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Houseplants

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: 2005 Mar. ~ 2005 May: Home and Garden (ARCHIVES): Houseplants users admin

Author Message
Lumbele
Member

07-12-2002

Wednesday, January 26, 2005 - 7:51 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Any green thumbs out there good with houseplants, palms in particular?
The first one I bought went brown on me. There is some new growth so I am hopeful it will survive. Last week, dh came home with more plants, the same palm as above among them. A friend suggested putting it on a tray with pebbles and water to give it humidity, but it is still going brown, too. Any advice, it is getting expensive replacing my "burnt" palms?LOL

Prisonerno6
Member

08-31-2002

Thursday, January 27, 2005 - 8:13 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
You may be overwatering. Palms like moist, but not wet, soil, and don't like to stand in water. Also, some turning brown is natural shedding of fronds. Are you doing and fertilizing? Do you know what type of palm it is?

This seems to be a good site for info on palms:

http://www.bachmans.com/retail/tipsheets/indoor_plants/Palms.cfm

Lumbele
Member

07-12-2002

Thursday, January 27, 2005 - 12:21 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Prisoner, thanks for the warning. It is quite possible that I have been a touch too generous with the water. So far I haven't fertilized any of them since someone had mentioned to me not to fertilize for a few months in winter, are palms an exception?
This looks very much like my problem children.
palm
Knock on wood, so far the other 2 haven't shown any signs of abuse yet. Can you tell I am not the green thumbs kinda gal?

Lkunkel
Member

10-29-2003

Thursday, February 03, 2005 - 3:37 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
LOL. I ended up buying a water meter since "we" were really overwatering.

Mamie316
Member

07-08-2003

Thursday, February 03, 2005 - 5:49 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I have had tremendous luck with my palm. I do feed it about once a month and water it usually every week, unless I forget, and it's thriving. I have it in front of my living room window but so it does get a lot of sunlight.

Lumbele
Member

07-12-2002

Saturday, February 05, 2005 - 10:52 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Mamie, I am glad you are having great luck with your palms, because I sure as heck don't, but then again you are in sunny California, I see.
#2 is good and brown now, but still new growth in the centre, so I'll keep it around a little longer.
Knock on wood, but the bigger "curlier" palm, as well as another one are holding up quite well, haven't killed them yet, so keep your fingers crossed. But I'll give them a "boost" next time, like Mamie said.
Got another nameless plant that keeps dropping its leaves. Gotta get the house photographer to take a pic, so I can pick your brains on that one, too, assuming they are still willing to be picked.

Mamie316
Member

07-08-2003

Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 12:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I have a problem with my cats thinking they can chew on my plants. I've moved them out of the way but they still find a way to jump and get them. I had to throw one out completely.

Lkunkel
Member

10-29-2003

Thursday, February 17, 2005 - 1:43 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Mamie,
First, make sure that none of your plants are poisonous.

Okay, now that we know that none of the plants ARE poisonous, we know that it comes to annoyance. And do not think I am downplaying that--I hate when Bopper, Punk, and Speckle get into MY plants.

If they are balancing their paws on the pot, the possible fixes are easier:
  • Pick up some StickyPaws for Plants and apply it as directed;
  • If they are leaning over and nibbling on the leaves, grind some fresh white pepper and mix it with water, and spray it on the leaves of any plant that can be watered from the the top (ie, NOT African violets, etc);
  • Put plant stakes around the outside of your cat's favorite plants; this can create a barrier such that your cat can't even get to the off-limit plants;
  • Give your cat a firm 'no' when he or she does the unwanted behavior; never 'punish' your cat or overly scream or scare your cat, as this can make your cat learn that you are a very scary being whom he/she should stay away from and dislike. (Obviously, if you are not home very often this method may not work very well as you won't cat your cat in the act very often and thus your cat won't get a constant aversion message.);
  • Use a spray bottle to spritz your cat every time he/she does the unwanted behavior--this is one of our tricks;
  • Lightly throw a balled-up sock near the cat; this will mildly frighten your cat and help him/her realize that the behavior they just exhibited is a no-no;
  • Use aluminum foil on the area surrounding the plant, as most cats hate this feeling on their feet;
  • Purchase a cat repellent spray at your local pet store; just make sure that the spray will be safe for your specific plants.
Now, while you are deterring them from YOUR plants, you need to offer them their OWN plants, since cats enjoy eating grass and greens. A good place to start is to purchase your cat his or her own plant that can be eaten. You can purchase a cat grass growing kit at your local pet store. Some kits will have grass that is already sprouted that you simply maintain. Other kits contain the seeds and dirt and let you start growing from scratch. Whichever your choice your cat will probably enjoy a little patch of grass to munch on every now and then. And if your cat has his own plant to eat he will be less likely to want to eat yours!

Mine chew on my plants when they are out of their cat grass. As long as they have their wheat grass, the rest of my plants are safe.
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