Heirloom Houseplants: What to Propagate for Generations

By Molly Gaines, CSU Extension – Denver Master Gardener since 2019

Begonia in the Cozens family since the late 1800s. Photo: Molly Gaines

On a recent visit to the Cozens Ranch Museum in Fraser, a red and green-leafed begonia in a windowsill, flooded with afternoon sunlight, caught my eye. I walked over for a closer look, and a sign next to the plant shared its special history. It was propagated from an angel wing begonia plant that had been in the Cozens’ family since the late 1800s! 

In the late 1990s, when my husband and I were moving into our first home, my husband’s grandma gave us a cutting from her pothos plant. We’ve had that plant now for 25 years, and we’ve propagated countless other plants from its cuttings for our home and as gifts for friends and family. While arguably more pedestrian than an angel wing begonia, it’s special to us since it came from someone we dearly love.

Generational Plant Ideas

Are you interested in nurturing a special heirloom plant, one that tells a story and can be passed down through your family for generations? If so, below are a few good options. For a detailed list of plants that are easy to propagate, along with propagation methods for various house plants, read this wonderful article from Iowa State Extension. Of course, videos are a terrific way to learn various propagation methods, and you’ll find an abundance of them through a quick YouTube search.

Pothos

Because it is so simple to grow and easy to propagate, pothos is an excellent heirloom plant choice, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension. It can survive in a variety of environments, making it a good option for young adults who are likely to move from place to place. It does like filtered light, rather than direct, and well-aerated soil. Through the years, I’ve propagated too many to count. And my own kids have beautiful plants from these cuttings that they can someday place in their homes. Our pothos will always make us think about my husband’s special grandmother, Neva.

Pothos cutting waiting to sprout. Photo: Molly Gaines

Spider Plant or Airplane Plant

Like pothos, spider plant is great for beginners and thrives in indirect sunlight with water as needed, according to the individual plant’s dryness. According to CSU Extension, spider plants have the added benefit of cleansing a home of toxic gases. They quickly outgrow their pots, requiring frequent dividing and repotting. These plants live an average of 20 years. 

Christmas Cactus

While you may not be ready to think about Christmas cactus in February, keep this plant in mind next December. It can be a festive heirloom that makes the holiday season feel even more special. Christmas cactus can live to be more than 100 years old! 

According to the University of Minnesota Extension, these plants do require considerable attention for optimal blooms and growth. They are “short-day plants,” which means they produce flower buds as daylight decreases in the winter months. Christmas cactus like cool nighttime temperatures. 

Pothos, the plant that keeps on giving. Photo: Molly Gaines

Jade Plants

Similar to Christmas cactus, jade plants can live for a long time, 50-100 years. These plants are simple to propagate, making them ideal for gifting or passing down to others. Easy to grow, jade prefers full to partial sun, a south-facing window, and at least four hours of direct sunlight daily. That said, I’ve had a fairly healthy jade plant for a decade that is rootbound, only receives indirect sunlight, and sits in a north-facing window. Jade should be planted in a succulent potting mix and watered only when soil is dry, according to Penn State Extension. 

Root-bound jade plant that would be healthier in more direct light. Photo: Molly Gaines

I’ve offered a few ideas here for plants to pass along, but there are many more. As someone who loves plants, I like the thought of some of my special plants finding a home with my grandkids yet-to-be. Just as we pass down special jewelry, dishes and other items, houseplants can serve as special reminders of memories and people we hold close to our hearts. They are a way for us to remember the generations of family who came before us. Do you already have a special plant in your home that you could propagate for future generations?

As always, we’re grateful to you for reading our blog. CSU is available with gardening advice at the CSU Extension Yard and Garden website.

How to Select and Pamper Your Houseplants this Winter

By Lori Williams, CSU Extension – Denver Master Gardener since 2016

Orchid in full bloom at Denver Botanic Gardens. Photo: Lori Williams

Houseplants are so lovely and offer a nice spot of green during the Colorado winter. Almost everyone, and certainly gardeners, can find them an enjoyable extension of outdoor gardening. Be it herbs in a kitchen window, plants brought in from summer’s patio to overwinter, or the many varieties that prefer an all-year indoor existence, research shows several health benefits of houseplants, including:

• Improve employee focus and reduced sick days in the workplace.
• Reduce fatigue and boost indoor air quality.
• Lift spirits – pops of color from seasonal plants such as amaryllis or orchids can help beat the winter blues.

