I’d like to take this opportunity to show off my very full pilea peperomiodes. I’ve mistreated her over the years but she’s bounced back.
I’m afraid my care tips are quite dull (though I have a full guide to pilea peperomiodes here):
- Don’t let it dry out for too long (but also wait until it’s basically dry before watering
- Fertilise it regularly – like, every other time you water
- Bright light – this is a south-facing window, though she has some protection from that curtain
Also, the main plant has a very long, bare stem. The babies filled in the bottom. Don’t worry if you’re look really top heavy – mine used to too. Once you get into the routine of caring for it regularly, the babies will just show up and grow super quickly.
Those of you with Hoya bella blooms – I have a tip.
Ok, it’s not really a tip for Hoya care – it’s more a self-care tip to stop you from throwing your plant out of the window.
It is this: every day (or every couple of days), give your plant a gentle but firm shake to remove any dead flowers. Then vacuum them up. If you leave them to their own devices they will drop one flower per hour so there’s always a sad pile of spent flowers beneath it.
This scindapsus pictus exotica has really got its rear in gear and look at the size difference between the newest leaf and the previous one! I have like four vines going on this plant and thye’re all doing the same thing.
It needs a Kratiste pole asap – it has a moss pole (you can see it in the background in the picture on the left) but I don’t moisten it frequently enough so it’s not really doing anything.
Again, this is just down to watering it regularly (like, weekly. The pole needs dampening daily which is why I’m, er, not), feeding it every couple of waterings, and decent light.
The light is probably key. It’s getting a LOT of indirect light, because it’s about two metres from a north-facing window and four from a south-facing window.
I switched my Philodendron Golden Dragon with my peace lily because the dragon needed more light. The peace lily is now in essentially the same position as the Scindapsus but the floor below, so she’s ok with the indirect light.
The Golden Dragon is now getting a LOT of east facing light and he seems happier.
I’ve taken yet more cuttings of my Golden Dragon because his growth was so wild. I was having issues with him producing two small leaves instead of one big one, and apparently, that’s a sign that he’s maturing. It seems a shame to cut him back, but he was growing everywhere.
I’ve been propagating the cuttings in a south-facing window and aiming to change the water every day (but realistically, it’s like four/five times a week) and the roots have come in SO MUCH FASTER.
I knew they would, because I’ve experimented with the frequency of changing propagation water before, but it’s still incredible how much of a difference it makes.
Click & Grow very kindly sent me one of their systems, and whilst there are a few things that I think Aerogarden do better, I’m really, really happy with it. I think it looks nicer, you can fit more plants in it, and I like how simple it is.
If you’re just after a few herbs that you add water to every so often, this is definitely the easiest system out there, and you don’t need to worry about the height of the light, nutrients or anything like that.
And I love being able to pick fresh lettuce for my sandwiches.
MY ORCHID HAS BLOOMED
I am very excited. I feel like I’m cheating when I take care of it, because I just fill its jar up with water when I water my plants, and empty it when I’ve finished (or later that evening – whenever I remember). No substrate or anything. I love it. AND IT LOVES ME. BECAUSE IT FLOWERED.
I will leave you this week with this picture of my Monstera root. I have no idea what it’s doing, but it seems healthy, so who cares?
(I’m guessing it’s an offshoot from one of the aerial roots nearby that I’ve directed into the soil, and it was like ‘er, no, I’m an aerial root’).
If you needed this reminder, here it is: go and water your plants. Consider wiping them over with a microfiber cloth.
