Easy Care Pothos

The Pothos – Jade, Golden and Marble Queen leads the way in houseplants. In fact, it is one of the Top houseplants. So many people care for this “tough,” versatile plant. Everything from small pots, hanging baskets, totems and even as their only bit out green they see all day - a vine hanging in their office cubicle, the Pothos needs so more basic plant care instructions.

Origin

The Pothos comes to the indoor house plant world from Southeast Asia to narrow it down closer the jungles of Malaysia. The botanical name is – Epipremnum – Pothos is much easier to pronounce.

Light
When caring for any plant indoors – water, pest and light are all important but - light - is at the top of the plant success list. For Pothos natural but bright indirect light would be my preference. You don’t want Pothos leaves sitting in direct sun - a northern exposure with sunlight coming through fully opened blinds will serve the plant well. If fluorescent lights are the only option, 12-14 hours per day should keep the Pothos in great shape.

Since we’re on the subject of light – how does the plant look if it gets too much or too little?

Usually houseplants don’t get enough light so… When Pothos doesn’t get enough light the new growth – stems get smaller, thin and weak, the new leaves “shrink” in size. This doesn’t happen overnight, it can takes months of low light levels to see the effects. Now Pothos when exposed to direct sun or too much light will slowly lose that rich lush color – and slowly turn a pale green.

Water

Watering houseplants or more correctly over watering is second to light in plant care success. Success with Pothos is no different. How much water and how often depend on many factors:

• Light - how intense and for how long
• Humidity
• Pot size
• Root system – how good is it?
• Temperature
• Soil – Make up and Quality

As a general rule check the soil. Water the plant when the top inch of soil feels dry. When watering any plant indoors make sure to water the complete rootball and not just the top, The entire soil mass should be saturated with the excess water poured or drained off. The water quantity will vary depending on the amount all the items listed above.

The Pothos is not much different than most houseplants. If the plant receives too little water the leaves will begin to wilt, older leaves often turn a bright yellow. This is why it’s important to thoroughly water the entire rootball. The root system of Pothos is small compared to other indoor plants. When the plant is over watered and the soil stays wet the roots will rot. In turn the leaves begin to wilt and the leaves lose their healthy look and turn to a pale dull green color.

If possible use distilled or rainwater the next best would be filtered water. The purer the water the better. Many growers have installed systems to get remove any minerals before watering the plants.

Temperature

Remember the Pothos comes from Malaysia. Generally they like the same temperatures you do - 65 to 85 degrees (Fahrenheit is best for steady growth.

Fertilizer

I’m not a big fan of using fertilizer on indoor plants. When most houseplants are purchased, since good soil is used, all the needed nutrients are sitting in the soil and should hold the plant for a long time. In the case of plants planted in a poor soil mix the Pothos responses well to very light doses. If I had to fertilize – for the homeowner - I would recommend a liquid type instead of a solid or granular.

Uses and Plant Size

Pothos can be grown and used in a variety of ways and locations. Inside or outside doesn’t matter, Good filtered light, 65-85 degrees and a well drained soil that holds moisture (not wet) and the plant will thrive. I’ve seen Pothos used as:

• Potted plant - small
• Hanging baskets
• Ground covers indoors and out
• Totem
• Covering the base of a larger plant
• Stand alone specimen – Large at Disneyworld

When Pothos receive “good growing conditions” as described above they can grow all year, For those of you up north with Pothos you may notice a slow down during the winter months.

One true advantage the Pothos offers – they’re easy to find and it’s a great plant to get started with and learn how to care for indoor houseplants.

Repotting - Prune Roots Instead

Very often new houseplant buyers rush home with their new purchase and repot the plant right away. I think they believe repotting will make the plant grow.

The other side of the houseplant repotting frenzy is the “annual” right for repotting plants in the spring. If your houseplant is doing well but it keeps drying out between waterings consider doing some pruning - on the whole plant - bottom to top.

