Tips to grow your new houseplant
Dinner Plate Kalanchoe
( Kalanchoe thyrsiflora )
This plant grows in a rosette form with flat , round leaves up to 15 cm long . The tips become tinged with red when exposed to the sun . When the plant is mature , it can produce a spike of fragrant yellow flowers in the spring .
This plant is easy to grow in average room conditions . However , it will not tolerate soggy soil , so well-drained soil , like a cactus-type potting mix , is best . Water from the bottom and don ’ t water again until the top 5 cm of soil in the pot is dry . You can soak the soil by placing the pot in the sink with a few centimetres of standing water .
This plant also prefers bright light to full sun . Feed four times per year with a balanced fertilizer diluted by half .
Tips to grow your new houseplant
Place it in a location that receives at least six hours of bright light each day . If possible , let it summer outside .
Water sparingly as the soil dries . Don ’ t overwater , but don ’ t let it go completely dry either .
Fertilize once or twice a month with a houseplant fertilizer .
Pineapple
( Ananas comosus )
Here ’ s easy and economical . Next time you buy a pineapple in the supermarket , twist off the leafy top of the plant . You will wind up with a tuft of leaves and a bit of stalk . Carefully peel some of the lower leaves from the base to reveal more stem and small bumps , which are baby roots waiting to grow . Place the stem portion into a potting soil that ’ s half sand . If you can ’ t find a mix with sand , add your own .
Keep the soil slightly damp until roots develop . Place the plant in a plastic bag in a south window , and in about two months look for new growth at the top of the plant . Gently tug on the plant to see if new roots have formed . If they are present , they will resist your tug . If absent , the top of the pineapple will pull from the soil . If there are no roots , replace the pineapple top in the soil and wait longer . If the base looks like it is rotting , start again with a new pineapple top and fresh potting soil .
Gerald Filipski , our ever-popular gardening writer , often shares lists of his favourite plants with us . This time , he divulges his list of reasons why he loves plants : “# 1 : It ’ s a plant .”
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