be the same type of African violet as the parents.
For this reason, it’s best to purchase seeds from a reputable seller rather than try to save the seeds yourself. I have not personally grown African violets from seed, but other sources say they’re fairly simple to start from seed.
Why are my African violet blooms small?Your flowers can change based on the conditions in which they grew. When you first get them, they might have big blooms because they grew in a greenhouse with optimal conditions. At your home, they might have less sunlight or fertilizer than they’re used to, so they’ll produce smaller blooms. The more favourable the conditions, the bigger the blooms will be.
How many times a year do African violets bloom?When properly cared for, African violets can bloom year-round. To encourage more blooms, make sure to deadhead any spent blooms by trimming them with sterilized scissors. Correct light is also essential.
I hope by now, African violets are a little less intimidating than they were before! With a little planning and understanding, African violets can beautify your home and be fun and easy to grow.
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Stephanie Rose
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How to Get a Christmas Cactus to Bloom: Watering, Propagating + More
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A Christmas cactus can add a pop of cheerful colour to your indoor plant collection. Here’s how to care for your Christmas cactus and keep it blooming during the cold winter months.
Pictured: Thanksgiving cactus The Christmas cactus is one of my favourite holiday plants. Pops of unexpected colour bloom from alien-like tendrils that creep and drape over the plant. These are attractive plants to have all year, but the real magic comes from when they bloom. Those showy flowers bring joy and colour to colder seasons when we need them the most.
If you’ve been gifted a Christmas cactus or picked one up at the grocery store, you may be wondering how to best care for the plant and how to encourage Christmas cactus blooms. Well, with the right care, Christmas cacti can live up to 100 years! Most live for decades and will happily become one of your staple houseplants.
There are a few specific steps you can take to ensure that you get the best show from your plants. This guide also applies to Thanksgiving and Easter Cacti, as long as you tweak the schedule to accommodate the different flowering times.
I get a lot of comments about generalizing Schlumbergera as Christmas Cacti and folks are truly very passionate about properly identifying the different species. Latin names are wonderful for ensuring that there is clarity so that the plants can be properly cared for.
In this care guide, the instructions are the same for Schlumbergera truncata and S. x Buckley but I use the common term Christmas cactus so these tips can easily be found and used.
What’s the Difference between a Christmas Cactus, Thanksgiving Cactus, and Easter Cactus?
Many of the plants that are commonly called and sold as Christmas cacti are in fact not true “Christmas” cacti. There are similar-looking plants that bloom at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter.
Whether you have a Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata), a true Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x Buckleyi), or an Easter cactus (Hatiora gaertneri), the care instructions are the same but with an adjusted schedule.
The best way to tell them apart is when they bloom (near the date of the holiday they are named for), but you can also tell by the leaves: Christmas and Easter cacti have more rounded leaves, and Thanksgiving cacti have pointy leaves. The Easter cactus also has more star-shaped flowers that look quite different from the Schlumbergeras.
How to Care for a Christmas Cactus
Proper year-round care will ensure that your Christmas cactus is healthy enough to thrive and bloom, so let’s start with care basics.
When to Buy a Christmas Cactus
As always when buying a new plant, select one that looks healthy and shows no signs of disease. When choosing a plant, it is also important to pick one that is in the appropriate stage of dormancy so that it will be ready to flower for the holidays.
If you are buying one after October, choose one with visible buds on it. If you are buying one before October, pick one that does not have any buds or blooms.
The Best Soil for Christmas Cactus
Plant them into a well-draining pot in a soil mix made especially for succulents and cacti.
The best potting soil for a Christmas cactus is one specifically designed for succulents. This guarantees that it will have the proper aeration. The best soil for them is made up of light, airy materials with excellent drainage.
It should be noted that despite using cacti and succulent potting soil, a Christmas cactus is not your typical succulent. Rather than coming from a dry and arid region, Christmas cacti are actually native to Brazilian rainforests. This means they have different watering needs than other cacti. More on that in a second!
How and When to Fertilize
Once the plant has finished flowering for the winter, it’s time to grab some Christmas cactus fertilizer. Use a balanced fertilizer throughout the spring and summer. You can use my fertilizer recipe for houseplants, as it has just the right nutrients for potted plants. Fertilize once or twice a month.
Once you hit fall, stop all fertilizing. This will hinder its ability to bloom and you will be left with no blossoms come Christmas.