As with all plants, houseplants subscribe to the maxim: Right plant, right place. Many who are convinced they have a brown thumb can work through the following simple steps, find their right plant within their (right) place and achieve success. It’s not magic, complicated, or mysterious. Promise.

TIPS FOR HOUSEPLANT SUCCESS

Proper lighting is most important. Evaluate your space and select plants that will work. Find tips for evaluating light quality here.

Most houseplants like household temps that most people like, basically around 70℉.

Some plants need more humidity than typically found indoors, so grouping those together on pebble lined trays and adding water to below the top of pebbles increases the relative humidity.

Watering is unique to each plant: Overwatering kills as many plants as under watering.  Plant tags and a quick google search can explain your plant’s preference. Grouping plants with similar watering needs together helps water accordingly. An inexpensive houseplant water meter is a handy tool, too.

Monitor consistently for pest and/or disease (and while shopping for them, too).  Look under leaves for yellowing or leaf loss. Discovering new growth can happen here, too!

Fertilize seasonally, usually during active growing months from April through September.

SELECTING HOUSEPLANTS

If you are new to houseplants, find help selecting the best ones for your lighting and skill level. This webinar is absolutely wonderful for explaining the science behind happy houseplants and selecting the right plant for your place.  

Once you’ve got a handle on the light in your space, it’s on to the fun part: Make a wish list of suitable plants and go strolling through your favorite local garden center. Enjoy the immersion in the elevated oxygen of the greenhouse, ask their staff questions, and peruse the gorgeousness you will find. 

Aesthetically, it’s fun to mix up plant structures – tall and reedy, soft and velvety, draping growth habitat, foliage colors. Are you wanting something that blooms? Violets, bromeliads, or cyclamens might be the ticket. Or is self-sufficiency key? Sansevieria, pothos, schefflera or succulents are rewarding lower maintenance options.

Another tip is to inspect plants before you buy by checking under the leaves and at the soil line. Sometimes creepy crawlies sneak their way in to even the most professional greenhouses!  

Boston fern, schefflera, and sansevieria on spa day. Photo: Lori Williams

WINTER TLC

Regardless of the time of year, all houseplants need a little TLC. During winter months, with non-melting snow, dreary skies and almost freezing temps projected for days – houseplant pampering can perk up plants and us – their peeps! Here’s how I do it:

• Gather the basics: Gloves, clippers, potting mix, a small fork or chopstick, fertilizer, watering can, and a bowl of water to keep any clippings hydrated for propagation.
• Collect plants in the shower or tub and gently spray or splash off the mid-winter dust.  It’s a nice humidity boost for them, too.
• Soak soil thoroughly and let the container drain. Clip, pluck or pinch off dead, diseased, or discolored matter. If the foliage is looking a bit limp or weak you can fertilize lightly with half strength of your favorite brand.
• Inspect plants for disease and pests. If any are present, you’ll find remedies here.
• This is a good time to select plant parts for propagating and prune to reshape foliage. Check out good tips here.
• Gently disturb the top 1” of container’s soil and apply a top dressing of potting mix. Depending on your plant’s preferred growing conditions, this can also be a good time to repot root bound varieties.
• Return the plant to its home. Every few weeks, rotate the plant so it receives even light on all sides.
• Dispose of diseased matter rather than composting it to avoid spreading the disease further. Compost temps need to reach at least 150℉ to kill pathogens which is a struggle for home compost bins to reach during winter months.

TLC for Asparagus fern – though fluffy looking, it is surprisingly thorny. Use gloves! Photo: Lori Williams

Houseplants offer a verdant element to our homes and workplaces. They are as varied and interesting as the people who share them!

Colorado Garden Calendar – December 2022

Photo: Jodi Torpey

By Linda McDonnell, CSU Extension – Denver Master Gardener since 2013

Gardening slows down in December but doesn’t stop completely. There’s still time to finish some chores from our November list, so be sure to revisit it. For the next few months, prioritize winter watering during dry spells to ensure healthy plants next year.

December’s also a great time to enjoy indoor plants, appreciate nature’s seasonal beauty, and start thinking about next year’s garden.

Here’s a run-down of tasks and activities for December.

