What is a kokedama anyway?

It’s a form of Japanese art, that as a literal translation, means moss (koke) and ball (dama).  Like bonsai, it’s not the actual plant but how the plant is being grown that makes it a kokedama.  Our creative, artistic co-worker Angie decided to make some of these up, presenting the perfect opportunity to share the process with you!

Materials List

First, you need some basic gardening tools such as a trowel, pruners, as well as thick cotton string, twine or fishing line and scissors to cut it.  You also need a few bowls; one for mixing the soil in and one for soaking the sheet moss, which will cover the root ball. Oh and water to wet the sheet moss!

Other items you may not have already on hand include:

• Sphagnum moss or peat moss (if long fiber, cut into small pieces)
• Sheet moss
• Cat litter – clay only kind (see below)
• Good Earth brand Professional Potting Mix
• A plant (see below)

A few quick notes on the above ingredients; look for cat litter that is made of just clay, no added ingredients.  Fortunately, this is generally the cheapest one in the store, often located on the bottom shelf and may just be available as the store brand only. Use it as it comes, don’t sift out the dust; you need that to help the soil mix ingredients stick together.

We carry long fiber sphagnum moss so that is what we used, just cut it into smaller pieces.  If you are able to find short fiber moss, you can use that instead.  Remove any sticks or large pieces of debris out of the moss or our potting soil.  And about our soil; if you don’t live near us, just make sure you use a premium, soil-less, peat moss based potting mix.  Ours has perlite and very fine pine bark in it as well.

Making the Mix

We are going to sneak this in here; before you start the planting mix, start soaking the outer moss in water. We used preserved sheet moss, in a nice dark green color.  Try to find large pieces, they will knit together easier and faster than a bunch of small pieces.  You can also use long fiber sphagnum moss; use as is, you will want the long strands if using for outer covering. sheet moss, not peices of moss, because that would be harder to put together.

Now, make the mix!  The recipe that worked well for Angie was two parts (two trowels worth) Good Earth brand Professional Potting Mix, one part long fiber sphagnum moss, cut down into small pieces, and one part cat litter.

Add Water

Add water a little at a time; you are going for a sticky mix, not muddy.  Once you can make a snowball out of it and it stays together, it’s ready.

Choosing a Plant

It may go without saying but we are going to say it anyway… choose one you like the form of (such as trailing, upright, sprawling, etc) and one that will work well in the space you want it to live in.  Easy care plants would be a good choice, especially for your first kokedama.  Our artist chose a pepperomia because it was beautiful and had an array of gorgeous leaf colors. Angie chose to work with a small plant, one in a 4″ pot, which fit her hand nicely.  A larger container plant would mean a large root ball and may be more of a challenge to form.  If you can make a stickier potting mix, a larger root ball would be easier to work with. This particular plant is fragile with leaves that can be easily broken, be mindful of that if you choose this plant. Other plants, like pothos, hoya, or airplane plant might be easier.  Regardless of the chosen plant, make sure it’s well watered and healthy.  As far as watering goes, hydrated plants will have more pliable roots; dry roots can break and become damaged in the loosening process.

Prepare Your Plant

Carefully remove the plant from its container, and gently remove loose potting soil from around the root ball and gently loosen the root ball itself.  Carefully shape remaining soil and roots into a ball.

Add Soil Mix to the Root Ball

There might be several ways to do this, but to provide a visual, Angie formed a hamburger patty shape and size out of the soil mix.  She then placed the prepared root ball onto the flattened mix, curved it around the plant roots, then continued to add soil mix around the roots until it was covered well. The finished size of the root ball will depend on the root mass at the beginning of the process. Shape the covered root ball into a sphere that can be set down, intact, without falling apart.  Get your string ready; don’t cut any but make sure it is untangled and ready to pull.

Cover with Moss and Wrap

Start with a good size piece of saturated sheet moss, piece together so there isn’t a lot of overlap from piece to piece and use smaller pieces to plug in between larger pieces. When moss is completely covering the soil, get string, leaving a long end free, maybe 12-18″ so you have enough to join with other end when finished wrapping.

Wind the string around the root ball, wabi sabi (imperfect and random) or in an organized pattern, whichever style you prefer.  Just make sure you don’t have any big open areas without string.

Once you get it all wrapped around, tie the ends together. After this, you can either set it in a little pretty dish, or saucer or plan to hang it.  To hang, tie three strings or finishing lines onto it, gather them at the top and tie them together, then hang.

Caring for Your Kokedama

As we talked about above, light is based on the plant and its specific needs. These can be easily hung near a window, just make sure the sun isn’t strong enough to burn the plant. Water by filling a bowl, then placing the kokedama in the water for a few hours, remove and let drain for a few hours before hanging back up or placing back in your saucer.  To fertilize, mix the appropriate water soluble fertilizer in with water and let the plant soak it up, as the plant hydrates.

Enjoy your artistry!

