Humidity is a form of water, and water is critical for plant growth. We can all sense high and low humidity, but what effect do these extremes have on plants? How does a gardener control humidity to help plants grow well?
Let’s clarify the misunderstandings and myths about providing humidity for plants.
I have been growing orchids for over 40 years, and at one point, I grew over 1,000 orchids. Whenever I was asked about the best orchid pot, I responded with the same answer. Any green plastic pot will work just fine. If it had a raised bottom with drainage holes at the bottom rim (azalea pot), to allow better water drainage, that would be better, but any pot will work.
That answer is still correct. We know that because most hobbyists use that kind of pot.
However, there is some new research that suggests a clear pot may be better. Let’s have a look at what the new science says.
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It used to be very common to add drainage material, such as rocks, Leca, or clay pot shards in the bottom of pots for added drainage. Then it was claimed that this is a myth and it does not work. But then some new science this year upsets everything by showing drainage material may actually work.
Should a gardener use drainage material? What kind of material works best?
Watering may be the hardest part of growing streptocarpus well. Not because they are difficult to water but because there is a lot of confusion and misinformation about their care. The goal of this post is to describe some watering experiments and provide clarity about watering.
Gardeners make repotting more complicated than it needs to be and in the process, they have created all kinds of myths about the process. It’s time to simplify repotting and bust the myths around it.
Streptocarpus seeds are some of the tiniest you will ever sow but they are also very easy to germinate if you follow these simple instructions.
Streptocarpus are becoming popular houseplants and for good reason. They are relatively easy to grow, they don’t need high light and they bloom all year long in the right conditions.
How much light do they need?
Ideal conditions for Streptocarpus are at or above these values:
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There are so many types of fertilizer that it’s hard to know which one to use. Which NPK ratio is best? Is one brand better than another? Organic vs synthetic. Soluble vs slow release. This all seems so complicated, but in this post, I will simplify the whole process of selecting the best fertilizer.
Watering indoor plants seems to be one of the most complicated things for new gardeners to learn, which is surprising since it’s really simple. The problem is that a lot of the information out there makes the subject complicated and it gives new gardeners bad advice.
In this post I am going to give you some simple rules that work for any houseplant and makes watering easy. I’ll help you decide when to water and show you the best way to do it.
Everyone loves poinsettias at Christmas but are they toxic to cats and dogs? What about people? Many websites include the plant on their “toxic Christmas plants list.
It is winter, and time to close up our homes to keep the heat in and the cold winds out. It is also the perfect time to buy some more houseplants because, if you believe all of the headlines, they will purify the air in your home. This is especially important during the winter months when we keep the doors and windows shut.
Do plants purify the air in our home?
Google showed almost 4 million hits when I asked this question. The good news is that the top of the list shows my previous blog post – and it answers the question correctly. Almost all of the other 4 million hits give the wrong answer.
The first hybrid streptocarpus was released in 1946 and since then hundreds of new cultivars have been developed and yet few people are familiar with them. I predict that will change. Streps are easy to grow house plants that can flower all year long. What other house plant gives you that much star power in a small package? They are even better than orchids because they flower more and are easier to take care of.
However, even this lesser-known houseplant has started to generate some gardening myths. Let’s have a look at some here.