Stop fertilizing in the fall, as the plant will enter a period of dormacy. Pictured: Thanksgiving cactus. How to Water Holiday Cacti
Since they’re native to Brazilian rainforests, Christmas cacti need humidity during their growing season. This can be hard to come by indoors as the air is often very dry, particularly during the winter.
To make sure that your Christmas cactus is getting the humidity that it loves, water it often enough that the soil never dries out and spritz regularly with water from a spray bottle.
Water whenever the plant begins to feel dry. The plant should never be bone dry between waterings, but should partially dry out.
You can also make an easy DIY humidity tray to keep Christmas cacti happy when they are in a dry environment.
You can tell if you are overwatering a Christmas cactus if the buds fall off before they bloom. If this happens, reduce watering and misting. Christmas cacti will need significantly less water during their dormant phase (more on that at the end of this post!).
Light Needs for Christmas Cactus
Generally speaking, Christmas cacti do best located in a bright room with lots of indirect sunlight. In the summertime, they can be moved outdoors and placed in a shady spot. In the fall Christmas cacti need twelve hours of darkness per day, so set them somewhere that does not get much artificial light after the sun goes down.
Limp Christmas Cactus
Sometimes, you may find that your Christmas cactus appears limp and wilted. If this happens, it either means it is getting too much direct sunlight or not enough water.
If you suspect that water is the culprit, immediately give it a healthy drink of water. Check on the soil every few days and water so the soil stays slightly damp. However, you don’t want it to be too wet as the plant doesn’t like soggy roots.
If you notice that in addition to the wilted leaves, there may be some scorch marks, the sun may be the problem. Move the plant out of any direct sun and make sure it gets only indirect light. It’s especially important to ensure it doesn’t sit in the hot afternoon sun.
Christmas Cactus Propagation
If you want to spread some Christmas joy, Christmas cacti take well to propagating. Luckily, it is easy to get lots of plants from just one starter plant.
Simply cut off a piece of the stem and stick it into a small pot filled with soil. After a week or two, it will develop roots and begin to grow on its own. Learn more about propagation and how to do it here!
Christmas cactus flowers come in purple-red colour, while Thanksgiving and Easter cacti come in more pink, orange, red, and white hues. How to Get a Christmas Cactus to Bloom
In addition to proper year-round care, there are a few tips and tricks to getting a stubborn Christmas cactus to bloom. Follow these steps starting in the fall and continue on into the winter. Watch as your Christmas cactus gives you a beautiful display of vibrant flowers!
1. Reduce Watering
Beginning in October, water your Christmas cactus much less frequently. Once every four to six weeks is all it needs during this time of dormancy. When you see buds begin to form, go back to your regular watering schedule.
2. Provide Enough Light and Darkness
During the fall and early winter, Christmas cacti need twelve hours of dark and twelve hours of indirect sunlight each day. You may need to move your Christmas cacti somewhere else to reduce light, or place a cardboard box over top of it to encourage the plant to go into dormacy.
3. Keep Cool
Keep Christmas cacti somewhere cool—around 50-60 degrees F—and away from heat vents, radiators, and fireplaces. Long nights and cool temperatures signal the beginning of the cold season…and will trigger the Christmas cactus to bloom!
When happy, a Christmas cacti will produce plenty of blooms. Pictured: Thanksgiving cactus More FAQs About Christmas Cactus Blooms
Why are my Christmas cactus buds falling off?While you plant may have had the right conditions to produce buds, something is off with its current care that needs to be changed. This is often a sign of incorrect watering, not enough humidity, or the wrong temperatures. Refer to the care instructions above and ensure you’re following all the recommendations.
How long do Christmas cactus buds last?Once they appear, it can take up to 2-3 months for the buds to actually bloom. Christmas cacti can have a very long bloom time for this reason, as different buds will blooms while others remain closed.
Should I water Christmas cactus with buds?Once a Christmas cactus has buds, you’ll want to start watering as usual, watering it every time the water dries out. While they are dormant and receiving the correct amount of darkness, you want to water very sparingly every 4-6 weeks.
Enjoy your Christmas cactus and its wonderful blooms!
More Posts About Plants
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Stephanie Rose
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Cat-Safe Houseplants: 20 Plants to Fill a Plant-Friendly Home
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It’s safe to say those with cats love their pets! We’d do anything for them, including giving away all our peace lilies and jade plants in case our cats felt like munching away. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still have a home full of greenery! Here are 20 cat-safe houseplants to keep your feline friend safe all while satisfying your plant obsession.