The post How to Make a Kokedama appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

The post The Proper Care of Houseplants appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Most houseplants are in nondescript grower pots when purchased.  Nothing wrong with that, per se… but given the huge selection of stylish pots available; we suggest upgrading!  Keep reading for tips on properly potting up houseplants.

Why Potting and Repotting Houseplants is Important

So far this week, we have talked about watering and feeding houseplants.  Those posts referenced other houseplant growing tips on our blog.  Armed with all this helpful information, we know you are going to be successful growing houseplants.  And with that success, comes bigger, happier plants!  And those plants are eventually going to need to be potted up into larger planters so the roots can continue to grow.  Plus, part of the joy of adopting a houseplant is giving it a fun container that compliments both the plant and your space.  We thought a post about potting and repotting houseplants was in order!

What Does ‘Pot Bound’ Mean?

Some plants respond well to being pot bound.  Pot bound is the state in which plant roots have filled most of the container they are in and begin circling the outer edges of soil space, and are unable to further expand.

Some houseplants, such as Peace Lilies, Philodendrons and Cast Iron Plants, actually do better, as in bloom more or grow better, when they are pot bound.  When they are repotted into a larger container, the plant switches focus from bloom production to root and leaf production.  Eventually, all houseplants, including these, will need to be repotted as they outgrow the container they are in.  Just keep in mind that plants which enjoy being pot bound will go through a transition period.

Other plants show stress symptoms, such as yellow leaves and loss of vigor when they are pot bound.  Examples of plants that don’t enjoy being pot bound are Chinese Evergreen, Ficus, and Ferns.  In addition to checking for insects and watering stress when houseplants look a bit off, gently pull the plant out of the container and see if it is pot bound.

When you can’t seem to keep a houseplant watered, water just runs out of the drainage hole without being absorbed, the plant could be pot bound.  In this situation, the roots have taken over the container and there isn’t enough soil to hold water for the roots.

Choosing a Container Size

Start by considering the size of the existing container.  Most of our houseplants are individually tagged and this tag lists what the plant is and the size container it is presently in; such as 4″ Silver Satin Pothos (pictured above; isn’t she pretty?).  Exceptions include plants that come in an assortment or the hundreds of little terrarium plants.  If you come across a houseplant you like but the plant name isn’t on the tag, just ask us, we can give you all the details.

Back to that size listed on the tag; the container size.  For houseplants and tropicals, they are almost always in even numbered pot sizes, such as 2, 4, 6, 8 inch and so on.  This is the width of the present container.  This is helpful to know when you are choosing your pot because in general, you only want to go up two inches in container size at a time.

Here’s why; when a tiny little 2″ succulent gets planted into a 8″ pot, the roots are suddenly surrounded by a lot more soil.  This soil can hold a lot more water.  The tiny plant roots can only absorb a small amount of water and the rest of the water just hangs out in the soil.  The extra water near the roots keeps the roots from getting the oxygen they need… and this is how root rot sets in.

More Container Size Tips

This is a general rule of thumb and just like with all general rules thumbs, there are exceptions.  For example, a wide, shallow planter typically called a low bowl, works well for many little succulents planted together.  The shallow nature of the pot means that volume of soil that can hold water is much less.  In the low bowl planter shown above, you would just water close to where the succulents are planted and not all over the surrounding soil. Established houseplants in larger pots, such as 12″ or so, can be bumped up in pot size by four inches at a time, so long as the roots are well established, and the new container has very good drainage.

Choosing a Container

You found the perfect pot and it’s the right size!  Now what?  Check for a drainage hole.  This is the hole in the bottom of the container that allows excess water to be released.  Pots with drainage holes can be directly potted into.  Pots without a drainage hole are called cachepots.  These are decorative cover pots for indoor plants; avoid planting directly in these.  We have a picture of one of our favorite cachepots below; and just look at how adorable that Birds Nest Sansevieria looks in it!

Don’t turn away from a wonderful cachepot, just be aware that there is an extra step in your watering.  This sansevieria is still in the green grower pot it came in and that pot is being covered by the cachepot.  To water, just remove the plant, water it in a sink or place it can drain.  Let it drain well and then replace it into the cachepot.

One of the best features of a cachepot is the versatility of where they can be used.  Because they don’t release water, they can be placed on water sensitive surfaces such as wood.  Just make sure the cachepot isn’t a porous one; those can release a bit of moisture.  But a ceramic one like this will be just fine!

How to Pot and Repot Houseplants

To unpot a plant, turn the plant upside down, supporting the plant by putting your fingers over the soil surface.  With your other hand, gently squeeze the plastic container to loosen the roots and soil from pot walls.  With the plant still inverted, slowly pull the pot away from the plant, ideally, without disturbing the roots.  If the roots are pot bound, loosen them before planting in new container.  If the roots are not as developed, as shown below, try to leave them undisturbed.

