Scindapsus (Araceae), Great Indoor Plant

Beautiful photos can easily grown indoor.

As you can see this is one of my favorite plants, so easy to grow even in water alone. If you have limited time but wish to have plants inside your house or office, this is the type of plants that you should try.

Scindapsus know with many other names even for its scientific names Scindapsus aureau or Phaphidophora aureu, while in the America and Canada more popular as Epipremnum pinnatum. For common name Scindapsusmore popular as Pothtos, Devil’s Ivy, Ivy Arum, Silver Vine, Taro Vine and maybe few more names. This beautiful plants can easily be notice and also grown by many.

Native to tropical rainforest of the Pacific can grow and climbs rapidly – if you put it in the bigger pot with lot of soils and feed. So watch closely if you just wishing to have small beautiful desk plants – you can easily prune it. Also known to be one of the best air cleaner by Dr. Wolverton.

Marble Queen beautiful cultivar of Scindapsus.

Buying Hints : Can easily find at most plants shop, a mi size 6-9 in can be grown easily – this size also will cost you less than the bigger one. There also many cultivars that the price can be little bit different. Try to look on the plants with several growing points with healthy leaves.

General Care: Bets grown in a peat-based soil. Support climber will help Scindapsus to climb for the light. Moss poles will to best, by make sure that the moisture is retain. Pot on in spring and renew the top soil 1- 2 in with fresh compost or repot every two or three years.

In different case – for a small desk decoration, just put it in the water or growing gel and prune their long branches.

Light: Can easily grow even for poorly lit areas in your room. Scindapsus can even grow with artificial light alone. Make sure you keep it away from the direct sunlight in the summer.

Temperature: Suitable for ordinary room temperature to promote healthy grow. In winter keep temperature not to fall below 60 °F and preferably not rise above 65 °F while the plants in the semi-dormant period.

Another beautiful spesis.

Humidity: Plants do better in moisture condition. Dry air inhibits growth. Keep it in moisture areas or do what best to keep it moisture – tepid water or to place trays of pebbles and water nearby.

Watering and Feeding: Keep the compost just moist in spring and summer and let it dry put between watering. While in autumn and winter water the plants sparingly. Use dilute liquid fees during the growing season, once a week to young plants or two to three weeks for complete growing plants.

Propagation: Increase from 3 – 4 in cutting in summer, rooted in sand in propagator at 70 °F. For more simple solution, just put it in the container with water at the right temperature.

Disorder: Rarely trouble by pest. Dry air causes leaf curl.

Growing Plants without Soil

Non soil materials can add more attraction for your plants.

Growing plants without soils can be more benefits than you think. For small planters – indoor plants will find this is very important as finding and manage the soils can cause so many troubles. In fact it’s not the soil that make the plants grow but the nutrients inside it but they also give support for the plants to grow.

In many cases why you should consider the non-soil planting at home are because they’re easier, safer both for you and the plants that you’re trying to grow and they’re cheap. They’re many type of non-soil planting medium. You can find them easily on the internet. Then you can decide which medium suitable for your needs.

For indoor plants grower, what they need to concern more about their plants are;

·        Water – to help plants to transports all the nutrients in their body.
·         Lights – to allow plants to conduct photosynthesis.
·         Nutrients – there are the real foods for plants to help them stay healthy.

Perlite can easily use as soil substitute.

The usage of perlite in hydroponics.

Those basics essential to make sure your plants will grow healthy. There’s nothing to do with the soil and you can growing your plants and trees almost anywhere as long as these three elements provided accordingly.

As I mentioned before they’re many types of non-soil materials can be use and can be divided into two major groups;

-          Organic

-          Non- organic

Gel beads are safe for the environment but their making process still unsure.

Whichever you choose will not going to affect too much on the growing process of your plants – only if you’re concern more about the usage of chemicals in their producing process. While the materials itself mostly are environmental friendly. These are few types that usually use for non-soil planting;

• Fiber – fiber from organic material such as coconut coir, sphagnum peat moss been widely used and proven to be among the best materials to use beside soils.
•  Non-fiber – perlite, vermiculate, pebbles, LECA and sand also can be used to provide support to plants root. They can also use together with other materials such as peat moss and coir to increase the aeration.
• Gel – for small beautiful indoor ornamental plants, the usage of the gel materials can add extra showcase benefits. They’re easy to handle, colorful, clean, good for plants and cheap too. So suitable if you only have few plants to grow.
• Hydroponics – If you have medium to larger size for non-soil planting projects, the hydroponics can suit your need. Anyway, you’ll need the help to create the hydroponics system that will require lots of time and energy – costly at first.
• Aeroponics – pretty much like hydroponics, consider this only if you’re deadly serious about your projects.
• Combination – you also can combine few things above to make your non-soils planting works better for you.

