Pony tail palm, Ponytail palm

Common name:
Ponytail palm

Light:
Full sun

Water:
Moderate, let dry some between watering.








Ponytail palms are interesting easy to care for houseplants. they have a bulbous base and have a long trunk when they get older. They can be slow growing. If you give them good light, the right watering, they should grow pretty decent. They like full sun so a east or west window should be good. When watering be sure to let the top inch dry out before watering again. They don't mind to be root bound. I have seen 6 foot plants that have been in the same pot for 20 years and are doing fine. I have also see plants that have busted through the side of their clay pots! So I think repotting every couple years will be good. If they don't look that root bound just give them fresh soil and put them back in the same size pot. Make sure to put rocks or broken clay pot pieces in the bottom to help with drainage. Any questions just ask!!

-Ducky Layne-

Wondering Jew

Common Name:
Wondering Jew

Light:
Bright

Water:
Moist

My plant is'nt filled out yet. These are just cuttings. Once it's filled out i'll post another picture.


Wondering Jew is a vineing plant that has purple and silver leaves. There's also a Jew with green and white leaves. They like bright light and an Eastern window is probably the best place for them in the winter. Let them dry out just a little bit between waterings. If the plant gets too big just trim it back and place the cuttings in water and you'll end up with another plant. Just make sure to take the lower leaves off the stems. You don'e want leaves under the water level or they will rot. You can also just put the cuttings in moist soil and they will root that way also.

-Ducky Layne-

Hen and Chicks

Common Name:
Hen and Chicks

Light:
Full sun to partial shade

Water:
Low









Hen and Chicks are one of the most interesting plants. It's a ground cover that makes little babies. There's a big one in the middle and it sends out little runners sort of that make more plants. They are very hardy and can even survive outside in a pot year around. They grow better in the ground though or when they are brought inside in the winter time. They like full sun to partial shade. they don't need much water since they are a succulent. There's different colors of them and the little leaves are different on some. Some have pointed leaf ends and some have more rounded.

-Ducky Layne-

Begonia

Common Name:
Begonia

Light:
Bright light

Water:
Low to medium

Wax begonia with white flowers



Wax begonia with red flowers.



Tuberous begonia.



Cane begonia.


Dragon wing.






There are hundreds of different kinds of Begonia's. Some you can find every year sold as anuals (wax and tuberous begonia) but can be kept year around. Some are harder to find and are'nt sold just anywhere (cane begonia). Some begonia's are bushy some vine some get tall some stay short. They are pretty easy to care for. I've found that and East window is the best place to keep them. Too much sun and they will burn and too little and they will get stragly and finally die. Let them dry out some between watering, but not completly. It's best not to get water on the leaves becuase it can spot some of them. The tuberous begonia's will rot easily if watered too much. You can also give your Begonia left over coffee that's cooled off once and awhile. It will make them grow like crazy.


-Ducky Layne-

Prickly Pear Cactus

Common Name:
Prickly Pear

Light:
Full sun

Water:
Very low






The Prickly Pear is a member of the cactus family and is very easy to care for. They don't ask for much and hardly ever need repotted like most cactus. All they need is lots of sun and a little water once in awhile. In the summer time you can set them out side and the rain water will be enough. You don't need to water them also or you'll rot them. They store water inside them to survive. In the winter time I don't water any of the cacti. I give them a little drink around christmas but that's all. They do better in clay pots I think. The clay absorbs some of the water they get so it kind of helps and they look better in clay to me. They like a sandy potting soil.

-Ducky Layne-

Ficus

Common Name:
Ficus

Light:
Direct sun to light shade

Water:
Keep moist.

This is my Ficus Alii I got out of the trash. Someone threw the poor thing away so I rescued him. This is after I pruned him and potted him. I know he did'nt look very pretty but it was cold out. I got him March, 2010. I'll keep taking pictures every month for the next year.showing his progress. He stands about 9 feet. His spread was about 5 feet but he was so misshapened that I cut and kind of gave him a better shape.




April, 2010 he shed all of his leaves with a little help from me shaking him when I would pass through the kitchen. He's pretty much bald here. He's starting to get a few new leaves here.




May, 2010 He looks a lot better here. He's started to feel out and looks good but has some scale I have to tend with. He seems to be dealing with it pretty good and I think I have it under control.




June,2010 He's filling out nicely! He looks a lot fuller and no longer has scale which is good! He's beginning to look really good. I can't wait to reach the year mark and see how far he's come. He should be really pretty.




July,2010 He looks so good. Getting so full and pretty. He's come so far since March.




August,2010 He's looking good!! So pretty! Can't wait for the year march to see how far he's come!




Ficus trees are wonderful additions to the home. They are simple to take care of. There are Ficus Benjamin and Ficus Alii. Benjamin is the more common found ficus. Ficus Benjamin have small glossy green leaves. Ficus Alii has Long pointed leaves that are dark green. They are happy with Direct sun or light shade. You can put them in South, East, or West windows. They can also be farther away from the window and be happy as well. They like to stay on the moist side letting the top inch or two dry out before watering again. Ficus are a favorite of scale insects. If you notice the leaves are sticky or the floor or furniture around the plant are sticky than your plant has scale. If your tree becomes too big for the area you have it just trim it back. It won't hurt it. Any questions just ask.


-Ducky Layne-

Hints and Tips

A bunch of helpful hints and tips.

1)Roses like your used coffee and tea grounds. Make sure the tea bags are'nt flavored though. They also like banana peels. Just mix them into the soil at planting time or cut them up and scrape off the top layer of soil and recover.

2)Just because it's a tropical plant does'nt mean it like full sun. Most tropical house plants you buy grow on the rainforest floor. They don't recieve much direct sun because the canopy of the trees growing above them filter it out. They probably would prefer a really bright location with little direct sun.

3)It ok to reuse pots but you should clean and sanitize the pot before you put a new plant in it. This is simple to do. Wash all the dirt off the sides of the pot. soak you pot in a Mixture of 9 parts water to 1 parts bleach. Make sure the pots are submerged under the liquid. Let them soad for several hours. If it's a plastic pot just rinse it off after it has soaked. If it's a clay pot you will have to let it soak in plain water for a couple more hours to clean the bleach out. I usually let the clay ones sit in the hot sun for awhile after they have soaked for the second time. I feel it bakes the bleach out. I don't know if it does but I like to think it does.

4)A good way to get rid of pests on your plants is to mix a couple drops of dish soap and warm water together and spray you plant real good. Spray all over the pests. It won't harm your plant. It's a cheap way to get rid of pests. If that does'nt work you'll have to go to your local garden center and ask them for an insectidcide.

5)When repotting a plant make sure the pot to pick for it is'nt too big. You should only have about an inch of space between the plant and the sides of the new pot. If the plant does'nt have a lot of root growth on it than it's probably best not to go bigger just yet.

6)When you dead head your roses or cut off dead cames put elmers glue on the cut to seal it so pests can't infest you rose and kill it.

7)Be sure to clean your pruners between each cut and deffinatley between each plant to sanitize them and keep from infecting your plants.

8)Most tropical plants like high humidity so to help raise the humidity around the plant mist around the plant. Don't mist the plant it's self but the area around it. Misting the plant it's self will just make the leaves wet. It won't raise the humidity.

9) African violets don't like to be watered from the top. Watering from the top can be a bad move. Water on the leaves can cause spots and the leaves to rot. Let the plant soak up water from the bottom.

-Ducky Layne-

I'll add more as I find them out. :D