Choose a quality potting mix such as the Ferti-Lome Ultimate Potting Mix or our Good Earth brand Professional Growing Mix.  These soil-less mixes consist of sphagnum moss, perlite and other helpful elements.  For specialty plants such as orchids, use orchid growing media.  For succulents, you can use either our Good Earth soil or Cactus Soil.

When potting up houseplant, we suggest putting enough potting soil in the new container so that when resting on this soil, the existing rootball surface is about 1/2 to one inch below the new container rim.  This gives water a place to settle as it is absorbed into the soil.  Sprinkle in some Osmocote.  Check out the Feeding Your Houseplants post for more feeding info; link is below.  Fill in around the sides of the root ball and gently press to eliminate air pockets.  Air pockets can allow plant roots to dry out.

Cover the Soil

Top with a decorate covering if desired.  Visit Happy Roots Potting Pavilion during your next visit here; we have pea gravel and river rock available as free soil coverings when potting up your houseplants here.  In our Gift Shop, we have many more options available for purchase such as white sand, unusual decorative stones and a variety of mosses. These coverings finish off the pot nicely, giving a professional look!

Water and Feed Your New Houseplant

Don’t forget to water and continue to feed your new plant!  These are whole other stories; here are links to helpful posts on these topics.

Handy Watering Tools for Houseplants

Feeding Your Houseplants

When to Pot and Repot Houseplants

A good time of year to bump up a houseplant into a larger size pot is spring.  Although houseplants do not go dormant, they do grow more with longer days and warmer temperatures.  Giving them more room to grow at the beginning of the warm season as opposed to the cooler season when they will be growing less, is a good idea.  But if your plants are showing signs of being pot bound, repot or bump them up sooner than later.

We mentioned it a bit above but want to remind you to check your houseplants over well when potting or repotting them.  Trim off old or struggling foliage.  Look for insect or disease issues and treat them.

The post Potting Up Houseplants appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Propagation is the process of producing more plants; it can be through seed germination, or vegetative methods such as cuttings or division. There are several other methods as well but these are the most accessible methods for gardeners. With houseplants, propagation is usually through one of the vegetative methods, meaning a plant is grown from a fragment of the parent plant.

Thankfully, harvesting cuttings and dividing a plant are both usually beneficial to the parent plant.  You grow more plants, the original plant is happier… it’s a win-win situation!

Necessary Tools

Patience

This isn’t a fast process, except for easy plants like philodendrons.  Be prepared to go a while not seeing any results as the plant does internal development.  African Violets could take over a year to establish a strong plant.

Healthy Plant

Propagating from an unhealthy plant isn’t ideal but you can propagate from an aging or leggy plant.

Proper Potting Media

Good growing media for these processes include vermiculite, premium soil-less mix, perlite, and depending on the plant, water. The properties you are looking for in a growing media are aeration, moisture retention and drainage. Heavier soil mixes don’t offer many of these properties, while lightweight soil-less mixes do.

Attentive Eye

These baby plants are going to take more care; remember to check them often for watering, etc.  Find more details on caring for your new plants at the end of this post.

Propagation Methods

The best method depends on what kind of plant and how that plant grows. We will talk about several different methods below; remember to ask one of our Good Earth experts if you have questions about plant propagation.

Tip Cutting

This method works with many multi-stem houseplants such as Devils’ Backbone.  Cut the tip of a shoot off, just above node, about 4-6” in length.  Remove lower flowers or leaves. Dip lower part of shoot into Rooting Hormone.  Prepare a small pot with premium potting mix or vermiculite.  With a pencil, make a long narrow opening in soil, place bottom on cutting in soil (1-2 nodes) and gently push soil up against stem.  Place in a warm spot with indirect light while it is rooting in.

Cane Cutting

This method works well for Dracaena and Corn Plants. Cut section of plant, several inches in length, remove all leaves, keep orientation correct (there is a top and bottom to the cutting) and place in potting media.  New foliage will emerge from stem.

Vining Plants

Vining types of Philodendron and Pothos can be easily propagated in water or soil; trim the vine into pieces (or use the end of a shoot), each one with two leaf nodes.  Leave one leaf on the node, and remove the bottom leaf.  This can then be placed into moist soil or a jar of water.  Within weeks of this, you will see a new shoot.  Pinch the new shoot back; this will encourage branching. 

Divide a Multi-Stem Plant

Remove plant from pot, find center or separation in the plant shoots.  Cut with a sharp, sterile, serrated knife.  Pot up immediately into container with moist potting mix a few inches larger than the clump.  Keep soil moist (do not over-water) for a few weeks while it is healing and rooting in.  Place out of direct light for a few weeks also.

Since plant divisions will  already have some roots, you can plant in regular lightweight soil-less mix, such as our Good Earth mix, as opposed to perlite or vermiculite.

