What is Houseplant ADD?

Here we are at Day #4 of our Reader Response eMail.

Today we look at the next part of the message…

And now, when I have to “do” something, it invariably seems I do the wrong thing. And if that’s going to be the case, I might as well–take up macramé or something.

I’ve recently added a Croton to my collection, and a sansevieria.

At the moment, both are doing quite nicely but, again, I’m terrified to repot them, now.

For starters, those of you with ADD or kids diagnosed with ADD please understand I am not making light of the issue. I know it is a serious condition.

Truth is, if they would have known what it was when I was a kid they you have said I had ADD.

Over the past few days as we have went through this email section by section we’ve encountered a variety of plants:

2 – philodendron
2 – Boston ferns
1 – Bromeliad
2 – Hosta

Now a Croton and sansevieria have been added to the mix.

Croton care requires high light to maintain good color. The Sansevieria will grow in almost any condition. Something tells me the croton will have some issues down the line. Will these two plants be treated the same?

This is what I call Houseplant ADD!

I often see people bounce from one kind of plant to another, instead of spending the time to find the right plant for their environment and then, learn and focus on how to master its care.

Learning the HOW TO care of a plant will teach you a bunch on caring for other plants.

Ficus Good and Bad

For example, the Ficus tree has long been a popular plant used indoors. It is also a plant many people have failed with indoors.

Is there anything bad about a Ficus tree? Well yes there is. Without the proper lighting, you will struggle with giving it proper care and the plant will struggle. Not having enough light is NOT the plants fault.

Is there anything good about a Ficus tree. Well yes there is. With the proper lighting, it can be a wonderful plant indoors which can thrive. If you have the light, a Ficus is worth learning HOW TO grow.

You learn How To care for and mainatain a Ficus tree, you’ll be in pretty good shape.

It would be great if you could have a plant professional come to your home and provide recommendations on the plants which would do best in your home’s environment.

Unfortunately, that is too expensive for most people. But, you can do your own inventory of your growing environment.

Read – Analyzing Your Home’s Environment for Plants

Good to Great

The book “Good to Great” is about building a great company.

One of the things in building a great company is about getting all the parts running well.

The book uses the analogy of a bus.

Basically, it goes like this.

To create a great company it’s about getting the wrong people off the bus, the right people on the bus but also getting the right people in the right seat on the bus, where they all function at their best.

Plants can be thought of the same way. If you put the wrong plant in the wrong environment, chances of success are reduced. But, the right plant in the right environment with the right care… you’ll have a winner, enjoyed for a long time.

Am I saying that all these plants above are the wrong plants? Nope!

But where they they right plants or the “best” plants?

From what we have seen over the past few days, it looks to me as if the plants were over potted and over watered. Along with a variety of plants from high light to low light. All treated the same.

But plant selection is important. This is not only for plants indoors but outdoors as well.

Here is a list of some low, medium and high light plants

After you read this spend some time determining your “best plant environment.”

Next we’ll close out the week with the final part of the email along with a wrap up.

Tips To Improve Your Plant Care
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