Trees, Shrubs, and Perennials

• Winter watering is essential to long-term plant health – make it a point to water during four-week dry stretches. To ensure proper absorption, water early in the day when temperatures are above forty degrees. This post offers excellent advice on when, why, and how much to water – and photos of the impact of too little moisture.
• To help with moisture retention, replenish mulch in areas that have gotten thin.
• Shake snow from bent tree limbs and branches to avoid breakage and lightly prune any broken limbs to avoid further damage.

Compost

• Continue adding green and brown materials to your compost bin. Since decomposition is slower in cold temperatures, break your materials into smaller pieces to speed up the process. The University of New Hampshire offers more winter composting tips here.

Thanksgiving cactus approaching its fourth decade & going strong. Photo: Linda McDonnell

Houseplants

• Winter is the dormant season for non-blooming indoor plants. Reduce watering, stop fertilizing, and keep them away from drafts for the next few months.
• Increase humidity around your plants. Ignore popular advice to mist with a spray bottle – to make an impact you’d need to mist for hours on end! Instead, group plants together on a pebble-lined tray and add water to just below the top of the pebbles.
• Check regularly for pests such as mealy bugs and spider mites. If present, treat and quarantine the infected plant. Find remedies here.
• ‘Tis the season for holiday plants and live Christmas trees. Here are some helpful links to keep them at their best: Keeping the Ho Ho Ho in Holiday Plants, Tips for Caring for Your Christmas Tree, A Year in the Life of an Amaryllis, and Christmas Cactus Care.

Celebrate, Inspire, and Explore

• The winter solstice arrives on December 21^st. In the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the day when the sun is at its lowest height at noon as well as the shortest day of the year. Starting the next day, we’ll gain about two minutes of daylight daily till June 21^st. Yippee!
• Share your enthusiasm for gardening with a child – find a few activities here or wander the library aisles to find an inspiring book on plants or nature.
• Check out 2023 seed introductions from your favorite growers. It’s time to start scheming and dreaming about next year’s garden.

As always, CSU is available to help with gardening advice at the CSU Extension Yard and Garden website. We hope you’ll visit often.

We’ll be back in two weeks with our last post of the year. Until then, enjoy all the season brings.

Outside to Inside – Hardening Off Houseplants

By Lori Williams, CSU Extension-Denver Master Gardener since 2016

Bringing houseplants in from gardens is all about timing. Reverse planning from outside to inside starts with your area’s average first frost date. Denver’s average FFD is roughly September 15^th! Colorado summers can have a long wind down or be very abrupt, either way the goal is to avoid shocking houseplants or worse, letting them suffer damage or freeze due to temps they can’t withstand. It’s best if plants have time to “harden off”, meaning they adapt from warm days to the interior temp of your home, with less cold night exposure.

A wonderful friend and esteemed gardener I know diligently lines up houseplants for thorough garden hose spray downs for 2-3 weeks, horticultural oil applied the next week, all with time allowed for sitting and drying or airing out. Then and only then are plants welcomed back inside the house. 

I respect the time management, scheduling expertise, and TLC regimen and strive for such skills and discipline! However, down to my toes I know I am amazingly less organized and reactionary in my garden.  Last night’s a great example: windows wide open I woke to grab a quilt at 3am, the fresh air was so (deliciously) chilly! This morning my first thought: get the houseplants ready to come inside before it’s too cold at night. Waa laa – the planning committee just hit town!

I use the following steps, completed in a production line, that can usually be completed in a couple of hours. This year, with 17 houseplants outside, in a range of sizes, I got them processed in about 2 hours, including time when plants were soaking or draining. Big plants can need 2 people to move, but overall, it’s a manageable job solo.

Here’s how to get your plants looking sharp and bug-free:

1. Watch weather forecasts for predicted temps and storms then pick a day when you have time and go for it.
2. Group plants in shaded warm area, shooing away Daddy Longlegs as you go. Pick a spot where you can get them saturated and they can also drain.  If they haven’t seen direct sun all summer, now is not the time to let them boldly sit in it as leaves easily scorch. 

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  Houseplants ready for their turn at soaking /debugging. Photo by Lori Williams

3. Quick-clean plants of dried leaves and debris.  With a hose spray plants and pots from every angle to knock off dirt, dust, cobwebs, debris, buggy-spidey-like things that hang on foliage. Up-spray undersides of leaves.  Delicate plants? Adjust hose pressure or use a spray bottle.
4. Run enough water in a kiddy pool, garbage can, or bathtub to submerge containers; a tarp, drop cloth and towels can also be useful.  Add a small amount of soap to water (detergents or degreasers can damage or kill sensitive plants), I like Dr Bronner’s castile soap.  You can use diluted insecticidal soap for this step, too.
   