When I brought in a stray, I had to ensure my house was kitty-proof. A big part of that was only including cat-safe houseplants throughout the home. We all know cats can be mischievous creatures and my cat Magic sure lives up to the expectations.
From knocking over plants to playing in the dirt, he, of course, is known for nibbling on the occasional plant or two. If he isn’t munching the entire plant, the occasional bite or two of these cat-safe houseplants will do no harm.
There are many many different houseplants you can include in the home, some more common than others. If you’re looking to add some greenery to your home (don’t we all!), here are some houseplants that are totally safe for kitties.
My cat Magic! 20 Cat-Safe Houseplants
To keep cats from your houseplants, try covering the soil with thick and pointy rocks or other pokey surfaces. You can also try hanging plants if your feline friend can’t help but get up to no good. Otherwise, these houseplants should be A-okay to have around cats.
1. Cast Iron Plant
Let’s start things off with something a little indestructible, shall we? Just as the name suggests, the cast iron plant is pretty hardy and difficult to kill. Not only are they good for beginners, but they may even be able to handle a cat swat or two and easily make it onto this list of cat-safe houseplants.
They look similar to peace lilies, a popular houseplant that is highly toxic to cats. Arching leaves over 2 feet long and 4 inches wide are the main attraction. Come summer, you can place them on the deck where they can grow slowly and get lots of shade.
2. Spider Plant
By far one of the easiest plants to grow, spider plants have slender leaves that can be green and white striped. They grow long stems with tiny flowers that turn into tiny plantlets. You will get a ton of little spider babies from one plant.
This also makes them great hanging plants. To care for them, place them in indirect light and provide regular waterings.
Read these tips on how to make your spider plant bushier. 3. Staghorn Fern
I adore my staghorn fern! Essentially the plant version of deer antlers, they are an artsy and trendy-looking plant that mounts on the wall. This is ideal for cat owners, keeping plants well out of reach. And even if they did somehow make it to the staghorn fern, they’re a cat-friendly houseplant.
Long, flat leaves extend over a root ball that drinks up the water. I like to set mine in a bowl and then turn the shower on to give them a nice soak, similar to how I water air plants.
Such a unique plant, staghorn ferns can go right on the wall and out of the way of paws. 4. Haworthia
Succulent lovers, you can safely grow haworthia in a cat household. With lots of different species out there, most are small houseplants with thick, fleshy leaves. They can have white bands or wart-like but pretty markings.
They enjoy bright light when inside and partial shade when outside because, yes, you can bring them out there for the summer! Don’t overwater these guys, but keep them moist during the summer.
Haworthia pumila, also known as the Miniature Aloe 5. Peperomia
A compact houseplant, there are over 1500 species of peperomia. Most have round, thick, and beautiful leaves. They are slow-growing and relatively low-maintenance plants that enjoy indirect sunlight.
Many peperomia have variegated leaves and cool markings. 6. Bird Nest Fern
A certified shade lover, bird nest fern has the cutest crinkly leaves. They can grow up to 3 feet long, with new leaves growing from the centre of the plant.
In nature, they grow high on the tops of trees. They enjoy warmth, humidity, and moisture, making the bathroom a great spot for these houseplants.
7. Rattlesnake Plant
The rattlesnake plant has some of the most beautiful leaves, full of purplish tones, variegated patterns, and wavy edges. The leaves can grow up to 30 inches tall.
Native to Brazil’s rainforests, they like partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. They aren’t as easy to grow as some of the plants on this list, but they sure are worth the effort!
8. Air Plants
Another unique and fun plant, I’m so obsessed with air plants that I even wore them as living jewelry. These plants cling to trees in nature, getting moisture through the air rather than having roots.
Since they don’t require soil, you can also place them on the wall or in a hanging terrarium or even make your own displays. Like a staghorn fern, you can soak them in water to hydrate them.
9. Bamboo Palm
If you’re looking for a big plant, the bamboo palm brings a tropical feel to any room. A type of palm (not bamboo), it can do well in varying lighting, ranging from medium to low light. As far as big houseplants go, this one is fairly low maintenance.