The usage of coco peat in this hydroponics technique.

LECA also very useful in non soil technique.

They you are, the non-soil techniques are not so hard. As long as you keep aware on your plants growing you can easily tell whether you should add some fertilizer or not. This is very useful knowledge especially if you’re living in an apartment and you wish to have small plants inside your rooms. Soil can be hard to manage; they sometimes carry the diseases to your plants too. Well, give it a shot.

Beautiful Begonia for Your Home

Healthy vigorous begonia can turn into something like this.

Begonia (Begoniaceae) is wonderful indoor plant, instead of beautiful leaves they also have beautiful flower in some species. Flower enthusiast has breed new cultivars that producing wonderful flowers. This plant is native to moist and warm regions of south-east Asia and makes it suitable to be out in moist area such as in the bathroom or kitchen.

The mark on B. masoniana.

For wonderful color of leaves the B. masoniana (iron cross) has the wonderful dark purple cross mark on their leaves, while the texture is little bit hairy with heart-shaped. The size can be up to 5 in across and 8 in long on a hairy pink-red stalk.

Large amount of begonia cultivar.

While B. rex has a larger leaves with longer shape heart shape. The colors are richer with silver, cream, pink, purple and darker color.

They’re huge amount of cultivars for begonias. Since the hybridized can be done easily within the genus, the number of cultivars will keep on growing. There are few major groups that classifies by the American Begonia Society;

• -          cane-like
• -          shrub-like
• -          rhizomatous
• -          semperflorens (wax or fibrous rooted begonias)
• -          Rex
• -          trailing-scandent
• -          thick-stemmed

Young begonia-semperflorens.

Buying hints: Plants that reach 6 inches tall is the best size since it has good chances to grow healthy with more reasonable price. Inspect the leaves to be well in shape with no signs of browning or curling. It is also important to make sure that the plant is not infected by any fungal diseases.

General care: Grow in peat or loam-based potting compost and make sure the good drainage always maintain. The need to repotting is when roots put through the drainage holes.

Light: To help begonias produce more foliage put the plants in the areas with filtered lights. Bright areas but not with direct sunlight are the best ideas. They also can be grown with artificial light.

Hanging is one of the best way for begonia.

Temperature: The low temperature for begonia should not be lower than 50 °F even though the best temperature is 60 °F.

Humidity: It is important to get the air surrounding the begonia humid to imitate the tropical forest. The suitable ways to do this are the double pot technic and the pebble trays. Mist sprays may cause die-back.

Watering and Feeding: Watering the plant only when the soil feels dry to avoid crown rot if the soil is soaked for a length of time. During the winter only watering when the plants show obvious signs of wilting. To maintain continuously healthy growing begonia use liquid feeds every two weeks.

Flowering begonia will strikingly beautiful. 

Propagation: Sow seeds in early spring at the temperature of 65 °F. Take cutting from healthy leaves and root in propagator.

Disorder: Do regular check on your plants for grey mold can cause blackish-brown blotches on the leaves. Mildew also can grow underside of the leaves. While root knot eelworm attacks the roots leads the plant to die.

Araucaria Beautiful Pine for Indoor

Araucaria grows healthily in pot.

Araucaria (Araucariacae) native to the Norfolk Island in the Pacific Ocean (next to Australia) is actually a big tree than grows up 200 ft. in the wild. It’s a fern-like tree valued for its delicate foliage and horizontally tiered shoots. It will grow very slowly in the pot and seldom reaches more than 6 ft. in height and 3 ft. in diameter, this tree suitable to decorate the porches, halls and stairways – usually in pairs or more indoor or outdoor. Thrives well both in indirect sunlight or shade. It is also being used as a Christmas three. The other species of this tree can also be found in eastern Australia, New Guinea, Argentina, Chile, and Southern Brazil.

It has bright green, awl-shaped needles form thickly on the tiered shoots and have a soft mossy feel on young growth. It will turn stiffer and pricklier as they age. When the needles drop from the trunk they will reveal a scaly bark.

A closer look at the top part of the Araucaria tree.

