Plants

[laceblade]

I haven't had much luck with plants. I made some type of succulent plant last for about a year, from Trader Joe's, before it died. I have a lucky bamboo plant, but that's slowly dying as well, and I'm not sure how to spruce it up.

Undaunted, though, I went to the UW plant sale yesterday and purchased an English Ivy plant and a Pink Polka Dot Plant. None of those pictures really do the pink polka dot plant justice. Mine has green leaves and brilliant red spots, almost neon.

Anyway, so I'm looking for advice.

Both plants came in plastic planter thingies....Am I supposed to take them out of the plastic and put them in a pot? Or keep them in the planter and just rest it inside of a pot?

The pink polka dot is supposed to get "bright indirect light." What the hell does that mean? Set it on top of my bookshelf near the window? Or elsewhere in my apartment where light sort of reaches eventually?

Am I supposed to use fertilizer, in addition to watering them? I'm already planning on getting a spray bottle so that I can "mist" the red polka dot.

Oh yeah, and what does "pinch back to prevent legginess" mean? Is a plant leggy if it grows to tall? Does pinching it mean snapping a stem with my fingers instead of cutting it with a scissors?

Comments

[sasha-feather.livejournal.com]

I'd replant them, and place them near your window. I use Miracle Grow or similar potting soil, which comes with fertilizer in it. Make sure the pots you use have drainage holes in the bottom--that's extremely important. That way, you can't over-water them, and it prevents mold from growing in the soil. I probably have some extra pots and soil in my closet, which you can certainly have. I do use fertilizer when watering, but only once every couple of months.

The pink polka dot plant can bolt; that'll be obvious to see if it happens. The stems get reeeeeally long and have few leaves on them. then you can pinch the stems back with your fingernails or use a scissors.

[mystickeeper.livejournal.com]

Okay, so if the pot has drainage holes in the bottom, do I just slip one pot inside of another one? I don't want dirty water leaking all over my shelves!

I'll look into buying some Miracle Grow. I'd love a small pot for the pink polka dot plant. owlface1 also offered a pot, so maybe we can talk about it tonight at Wiscon book club.

[britrock37.livejournal.com]

If the pot has drainage holes, I usually get a plate or a tray (or the throw away gladware) and put the pot inside it. That way, when you water it, the water can get out the holes, but it has a container so it doesn't get all over your shelf/window/table/whatever.

A good thing to remember is that really it's hard to get a pot that's too big for a plant (they'll eventually grow to their surroundings), but if a pot is too small the plant will be unhappy.

Yours should be relatively easy (esp. in a south window), but yeah, make sure to keep up on the watering. But! Don't overwater them.....that's always my problem initially. I'd check them every few days or so to see if the soil is still moist (beneath the surface). If so, it can probably wait a few more days. If not, give it a little more water and check it again until you figure out how long it takes for the soil to get dry. Depending on the atmosphere in your apartment, it may be 2-3 days, it may be a week.

[sasha-feather.livejournal.com]

Most good pots have drainage holes and also a little tray (like a saucer) that the pot sits in. This saucer may or may not be attached to the pot itself. I also, like britrock, use gladware under pots. It doesn't look great but it works and protects your furniture.