10. Money Tree
Money trees are a household favourite, known for bringing good luck to the home and a feng shui go-to. A fairly hardy tree, they can grow quickly and will happily take up a corner.
When purchasing, most nurseries will have the stems braided. You can continue to braid them at home to maintain the shape if desired.
11. Prayer Plant
Prayer plants get their name because they actually move throughout the day. The leaves lay flat during the day and slowly lift up in prayer at night. Beautiful and decorative, prayer plants like greenhouse conditions, meaning warm, moist air and lots of fertilizer will make them happy
As an added bonus, this plant thrives in the dark, too!
12. Ponytail Palm
In the wild, ponytail palms grow to be a full-sized tree. In the home, however, they can grow up to 6 feet in their old age if taken care of. One of the easiest trees to grow indoors, they have a bulbous stem that thin, long leaves erupt from.
13. Orchid
Every housewarming party has at least one orchid. If they have a cat, it is perfect because they are a cat-friendly houseplant. Good for beginners, orchids have arching flowers that can last for weeks. With the right balance of humidity, light, and temperature, an orchid can thrive for a long time.
14. Zebra Plant
Zebra plants can sure be a challenge to grow indoors, but they are well worth it. Not only do they have dark, gorgeous leaves with white veins, but the bright yellow flowers are like no other. If happy, they will have 2-4 flowers a plant that lasts for six weeks.
This zebra plant is next to a cyclamen (the one with the flowers), which IS poisonous to pets. 15. African Violet
Compact, African violets don’t mind sticking to a small container. Known most for their flowers, they can bloom up to three times a year with violet, white, blue, pink, red, or combo-coloured flowers.
To take care of them, avoid getting water on their leaves, remove any dead flowers, give them good drainage, and place them in bright, indirect light.
16. Lucky Bamboo
From offices to the kitchen, you can find lucky bamboo everywhere. They are said to bring good luck and make for a good gift, often coming braided or twisted.
Very hard to kill, lucky bamboo can live in pure water or soil, tolerating both drought and moist conditions. Chances are, they can also handle a munch from a curious cat and easily join this list of cat-safe houseplants.
17. Christmas Cactus
Since poinsettias are quite poisonous to cats, a Christmas cactus is the perfect alternative for the festive plant. They bloom right around the holiday season, adding a pop of colour when it’s cold outside.
The blooms can be pink, red, purple, and orange. Native to rainforest, they need more water and less light than regular desert cacti.
18. Lipstick Plant
Here’s another flowering cat-safe houseplant for you! Lipstick plants have small, waxy, vine-like leaves. Easy to care for yet impressive looking, they grow red tubular flowers in clusters that almost resemble lipstick tubes.
They tend to bloom most in the summer and fall, but you can get plenty of blooms throughout the year from one plant.
19. Swedish Ivy
If you want ivy that’s okay for cats, try Swedish ivy. The thick stems grow straight up before they cascade down. Also known as creeping Charlie, the round leaves have scalloped edges and are often variegated. Use them as a hanging plant or bring them outside on the deck during the summer.
2o. Polka Dot Plant
Polka dot plants make for another poinsettia alternative, with the most popular colouring being the pink leaves with white spots. An eye-catching plant, the spotted leaves also come in white, purple, and green varieties.
Some people also plant them outside as an annual. If your cat likes to go outdoors, this polka dot plant may also be a good option for the garden.
House Plants Poisonous to Cats
A ton of popular houseplants are not ideal to have in homes with cats. Some of the most common houseplants poisonous to cats include poinsettias, aloe vera, peace lilies, English ivy, and a ton more. To learn all of the poisonous houseplants and some alternatives to try, check out my full list here.
Poinsettias are a common Christmas plant that is poisonous to cats. More Posts About Houseplants:
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Stephanie Rose
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Repotting Aloe Vera: Tips for Choosing Potting Soil, Pots, and More
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Repotting Aloe Vera: Tips for Choosing Potting Soil, Pots, and More
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Tara Nolan
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Can I Save My Dying Plant—or Is It Time to Say Goodbye? – Garden Therapy
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After pouring plenty of love and water into your beloved plants, it can be heartbreaking to see them start to die. A dying plant can actually tell you a lot about what is wrong, and you can use this opportunity to learn or even save your plant from being just another addition to the compost bin.
Have you seen the comic of the dying plant? The plant is so happy to get picked to go home, only to get placed in a graveyard of dead plants and is left horrified.
