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Quick Care Tips For Featured Plants - Page 01
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Houseplants purify the air we breathe and add colour, style and the soothing touches of nature to our indoor environments. With all the numerous benefits of indoor gardening, it’s no wonder many of us crave a little greenery inside our homes. And because we want those precious indoor plants to grow and flourish under our care, it’s important to learn as much as possible about them.

'Quick Care Tips' pages, starting with page one, have been created to provide some quick care tips for specific plants to help you become a little more familiar with them and their needs. The latest additions will always be added to the top of page one. When the page fills up with information for fifteen plants, the plants listed will be shifted to the subsequent page and page one will be started all over again.

Select a plant from the drop down menu, scroll down when many plants are listed, or visit another ‘Quick Care Tips’ page: - 01 - 02 - 03 -


ALPINIA ZERUMBET VARIEGATA - VARIEGATED SHELL GINGER
Care Level: Challenging
Light: Bright - Direct
Water: Keep Evenly Moist
Humidity: Above Average
Temperature: Average / Warm
Hydroculture: Excellent Choice
Alpinia Zerumbet Variegata – Variegated Shell Ginger
This plant with stunning yellow and green variegated foliage makes a great houseplant if grown in humid conditions with adequate light and proper watering. While it tolerates a wide range of light conditions, it prefers bright light, including some sun, for optimal growth. Pot it up in a well-draining soil and keep it moist at all times; the leaves of this plant will brown on the edges if the medium is allowed to dry out. With proper care, this plant makes a gorgeous addition to any interior.

Learn more: Alpinia Zerumbet Variegata – Variegated Shell Ginger



FITTONIA VERSCHAFFELTII – RED NERVE PLANT
Care Level: Intermediate
Light: Medium
Water: Keep Evenly Moist
Humidity: Above Average
Temperature: Average / Warm
Hydroculture: Excellent Choice
Fittonia Verschaffeltii – Red Nerve Plant
This is not the easiest plant to grow indoors, but with its ability to tolerate low light very well, and continue to look good, it deserves an honourable mention. This is an extremely attractive plant with its oval, olive green leaves that are veined with shades of pink. What makes this Fittonia challenging is its need for very high humidity, which is often difficult to provide in the average home.

Keep the soil evenly moist at all times during the spring and summer seasons; never allow the plant to dry completely. Reduce watering in the winter when growth slows down. Fittonias need to be kept warm. Avoid cold drafts, temperature fluctuations and rooms that are too cool. With its need for ample humidity, unless you can provide it in another way, consider growing this plant in a terrarium or bottle garden.

Learn more: Reconnecting With A Fittonia



CHLOROPHYTUM ORCHIDIASTRUM - FIRE FLASH
Care Level: Easy
Light: Bright, Indirect
Water: Keep Evenly Moist
Humidity: Average
Temperature: Average / Warm
Hydroculture: Excellent Choice
Chlorophytum orchidiastrum 'Fire Flash'
Bearing a beautiful rosette of broad and shiny, dark green leaves that contrast with the bright orange petioles and midveins, ‘Fire Flash’ gives its well-known relative Chlorophytum comosum a run for its money; it’s undeniable that this new kid on the block is much more colourful and certainly more ornamental.

Fire Flash will tolerate low light for quite some time but will eventually begin to deteriorate, so choose a location that offers bright, indirect light; avoid hot, midday sun. Use a fast-draining, airy medium that retains some moisture without staying soggy. Keep it evenly moist during the active growing season from spring to early fall; reduce watering in the winter but do not allow the soil to dry out completely. This is a terrific candidate for hydroculture; wash the roots free of soil and pot the plant in the clay medium. Conversion is rapid and fairly painless; succulent water roots will develop within 3 – 4 weeks, possibly a little longer.

Although dry air seems to be handled fairly well, I would recommend levels between 40 – 50 percent, if possible. Temperatures between 18°C (65°F) to 29°C (85°F) are fine. ‘Fire Flash’ will endure cooler levels, but exposure to very low temperatures should be limited. If the plant gets too cold, unsightly black patches will develop on the leaves and their tips. Feed once a month with a liquid fertilizer that is diluted to half strength. A weaker solution is wiser because over-feeding will also lead to black leaf tips and margins.

