Herself's Houseplants

( 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.

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