Divisions are also different in that it may be necessary to divide your houseplants at some point, while cuttings are usually necessary, although they can rejuvenate a leggy plant.  Signs you may need to divide your houseplant include it being overgrown, roots growing aggressively through drainage holes, water runs straight through pot with little or no absorption when watered, plant being overcrowded by pups (new little baby plants, also called offsets), plant becomes topheavy or floppy, or the plant actually breaks the pot.  If one or more of these symptoms is occurring, you could also consider ‘bumping it up’, or potting in a larger pot. Generally speaking, only go up two inches in pot container at a time.

This is a good method for ZZ Plant, Peace Lily, Sansevieria, some Philodendron, Cast Iron Plant and Chinese Evergreen.

Leaf Cutting

African violets- remove leaf from existing plant, keeping at least 1” of stem length, place the stem in water (pot in soil as soon as roots appear) or in peat soil mix.

Succulents- break leaf off, wait 2-3 days until callus form, place on or slightly into peat based potting soil, watch new baby plant emerge from where it was broken off!

Sansevieria- remove leaf from existing plant, cut it into 2” long sections, keep plant orientation the same (key for rooting all cuttings), dip bottom in Rooting Hormone, and place into potting media.  New plants will form on sides of leaf sections.

This is a just a few; there are many other plants , such as rex begonia, that can be propagated from leaf cuttings.

Aerial Runners

Place small pots of potting media near existing plant with runners. Remove plantlet leaves as needed to get good contact with soil.  Use hairpin plantlets onto soil surface of small pots, once rooted cut new baby plants away from existing larger plant.  Or just remove the plantlet and pot up (may have a lower success rate with this method but it’s easier!)

Spider Plants, also called Airplane Plants can be propagated with this method.

Offsets

Some plants like Bromeliads form daughter plants after the mother plant has stopped blooming.  Separate (make sure they have formed own roots) and plant these up to create a whole new plant that will bloom after a time of establishment.

Water Vs Soil Method

Both work for some plants, more steps with water but you get to see the roots take off!

Caring for Your New Plant

Cuttings and developing plants will need more care; more even moisture and humidity.  Place them where they will not be forgotten.  Keep everything as sterile as possible; soil, pots, tools, etc.  Keep out of direct, bright light and keep them warm (Heated Mat).

Soft growth on tropical plants may wilt before getting rooted in.  Misting could help these plants get rooted faster.

Don’t fertilize until the roots are somewhat established.

And there you go; you have grown your plant family!

The post Growing Your Houseplant Family appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Let there be light

Having houseplants in your home is uplifting, and helps make a home cozy.  We want plants to soften our rooms and provide fresh air.

Lighting can play a big role in the placement of plants for our interiors, and it is interesting to note that the words used for outside areas are different than for growing inside.  Shade, part sun and full sun are often used to be a guideline for our flower beds and bright light, low light and indirect light are used for inside our homes.

We horticulturists don’t mean to be tricky or confusing, we just know that light levels change dramatically once we go inside.

Lets face it, when looking to add plants to our homes, we have a specific spot in mind.    We will  look at houseplant placement in such a way to come to an understanding how light levels can influence where you put them, your plants will thank you!

Far, Far Away

This is when you want to put your houseplants far, far away from windows.  Sometimes this works out and other times it doesn’t.  You can put a plant far away from a window, but it will need to be a low light because the light levels get dimmer as you cross a large room.

What if you have a whole wall of windows and you want to put your plant far away from them? Yes, that works, and you may be able to have more choices than just low light plants because of all the windows.  It will much brighter most likely than just one window.

An example of when this approach doesn’t work out is when you have a regular sized window and want to grow succulents far, far away from that window.

Consider this: are there trees outside shading that window, or an awning, or what if you never open the curtains?  If you answered yes to any of these you are most likely to need a plant with low light needs and will need to bring the plant much closer to the window. If the window faces north (which has the darkest light levels) and has trees blocking the light, you will need to put your low light plant as close to the window as possible.

You know that dark corner of the living room you want to “brighten” up with a plant? If you can’t sit there and read the newspaper then a plant won’t work there.  It’s called a dark corner for a reason, eh?

Low Light definition: North facing windows, windows with trees shading them, or far far away from a window can qualify as low light.  It would be difficult to read without the lights on.

Up Close and Personal

This is the other end of lighting where we place plants on window sills, plant stands or on end tables right in or next to the window.  Take note of just how much light is coming through.  Not all window light is equal, folks!  You might be asked which direction the window faces.  It can be a bit daunting especially for gardening newbies.  Generally speaking plants that need little to low sunlight needs can’t handle a window with blazing sun coming through it such as a south or west facing window.  It is sunny and hot! There are some plants that don’t mind this kind of spot one bit.  Perhaps you have a window in the kitchen where no sun comes through such as the north side of the house, can you put plants there? Sure, you betcha, some lovely low light plants will add some charm to that kitchen window.  But we all want to grow herbs in the kitchen, right?!  Will that work in that north, no light coming in window? Nope.  Remember that hot sunny south/west facing window where the sun pours in?  That will work.