Learn more: Fire Flash - New Leafy Kid On The Block



APHELANDRA SQUARROSA - ZEBRA PLANT
Care Level: Intermediate
Light: Bright, Indirect
Water: Keep Evenly Moist
Humidity: Above Average
Temperature: Average / Warm
Hydroculture: Excellent Choice
Aphelandra Squarrosa - Zebra Plant
This lovely plant, grown for its interesting (and unusual) flower display for about six weeks and for its decorative foliage thereafter, requires a little added effort to keep it happy and healthy. One of its most important care requirements is ample humidity. Average levels will be tolerated for awhile but high humidity is preferred – and crucial.

Use a highly-porous, fast-draining soil and keep it evenly moist but never soggy. Reduce watering around midwinter when your plant takes a much-needed rest; keep the soil barely moist but never allow it to dry out completely. To convert to hydroculture, wash roots free of soil, pot in clay pellets, provide ample humidity, protect from direct sunlight and keep warm. Water roots will form within a few weeks (4 – 6). Transplant after the flowering period ends.

Choose a location that offers bright, indirect light; a well-lit area is needed to encourage flower formation. Never expose to the summer’s hot, midday sun, which can burn the plant’s leaves. Direct sunlight is not recommended but a little early morning or late afternoon sun in an east or west facing location is handled very well.

Ideal temperatures are between 18°C (65°F) and 21°C (70°F) while the plant is actively growing; exposure to cold will cause the plant to drop its leaves. During the rest period, a cooler, shadier spot where the temperature is as low as (but never below) 13ºC (55°F) is preferred, but it’s not compulsory. Feed once a month at full strength, or every two weeks at half strength in spring and summer. Do not fertilize while the plant is resting.

Learn more: Aphelandra squarrosa - Zebra Plant



VRIESEA SPLENDENS - FLAMING SWORD
Care Level: Easy
Light: Bright, Indirect
Water: Water Moderately
Humidity: Average
Temperature: Average / Warm
Hydroculture: Excellent Choice
Vriesea Splendens – Flaming Sword
This stylish, low-maintenance plant can handle some morning sun but does best when placed away from direct sunlight in a brightly lit spot. Average room temperatures between 15°C (60°F) to 24°C (75°F) are fine and humidity levels of 40 to 60 percent are preferable, but not easily attainable. Increase humidity by adding a humidifier near your plant or by placing it on a pebble tray.

Pot up your plant in a porous soil that drains well, water it when it dries out considerably and then water thoroughly. You can also water this Bromeliad exclusively through its funnel of leaves and eliminate the soil entirely by growing it attached to driftwood. Keep the tank (cup) filled with water, flush it every 1 – 2 months and refill with fresh water.

Convert to hydroculture; this plant is a prime candidate for the system. As an epiphyte, the Vriesea Splendens does not require any type of soil, making it a prime candidate for this alternative growing method. Conversion is very quick and completely painless – for you and the plant.

Learn more: Vriesea Splendens – Flaming Sword



PACHYPODIUM LAMEREI - MADAGASCAR PALM
Care Level: Easy
Light: Bright - Direct Sun
Water: Water Infrequently
Humidity: Not Critical
Temperature: Average / Warm
Hydroculture: Excellent Choice
Pachypodium Lamerei - Madagascar Palm
An unusual specimen with a thick, spiny trunk covered with thorns and leaves that form only at the top like a palm tree, this succulent is great for beginners with its undemanding nature. Snatch one up when it becomes available at a local greenhouse because, although quite popular, these beautiful plants are not always easy to find.

Grow in a porous, well-draining soil to avoid over-watering. During the summer, keep the plant slightly damp, never soggy; during the winter keep it almost dry. Provide as much light as possible, bright to full sun all year round. Feed every 3 – 4 weeks during the spring and summer seasons; do not feed during the winter months. Humidity is not an issue; the plant can tolerate dry air very well.

This palm-like oddity is an outstanding performer in hydroculture. If you decide to convert from soil to pellets, handle with great care when transplanting to avoid being stabbed by the long, needle-sharp thorns. Conversion is fairly quick; water roots may form anywhere within 2 – 4 weeks. There will be minimal leaf loss due to stress but it will be replaced by new growth in next to no time.

Learn more: Lamerei - Madagascar Palm

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