Herself's Houseplants

It is nice to see some new orchids coming to the local plant dealers.  This is the first Grammatophyllum I’ve had or seen.  Outside this plant wants light shade, which indoors means a bright, sunny window.

Temperatures can be as hot as 105′F These grow outside in Houston but it’d really be much happier if you kept the temperature under 85′F.  Nights should be around 55′F So find a drafty window or door to put it near.  Or place it outside in light shade when not in bloom.  It can tolerate an occasional light frost.

Watering should be frequent, water frequently but do not let it sit in water.

Grammatophyllums are from the rainforests of Asia, so keep the humidity as high as you can.

As you can see in the photo these are large orchid plants, so they are great for floor plants.

Watch for rust, give it more sun if you see the rust fungus on the plant and better air circulation.

The more sun it gets the more blooms you will get.

Fertilize regularly, most orchid growers are now using the time release pellets when they repot their orchids.  I still prefer my liquid fertilizers.

succulent garden

One of the things that makes cactus and succulents great house plants is that they don’t mind the dry air in homes and offices. If you can get them enough light you’ll find they are some of the easiest house or office plants to grow.

Cactus and succulents differ only slightly. All cactus are succulents, not all succulents are cactus. Cactus store water in their stem, succulents store water in the leaves, stem or both. All cactus originated only in North and South America, succulents are found worldwide.

The temperature indoors is usually fine for all succulents and cactus. Some may need a cooler, winter of sorts to promote blooming. Others bloom after a flood. If you are having trouble getting your indoor succulent to bloom: first try more light, then try leaving it out at night for a month or two when it is chilly but not too cold for your particular plant. If neither of those works, let it dry more than usual for a few weeks, then give it a good soaking. Just don’t let it sit in water, be sure to drain it well.

As a general rule the spinier a cactus is, the more sunlight it will need. They are leaves that have evolved to shade the cactus with out giving up much needed water like regular leaves.

Cactus spines are like leaves and can be removed with out hurting the plant. You’ll see a tuft of tiny spines or hair at the bottom of each spine.

Succulent spines do not have tufts at the bottom and are connected to the stem tissue. Removing them will harm your plant.

To successfully grow succulents indoors, use a well drained soil. Sand or potting soil mixed with larger pebbles works well.

See also:
House plant escapes through roof
Sedums the forgotten plants
Interesting facts about succulents