Gift Plant Acclimation After Purchase
For the first two weeks after a potted plant comes home from a store or arrives as a gift, the goal is to cut stress: bring it home warm, take off the foil sleeve, make sure water can drain, give it b...
Clivia Indoor Bloom Care
A clivia blooms indoors when it gets bright indirect light most of the year, plus a cool, dry rest of about 8 to 10 weeks at roughly 45 to 55°F with little or no water and no fertilizer. When a flower...
Forced Hyacinth Jars
To force a hyacinth in a glass jar, chill the bulb at about 35 to 48°F for 10 to 14 weeks, then set it in a forcing vase with the water just below the base of the bulb - never touching it - and keep i...
Crocus Indoor Forcing Dishes
To force crocus in a shallow dish, plant the corms shoulder to shoulder with their tips just at the surface of moist potting mix, chill the dish at about 35 to 45°F for 12 to 15 weeks, then bring it i...
Grow Light Basics for Winter Houseplants
For most houseplants in short, dark days, a full-spectrum LED grow light placed about 6 to 12 inches above the leaves and run 10 to 14 hours a day on a timer replaces the light a dim window cannot giv...
Anthurium Indoor Bloom Care
An anthurium keeps producing its glossy red, pink, or white spathes indoors when it gets bright indirect light, warm rooms of about 65 to 80°F, water only after the top inch or two of mix dries, and h...
Rolling Plant Caddies for Moving Heavy Pots Indoors and Out
A rolling plant caddy with locking casters and a weight rating at least 50 percent above the filled pot's weight is the easiest way to move heavy containers indoors for winter, shift them toward light...
Orchid Care After Gift
A gift Phalaenopsis orchid keeps flowering for weeks when you give it bright indirect light, water thoroughly only after the bark mix is nearly dry, and keep it out of cold drafts and hot vents. Most ...
Poinsettia Care After Purchase
After you bring a poinsettia home, keep it in a bright spot around 65 to 70°F, water when the top inch of mix feels dry, and empty the saucer so roots never sit in water. Leaf drop in the first week i...
Norfolk Island Pine Indoor Care
Norfolk Island pine stays dense indoors when it gets bright, indirect light, evenly moist never soggy soil, and humidity above about 40 to 50%. Brown tips and bare lower branches usually mean dry air,...