Interior Gardening

• Water houseplants carefully. Don't overdo watering and fertilizing for plants overwintering indoors. Only fertilize blooming plants.
• Check out your local Cooperative Extension local Cooperative Extension website for information on holiday houseplants such as poinsettia and amaryllis.
• Houseplant foods are beneficial, but remember that a little fertilizer can go a long way. Many gift plants may not need to be fertilized until spring.

• The potted plants you receive during the holiday season are not meant to be kept as permanent house plants. They were raised in a greenhouse and do not adapt well to the conditions in your home. Treat them like long-lasting cut flowers -- enjoy them as long as possible, but discard when they become unattractive.

• To prolong the life of a flowering poinsettia, keep it evenly moist and protect it from being chilled or subjected to drafts. Keep it in full sunlight between 65 and 72F.

• If the buds drop and the stems shrivel on your Christmas cactus, look for root injury caused by dry soil.

• If your amaryllis has been grown in a warm room, the long flower stalk may require staking. Take care not to damage the bulb when inserting a stake into the container.

• Brown leaf edges develop on some potted tropical plants when grown indoors. To keep these plants looking their best, use sharp scissors and trim away dried portions of leaves, following the natural shape of the leaves.

• Mistletoe cactus Rhipsalis baccifera looks a little like mistletoe, but when young, is bristly like its cactus relatives. It needs bright, filtered light. Unlike most cacti, it needs an indoor area with 60 percent humidity.

• Unusual poinsettia cultivars now on the market include: Lemon Drop, with bright-yellow bracts; Pink Peppermint, pink with lighter speckles; and Jingle Bells, dark red with pink flecks.

• The Christmas cactus will be coming into bloom. Reduce watering to prolong the blooming period. Keep in full sun at 70F.

• Place a newspaper between the windowsill garden and the window at night to keep the chill from injuring house plants.

• Keep your flowering chrysanthemum blooming longer by keeping the plant out of direct sunlight. Keep the soil slightly moist. Day temperatures should be 68F, and night temperatures 40 to 55F.

• Be sure to remove or punch holes in decorative foil around holiday plants, or it will collect water and cause roots to die.

• Seeds taken from fresh grapefruits and oranges sown in a well-drained, sandy soil will soon produce attractive, green-leaved plants.

• A common complaint in growing rubber plants indoors is yellowing leaves with dead spots on the edges. This is usually caused by overwatering. Bottom drainage helps remove surplus water. If the plant has been in the container for a long time, remove the soil ball and loosen bound roots. Remove some of the soil at the top of the ball, and transplant into a larger pot.

• For continuous bloom in the home greenhouse, try miniature roses. Place in full sun, keep the soil barely moist, and feed every two weeks with a complete fertilizer.

• A new philodendron, 'Prince of Orange' is colorful in all of its stages of growth. New leaves are bright orange. As the leaves mature, they pale from orange to apricot, then change to yellowish-green, and finally green. Pinkish-red leaf stalks add to the plant's overall attractiveness. Leaves are large, 12 inches long by 8 inches wide. Bright light is needed to maintain the colors on 'Prince of Orange.'

• Purchase amaryllis bulbs in decorative containers for your own enjoyment or for gifts. Their expense is justified as they increase in beauty from year to year.

• Always cut off the faded flowers of your amaryllis so no seeds form. Producing seed robs the bulb of energy that should go to next year's growth.

• Rotate house plants in dim locations to sunny spots to keep them all in prime condition.

• House plants with large leaves and smooth foliage (philodendron, dracaena, rubber plant, etc.) benefit if their leaves are washed with clear water at intervals to remove dust and grime, thus keeping the leaf pores open.

• Spider plants Chlorophytum spp. must be mature and have short days (eight hours of sunlight) to produce flower stalks, the runners on which the plantlets form.

• Leaf tip burn of spider plants can be caused by soluble salts build-up due to improper watering and too much fertilizer. Never allow the plant to dry out excessively. When you do water, water thoroughly from the surface, allowing plenty of water to drain out the bottom of the pot, carrying excess fertilizer with it. Discard any water that has drained out.

• Ethylene has been shown to hasten cut flower aging, and can cause premature aging of potted flowers and distortion of foliage. Sources of ethylene include ripening fruits (such as apples), furnaces, stoves, engines with incomplete combustion, as well as smoke from cigarettes, cigars, and pipes.

• Melted snow contains minerals and can be used instead of tap water for winter watering of house plants.

• Dust foliage plants or give them an occasional shower. They'll get more light and grow better without a coating of dust.

• When buds of Christmas cactus show signs of opening, start a regular watering program and keep the plant cool for the best show.

• Move gift plants with caution. Plants shocked by the cold may drop their leaves in a few days and no longer be such a lovely gift. Wrap each plant in eight to ten layers of newspaper stapled shut over the foliage. If it is freezing outside, warm up the car before loading the plants. Cold temperatures for 'only a minute' can be detrimental.

• Pots of narcissus started indoors now will still bring the fragrance of spring before their outside cousins bloom.

"He who plants a seed beneath the sod and waits to see a plant, believes in God."

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