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  Ficus tree enjoying the end of season clean up. Photo by Lori Williams

5. Fully submerge each container (for tall pots set in water, splash water in pot until water sits on top of soil). Soak 10-15 minutes until no more bubbles come up from soil.  Now the soil’s completely hydrated and in turn should drown little buggy organisms (instant in-pot composting, right?). Gently wash all non-submerged leaves, stems and branches with soapy water while the pot soaks by splashing water over the plant. It’s also an easy time to wipe down container’s sides, rim and bottom so it’s house-clean.

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  Shade cloth cones in handy if, say, midstream on soaking time, the sun comes out & the shade recesses while you’re blogging. Photo by Lori Williams

6. After thoroughly soaked, remove container and let it drain. Gently spray plant & container with hose until soap-free.  Pleas no direct sun during this step, either, as water sitting on leaves magnifies the sun’s impact. While plants are still outside, rough up top 1-2” of soil and add fresh potting soil. My favorite tool for this is a cocktail fork.  It’s tiny enough to not damage roots, sturdy enough to get the job done. Plants that are root-bound can be up-potted at this time.

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  After the last spray down these plants are almost ready to go back inside for fall & winter. Photo by Lori Williams

After completing the steps, protect your plants and effort. Mud rooms, covered porches, and garages are made for this. From there plants can be moved out during warm daytime temps and back in overnight for a couple days – truly ‘hardening’ them ‘off’.  

Additional resources:

Sunburned House Plants

Bringing House Plants Inside

Putting the Garden to Bed: End-of-Season Advice

Meet the Garden Squad—Gardening Help at the Denver Botanic Gardens

Meet the Garden Squad is a way to get better acquainted with some of our CSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers.

Meet the Gardening Help Volunteers

The CSU Extension Master Gardeners usually pick up the gardening helpline at the Denver Botanic Gardens or answer questions when people walk-in the door. Even though buildings at DBG are closed for now, gardeners can still get their gardening questions answered by Gardening Help from Colorado Master Gardeners at Denver Botanic Gardens, only remotely.

The interest in gardening has soared ever since people have had to hunker down at home and find ways to keep busy. First-time gardeners will likely have questions on how to get started, what to plant now, what can grow in containers, and much more.

Even gardeners with some experience have questions, too. All gardening questions can be emailed to gardeninghelp@botanicgardens.org and a CMG, working remotely, will reply by email.

Gardening Help volunteers include: Back row, left to right: Jan Fahs, Jan Davis, Ken Zwenger, Mark Zammuto, Gordon Carruth, Fran Hogan
Middle row: Lynne Conroy, Harriet Palmer Willis, Kathleen Schroeder, Leona Berger, Cindy Hanna, Mary Adams, Nancy Downs
Kneeling: Dee Becker, Charlotte Aycrigg, Jan Moran
Not pictured: Mary Carnegie, Linda Hanna, Maggie Haskett, April Montgomery, Ann Moore, Kathy Roth, Amy White

Gardening Help is a project of the CSU Extension-Denver Master Gardeners at the DBG. Volunteers provide reliable and research-based information to thousands of home gardeners each year.

Volunteers commit to at least one year in the role, with a minimum of six shifts spread across the year. The commitment starts early in the year with an orientation and training from Nancy Downs, project coordinator.

Many volunteers are GH regulars and they return to the project every year. In addition to being an active CMG, they have to satisfy DBG volunteer requirements, too. That means they’re a member of the DBG and enrolled there as a volunteer.

Some of the key characteristics of GH volunteers are good research, plant identification and diagnostic skills. Because the project is located at DBG, volunteers need to keep on top of what’s blooming at the DBG by season, so they can answer common questions that might pop up.

Photo provided by Nancy Downs

Text by Jodi Torpey
Master Gardener volunteer since 2005

Poinsettia Challenge – Steps for Reblooming

It’s January and the holidays are behind us, but if you can’t bring yourself to toss your poinsettia plant, why not try to coax it into reblooming next December? It takes basic indoor plant care skills, perseverance and some properly timed steps to insure flowering.  Here are season-by-season instructions for success.

