Dear Helen: I was given a very pretty African violet as a hostess gift at Christmas. I鈥檇 like to keep the plant healthy and flowering for as long as possible. What conditions will help?
D.C.
African violets do well in the usual, even warmth of most homes. Temperatures should not drop below 16C. Place the plant at, but not brushing up against, a window.
To bloom well, African violets also require bright light short of direct, hot sun and high levels of humidity. To boost humidity in the air around the plant, set the pot on a tray of pebbles kept damp. Or place the plant鈥檚 pot inside another, broader one, with damp coir (coconut fibre) or peat in the space between the pots.
Let the soil surface dry between waterings. Use tepid water. Overwatering leads to rotting at the plant鈥檚 crown, which causes leaves to become limp.
Bright light, steady warmth, and humid air all contribute to a plant producing several flushes of bloom each year.
听
Dear Helen: I鈥檝e been inquiring about house plants that are really hard to kill, in hopes that such things exist. I was told that my best option was mother-in-law's tongue. Are you familiar with this plant? I鈥檝e also heard of a cast-iron plant, which sounds promising.
P.K.
Cast-iron plant, named for its tolerance for neglect, is Aspidistra, an old-time favourite parlour plant with elongated oval, ribbed leaves. Though this plant withstands periods of dryness, air pollution and neglect, the leaves are scorched by sunlight and the plant will die if over-watered or repotted frequently.
Mother-in-law鈥檚 tongue is tougher. Also called snake plant, this one is Sansevieria (san-sev-ee-ria), a plant with a reputation for being close to indestructible. It will grow where almost everything else fails.
Sansevieria will grow in sun or shade and withstand dry air, draughts, and periods without water. The plants rarely need repotting.
There are two models. The more popular one has erect, fleshy, sword-like leaves that are cross-banded with dark markings. One variety has golden-edged leaves. The foliage is a little sharp-edged (like a mother-in-law鈥檚 tongue?). Less commonly grown are low-growing rosette forms of sansevieria.
The only conditions that pose danger to the plants are prolonged over-watering and exposure to temperatures close to freezing. A preferred winter minimum is 10C.
My plant has developed several offsets to form a nice clump. It began as a small offset taken from a neighbour鈥檚 large plant, which had begun rotting at the base from constant over-watering.
When she asked me to salvage the plant for her, I unpotted it, removed the pieces with softened, rotting parts at the hearts (bases), scrubbed the pot and used it to plant a few healthy pieces of the original plant.
It鈥檚 fine to water, modestly, in spring and summer, but in winter a sansevieria usually needs watering only once every three or four weeks. Always aim the stream of water around the rim of the pot, away from the base of the plant.
听
Dear Helen: Some of the leaves on my poinsettia are suddenly dropping off the plant. How can I stop this from continuing? For how long do poinsettias retain their bright colouring?
C.M.
If the plant was a fairly recent purchase, it could have been exposed to chilling during its transport to your home. Exposure to hot or cold draughts is a common cause of leaf drop. Other causes are poor light, inadequate moisture, and temperatures that are too low.
Poinsettias are fine in evenly warm to just slightly cool temperatures that don鈥檛 drop below a minimum range of about 15C. They need exposure to the brightest possible winter light, but protection from direct, hot sun.
Water a poinsettia when the soil feels dry and the pot feels light when lifted. If the pot is encased in coloured foil or some other water-tight wrapping, cut away enough of the casing at the base of the pot to allow free drainage of excess moisture into the pot's tray or saucer.
Depending on the general condition of the plant at the time of purchase and its care and conditions in your home, the plant will retain its coloured bracts for two to five months.
听
I will not be writing a column for Saturday, but will return next Wednesday. Have a safe, thoughtful and happy new year.