High light or direct light definition: South facing windows provide the longest duration of bright light year round.  East and west windows also fall into high light/direct light. You can easily read sitting close to that window.

Neither here nor there

This category usually winds up being in the middle of room, or entryways leading to a different room. Maybe the spot you have isn’t 10 feet away from the light, but isn’t on the window sill either.  Indirect light is often used for these middle ground areas.  Indirect light is nice bright light coming through but with no actual sunlight hitting the leaves.  Maybe you have a bank of 5 windows in your living room, facing the morning sun on the east side of your home.  Well, that will most likely make the middle part of your home bright enough to put a plant on your coffee table.

Indirect light definition:  No sunlight hitting the plant directly.

Low Light plant suggestions are: Cast iron, Sansevieria, ZZ plant, Aglaonema(Chinese Evergreen) and Pothos.

Bright light: All the plants listed above plus Anthurium (personal fave), palms, peperomia and African violets.

Sunny windows: succulents, cacti, and herbs.  In the winter any blooming tropicals you might be overwintering such as jasmine, hibiscus, mandevilla.

Hey, breathe easy, literally because our houseplants do a lot for us, clean our air, spruce up a room and decrease our stress levels. I put my indoor plants outside in the shade for the summer and I am always  surprised how much I miss them.

The post Let There Be Light: Houseplant Lighting Explained appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Laurentii’

Keep reading this post to learn all about Sansevieria, also known as Mother-in-Law’s Tongue or Snake Plant. These common names actually refer to one of the most commonly seen forms, featuring long, flat sword-like leaves. There are many other varieties as well; details towards the end of this post.

Interesting fact, there is one common name for Sansevieria that you might not have heard before; Viper’s or Ceylon Bowstring Hemp.  This name was given due to the strength of the plant fibers that are, you guessed it, strong enough to make bow strings from. This common name is most aptly applied to the Zeylanica Sansevieria (picture further down in this post).

And now one more interesting fact; Sansevieria has now (2018) been included into the Dracaena genus due to molecular discoveries. In fact, the ‘Sansevieria is actually a Dracaena debate’ dates back to the 19th century. Who knew?! Our team will most likely take a while to absorb this recent adjustment, if we get used to it at all.

Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Black Dragon’

Lighting for Sansevieria

All of the Sansevierias readily available to be grown as houseplants or tropicals in our area share a few key characteristics.    Sansevierias are native to tropical western Africa, Madagascar and southern Asia and are winter hardy in Zones 10-12.  Although they are not winter hardy here in Arkansas, they make wonderful houseplants that can tolerate a variety of light conditions.

If you search online, you can find a variety of lighting recommendations, from low to bright light. The reason? They can tolerate almost any light level, including artificial light, although too much direct sun could cause foliage to burn.  For this reason, avoid placing them in direct afternoon sun outdoors or in south or west facing windows. Too little light can lessen the vibrancy of interesting leaf colors.

Having trouble figuring out how much light you have? Read our Let There Be Light: Houseplant Lighting Explained blog post.

Sansevieria zeylanica (this is the one that is called Bowstring Hemp)

Watering Sansevieria

And speaking of foliage or leaves, Sansevierias have distinct ones.  Thick stemless, water storing leaves, vary from species to species and may be tall and sword-shaped, narrow and flat, or even round.  All provide another key characteristic; drought tolerance. Sansevierias do not need much water to grow successfully. Water when soil has dried out; leaves will pucker slightly if very thirsty.

Conversely, watering too much can cause root rot. Plant in a pot with good drainage or if using a cache pot, remove plant to water then replace in cache pot once excess water has completely drained.

Not sure what a cache pot is? Read our Potting Up Houseplants post.

Sansevieria cylindrica ‘Starfish’

More Growing Tips for Sansevieria

Adding to this houseplants accurate reputation as an easy plant is the low feeding needs.  Fertilize Sansevierias every month during the growing season, from Spring to Fall.  Use half the recommended rate of a balanced houseplant fertilizer such as Bonide Liquid Plant Food.  As with all fertilizing, apply when plant is adequately hydrated and not water stressed.

For information on fertilization, read our Feeding Your Houseplant blog post.

Sansevieria will be planted in soil that drains well when you get them and when re-potting, use the same type.  We suggest either Ferti-Lome Cactus Soil or our Good Earth brand Professional Growing Mix. Using a heavy potting soil could more easily result in root rot.

Propagation of Sansevierias can be done by seed; yes, they flower and set seed!  But since they rarely do it when grown indoors and the plants themselves grow so slow, this isn’t usually a viable propagation method.  The usual methods of propagation include division of rhizomes (this being their method of growth) or by leaf cutting.

Sansevieria cylindrica (also known as dragon fingers or spear plant)

Sansevieria Varieties

Seems like there used to be only two or three available varieties, the long, sword-like green and silver and the long, sword-like green and silver with a yellow edge.  Now you can find all kinds of Sansevierias; we have included some images of several we carry throughout this article.  The differences are pretty obvious but as you can see, all have thick leaves. All are stemless. The main difference is leaf shape, leaf color, and growth habit.