Winter: Protect the plant from cold and drafts, with daytime temperatures of 67-70 degrees, nighttime temperatures of 60-62 degrees. To maintain healthy foliage, fertilize monthly following balanced houseplant fertilizer directions, water when the soil is dry below the surface but not soggy.  Avoid “wet feet” by draining excess water from the plant saucer.

Watch for mealy bugs (cottony puffs), which can be easily removed with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol.

Spring: By late March or early April the plant will look tired – it’ll most likely have dried, yellowed or fallen leaves. You’ll be tempted to put the plant out of its misery at this point!Instead, remove the bracts and part of the stem, ideally leaving 3-4 leaves on each stem. This pruning can be done anytime through mid-July.

Late spring/early summer: Repot the plant in a pot that is one size larger (approximately 1-2” inch larger in diameter). Use a quality, well-drained potting mixture, fortified with 1 tablespoon super phosphate (0-46-0) per gallon of soil mix. Slow-release fertilizer applied to the soil surface is also beneficial if the soil mix does not already include fertilizer.

Summer: When outdoor temperatures are consistently above 60 degrees, the plant can live outdoors in a shaded area such as a porch.

It will be putting on a lot of growth during this time and should be pruned about every six weeks to promote side branching and good form. Stop pruning in late August.

Late Summer: If the plant has been outdoors, you’ll want to bring it in around Labor Day or when nighttime temperatures drop below 55 degrees. Place it in a sunny or bright location with temperatures of 65-75 degrees. Continue monthly fertilizing.

Fall: Poinsettias require 8-10 weeks of shortened days to stimulate flowering. Starting the first week of October, put the plant in complete darkness for about 15 hours a day -ideally 5pm-8am.

It can be covered with a big box, put in a closet or sequestered in a room with no light at all.  Longer, completely dark nights and bright, shorter days are the key to successful reblooming. This step is non-negotiable.

Around Thanksgiving, colored bracts should appear. This is the sign to stop the dark treatment, continue fertilizing to promote blooms and keep in a warm, bright spot in your home and enjoy your holiday plant!

I have a big, beautiful poinsettia, have set my calendar reminders and am ready to give this a try.  How bout you?

Additional reading:

https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/poinsettias-7-412/

https://extension.unh.edu/resource/poinsettias-care-and-reflowering-fact-sheet

Photo: Pixabay.com

Drawings: Colorado State University

Written by Linda McDonnell, a Denver County Master Gardener

Test Your Poinsettia IQ

Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are making their December debut this week. With up to 50 million plants sold annually, you are likely to give,  receive, or at the very least, encounter the plant in your daily travels this holiday season.

How much do you know about the care and history of this holiday plant?

True or False? Poinsettias are highly poisonous – keep children and pets away.

Mostly false. According to the University of Illinois Extension, “A study at Ohio State University showed that a 50-pound child would have to eat more than a pound-and-a-quarter of Poinsettia leaves (500 to 600 leaves) to have any side effects. The leaves are reportedly not very tasty, so it’s highly unlikely that kids or even pets would be able to eat that many!” So, while ingestion can cause mild stomach irritation the plant is not considered highly toxic.

True or False?  The plant was brought to the U.S. in 1915 by a shopkeeper as a gift for parents who brought their children to breakfast with Santa.

False. Robert Pointset, a botanist, physician and first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico is credited with bringing the plant to the U.S. in 1848, when they were introduced at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

True or False? For longest enjoyment, select plants with tight oval bead-shaped structures, which are the actual flowers that surround the colored leaves or bracts.

True. The colored bracts, or modified leaves (commonly, but incorrectly referred to as the flower) will start to fade when the center cyathia  (flower) open and release pollen. Look for tight, spikey bead-shaped buds when selecting plants.

True or False? The Aztecs used the colorful parts of the Poinsettia to make a reddish-purple dye for clothing and believed the sap cured fevers.

True. Poinsettias were used for practical and ethnobotanical uses in ancient cultures, including coloring cloth and treating fevers.

True or False:  National Poinsettia day is October 1st, the day that plants should start receiving 12-14 hours of complete darkness in order to rebloom. 

Partially true. October 1st is the date to start giving your Poinsettia half days of complete darkness, called photoperiodism, to trigger reblooming.  But if you want to celebrate Poinsettia day (and who doesn’t?)  it is December 12th, the day Robert Poinsett died in 1851.

