E-mail to Emily

Home

Composting
Houseplants
Pests of all Kinds
Landscape
Garden
Roses
Christmas
FAQ

Plants of the Week

Wildflowers and Weeds of the Week

Articles
Bookworms
Seed Exchange
Photography

Who's Who in Gardening
What's Growing On

Quotes
Master Gardening
Gardening with Kids

Selected Links

Backyard Wildlife Habitat
Can You Identify This?
Garden Glossary
A Gardener's Garden

Emily (who we are)

 

emilycompost
Houseplants

"The only two herbicides we recommend are cultivation and mulching."...Organic Gardening Magazine


Pencil Cactus

Hatiora
(Hatiora salicornioides)
Houseplants for the Future

European Dish Garden

Plants that Clean the Air in the House

Lucky Bamboo

House Plant FAQ Page  

Goldfish Water

There is a lot of aerial roots and freely branching stems. You can see from the confused photo where it gets the name, "Drunkard's Dream".  (more)


Houseplants Ten Golden Rules
  1. Don't drown them

  2. Give them a rest

  3. Accept the loss of temporary plants

  4. Give them extra humidity

  5. Group them together

  6. Learn to repot

  7. Choose wisely

  8. Don't over fertilize

  9. Check the plant's specific needs

  10. Summer outside

A Good Cactus Mix
  • 1/3 potting soil
  • 1/3 vermiculite
  • 1/3 small / tiny gravel

 


Shefflera

Q: I've been reading on your website concerning growing Boston Fern's. What is the ratio of water/detergent wash that you have recommended?

A: I recommend 1-2 tbs. of liquid dawn to a gallon of water and that should do it. A little more or less will be ok. Several applications may be needed and always do in the early morning out of the direct sun as not to scald your plants.

 


Ponytail PalmWatering

Putting hanging baskets on pulleys makes for easy watering.

When using gray water for outside use be sure not to use on edible plants, ferns or similar shade plants especially azaleas, rhododendrons, and violets.

More damage is done by over watering than under watering.  It is easier to bring a plant back from under watering than to revive drowned roots by over watering.

Water early in the morning.

When watering houseplants, use tepid water.


Goldfish Water

Tara writes: I would like to share a good tip for your plant lovers out there who prefer a natural fertilizer. Dirty goldfish water is a wonderful way to both water and fertilize your plants all at the same time. Every time I change the fish's water, I use it the old dirty water to water all my house plants.

It's been six months now since I started this and I must say that I have never in my life have had such green, lush, and healthy houseplants. I first started doing this for my lucky bamboo because I had killed too many of them by accidentally over-feeding them. Well you can't over-feed them goldfish poo apparently.

It was my mother that suggested using the fish water instead of plant fertilizer, she raises her tomatoes on the stuff and she always has the biggest, reddest tomatoes you've ever seen.

Just thought I'd share that for those who have fish tanks. Instead of just dumping the dirty water down the drain try using it to water the plants! Of course if the water had been treated with anything (like antibiotics or whatnot) for the fish's benefit it might not be good for the plants.

©2000 - 2007 by Emily Compost, all rights reserved.
Emily's privacy policy