The post All About Sansevieria appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Plan Ahead and Be Selective 

When it comes to “who” to bring inside, it’s best to plan ahead early before the need arrives to move your houseplants. One thing to consider when picking who stays out and who comes in, is the overall health of the plant. If your plant has been struggling to stay alive outdoors, bringing it indoors to low humidity, dry heat and low light levels will increase the stress on it and you. As difficult as saying goodbye to our green friends can be, it’s usually best to put struggling plants in the compost pile and move on. As you’re selecting the healthiest houseplants you’d like to bring indoors, make sure you also consider the size of the plants and the space they’ll be taking over in your house. Will the plant need to be transplanted into a smaller container? Do you have enough room in your kitchen or living room for the width and height of your plant? Will it be receiving enough natural sun or will it need supplemental light? These are just a few questions to consider as you’re picking who to bring indoors and who to let go!

When To Move

While Arkansas summers can tend to drag on, our weather can also jump all over the charts within one week and summer abruptly ends and fall begins! A general rule for bringing in sensitive houseplants is as the evenings start to drop to 50 degrees or cooler, it’s time to move them inside. Making the move indoors more gradual will help with climate shock. For the first few days of cooler temps, bring the container inside in the evening and move it back outside in the morning. Gradually increase the time the plant is indoors until it’s there full time.

Prepping Your Plants and Removing Pests 

An important first step when bringing outdoor plants back inside is to check for hitchhiking bugs and pests. Check for mold and moss on the exterior of your pot, if not transplanting into a new container, and inspect the plants for mealybugs, aphids, spider mites, scale and the like. These pests, if brought indoors, multiply rapidly and can infect other plants. Check the stems and leaves, and push around the top layer of soil to see if insects or pests appear. If you notice any unwanted mites and bugs, first hose down the plant thoroughly but gently then apply insecticidal soap or neem oil and let it dry to destroy pests and their eggs. If you notice any ants or small bugs living in the soil, you may want to either soak the soil to assess the severity of infestation or re-pot the plant completely. To check for pests by soaking, put the pot in a tub of lukewarm water for about 15 minutes and watch unwanted pests living in the soil scramble to the surface in search for air. You may want to re-pot your plant if ants or a numerous amount of small bugs appear.

Prepping The Space 

As “moving day” approaches, go about your home and decide ahead of time where each plant will be placed. By pre-determining the spaces your new guests will occupy, you can move furniture, purchase or build plant stands, and analyze how much light particular places get throughout the day. Placing plants that need full sun near south-facing windows and plants that only need partial sun in an east- or west-facing window, will help them thrive better in their new lighting situations. Most plants experience some yellowing of leaves and tend to drop a few as they transition indoors, this is normal! However, if they lose a significant amount of leaves within the first few weeks, you may need to consider moving them to or from a light source or away from a drafty area. Adding an artificial light source, such as a grow lamp, may also solve this problem if your plant was previously placed outdoors in a sunny location.

Watering

Proper watering of your plants is essential to their overall health! While outdoors, your plants dry out more frequently due to heat and intense sunlight, but when moved indoors, their watering needs will significantly decrease. One of the best ways to make sure you’re not over or underwatering your houseplants is with a moisture meter. Moisture meters are simple to use and excellent determiners of watering needs- we love them at the shop!

By following the steps above you can plan, prepare, and perform the move of your outdoor plants to the great indoors with confidence! Houseplants can add great texture and fun to your indoor space. If you need more tips and tricks to help your plants thrive, check out this previous post on houseplants from one of our gardening experts!

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Always wanted to learn how to grow Staghorn ferns?  We have been growing them for a long time; here are our carefully cultivated tips!

What is a Staghorn Fern?

There are over 12,000 species of ferns, which are one of the most ancient plants known.  Staghorn ferns used to be pretty difficult to find but as they have grown in popularity, they are much more readily available.

Fiddleleaf Figs, Snakeplant or Mother-in-Law’s Tongue and of course, Monstera are very trendy now too.  Each one has its own unique characteristics but one thing they all have in common is big leaves, which provide bold texture.  Check out those elongated, forked fronds (which is what fern leaves are called) that look like antlers… that is how this fun fern got its name. Those fronds are actually called antler fronds.  Staghorn ferns are epiphytes, plants that grows on other plants or structures for support.  Epiphytes are not parasitic; they get moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water and debris accumulating around them.  And yes, this is the plant often mounted onto a wooden plank with moss or burlap, a popular growing trend.

Staghorn ferns also grow well in hanging baskets such as the one pictured above.  The rounded, plate-like fronds are shield fronds that eventually dry and protect the plant roots.  If you have visited our hothouse in the cool season, or the pavilion in the warm season, you might have noticed a huge Staghorn fern hanging around.  This plant is now 15 years old, and the shield fronds have completely enveloped the original hanging basket it was planted in.

