A Day for Houseplants

We love our houseplants!

 Today is Houseplant Appreciation Day. I think every day is Houseplant Appreciation Day, but I realize that people who aren't obsessed with them like I am, probably could use a day like this. I have researched this day and found that Bob Matthews of Gardenersnet.com came up with this day. Why? Because he felt that after the holiday rush our plants could use some attention. The decorations are down and put away and its time to turn our attention back to our neglected houseplants. What a great idea! Thank-you Bob!
Why do we need to appreciate our houseplants? Because, they are cleaning our air, giving us life-sustaining oxygen, and making us happy. So we need to show them how much we appreciate them by taking care of them. Today is a day to show our plants how much we love them. How do we do that? Here a few ways you can show your houseplants some love and also some things not to do. 
First, give them a shower in the sink or in the bathtub if you can get them there. Dust is a huge detriment to plant growth, (as are dirty windows!). Hopefully you washed your windows last fall when you brought any houseplants in that were summering outside. So, back to showering your houseplants......
Nothing is more unattractive than dirty, dusty houseplants. Plants get their food from light, sun or artificial. When plants are dirty, the light can't get through to the leaves, so they need to be kept clean. If your plant is too big or heavy to be moved to the shower or sink, a sponge and a bucket of warm water is the next best thing. Washing your plants also helps get rid of any unwanted visitors that may be lurking, as well. 
After washing your plants, do we spray some nice plant shine on them to make them pretty? Absolutely not! I am NOT a proponent of gooping up plants with shine. It is not natural, unless you use Neem oil, which is also a wonderful pest control product, by the way. Anyway, I have never used plant shine and do not plan on starting. A natural clean plant is the best way to go.
Another practice that should not be done, is fertilizing your plants at this time of year. At least here in the frozen north, our plants aren't actively growing at this time of year, and so do not need fertilizer. I normally start fertilizing my houseplants in early March, or late February. I wait to see some new growth before adding any nutrients.
Some people think you should talk to your plants. That's up to you. I don't talk to my plants, but when washing them and grooming them, you are breathing on them, which gives them the carbon dioxide they need. So if you talk to them while you are near them you will provide them with even more CO2, so start talking. 
Remove any dead or yellowing leaves. These leaves may have a fungus or disease, so by removing them you will be helping stop the further spread of any diseases.  

Make sure your plants are watered, clean, and have any yellowing leaves removed and it will be Houseplant Owner Appreciation Day.

Amazing Helpful Houseplants

 

Pachira aquatica

 I have touted  the air cleaning and therapeutic properties of plants. I have never seen plants used for the purpose I witnessed on HGTV last week. I was watching Extreme Homes and they were in Japan at a very unique home. The homeowners are deaf parents and have 2 hearing children. This obviously is a challenge for them. They wanted a home that would make it possible for them to be able to interact with their children better. What the architect came up with was ingenious. They have 8' holes cut in the floor between the first and second floor. There is protective netting so the kids can't fall through, but can drop small things down to get their parent's attention. That was very inovativer, but the next idea is even better. They have pachira trees growing in pots on the first floor which then grow through the holes between the floors so that their canopies are on the second floor. When the parents want the children's attention or the other way around, they shake the tree and the kids can hear the leaves rustling or the parents can see the canopy moving. They then know they are being "paged". How fabulous is that?! I think it is amazing that the architect thought of it. Isn't it great what plants can do for us? 

I took a picture of this pachira flower on a huge tree in the New York Botanical Garden.

The Real Thing

Aunt Gloria's Christmas cactus.

Most people aren't aware there is a difference between Christmas cactus and Thanksgiving cactus. I had only seen the latter, until last December.  I saw one at the Winn, MI antique store and then the same week, at my Aunt Gloria's home. Of course, usually everyone just calls both Christmas cactus, but that isn't correct. How can you tell the difference, you ask? The true Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) blooms later in the year than the Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata). The easiest way to tell them apart, though, is the shape of their stem segments or phylloclades (cladodes). The Latin for leaf is phyllo- and for branch is -clade. They both have these flattened stem segments, but the Thanksgiving cactus has segments with small pointed appendages, whereas the Christmas cactus has rounded edges. By the way, they really are cactus. Epiphytic cactus, as they grow in Brazilian rainforests in trees, but cactus none the less. 

Christmas cactus segments

Thanksgiving cactus segments.

I immediately asked for cuttings from my Aunt and received them. I let them dry for a few days and potted them up in a well-drained soil. Of course, December isn't the best time to start cuttings, but I have them under lights, and dipped them in rooting gel. If they don't take, I know where to get more. It is best to trim your cactus after blooming, in the Spring and propagate the cuttings at that time. Every time you take a cutting, two segments will grow from that point, thus ensuring twice the amount of flowers next year. So, even if you don't want to propagate your plant, trim your plant lightly to stimulate more segments to grow.

  I discovered the cactus came from my Grandma Elnore Eldred, who received her plant from my Great-Grandma Alice Eldred, so this cactus has been in our family for a very long time. I wish I could find out where it came from before that, but no one is still alive who would know.  I am so excited to have a plant that has been in my family for so long. 

Family Christmas cactus

Christmas cactus segments and flower

Christmas cactus

 I have a picture of my Great- Grandma Christina Baldwin on my Mom's side, who is photographed in front of a huge cactus,  but alas, no one has a piece of it left. The picture was taken in March of 1949. Quite often, these plants will bloom more than once and this one definitely has buds and blooms.

Great-Grandma Baldwin with Christmas cactus 1949

The owner of the Winn antique shop said his cactus was very old, and very big until last year, when he noticed it was dropping a lot of its stems. When he investigated the container, he found that the drainage hole had become blocked and the plant was waterlogged. This was a hard lesson to learn. This can happen because the roots fill the hole, or because the salt buildup from fertilizer can accumulate and block it. It is always a good idea, especially with very old plants, to check the drainage hole occasionally and make sure it is free of roots and salt build up.  Luckily, after letting it dry out and re-potting, he saved his plant.

Christmas cactus at antique store in Winn, MI

Whether you have a Christmas or Thanksgiving cactus, keeping it growing and passing it down through the generations is a great family tradition and one your kids and grand kids will appreciate.

Pink and Red Thanksgiving cacti in full bloom

Orange Thanksgiving cactus