Category: Advice

Posted on

Plants that even children can take care of

I received a great question from Matt about plants that children can care for.  He wrote,

My kids (7 & 10) are showing a natural interest in raising their own plant or tree (similar to their interest in having an ant farm or collecting caterpillars) and I was hoping you could tell me of some plants that are fairly
robust and generally easy to care for – in other words, plants that would be ideal for a child to care for .

What an exciting question! The fact that the children are expressing the interest in growing plants tells me that raising plants will be a really meaningful project for them and could become a lifetime interest. Raising plants is a very popular hobby for people of all ages- starting  from early childhood.

Continue reading “Plants that even children can take care of”

Posted on

Planting potted trees

I recevied the following question from Linsey:

I got a beautiful potted tree for Christmas. I’d like to plant it outside.
When do you recommend that I do this? Is there a proper procedure to
enhance the chances of survival?

The Garden Lady likes the idea of a potted tree for the holidays and hopes that your potted tree will survive for planting outdoors. But if the tree was not properly cared for, you may lose the tree when you plant it outdoors (see this). You might not notice that the tree is dead right away but a year later you might first notice that it has died. And the death of the tree might not be your fault- but that it was not properly kept before it was brought to you. I do hope your tree survives.

Continue reading “Planting potted trees”

Posted on

Pruning – When? and Where?

Anadalia asked me the following about pruning:

Someone just told me that the best time to prune is December. Is this true?
Also, I hear different things, is it better to prune from the inside out or the
outside in?

Each plant, shrub or tree, that you prune has a different season to be pruned, depending on the flowering time of the plant. For most plants, the ideal time to prune is late fall after leaves drop and the plant is dormant, or late winter/early spring just before new growth resumes. That being said, if the plant has dead, diseased, or damaged branches, these parts of the plant can be pruned out at any time of the year.

Continue reading “Pruning – When? and Where?”

Posted on

Taking care of plants when you are away for the holidays

I was asked the following plant-related question by someone named Sarah:

I saw a suggestion to bury used tea bags in your houseplant soil to retain water in winter.  Any other hints to help keep plants moist when we’re away for the holidays?

I had never heard of burying used tea bags in your houseplant soil to retain water in the winter.  However, it makes sense. Tea leaves help to make good compost and good composted soil is water retentive.  But it would seem to me that it might look unsightly to have your tea bag string hanging out of your flower pot or it might take up precious soil space with the entire tea bag.  Don’t ever throw out your tea leaves. Always save tea leaves because they are wonderful to add to your compost pile and tea leaves will  compost nicely in your potted plants. You can add the entire bag because it is all biodegradeable.  You can pour the cold leftover tea in your potted plants rather than down the drain. (If you use sugar in your tea, I wouldn’t add it to your indoor potted plants in seasons when ants are around.)   
 

Continue reading “Taking care of plants when you are away for the holidays”

Posted on

Indoor Poisonous Plants

Winter will be here in the Northeast in a few days. The Garden Lady wants you to have a safe Holiday season and New Year.

Our plants are indoors for safe keeping and are making the house decorative as well as pretty. But some of these plants we have are poisonous, such as this Jerusalem Cherry (Solanum pseudocapsicum) seen in this picture.   

 

 

 

A plant considered “poisonous” has properties that cause harm, such as allergic reactions, skin irritations or internal poisoning.

Continue reading “Indoor Poisonous Plants”

Posted on

Global warming and gardening?

I received the following questions from Jen:

Are there any plant related reasons to worry or any precautions to take about the unseasonably warm November and December we’ve had on the East Coast so far this year? Is the weather going to mess up the natural cycles of native trees and plants? I’m mainly concerned because I see buds on some trees already.

Here’s my answer.

Continue reading “Global warming and gardening?”

Posted on

The chemical/organic fertilizer debate

Here is a question from Micah and his wife  about growing plants in general.

Whether it’s about the lawn or potted plants, my wife thinks it is good to use chemicals like Miracle Grow and anti-weed fertilizer. What are your thoughts?  I’m a “natural” guy while my wife is an artificial supplement girl.  Who is right?  Or is there some middle ground?

This is really more than one question. Tomes have been written on these subjects.  I can only answer superficially.

Continue reading “The chemical/organic fertilizer debate”

Posted on

Leaving your plants for summer break

In response to a November 7th post about growing plants in the dorm, the Garden Lady received the following question from a Marklen about how to care for your dorm plant when you are away for a month or so.

What about if you are away for the summer break? What can you do if you are away for a month or so?

There are a few easy options to care for your dorm plant when you are away for a month or so. One is to ask a friend to care for the plant over the vacation break. The second option is to take the plant home to Mom and/or Dad to take care of the plant. The last option is to find a safe outdoors location that is bright but shaded and only gets a few hours of sun a day and, if the plant is the hardy kind like Aspidistra or  Sansevieria, to leave the plant or plants outdoors when you are on vacation for a month or more. The safe time to take plants outdoors is when the leaves are on the trees, approximately the end of May. Do not put plants that have been in the room all year into direct sun or the leaves can bleach. Put the plants under the trees. I take most of my plants outdoors and leave them outdoors all summer. I only water them if there is a drought. The plants are in pots that have good drainage holes in case it is too rainy a summer. I don’t want the plants to sit in too much water. I bring the plants indoors in the early fall when the leaves start falling off the trees. I don’t do a thing to the plants all summer. But when I bring the plants indoors, I have to remove any tree leaves that have fallen into the pots and give the plant a good shower to be sure that insects haven’t made the plant into their home.

Posted on

Prolonging the life of your Christmas tree

I received this question from a Micah and his wife about prolonging the life of their Christmas tree:

We bought a Christmas tree this weekend.  My wife thinks that you can significantly prolong the life of the Christmas tree by putting a special solution (sugar?) in the water.  My view is that since water is what they get
in nature, that’s what’s best.

There have  been debates on whether adding anything (like sugar, aspirin or vodka) to a cut Christmas tree can prolong the life of a tree. The consensus among tree growers and scientists is that using just plain old tap water is enough.
 
When buying your Christmas tree be sure to check to see that the tree is fresh. To check for freshness stroke the needles or strike the stump of the tree on the ground. A fresh tree’s needles will not fall off. If the needles drop off when you are checking, it is a sure sign the tree is not fresh. When you bring your tree home, saw off about an inch of the bottom of the trunk. Cut straight across, not at an angle and immediately immerse the tree in a stand that is filled with at least a gallon of water. Check the water level daily and keep the stand full of water. A Christmas tree can absorb a gallon or more of water per day depending on the size of the tree.  Don’t ever let the level of the water in the container drop below the tree’s cut surface.  If you are not going to decorate the tree right away, leave it outdoors or in an unheated place like the garage-IN WATER-to prolong the life. Trees indoors prefer a cool temperature. 
 

Posted on

Aspidistra

I received an email from a Gabriela in Mexico. She asked,

Con que nombre se le conoce a la ASPIDISTRA en America Latina (Mexico)?

How exciting to know that someone in Mexico is reading my website! Though I do not speak any Spanish I hope that the translation of your question is “What is the name of the Aspidistra in Mexico?

When the Garden Lady writes this column, she tries to use Latin names for plants, not just the common names. The reason I use the Latin names is because many plants have lots of different common names. When one goes to look for a plant, the common name may be different in different parts of the country or in different parts of the world but the Latin name is the same everywhere. These differences in common names can cause confusion when one wants to find or buy a particular plant.

Continue reading “Aspidistra”