When growing Staghorn ferns on wooden plaques, avoid remounting the plants.  Instead, as the shield fronds creep towards the outside edges of the plaque, mound the original plaque onto a larger one, without disturbing the fronds or roots.

Proper watering for Staghorn ferns

The roots primarily function to keep the plant secured in place.  The fronds and the roots both absorb water.  This is important to remember when choosing a planting container and soil; drainage is key.  Applying too much water to the root system could result in root rot.  Because every growing situation is different, we cannot specify a watering schedule but a good rule of thumb would be to mist often, and water once a week in the warm season, once every few weeks in the cool season.  Modify this schedule for your particular growing situation as needed.  Reduce watering and misting when the ferns are in humid environments.

If antler fronds turn brown or black at the base, the plant may be getting too much water.  If fronds are turning brown on the tips and wilting, they may not be getting enough water.  Keep in mind that the shield fronds will turn brown naturally as they age, and the undersides of the antler fronds often have naturally occurring brown spores.  Neither is a reason for concern.  A Moisture Meter might be helpful as a training tool, until you get used to a watering schedule for your fern.  Learn more about Moisture Meters here.

Lighting for Staghorn ferns

Staghorn ferns are easy to grow; they like bright, indirect light and good drainage.  Avoid placing them in direct sun.  These ferns grow well in shady spots outdoors during the warm season.  When temperatures start dipping below 60 degrees, bring them indoors for the cool season.  They will be fine down to around 50 degrees but since forecasts can vary, we suggest bringing them in around 60 degrees to be safe.

Feeding your Staghorn fern

Young ferns benefit from regular fertilizer.  During the warm growing season, fertilize with a water soluble, balanced fertilizer each month.  Liquid Seaweed is always a good fertilizer for ferns.  Staghorn ferns do not grow as much during the cool season, fall and winter; reduce fertilizing to every 8 weeks during this time.  Mature plants grow just fine with only twice a year feedings.

Where to buy Staghorn ferns

Right here at The Good Earth!  We typically have them in a variety of sizes, from tiny terrarium size plants, all the way up to 14″ hanging baskets.  The smaller sizes, 2-6″ pots, work well for mounting on wood, while the hanging baskets are ready to hang and enjoy!

The post How to Grow Staghorn Ferns appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Silver Satin Pothos (Scindapsus pictus ‘Argyraeus’)

A Little Background on the Popular Arum Family Houseplants

Actually, we are going to talk about philodendrons and pothos plants; two of the most resilient houseplants to grow.  The most common forms of both are climbing or vining type plants.  In their native environments, philodendrons and pothos can be found climbing trees; when grown indoors, they climb or trail over tables, across shelves, and in windows.  Pothos plants can also be readily found growing on wooden posts; these are typically called totems.

Golden Goddess Philodendron

There are also upright growing philodendrons such as Xanadu, Split Leaf Philodendrons and the above pictured, Golden Goddess.  The VERY popular Monstera deliciosa plants used to be considered philodendrons but are technically not philodendrons. Monsteras are from Mexico, and known for their pineapple flavored fruit and large leaf and plant size.  Hence their botanical or scientific name, Monstera deliciosa.

Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera adansonii)

Monsteras are also known as the Swiss Cheese Plant, as are some Split Leaf Philodendrons.  All of these plants, philodendrons, pothos and monsteras are in the Arum (Araceae) family and are often called Aroids.

What does all this plant jargon mean?  In botanical terms, plants are grouped together first by Kingdom, then Division, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.  And there could also be what’s called a Cultivar, which is a cultivated variety of a plant.

Mini Ginny Monstera/ Philodendron (Rhaphidophora tetrasperma) which is actually not a Monstera OR a Philodendron but is in the Araceae family

What this boils down to is that all plants in the Arum family share similarities.  But, like any family, there can be a lot of contrasting characteristics too.  For example, even plants that are closely related, such as in the same plant family, could require very different growing conditions.  Fortunately, all of the Arum cousins we are talking about in this post, have similar growing needs.

Monstera deliciosa

Potting Soil for Philodendrons, Pothos and Monstera Plants

Each of these plants prefer well-drained soil.  We say that a lot, we know.  What is well-drained soil?  It’s a soil that can hold some water but will also allow water to be released.  Usually, these soils consist of at least some sphagnum moss and perlite, and possibly small particles of bark.  The perlite and bark break up the moisture absorbing moss, providing some air space and allowing water to flow through.  The Ferti-Lome Ultimate Potting Mix and our Good Earth brand Professional Growing Mix are both well-draining potting soils.

