The Care of a Phalaenopsis Orchid

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Light Exposure

The Phalaenopsis orchid does not need a lot of sun and will be quite happy in an eastern facing window.  If you plan to place it in a western or southern window, I would recommend that you place it behind a shear drape or blind.  A good way of knowing if the lighting is correct is the shade of the leaves.  Dark green leaves say that the plant is not getting enough sun.  Be careful when you start adding light because the leaves will burn if they get too much sun.

Planting Medium

Your Phalaenopsis will usually come in one of two mediums (stuff that is in the pot).  One is a combination of bark and charcoal.  The other is peat moss.  Both of these mediums will hold water for the orchid's use and allow the roots to be free of too much water.  It is important that the roots not sit in water for any length of time or the orchid will drown.  If you find that your medium has dried out sit the pot in warm water for about 20 minutes and then drain completely.

Watering

It is best to water all your orchids in the morning.  This is important especially for the Phalaenopsis because of its leaf formation.  The leaves come out from the center and create a cup that holds water when it is misted and it loves to be misted.  If the plant does not get a chance to dry off by nightfall it could be exposed to a fungus called crown rot.

Depending on the humidity of the plant, water your Phalaenopsis from twice a week to every day.  Water and let drain.  Check the medium for moisture and mist any exposed roots. 

More Information

There is so much I could tell you about the Phalaenopsis that I am just not sure where to stop.  So here is just a little more information to get you started.  If you have any questions I did not answer just ask.

Cinnamon is a known anti-fungal and have been sprinkled on plants to kill active fungus.  This should be done with care because if it is too thick on your plant it will interfere with the photosynthesis. 

I have learned a watering tip from an orchid grower when I received a new Phalaenopsis for my wedding.  This is simple and easy for all us busy gardeners.  One or two ice cubes in the pot will slowly melt and water the roots.

Mature Phalaenopsis Orchids can develop bloom spikes two to three times a year and blooms can last up to six months. As you learned last week, there is a possibility that an old spike will through off a new spike and bloom again.

Thanks for reading this blog.  I hope that it has been helpful.  Please give me some feedback.  Any questions can be added to this blog or sent to me at houseplantsos@gmail.com .

Sincerely,
k.k.jones

The Plant That Called Me A Liar

 I have always felt that no matter what I tell you about plants there will be one stubborn plant that will call me a liar.  If I tell you it likes the sun, your plant will tell you it likes only partial sun.  If I tell you that a plant should do one thing, it will do the opposite.  But I can explain that.  Plants are living, breathing entities.  Each plant is a little different.  Each has its own "personality".

Here is my newest independent thinker.  This is a Phalaenopsis Orchid.  For those of you who do not know what a Phalaenopsis is I have added a picture of the bloom so you will recognise it.  The plant is usually made up of large leaves near the pot and then flowers form on a long spike towering over them. After the blossoms fall I have always been taught to leave the long empty stalk on the plant until it grows brown because the green stalk is full of nutrients that the plant will continue to use for the next blooming.  Sometimes, though I have not seen it very often the stalk will send off a side stalk and will bloom again.  Usually, it just sits there looking ugly.  So what the heck, I cut it off and stuck it in the dirt of a large plant to see what would happen.

Well, I did do a little more than that.  I started with three stalks.  Cutting them just under a flower node, I dusted them with rooting hormone and then I stuck them in the dirt.  I did not expect anything.  I watched two of the stalks turn brown and waited for the third to follow suit.  You can imagine my delight when it did not turn brown but developed buds.   Phalaenopsis are not suppose to like dirt.  They like their roots to be able to breath in moss or bark or coconut fiber.  I am not sure how this will turn out.  It is not wise to disturb the roots of a flowering plant so I cannot tell you what is happening down there yet. But I will keep you posted.

Next week I will tell you about the care and feeding of the Phalaenopsis Orchid so stay tuned.  I hopefully will have an update on my buds. 