True or False: Poinsettias come in over 100 natural colors. 

True. Local garden centers have lots of red, pink, cream and coral varieties along with some sassy lime green, orangey-yellow cultivars and splotchy multi-colored bracts.  Mother Nature has no hand in producing the Bronco blue and sparkly grape colored varieties – these are sprayed and glittered.  There’s a poinsettia for every taste!

True or False: Allow a Poinsettia in bloom to dry out completely before watering.  

False. Poinsettias can be divas — water when soil surface is just dry to the touch so check daily, especially if the plant is in a small pot.  Leaves will droop and yellow if the plant gets too dry. Don’t let the plant sit in water and keep it away from cold and drafts. Ideal temperature is between 65-70 degrees and there is no need to fertilize when in bloom.

Which is the correct pronunciation Poin-set-ah  or Poin-set-ee-ah?

Either way is correct!

Check back next month for tips on coaxing your poinsettia to bloom next year. It’s a good challenge for indoor plant collectors.

Written by Linda McDonnell, a Denver County Master Gardener
Photo courtesy of Pixabay,  a source for royalty free photography

No More Buds? Turn to Earbuds.

By this time in the year, I’m at the point of good riddance! with the weeds and careful tending (shout out to this cold spell for sealing the deal). Pretty much everything is done and put to bed. I then spend the next two weeks really dialing into my houseplant game before I get bored and start Spring dreaming. My Fall break from the garden is short-lived so I start listening to old episodes of now-defunct podcast series and dream with new ones.  Here are a few of my favs:

Gardenerd Tip of The Week

Gardenerd.com is the ultimate resource for garden nerds. We provide organic gardening information whenever you need it, helping you turn land, public space, and containers into a more satisfying and productive garden that is capable of producing better-tasting and healthier food.

https://gardenerd.com/

My thoughts: The host lives in LA, so this one is great for winter listening as we get chillier, I love hearing about the warmth of Southern California and what’s coming into season. Interviews with other experts and educators in the horticulture field discussing plants, but also cultivating grains, discussing bees, and seeds. Each episode ends with the guest’s own tips, many of which are news to me and have been incorporated into my own practices. 

On the Ledge

I’m Jane Perrone, and I’ve been growing houseplants since I was a child, caring for cacti in my bedroom and growing a grapefruit from seed; filling a fishtank full of fittonias and bringing African violets back from the dead.

https://www.janeperrone.com/on-the-ledge

Houseplants, if new to the podcast start here for an overview, and guidance.

Jane is a freelance journalist and presenter on gardening topics. Her podcast has a ton of tips for beginners, and more advanced info for longtime houseplant lovers, as well as interviews with other plant experts. The website is also useful to explore the content of an episode if you aren’t able to listen. I could spend an entire morning traveling in and out of the archives. 

My thoughts: As the growing season comes to a close, my indoors watering schedule starts wobbling between what the plants need and my summer habits of watering too many times per week–welcome back,  fungus gnats! Here’s an entire episode on them

Plant Daddy Podcast

We aim to create a listener community around houseplants, to learn things, teach things, share conversations with experts, professionals in the horticulture industry, and amateur hobbyists like ourselves. We also want to bring the conversation beyond plants, since anybody with leaf babies has a multitude of intersectional identities. We, ourselves, are a couple gay guys living in Seattle, Washington, with a passion for gardening and houseplants. A lot of our friends are the same, though each of us has a different connection, interest, and set of skills in this hobby, demonstrating a small amount of the diversity we want to highlight among plant enthusiasts.

https://plantdaddypodcast.com/

My thoughts: Plants are visual, podcasts are auditory- episodic overviews with links to viewable content available on their website. Are you also seeing Staghorn Ferns everywhere? They have an entire episode (photos included!) on the fern and how to properly mount it for that vegan taxiderm look. Matthew and Stephen are self-identified hobbyists with a passion for plants all the way down to the Latin–it’s impressive.