If you’ve got yourself a graveyard of plants, you’re not alone. Some people call this a brown thumb when you have quite the opposite of a green thumb.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also get to enjoy the joys of having greenery in your life. After all, it’s one of the easiest ways to make a home more colourful and calm.
Here’s what you can do about those dying plants and how you can relinquish this gardening guilt that may affect you anytime you accidentally kill a plant.
While this post focuses primarily on houseplants, everything can apply to garden plants as well. The Rise of the Plant Parent
I’m very much guilty of referring to my plants as my babies, but I’m really not alone. #PlantParent has almost 1.3 million posts under it on Instagram, and millennials, in particular, are completely obsessed with their plant babies.
During the pandemic, gardening became one of the most popular hobbies. Plant sales boomed, and people found beauty at home. 93% of millennials believe that houseplants make them happier.
The trend has continued with rising food costs and those looking for ways to feed their family healthy food at an affordable cost. The average millennial is less financially secure than when their baby boomer parents were the same age.
Many individuals don’t have access to their own backyards or green spaces to call their own, finding it difficult to obtain affordable housing. And we can all agree that plants aren’t as demanding or costly as pets or children.
So plants become their babies, using it as a way to liven up their home and bring in colour, even if they’re renting. Millennials account for about 1/3 of all houseplant sales in the US. And I’m all here for it!
I rented a home while I searched for a new place, and plants were the #1 rental-friendly way to liven up the white, stark space. What is Gardening Guilt?
This past spring, I did a panel discussion on gardening and wellness at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. It was moderated by Kim Stoddard and had a few other amazing gardeners as speakers.
While on the panel, Kim’s daughter asked us how we dealt with garden guilt. That is when your garden or house plant is dying, and you guilty for not being able to care for it.
Everyone on the panel was a really experienced gardener, educator, and communicator, and not one of us felt that we were prone to garden guilt the same way that newer gardeners are.
As we gain experience, we lose our guilt.
As more and more people start to fall in love with plants, they build a relationship with them. The plants become their allies. But once you start seeing those plants as beings, you feel some grief and sadness when they die.
I think this is really important! Recognizing plants as a gift and acknowledging how much they give to us means we’ll bond with them. And yet, we’re always going to have these losses in gardening.
Dying air plants are among the most common plants to be killed, as they require different care than the typical air plant. Can I Revive a Dying Plant?
If you catch it early enough, you can definitely revive a dying plant. The first thing you want to do is try to diagnose the problem. From too much water to not enough, or burnt leaves to soggy ones, there can be many reasons why a plant is upset.
I suggest you check out this post on diagnosing what is wrong with your plant.
The next thing you’ll want to do is clean up your old plant. Remove any dead or dying leaves—those aren’t going to come back. Instead, they’re just zapping energy that could be going to other parts of the plant require to revitalize it. So get snipping!
This could also mean removing dead or soggy roots. Remember, half of the plant is beneath the soil and shouldn’t be forgotten
If your plant was very injured, there’s a good chance that it will look scraggly or even like a single stem at this point. Don’t lose the faith. I’ve had some plants come back better than ever after they looked like they were on the brink of death.
Make sure your newly cleaned plant is in its preferred conditions, changing whatever it doesn’t like.
This Chinese money plant has a dead leaf that should be removed to direct energy to the growing parts of the plant. Turning Your Brown Thumb Around
All you can do is try to revitalize a dying plant, and cross your fingers. Turning a brown thumb into a green thumb all comes from learning from your mistakes.
Back at my discussion about gardening guilt, I immediately said, “I have no guilt at all about a dying plant. Those plants should have tried harder.”
Yes, we can be bullies in how we learn by getting a bunch of plants that aren’t great for our area, and we try to grow them and then beat ourselves up by it not thriving. Or we go, maybe we shouldn’t grow those plants again…let’s try something else!
I talk about this mindset with my Kiddo (my real one, not a plant baby). Making mistakes is normal, and rather than beating ourselves up for trying to be perfect, we can use them as an opportunity to get better.
Without mistakes, we would never be able to grow. Our gardens can literally grow after we have our greatest mistakes!
So yes, guilt has no place in my gardening tool belt. Every time I lose a plant, I respect the plant that I lost. But I grow as a gardener.