You taken the time to find just the right decorative container why do you want to search for another?

The type of pruning I’m talking about is called “root pruning.”

Tree growers root prune trees all the time before sending them off to a landscape job. The whole process is pretty simple.

After a plant reaches the optimum size you want or it’s out grown it container, cut back the roots or shave the roots around the outside of the root ball and fill the area removed with your favorite potting soil.

Since some of the root mass was removed the plant now has less roots to support the foliage up top. It’s time to do some selective pruning to reduce the foliage canopy.

Remove all stems and give the plant a good cleaning. The plant may go through some wilting and leaf drop - especially Ficus - but it should bounce back quickly as new roots fill in the soil fresh potting mix.

As for the new houseplant buyer - Wait don’t repot, enjoy your new houseplant and let it become acclimated to it’s new surroundings. In a year or two when the repotting itch hits - go for it and repot.

Lucky Dracaena or Bamboo

The “Lucky Bamboo” really isn’t a bamboo even though it may resemble one - its actually Dracaena sanderiana.

Whatever you want to call this “lucky plant” it has opened up a whole new way for people afraid of or carry the “brown thumb” badge with them, to add some green with unusual flair to their interior space.

Lucky Bamboo Plant Care

The best way to describe this one of a kind green interior houseplant care requirements - minimal. All that’s required is regular cleaning of the leaves (you should do that on all indoor office plants) , change the water weekly, place in areas with lots of light but without direct sunlight. Every month remove the plant from its pot, wash the plant and roots off thoroughly – and place the “bamboo plant” back in the pot after it has been itself washed and the water replaced.

Moving the plant around from it’s light source makes for unusual beds and spirals in the cane.

In just a few years these bamboos now take the place of flower bouquets. They keep in water longer than flowers and hold their decorative aspect for a long time.

The number of canes and size the plants in an arrangement is not left to chance.

The number of stairs the plants form bring unique meanings:

• Three stairs bring happiness, health and a long life
• Five stairs stimulate the 5th elements of life
• Six stairs bring health
• Eight stairs bring development and prosperity
• Ten stairs symbolize perfection and fulfillment
• Twenty-one stairs bring a powerful blessing

They make a wonderful gift for a home or office, everyone loves the unusual look, combined with easy care and long lasting display.

Does Your Garden Attract Birds

The design of a garden can be for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s for food, for others flowers and some to attract birds. The location of a garden alone can be enough to attract birds.

Birds need water. A bird bath or a pool, no matter the size or the material can instantly attract birds, even wild ducks and gooses.

Providing food, bird seeds, bread or anything birds like, increases the chances of your garden being an attractive bird magnet. Seeds almost all birds prefer are sunflower seeds, very easy to find, and cheap. Before buying any seeds, make a list with all the birds in the area and what would draw them to “visit” more often.

Food and water is the first step needed to attract birds to your garden. Next look at removing any things that might scare or disturb birds. Animals from the next door like the neighbor’s dogs can scare birds off.

Some bird species don’t get along, certain species may avoid your garden because “other” birds. Some stay away because of children and the noise. Other birds stay away because the garden doesn’t look natural enough. With a little study by knowing the birds nature and customs can be a factor in bringing colorful, fun-loving birds to your backyard.

Patented Plants Legal Problems

Reading a short but interesting post recently on patented plants got me thinking. In the post a mild joke made reference to the patent law on plants.

The comment was “Grant of a patent for a plant precludes others from asexually reproducing or selling or using the patented plant…” It seems Wendy decided she didn’t want to buy the plant simply because of any potential legal issues.

I’m sure others must feel the same way. So let’s clear a few things up. If you purchase a patented plant you can “grow it.” You simply cannot propagate the plant and sell it.

Looking for and buying patented, trademarked or selected varieties of plants can help you with your plant care. The question got me thinking so much I wrote an article on Name varieties of plants to help out those in question.

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