Epic Gardening

The Epic Gardening podcast…where your gardening questions are answered daily! The goal of this podcast is to give you a little boost of gardening wisdom in under 10 minutes a day. I cover a wide range of topics, from pest prevention, to hydroponics, to plant care guides…as long as it has something to do with gardening, I’ll talk about it on the show!

https://www.epicgardening.com/

My thoughts: The Netflix-episode-when-you-just-don’t-feel-like-a-movie kind of podcast. Addresses the best varietals, composting, soil pH, and troubleshooting some common issues in the garden. With daily episodes archived back to December 2018, there is a quickly digested thought for some of your own curiosities. The website is also a wealth of knowledge. 

Eatweeds Podcast: For People Who Love Plants

Eatweeds: An audio journey through the wonderful wild world of plants. Episodes cover modern and ancient ways wild plants have been used in human culture as food, medicine and utilitarian uses.

http://eatweeds.libsyn.com/

My thoughts: most recent episode (and appropriately timed!)  On edible acorns. My fav topics include foraging and wild yeast fermentation; and when I really start missing the Pacific Northwest, The Wild and Wonderful World of Fungi sends me back to a misty forest wander politely decorated by les champignons. Posting of this pod is sporadic–only 25 episodes since 2014.

You Bet Your Garden

(no longer on air, but archives available)

 

You Bet Your Garden® was a weekly radio show and podcast produced at WHYY through September, 2018. The show’s archive is available online. It was a weekly syndicated radio show, with lots of call-ins. This weekly call-in program offers ‘fiercely organic’ advice to gardeners far and wide.

https://www.wlvt.org/television/you-bet-your-garden/

My thoughts: Host, Mike McGrath, spends much of the show taking calls and troubleshooting, reminiscent of another public radio behemoth with Click and Clack, the Tappet brothers. McGrath incorporates a lifetime of organic gardening tips with humor. McGrath features one tip to find a local “rent a goat place” (no joke) to get goats to eat the most troublesome weeds to a concerned caller considering setting much of her yard on fire.

Cultivating Place: Conversations on Natural History and the Human Impulse to Garden

Jennifer Jewell, the founder of Jewellgarden and Cultivating Place, achieves this mission through her writing, photographs, exhibits about and advocacy for gardens & natural history and through her weekly public radio program and podcast Cultivating Place: Conversations on Natural History and the Human Impulse to Garden, on gardens as integral to our natural and cultural literacy.

https://www.cultivatingplace.com/

My thoughts: sort of like On Being, but for gardening.

A fav episode:

If you aren’t so sure about this podcast thing, and just want a place to start, start here.

Do you really need a brain to sense the world around you? To remember? Or even learn? Well, it depends on who you ask. Jad and Robert, they are split on this one. Today, Robert drags Jad along on a parade for the surprising feats of brainless plants. Along with a home-inspection duo, a science writer, and some enterprising scientists at Princeton University, we dig into the work of evolutionary ecologist Monica Gagliano, who turns our brain-centered worldview on its head through a series of clever experiments that show plants doing things we never would’ve imagined. Can Robert get Jad to join the march?

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/smarty-plants

Help Your Christmas Cactus Bloom This Year

We’re sharing this post from 2016 again as a reminder that dark, cooler autumn nights are needed for Christmas Cactus to produce glorious blooms during the holidays. Given the right conditions now, you’ll enjoy beautiful flowers before too long. Read on for all the details!

Let me start by saying I’ve killed my share of houseplants, but one that has lived for close to three decades is the Zygocactus. Commercially, growers sell two slightly different plants as Zygocactus: the Thanksgiving cactus which has pointy-edged branch segments and blooms around turkey time, and the Christmas cactus which has rounded segments and blooms for its namesake. Care for the plants is essentially the same. Mine, shown above, is the Thanksgiving variety, Schlumbergera truncate.

Through periods of neglect, inconsistent feeding, and infrequent (twice maybe?) repotting, this plant keeps blooming prolifically year after year. I’ve rooted cuttings several times as gifts, with some of the offspring struggling to flower in their new homes, where I might add, they get more TLC than they would living with me.

Here are some tips to help your plant thrive and rebloom year after year.

Provide a bright, but not sunny location with temperatures that do not drop below 60 degrees. My plant moves from indoors to an east-facing porch from Memorial Day till Labor Day, or longer if weather permits.

Add humidity. Unlike most cacti which prefer dry air, it hails from the tropical rainforests of South America and likes moist air. Sitting the plant on a pebble tray with water that does not touch the bottom of the pot can help, or living in a bright kitchen or bathroom would be ideal.