I didn’t grow up gardening, which is proof that anyone can learn how to have a green thumb. FAQ About Reviving Dying Plants
When is it too late to revive a sick plant?If the stems are brittle and easily snap off, there is likely no hope for your plant. The stem should not be black or brown. When cut into it, it should show some greenery.
Likewise, mushy roots have succumbed to root rot and are no longer good.
But if you cut back all the stems and leaves, the main stem is still alive, and there are still some healthy roots, your plant could come back.
What kills plants?The most common way that plants die is by receiving improper care. This can include too much sunlight, not enough sunlight, too much water, not enough water, not enough nutrients, too much fertilizer, a lack of humidity, etc. As you can tell, it can get confusing! That’s why it’s important to know what exact conditions your plant favours.
Pests and diseases can also kill plants. These are best prevented, with, once again, the proper care. It’s harder to get rid of them than to stop them from coming in the first place.
Can you revive a dead plant?If it’s truly dead, you can’t revive the plant. If there are any signs of life, it could regrow new shoots and leaves. If the main stem/trunk or the roots are still healthy, it may come back from the brink.
Do you ever feel garden guilt? Let me know down in the comments.
More Tips for Helping Dying Plants
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Stephanie Rose
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How to Repot a Houseplant: Everything You Need to Know About Repotting
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Do your plants need to be repotted? What are the signs they have outgrown their pots? How do you actually repot anyway? Will repotting hurt your plant? Repotting isn’t hard. Let’s get started. N.B.: Featured photograph by Justine Hand, from DIY: How to Care for Aloe Vera, the Plant of Immortality. What are the signs your […]
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RailScapes Plant Clips by PlantTraps for Railings and Fences
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Living in a city, your gardening options can be limited. So our interest was piqued when a friend shared a video from Plant Traps. In it, a woman hooks a minimalist wire contraption onto a metal railing to create a support for a potted plant. The mechanism was delightfully simple, removable—and it absolutely transformed the space with greenery.
We reached out to Plant Traps founder Deborah Holtschlag to inquire about her ingenious device, and it turned out that we were among several million people who’d recently found her RailScapes Plant Clip. Since debuting her invention last March, Holtschlag has been hustling to create Instagram Stories and TikTok videos to promote it, but it wasn’t until two days after Christmas that one went viral. “The Reel on Instagram that got 100 million views was a blessing, but we also blew through our reserves,” Holtschlag says. (Don’t worry, they’re finally caught up on inventory.)
Above: Each RailScapes Plant Clip can hold up to 15 pounds (25 pounds if at the foot of the railing). We’re not shocked that Holtschlag found gardeners hungry for her plant support. Often the products sold to hang plants from railings are ugly, require drilling, or only work on certain types of fences. Her version uses tension to sit between railings (rather than draping over the top), and it can be adjusted to fit at a variety of railing widths. Renters can take it with them when they move—and at $20 a piece, it is relatively affordable.
Above: The contraption uses tension to stay in place. What did come as a surprise was that Holtschlag herself is not a gardener herself. It turns out she invented the product for her gardener husband, whose plants were taking up what she considered to be too much of their precious space patio.
Above: Each RailScapes Plant Clip is $20. Since launching the RailScapes Plant Clip, Holtschlag says she has been thrilled to see her customers use them in many ways, including on gates, spiral staircases, wood fences with wide-spaced pickets, and, as seen in her second most popular Reel, on an indoor stair railing.
Personally, this writer is looking at the bare wrought iron fence outside her window in a whole new light.
See also:
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Fungus Gnats: How to Get Rid of Them Organically
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Ah, the perks of an indoor garden in winter: Fruit, flowers, fragrance, and…fungus gnats? If you are the parent of any indoor plant, the chances are good that you have already met fungus gnats. These small flies are non-buzzing and non-biting, but an annoyance in large numbers because they are attracted to moisture, even if is from your breath, or around your eyes. Swat, swat. Worse, if you do see a lot of the tiny, winged varmints, it means that their even tinier but much hungrier larvae are living in your pots, eating organic matter that includes the roots of your plants, which they damage.
Getting rid of fungus gnats is a three-step process. This is what has worked for me.
Photography by Marie Viljoen.
Above: If only cats would catch fungus gnats. Fungus gnats are a warning sign: They thrive in moist environments, and their presence indicates you might be overwatering your plants. Long-term, this can lead to their slow death. So take the gnats’ presence as a helpful hint, and then banish them. While the adults do not feed on anything, they do lay eggs. And it is their larvae that do the quiet, subterranean damage.
