Herself's Houseplants

I have been lusting after one of these plants for almost a year.  The first one I saw in a store was $100 and I wasn’t ready to part with that much money.  This time I found one at Smith and Hawkins for $50.  That’s a price I can live with, so home it came.

There are 10 known species of Tacca plant, all very similar. They range in height from 6″ to 6′ tall.  The plants with white flowers tend to be larger than the plants with the dark purple/black flowers.  As well as the common name bat flower, tacca is also known as cat’s whiskers and devil’s tongue.  These are found through out the tropical regions of Asia and India.

Leaves can reach 2′ long The flower is on a tall spike at least 2′ tall.  The brach behind the flowers is about 5″ across.  The flowers are about 1″ across.  Flowers appear in the summer and there may be as many as 30 on the plant.  Some plants will happily bloom most of the year for you. The long filaments are about 6″ long here, but can be as long as 8″.

I’m told it needs the soil to be constantly moist but well drained, except in the winter when you should let it come close to dry before watering again.

Bright filtered light is best, keep from direct sunlight.

The higher the humidity the better.

Keep from cold drafts and from frost these are tropical plants.  55′F is the minimum temperature for this plant.

Plant in a potting soil/peat moss mixture using at least 1/2 peat moss.

To propagate divide in the early spring when new growth is appearing.  You can also propagate by seed.  Seeds take 1-9 months to germinate and are very prone to damping off.

If the leaves start to brown it needs more humidity.  Stick it in the shower and let it enjoy the humidity if leaves start to brown, grow crinkled or lay down rather than standing upright.

Sometimes with out warning they can go dormant and play dead.  Go easy on the leaves and watering and be patient.  Often they will start making new leaves in an few months.

The root tubers are used in some native cultures for food and medicine.

( or any other non-bulb plant )

The number one reason plants do not bloom indoors is they need more light. More light should always be the first thing you think of when ever a house plant has a problem.

So first try to find a sunnier location or put a fluorescent light over the plant several hours a day.

If the plant is still being difficult about blooming, try a balanced fertilizer, say 10-10-10 or so.

The second number is phosphorus and this is usually what is needed when a plant doesn’t bloom because of a nutritional problem. If you can find a fertilizer that has a higher middle number than the other two numbers try that. Because so much phosphorus is out in the environment and because of the harm it does most fertilizer companies don’t sell high phosphorus fertilizer any more.

If the plant stubbornly refuses to respond to light or fertilizer try giving it less water than it wants. You don’t want to dry it out, you just want to stress it a little. I find this almost always works if sun or fertilizer doesn’t.

If the plant still refuses, you must either learn to love it for its foliage or dump it and try a different plant.

It is hard to imagine Easter with out Easter lilies.

To keep the lilies from staining, take and just pinch off the end of the stamen where you see the yellow dust. The yellow dust is the pollen and that is what leaves stains.

If you received your lilies in a pot of soil then after Easter take your lilies out side to plant. They will die back in the winter. But they will reappear mid to late spring the following year. They will bloom for you in the middle to late summer. Plant them in a sunny location for best results.

Easter lilies are highly toxic to cats and likely other household pets.

Thanks for the photo!

Peace Lily is an easy to care for plant that does an excellent job of air cleaning.

It can grow in medium or low light. The flowers will be whiter in a brighter light. Peace lilies who have too little light will not flower at all. If your peace lily flowers but the flowers are green rather than white then it needs a little bit more light.

Peace lilies like to go almost dry between waterings. When it wants water it will sulk, letting its leaves slump down, it can be quite dramatic about it. Peace lilies perk back up a few hours after being watered.

Some people put these plants in vases of water and put betta fish in the water of the vase. It is a beautiful way to grow both. Peace lilies make great indoor water garden plants. The betta fish will need food. They are meat eaters not plant eaters. Be sure to get betta food when you pick up the fish.

The tips of these plants will turn brown from salt damage, re-pot and let the water run through the pot and out into the sink when you water them.

Peace lilies contain calcium oxalate crystals that can cause your mouth to burn, difficulty in swallowing, nausea and skin irritation.  Be careful handling this plant and don’t eat it.

See also:
Clean the air with houseplants

Useful things:

Potted Peace Lily