Herself's Houseplants

We gardeners always hear that rainwater is the best for our plants. Orchid growers especially will go to great lengths to acquire and save it. I spoke with Walt Nelson, horticulture program leader at Monroe County’s Cornell Cooperative Extension, to find out why.

Water in our area tends to be “hard,” which means that it contains a lot of dissolved calcium. The calcium comes from Lake Ontario, the Genesee River and the limestone (calcium carbonate) that forms the bedrock in much of our area.

Hard water isn’t bad for most plants (except orchids) — in fact calcium is a necessary plant nutrient.

Actually the article is incorrect. Hard water is not good for your carnivorous plants either. Even if you are not in an area that has hard water the high chlorine concentration in your tap water is bad for plants. Plants prefer slightly acidic water.

If you can collect rainwater for your house plants they will love you for it. Stick any old container outside to collect the water near a spot where it runs off the roof or down a drain spout.

If you are not in a place where you are able to collect rainwater add a tablespoon of vinegar to a gallon of tap water to adjust the acidity for your plants.

More information:
Rainwater is great for gardens

. . . Low maintenance succulents are making their way into American gardens in ways like never before. Many of these unassuming plants have been favored as houseplants by horticulturists who had access to a greenhouse or arid conservatory. I remember in college growing a little hanging succulent known as burro’s tail.

With subtle and understated blooms, it’s no wonder gardeners favoring brazen floral shows haven’t taken much note of these beauties in the past.

With lifestyles gearing toward low-input plantings, however, the humble succulent has found a niche in the container garden and landscape in a big way . . .

What the article doesn’t mention is that dish gardens are rapidly growing in popularity again. One of the favorite themes for dish gardens is succulents. As long as you give them enough light, they’ll forgive you just about anything else.

More information:
Succulents find niche in containers or a landscape