Please tell me about your plant and its unusual behaviour.  Send me photos that I can post here along with your story.  You can post them yourself on this blog or email me at joneskathee@gmail.com

Until next time,
k.k.jones

Orchids for Easter

The Dendrobium Orchid

Since Easter is right around the corner, I thought I should start a series on the favorite flower to give at this time of year, the Orchid.  It is hard to believe that only 20 to 30 years ago, Orchids were considered exotic plants that only connoisseurs with the big greenhouses grew and an Orchid corsage was once the ultimate in Easter finery.  We can thank the big box stores for making them available to you and me.  They were the first to feed the masses by adding them to their choice of houseplants.  Now you can even find them in grocery and drug stores at this time of year.

The Orchid family is the largest family of flowering plants in the world and can be found in all types of environments.  The Dendrobium, one Orchid that we are familiar with has 1200 species alone and we know only one.  This is actually a hybrid Dendrobium Phalaenopis.

How Does It Grow?

Since most of us get our first Dendrobium as a gift and in full bloom, let's start there.  I received the Dendrobium seen here as a Christmas gift.  As you can see it is in full bloom.  The blooms are all on one long stalk and come from the top of a thick stem-like growth called a pseudobulb.  It is now February so you can see that the flowers last a long time and can continue to bloom from the top with the right growing conditions.  Once the pseudobulb is finished blooming, it will rarely bloom again unless it is from the same stalk.  The pseudobulb that is next to the blooms in the picture is where the last blooms were and the small pseudobulbs at the bottom of the pot are from when the plant was much younger and stalks of flowers were not as well developed.

I am pointing out the smaller pseudobulbs because I want you to notice that they have no leaves on them.  The Dendrobium Orchid  is known to be an evergreen Orchid but some will drop their leaves leaving them to look like dead stalks in an empty pot.  Please do not throw them out.  They are not dead, just sleeping.  Leave them alone and when you start seeing new growth in the bottom of the pot, start watering and fertilizing.  The new pseudobulb will usually grow taller with each blooming so be prepared to stake it to keep it from fall down.

Caring For The  Dendrobium Orchid

Happily, the Dendrobium is very easy to care for.  Like most Orchids, it does not like wet feet (roots standing in water) so it will come in a pot that will drain easily.  If your Orchid came with a decorative outer pot, remember not to let water stand in it for more than 20 minutes.   If you like you can mist the whole plant every day but a good soaking once or twice a week will be enough as long as the planting material stays moist.  Dendrobiums are usually planted in a bark or moss which holds water for the plant until it is needed.  This allows the air to circulate around the roots but still gives the plant water.  The Dendrobium likes a sunny location but does not like to be directly in the sun.  I like to give mine a morning sun which becomes more shady as the day goes on.  A southern window will do well if you step it away from the window by about 2 feet or place it behind a sheer drape.  That is about it. Oh!  Don't forget to fertilize.  The best way is a small amount every time you water.  If you are watering with a mister, be sure to clean your plants leaves now and then to keep the salt of the fertilizer from doing damage.  It is best to use an Orchid fertilizer and my favorite is Schultz.  It has a formula of 19-31-17 which is great to promote blooms.  For general healthy plants forgo the bloom for a good basic formula which again I favor Schultz with a formula of 10-15-10. Schultz Fertilizer Here is a link to make it easy to fine.

Thanks for spending some time with me.  Please keep your questions coming.  You can post on this site or email me at joneskathee@gmail.com .  If you would like me to send you a copy of any new postings right to your email box, just drop me a line and I will add you to my mailing list.

Yours until next time,
k.k.jones

 

 

Is it Poisonous?

One of my readers sent me this question that has me talking about our Poinsettia plant again and I thought that this would be a good time to talk about the toxicity of houseplants.

The Poinsettia

First, the Poinsettia has been long rumored to be poisonous. The story of a poisoning of a child in 1919 after ingesting a few leaves cannot be confirmed as there is no medical record of the incident. The truth is that many tests have been on rats and rabbits that were feed large amounts of this plant with no effect.  However, the milky sap has been know to be an skin irritant and there are toxins in the plant that may have an adverse effect on some small children and pets. The death of a small dog in Switzerland was attributed to eating Poinsettia leaves is one isolated occurrence.