Buying Hints: Available from garden centers and florist. Even though in can be little bit expensive they are durable. Select the tree with size around 12 – 18 in young pot plants with perfect leading shoots and symmetrically arranged tiers of bright green branches. Any discoloration on leaves or broken trunk should be avoided.

General Care: Araucaria is a tolerant plant and grows well in a peat or loam-based potting compost. Young plants should be potted on annually until they are in 8 – 10 in pots. Mature plants are easily kept healthy by changing an inch or so of the top compost.

Light: Best in light shades area with well-ventilated such as big hall or in front door areas. As long as not place into direct sunlight that can scorch their leaves. High moisture also can be very good for it.

A healthy leaves of mature Araucaria leaves.

Temperature: Lower temperature can be tolerated until 45 °F and it still can retain a good its bright green color. It is not so sensitive to temperature as long as not too hot or too cold.

Humidity: Moisture is very important especially during growing period from spring to late summer. Whether sprays with water or to be set above moisture tray of pebbles and water.

Watering and Feeding: Water freely from March to September and keep the soil moisture. Feed can be applied every twice a week with dilute manure. Foliage feed also can be used to spur new growth especially for the plants that have not been potted on. In winter just make sure that the compost is not dry.

Bonsai Araucaria.

Propagation: Propagation by seeds starts in spring, or by cutting of 3 in long side shoots in spring and summer. These should be raised in propagator at temperature of about 65 °F.

Disorder: With a good care Araucaria is very durable plant, avoid placing it too near a radiator or bright light source which may cause the leaves to shrivel.

Aglaonema or Chinese evergreen

Aglaonema can easily grown into beautiful bushes indoor.

Aglaoanema or more popular known as Chinese evergreen had been planted in their native Asia countries and New Guinea for centuries. They also known as lucky plants by Chinese, while Thai peoples largely refer Aglonema as – smiles of fortune plants.

Aglaonema are easy to take care as long as they’re watered and having good amount of lights and temperature. It can grow healthily in the room with shades. It was introduced to West since 1885 when it was brought to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Nowadays they’re plenty of beautiful cultivars available for this plants lover. While the original Aglaonema still as popular as before.

They are many species available A. commutatum (Chinese evergreen) with thinner leathery leaves, with 6 in long, on bushy plant can reach height up to 18 in. The leaves have dark and silvery grey in colors. Some other popular cultivars are A. commutatum ‘Pseudobracteatum’, also known as ‘White Rajah’ and A. commutatum ‘Silver Queen’ with their larger leaves and bold white or silvery markings.

Aglaonema commutatum also known as Chinese evergreen.

A. constatum (painted drop tongue) has slightly longer and heart-shaped leaves with ivory colored midribs. This cultivar grows slowly to 9 in high.

A. modestum is the easiest species that can easily plant inside the house where they can grow faster. They can reach the height up to 3 ft. The leaves are wedge-shaped and up to 9 in long with uniform mid-green color.

Buying Hints: Choose plants with healthy leaves set at short intervals along the main stem. They’re so many cultivars of Aglaonema, to make sure the survival rates are high choose the easiest species at first. They are widely available from florist.

General Care: Aglaonema is easy to take care. They grow slowly with little amount of leaves. Re-potting in two to three years or only when they plants seems pot-bound. They can be planted in variety of medium with good irrigation.

Aglaonema costatum another variety of Aglaonema.

Light: This plant is naturally shade loving, in the wild they can spread under darker shades of trees. Even though they also can tolerate light, the direct exposure to sun can cause the damage to the leaves. Among species A. costatum can tolerate deeper shade than any other.

Temperature: As native to Asian forest the ideal temperature will always be the normal room temperature. The chilling temperature below 59 °F can caused dark, greasy-looking patches on the leaves.

Humidity: Aglaonema needs humidity to ensure they can grow healthy. As the leaves are broad, they can easily lose the moisture from its leaves. Spraying the leaves with water or set the tray of pebbles with water under the plants can help the moisture of the leaves.

New cultivar of Aglaonema.

Watering and Feeding: This plant can be water freely during the growing seasons on the late spring to mid-summer. While the soil should be keep on the dry side during the autumn and winter. They need high amount of fertilizers from April to July – suitably by liquid fertilizers. After re-potting, do not feed for about six weeks.

Propagation: Seeds can be sown in spring and germinated at temperature of 65-70 °F; if by division of rootstock suitably in March; or from rooted suckers in early summer.

Disorders: Exposure to direct sunlight can damage the leaves to curl and show scorch marks. Red spider mites may disfigure the leaves.