Neon Pothos (Epipremnum aureum ‘Neon’)

Poor-draining soils are much heavier and contain actual soil particles, unlike the soil-less potting mixes just mentioned.  When choosing a ‘potting soil’ for tropical and seasonal color containers, go with the lighter soil-less potting soil.  Besides being better for drainage, the lighter soil allows the small plant roots to grow and establish better.  And yes, potting ‘soil’ is a bit of a misnomer; it’s more accurate to say potting or growing ‘medium’ because the potting ‘soil’ may or may not contain actual soil.  While none of these plants mind being pot bound, they do like being repotted every few years.  We have a whole post about potting and repotting houseplants here.

Brasil Philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum ‘Brasil’)

But we digress! Keep reading, there is more to learn…

Green Congo Upright Philodendron (Philodendron ‘Congo’)

Watering and Feeding Philodendrons, Pothos and Monstera Plants

All of these can survive getting pretty dry but grow much better with even watering.  Allow soil to dry out slightly between waterings. Moisture Meters can help you figure out a watering schedule that works best for your plants.  Avoid letting these cousins sit in water. That may sound odd, given that they can be rooted in water (more on that below) but it’s true.  They don’t like to sit in soggy soil; plant in containers with good drainage, use one of the potting soils mentioned above and empty saucers within a few hours of watering.  Proper watering is key; check out this post for more tips on watering houseplants.

Philodendron, pothos and monsteras all benefit from regular fertilizer.  Visit this blog post for more information on properly fertilizing houseplants.

Prince of Orange Upright Philodendron (Philodendron ‘Prince of Orange’

Lighting for Philodendrons, Pothos and Monstera Plants

Bright, indirect light.  That is what many houseplants do best in, and these three are no exception.  Except… the philodendron and pothos with yellow, white or other color leaves need brighter light.  If they start to fade to a dull green, move them into a space with more light.  Solid green leaf varieties can withstand less light, or even just artificial light.  Learn more about houseplant lighting in this post.

Lemon Lime Philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum ‘Lemon’)

Looking Leggy?

Plants can get leggy over time.  For vines, this is when they have poor branching, and dwindle into a few long, spindly vines, with few leaves.  It can be hard to bring yourself to do it, but both philodendron and pothos vines benefit from pinching back or trimming off longer stems.  This will encourage more growth and branching from the base of the plant, keeping the plant more compact.  It’s still going to vine so don’t worry about that bit!

Marble Queen Pothos (Epipremnum aureum ‘Marble Queen’)

If your philodendron or pothos already has a long stem with limited foliage, both of these plants can be easily rooted.  Trim the vine into pieces, each one with two leaf nodes.  Leave one leaf on the node, and remove the bottom leaf.  This can then be placed into moist soil or a jar of water.  Within weeks of this, you will see a new shoot.  Pinch the new shoot back; this will encourage branching.

The post Philodendron Fun appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Over the past year, we have seen interest increase in old fashioned plants.  Many of these are considered pass along plants; plants that are long lived, easy to propagate and often shared with friends or future generations.  Gregg and Jeff talk about a few in this video, including African violets.

African violets are wonderful, easy care houseplants and can live 50 years or longer.  Taking leaf cuttings and growing new plants begins a new plant with a fresh lifespan.  The flower characteristics are the same on the new baby plant.  You can see why these make wonderful pass along plants!

Place your African violet in bright, indirect sun, in an indoor location away from drafts.  The plant can be left in the plastic grower pot for a while or repotted into an African violet pot. African violets pots are often self watering and watering from the bottom (placing water in a saucer to be absorbed as needed by the plant) is one of the most popular watering techniques. If choosing a planter that isn’t specifically for African violets, choose a more shallow planter.  Deeper planters can hold too much moisture close to roots, which can cause root rot.

They can also be watered from the top, just avoid getting water on leaves.  Water enough to keep the soil moist but not soggy. Leach the soil three to four times a year to wash away excess salts.  Leaching is the process of drenching the soil thoroughly with water until the soil is totally saturated, and letting excess water drain away.  Salts can also build up on the rim and sides of clay pots so wipe them down every few months as well.  Leaves that rest on salt covered rims can wilt and die.

Growing African violets in temperatures close to 70 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal, but they can do alright in temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees.  Fertilize with liquid African violet food; it contains the right ratio of nutrients needed for the plant.  Follow application instructions on fertilizer label.

Propagating African Violets

It’s simple to propagate African violets; Gregg shows how in the video above.  Take leaves off the plant, cut leaf stem at a 45 degree angle, put in soil-less mix and within a few weeks, it should be growing roots. If the leaf is large, you can trim off the top by 30% or so.  This will encourage faster rooting.  Use a soil that contains no actual soil, just a mix of sphagnum peat moss, perlite, and/ or vermiculite.  Cover the potted leaf with a clear plastic bag and place in a bright area without any direct sun to keep it from drying out or burning. This increased humidity can speed up the rooting process. Water as needed to keep moist but not soggy wet. Over time, one or more little plantlets will form around the cut leaf and after 4-5 months, the can be separated and re-potted.

Other plants that are easy to propagate and are long lasting include pothos, philodendron, devil’s backbone, airplane or spider plant and Christmas cactus.

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