When placing your indoor plants outdoors in your flower borders
during the summer, clay pots can be set directly in the ground so
the soil is 1 to 2 inches below the pot rim, allowing moisture to
go through the porous clay. If your plants are in plastic or
glazed containers, repot them in to clay containers or check
frequently for water because moisture will not move through the
plastic.
Adding fertilizer to a dry root ball burns the roots, damaging
or killing the plant, so water dry houseplants before fertilizing
and NEVER fertilize wilted plants.
Maidenhair ferns need at least 50 percent humidity and grow
well in a terrarium. You also can group ferns around an aquarium
to raise the humidity around the plants.
Once established on a house plant, powdery mildew is very
difficult eradicate. If there are only a few spots (gray or
white, fuzzy looking), pick off and destroy the affected leaves.
If the problem is more serious, the best answer may be to get rid
of the plant before the fungus disease spreads to other plants.
Powdery mildew is caused by stale, moist air and too much water.
Provide better ventilation or use a small fan to circulate the
air. Cut down on the watering.
For an unusual house plant, try water lettuce (Pistia
stratiotes). Float its perfect rosette of fuzzy, greenish-yellow
leaves in a container of water about 12 inches square and 5 to 9
inches deep. Give it part sun and temperatures over 60 degrees F,
and fertilize with a high-phosphorous, water-soluble fertilizer
at one-quarter strength every three weeks in summer, every six
weeks in winter. Change the water every two to three months, and
as new plants arise from runners, remove the old ones to make
room.
Divide indoor plants when new growth starts in spring. Root
cuttings during spring and summer when the plant is actively
growing.
Vacation hint: Sink house plants, pots and all, in the soil in
a shady area of the garden. Mulch to reduce the need for frequent
watering.
House plants in containers without drainage holes are poor
candidates for outside. A rainstorm may drown and rot them. All
plants perform better in containers with drainage holes.
The mother fern (Asplenium bulbiferum), so-called because it
produces plantlets on its fronds, is exceptionally tolerant of
dry air in the home. It does well at 30 percent humidity. For
homes with 50 percent humidity, button ferns (Pellaea
rotundifolia) are an excellent choice.
Move your house plants outdoors when the night temperatures
stay above 50 degrees F. Avoid sunburning the foliage by moving
the plants gradually from the relative darkness of the house to
their bright, summer location. Start by putting them in a
well-shaded location and progressing to increasingly lighted
areas.
If you plant your Easter lily outdoors, it may flower again in
late August.
"So many seeds -- so little time."
--Author unknown
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