The Aracae Family

The most common Dieffenbachia

Dieffenbachia

The most dangerous houseplant in my opinion is the Dieffenbachia.  The sap of the plant when it comes in contact with moist parts of the body will cause immediate swelling with redness and stabbing pain.  The good thing about this is that if leaf is chewed, the swelling will hopefully prevent swallowing.  The bad part is that that the swelling can last several days with a lot of drooling.  In severe cases there will be a loss of speech - hence its name which translates to Dumb Cane. 


The Dieffenbachia is favored for its large patterened leaf.  The oldest one I know is the one pictured above.  I remember my mother had one in her livingroom when I was growing up.  It finally fell over when it reached a heighth of 8 feet and the ceiling of the room was only 71/2 feet.  Since then there have been many different leaf patterns offerings on the market.  I have two of them pictured here.
 



More plants in the Araceae family to watch are the Anthurium and Philodendron.  The Anthurium is loved for its simple bloom that comes in a variety of reds, pinks and whites.  A larger variety also has a purple blossom.  It has not had any case of serious poisoning reported.  The Philodendron which is a large genus has been responsible for skin complaints.  Care should be used around animals as there was a report written in 1961 by Greer that cited 72 cases of cats in which 37 died from eating Philodendrons.


This picture is the split leave variety call the Saddle Leaf  Philodendron. This is a large family so if you are not sure ask.

Other plants to be careful with are in the Amaryllis family which include the Daffodil. The poisonous part of these plants is the bulb and most reported poisonings were when the bulb was confused with an onion.  Digestion of the leaves will cause salivation, vomiting and diarrhoea.  As you can see, this can be very dangerous for a small child.

If it happens call for help

There is a lot to remember so try to keep it simple.  Take care in where you place your plants.  If you have large floor plants, it is OK to put a stake that identifies what it is.  Have the Poison Control number right next to your Doctor's.  Then if you find that you child, dog or cat has chewed on a plant you will have the information at your disposal for the center when you call.   It is best to be safe than sorry. 

I want to thank my reader who submitted this question.  It is an important issue to remember when bringing plants into our homes.  If you have any other questions, post them here or email me at houseplantsos@gmail.com .

k.k.jones

So what are you going to do with your Poinsettia now?

Christmas is over and that beautiful plant on the dining room table is starting to get a little ragged.  There still are a lot of red leaves on it but some of the branches have broken off and the lower leaves are curled or gone.  It really is not what you want on the table any more.  So what are your options?  

The choice most people make is to throw it out and buy another one next year.  That would be easiest but if you wanted to do that you would not be reading this posting. So let's continue to the next option.

The next option is to save the plant.  I have found that to do this it is best to put it the plant to sleep.  This means to stop the watering and trim the plant to about 4 or 5 inches tall.   This will encourage the plant to remain compact.  The larger the plant the taller the stalks should be after trimming.  There should be no leaves left on it. Now you can set it somewhere safe. Check on it from time to time and when you start to see green leaf buds you will need to start watering it again and giving it sunshine.  Now just let it grow.  Remember to fertilize.  Keep it compact during the growing season.   By October stop trimming so that the Poinsettia can start setting it's bloom.

The third option is to just let it grow.  I have planted Poinsettias in the garden once the danger of frost is over and they have grown quite large.  It makes a beautiful green annual that will be as big as a small bush in no time.  Now what if you want to keep it as a houseplant?  The only reason that you would want to do that is because you want to try and get it to bloom again. 

How to make a Poinsettia to Bloom

The Poinsettia blooms through photoperiodism which means it is the amount of light and dark that triggers the bloom.  It not only wants full sun for 10 hours and it also needs full darkness for 10 hours.  That is why the Poinsettia blooms in the winter.  If you want your poinsettia to bloom then you will have to recreate nature.  A greenhouse is the easiest route.  Next location is a unused room that faces south and has no streetlight out side the window.  If these options are not open to you, here is the last hope.  Every night when you come home from work, place your plant in the hall closet.  In the morning when you open the closet to take out your coat and head for work, put your plant in the window.  Keep this up for about 7 weeks.  You plant may not actually bloom, but you should get you red leaves and that is an accomplishment few can brag about.