Above: Adult fungus gnats, trapped. Where do fungus gnats come from? Like scale insects indoors, they seem to materialize from the ether. A possible source of fungus gnats in your home is the new plant you just bought, whether it’s a seasonal poinsettia, Christmas amaryllis, or your kitty’s fresh wheatgrass from the pe(s)t store. The insects are a common pest in professional greenhouses. Because new plants might be carriers of fungus gnats, if it is practical, keep them apart from your established, unaffected plants for a period of three weeks. (The four-stage fungus gnat life cycle is about three weeks, from egg, to larva, to pupa, to adult fly.)
They could also be present in your growing media, in egg or larval form. Most potting mixes are sterilized, but it’s hard to know for sure.
Above: The pros and cons of indoor growing—fruit, and pesky critter control. Here are the three steps to getting rid of fungus gnats.
Step 1: Do not overwater.
Above: I water my plants when the meter reaches the red zone. This is a permanent care-protocol in eliminating fungus gnats: Only water your plants (deeply) when they have come close to drying out. I have been an indoor grower now for over a decade and you’d think I’d know better, but I am still prone to overwatering. A moisture meter’s long probe is able to give me a better sense of what is happening in the soil, not just in the top inch or so.
Allowing your pots to dry between waterings helps prevent a fungus gnat infestation, and it also keep your plants healthier: Root rot is caused by overwatering and can be fatal. It’s hard to turn that around, so the pesky gnats are the canary in the coal mine for indoor growers. Unlike the poor canary that keels over in bad air, they thrive in the unhealthy environment.
Step 2: Use yellow sticky traps.
Above: Ugh, but excellent. Forty-eight (cute) yellow sticky traps are $6.98 on Amazon. Adult fungus gnats are attracted to yellow. Place sticky yellow traps in your pots. The traps effectively sequester the adult gnats, interrupting their relentless life cycle by preventing them from laying eggs in your soil. I choose traps that are the least offensive aesthetically (pretty shapes!) and change them when I can’t stand seeing the bodies pile up. Aside from catching the bugs, the traps are a good indicator of infestation, even when you have controlled the problem. I keep them to warn me of potential fungus gnat re-emergence.
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Hoya Heart Plant: Everything You Need to Know About Hoya Kerrii
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Hoya Heart, Hoya kerrii
Who needs red roses for Valentine’s Day when there’s this sweetheart of a succulent that packs oodles of charm in a tiny package? While it’s true that nothing beats the smell of fresh roses, this heart-shaped plant wins when it comes to gifts that last.
Please keep reading to learn more about the hoya heart.
Above: Single-leaf hoya hearts are starting to rival red roses when it comes to Valentine’s Day presents. The Bouqs sells their Desert Love duo in pink pots for $54. Leading up to Valentine’s Day, single-leafed hoyas fly out of nurseries, florist shops, and garden centers. And you can see why: It’s petite, it’s heart-shaped, and its petals don’t fall off. Its cuteness seems tailor-made for the holiday. Just be advised that it won’t grow into one massive heart, nor will it sprout multiple hearts. That’s because the single leaf is rooted as a leaf cutting, not as a stem cutting with nodes. Still, that single leaf planted in well-draining soil can live for years. If you prefer a hoya heart plant that will grow multiple leaves, make sure to buy a rooted version that has at least two leaves.
Native to Southeast Asia, hoya heart is a tropical vining succulent with thick and waxy evergreen leaves. If conditions are right and you have a mature plant that’s a little root-bound (they like tight quarters), you will be gifted clusters of fragrant white blooms. But even without the flowers, the plant is attractive. I love houseplants that wind and weave, and especially when they trail down shelves, and some hoya heart stems might be as long as six feet or more.
Since hoya hearts come from tropical areas, they do appreciate some warmth and humidity. Either mist them every so often or place them on a steamy bathroom shelf. Another option if your home has dry air is to place your potted hoya on a bed of pebbles filled with water to add ambient moisture.
For bonus charm and uniqueness (and a bigger price tag), look for two unique varieties: Hoya kerrii ‘Variegata’ with yellow edges and Hoya kerrii ‘Splash’ with speckled leaves.
Cheat Sheet
Above: The Variegated Hoya Heart is $62 at The Sill (currently out of stock). [ad_2]