Ensure good drainage. If repotting, use standard, well-draining potting soil. Water when it is dry just below the soil line, about once a week. I’ve found it amazingly forgiving when I forget to water. Over-watering will cause branches to rot, so more is not always better.

Prune after blooming or in early summer. Pruning promotes side branching and helps the plant stay full. Cuttings can easily be rooted in water or soil. Feed during the active spring and summer growth period. I have cut back branches to about six inches in the spring and the plant tripled in size by the end of the summer.

Longer autumn nights. Photoperiodism is a plant’s reaction to periods of light, similar to our circadian rhythm. Starting in mid to late September, the Zygocactus needs between nine and twelve hours of uninterrupted darkness each day in order to flower. Thanksgiving cacti take about six weeks of longer nights to sprout buds and Christmas cacti need about eight to twelve weeks.

This longer “sleep” period is the trickiest part of the reblooming process and it’s why my porch, which is generally dark at night, works so well. Other options are to locate the plant in an unlit room, cover it with a box or slip it in a closet each evening.  Complete darkness ensures maximum blooms but occasional interruption of darkness doesn’t mean all flowers are lost. 

Stop the longer night process when buds emerge. The plant is now ready to flower.  At this time, reduce watering slightly to promote brighter flower color.

Watch for bud drop. This could indicate you’ve reduced water too much.  If the plant is new to you, it could be reacting to a change in environment. Drafts or temperatures below 60 degrees may also be the culprit. Shriveled buds at the end of the blooming cycle are not unusual and not a cause for concern.

Zygocactus are graceful, pretty plants year-round. Their showy, colorful holiday flowers are a beautiful treat at the end of the year. With a little extra care in the fall, they will regale you with splendid holiday color.

Related posts:

Keeping the Ho Ho Ho in Holiday Plants

A Year in the Life of an Amaryllis

Text and Photo by Linda McDonnell, a Denver County Master Gardener

Indoor Plants & Clean Air

 

Peace lilly

Spider plant

Red-edged dracaena

English ivy

Mother-in-law’s tonque

Varigated pothos

Over thirty years ago, NASA began researching methods of air purification in space crafts to pave the way for long-term human space flight. The study, found here, concluded that many common houseplants are highly effective at removing toxins such as benzene, formaldehyde, ammonia, xylene and trichloroethylene. The findings have been replicated many times over. Their relevance today is unmistakable, especially given the number of man-made products which off-gas chemicals in our homes and workplaces, current energy-efficient construction practices, our focus on healthy living and concern for the environment.

The following are answers to commonly asked questions about the relationship between clean air and indoor plants.

How exactly do plants clean the air?

Plants are effective at absorbing gases through pores on the surface of their leaves. It’s this skill that facilitates photosynthesis, the process by which plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. In effect, all plants can purify the air to some extent, but some do a better job than others.

Studies show that plants can absorb many gases, including a long list of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Benzene (found in some plastics, cloth and pesticides) and formaldehyde (found in some cosmetics, dish detergent, fabric softener and carpet cleaner) are common indoor VOCs that plants help eliminate.

Plant roots and the microorganisms that live in healthy soil also absorb VOCs and other pollutants.

Which plants were used in the NASA study?

Most were common, easy to care for plants which you may have in your home or office right now. Top “air filters” included: Peace lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii), golden pothos (Scindapsus aures), mother in law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Laurentii’), bamboo palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii), dracaena (Dracaena marginata), spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum), English ivy (Hedera helix), Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema commutatum). Gerbera daisies (Gerbera jamesonii) and potted mums (Chrysantheium morifolium) are also effective air purifiers, but tend to be short-lived flowering houseplants.

Can plants reduce the harmful effects of cigarette smoke in the air?

Cigarettes contain formaldehyde, one of the toxins that plants can remove from the air. However, the plant/cigarette smoke connection was not the focus of the NASA study. A 2010 study by the American Society of Horticulture Science found that ferns were among the most effective plants in formaldehyde removal.  Check out the study for specifics on which ferns offer the best results.

Do I need to live in an indoor jungle to reap benefits?

Hardly! Studies found that approximately one 6″ to 8″ pot per 100 square feet, or 15-18 plants per 1800 square foot house makes a measurable difference.  The more vigorous the plant, the more pollutants it will draw from the air.

 

Photo credits: Bing free images

Written by: Linda McDonnell, a Denver County Master Gardener