This is my last Christmas posting.  I have not seen any pictures from you so I am again encouraging you to send me your pictures.  I will post them along with any advice you would like concerning the care of plants.  Please contact me through this blog or email me at joneskathee@gmail.com .

Have you seen this?

The Dwarf Schefflera (Schefflera arboricola) has long been one of my favorite plants for indoor gardening.  It is easy to grow and it is of a good size for a floor plant.  So you can understand that I am now twice as pleased now that I have moved south and can also use it in my outdoor garden. But that is not why I have chosen to write about the Schefflera today. 

The reason is the picture that I took on my cell phone while heading into a local wholesale store.  I was so excited that I kept taking pictures to show you.  This picture shows a variegated bush with berries on it.  This is the first time I have ever seen them.  Look at the star that is shaped by the berry stalks. The berry stalks slowly turn to a rainbow of reds and oranges as they ripen. What a great show for the post Christmas season.   I just love it.  This is something that indoor gardeners do not get a chance to see very often.

Care and general information

The Dwarf Schefflera comes in both solid green and variegated varieties. The name is deceiving as this plant can grow up to 10 feet in height and will be very wide.  It likes sunny locations and can even be moved into a dappled sun outdoors during the summer (that is if it isn't too big.) They should not be exposed to temperatures lower than 60 degrees or you may get burn marks on the leaves.  Though the Schefflera prefers to be kept on the moist side, be sure not to over water it.  A good soaking once a week during the growing season should be all it needs. This plant is one of those who love a good misting if you find that it is drying out too quickly. 

Though the Schefflera is very disease resistant, you need to be wary of bug infestation.  Generally healthy plants are not bothered by bugs so be sure to fertilize regularly.   The Dwarf Schefflera is a heavy feeder during the growing season and some gardeners recommend doubling up on the fertilizer.  I am not too sure about that because over fertilizing is just a bad as not fertilizing.  I would love to hear comments about this from any reader who has had exceptional results with reguards to this.

Well I guess that is all for today.   I did find a picture of the blossom at Dave's Garden if you would like to see it.  Please add your comments to this page if you have any more information that other readers might need.  If you have your own photo of the blossom, please send it to me and I will publish it on this blog. 

You can reach me through the blog or email me at joneskathee@gmail.com.     

The Good Old Corn Plant

Dracaena fragrans

I thought I would give you a little treat today by showing you just why the corn plant has a name of "fragrans" which as those of you who have studied the romantic languages know means fragrant. 

Here it is.  I have had my "Dracaena fragrans" for over 8 years and this is the first time I have seen it bloom.  The poor thing has been delegated to a shady balcony until my recent move to a house and a sunny patio.  The flower is clustered on a long stalk like an orchid and it takes almost as long to blossom. 

The photo below show the whole flower stalk.  It is very heavy and the bottom of the stalk is at the top of the picture. 

k.k.jones


 

The Sun and the Bloom

Not enough sun and the corn plant's distinctive color variation on its leave will fade to a straight green.  So be sure to give it a bright filtered light.  To get it to bloom, you will need to add a little more light.  My little baby received full morning sun for 3 months before it set a bloom.  For those of you that live up north, that would be all summer.  Remember to keep it in a sunny window after you bring it back inside.  My stalk began to show in late November and the bloom you see above was in place on December 31st.  I am not sure if it popped it's bloom at night or early in the morning but it was waiting for me when I went out to check on it.  And yes it is fragrant.  The scent is stronger in the morning which makes me believe that blooms opened at night.

Well, I suppose I should go over the growing needs of this plant now that I have shown you the very unusual flowers.  First the lighting, as we have surmised is fairly high.  It will survive with less but will not be as happy.  The soil should be moist but not wet. It likes temperatures in the mid 70's and will tolerate as low as 50.  Mine actually is doing quite well with night temperatures of 40 but it is in a protected area.  Common problem is browning tips.  This can be from not enough water or the wrong kind of water.  The corn plant is sensitive to fluoridated water.  Fertilizing with a calcium base food will help protect against this. 

Well that is all for today.  All in all the corn plant "Dracaena fragrans" is a very easy plant to grow and makes a lovely houseplant. If you have any questions please email me at joneskathee@gmail.com or add comments right to this blog.