How To Keep Your Orchids Healthy and Thriving

How To Keep Your Orchids Healthy and Thriving

While many people are still hesitant to purchase orchids, they’ve became more popular than ever. These beautiful, exotic tropical flowers have a bad reputation for being hard to take care of. But, with a little extra care, almost anyone can keep orchids alive and flourishing.

The most important part of keeping an orchid healthy is to start out with a healthy plant. When shopping for an orchid make sure that the pseudo bulb is nice and firm. Check the plant to make sure that there are lot’s of new shoots and that the leaves don’t have brown spots. The more blooms a plant has the healthier it is.

Purchase orchids depending on where you plan to keep the flower, orchids are classified into several temperature ranges, there are warm, temperate and cool orchids. Older plants are more established and will also have a better chance at survival, although they are…

December 16th, 2008 by Indoor Gardener 

How To Properly Care For Your Christmas Cactus

How To Properly Care For Your Christmas Cactus

While Poinsettias are probably the most popular Christmas plant, there are many people that wouldn’t consider celebrating the holiday season without a Christmas cactus. The Schlumbergera, or Christmas cactus has been a favorite holiday plant since the 1800’s.

Even though the Christmas cactus is a true cacti, unlike other cacti that normally grow in the heat of the desert, they grow in trees in tropical rain forests. And, therefore don’t like as much sun as most cacti, they should be kept in an area that gets bright indirect sunlight.

Christmas cactus will adapt to low lighting conditions, but they bloom much better when exposed to bright indirect light. They can even be set outdoors and will do quite well as long as they’re not setting in bright sun. And, are brought inside before the weather gets too cold.

November 19th, 2008 by Indoor Gardener 

How To Keep Your Poinsettia Blooming Past Christmas

How To Keep Your Poinsettia Blooming Past Christmas

Millions of Poinsettias join families everywhere for Christmas. Although, Poinsettias come in several color varieties, their festive red color just adds so much to holiday decorations. But, once Christmas is over, Poinsettia’s seem to lose their color and beauty and often just die.

Poinsettias are tropical plants and though they are very beautiful, in their natural habitat they’re often thought of as weeds! But, especially in America, they’ve became a much loved part of the Christmas tradition for many families.

Contrary to what most people think, the brightly colored petals aren’t actual flowers, they’re bracts. The real flower is in the center of the leaf bracts. With the proper care, you can keep your Poinsettia blooming through Christmas and even keep it alive for years to come!

September 25th, 2008 by Indoor Gardener