I'd love to expand my talents into bonsais. I've tried a few times, but they always either died, or overgrew within a season :-( Other things I experiment with: hydroculture and growing in a glass-container.
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Last updated 23.04.1998 by Cami:-)
Alive=this plant is alive and kicking. Revenge=it died, but I want another one. Killed=missing in action against pests.
The Canonical List of Plants: plants that are, or have been, in my collection
Species number way obtained when Status Adansonia digitata 'Baobab' 1 seed Alive Adiantum raddianum, tenerum 1 bought,
cutting (Mom)Alive, revenge Aeonium arboreum 1 bought 1997 Alive Agave (selection. too early to tell) 1 seed 1997 Alive Aihoryson 1 bought->cutting 1996->97 Alive Aloe aristata (?) 1 bought 1993-5 Alive Aloe vera 1 bought 1996 Alive Asparagus asparagoides 2 seed Spring'97 Alive Asparagus densiflorus 'Meyeri' 1 seedling(Mikko) 1995-6/7 Alive Asparagus densiflorus 'Myriocladus' 1 bought Alive Asparagus densiflorus 'Sprengeri' 1 seed Alive Asparagus falcatus 1 bought Alive Asparagus setaceus 'Plumosus' 1 seed->"cutting" 1998 revenge Asparagus setaceus 'pyramidalis' 0 dead Asplenium bulbiferum 1 cuttings (Mikko) Nov 1998 Alive Asplenium nidus 1 present (Sami:) my 21st/22nd Alive Beaucarnea recurvata 1 seed 1995? Alive Chamaedorea elegans 0 bought killed Cissus rhombifolia 'Ellen Danica' 1 bought Alive Cissus striata 0 bought killed, revenge Citrus limon 1 a lemon:) dead Coffea arabica 1 bought Alive, revenge on seeds Cordyline (a green one) 1 present, not so tiny
ex roomieAlive Crassula lycopoides 1 rather small Alive Crassula portulacea 1 nice Alive Cyperus alternifolius 1 seed/
seedling(Mikko)Alive Dracaena draco 1 seed Alive Dracaena fragrans (green variety) 1 'cutting' Alive Dracaena marginata (bicolor) 1 bought Alive Echeveria derenbergii 1 bought Alive Euphorbia leuconeura (?) 1 cutting Alive Ficus benjamina 1 from Mom Alive Ficus benjamina, nanus 2 bought Alive Ficus elastica 'robusta'(?) 1 Cutting (neighbour) Alive Ficus pumila 1 bought Alive Graptopetalum paraguayense (??) 1 bought Alive Grevillea robusta 0 seed dead, revenge Hatiora 1 bought Alive Haworthia fasciata 1 bought, took cutting Alive Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 2 cutting, iteration cutting Alive Hibiscus.... 'Southern Belle'(?) 0 seed Dead Jacaranda mimosifolia 1 seed Alive Jatropha podagrica 1 seed Alive Mimosa pudica 0 seedling Dead Nephrolepis exaltata 1 small plant, Mikko Alive Peperomia rotundifolia 1 bought Alive,
hydroculturePeperomia 1 bought Alive Phalaenopsis 1 gift (ex-employer: I took
care of the plants in our office)Dead:_( Pilea depressa 'Hanne' 1 cutting Alive Radermachera sinica 1 cutting Alive Schefflera arboricola 1 small plant Alive Scirpus cernuus 0 bought Revenge Sedum pachyphyllum (?) 1 bought Alive Selaginella apoda 1 bought Alive Senecio rowleyanus 1 bought Alive Soleirolia soleirolii 1 bought Alive, barely
(in bottle)Spathiphyllum wallisii 2 from Mom, cutting Alive Tillandsia (grayscaled varieties) 2 bought Alive Washingtonia robusta 0 seedling Dead Xanthorrhoea 1 seed Alive Zephyrantes 1 potful From Mom Alive Almost 50 species alive at this point. After I get my revenge, 50.
Yes, I know my plants by the Latin name. Swedish and Finnish names I master rather poorly, especially the Finnish names, which are a mystery to me. Besides, only the Latin names are accurate and give a positive id.
You would think this is plenty enough, wouldn't you? Well, wrong, have a look at this :)
Plants I Want to Have (in no particular order)
- Calibanus hookeri: For the looks of it! It's absolutely awesome! Imagine a rock with grass growing on top of it. That's how this succulent looks.
- Bowiea volubilis: Looks cool! A rock with something resembling mistletoe growing from it:-)
- Pachypodium succulentum: Dito: A rock with a twig growing from it.
- Testudinaria elephantipes: Same thing
- Ferns of all kinds (well, most of them, anyway:): They look so friendly and green and nice
- Tillandsias (the kind that do not need soil): they look funny, and they are so interesting. And don't really need any space, and space is scarce.
- Aeonium tabuliforme: I't absolutely FLAT!
- Orchideas: They're so beautiful. Well, they're not green, but I still love them. I hope the rest of my plants won't sulk for bringing something that flowers. These are the only plants that I would take for the flowers, so they better be plenty of them, for long periods at a time, and flower easily, and be beautiful! There are orchideas that do not look that beautiful, imho.
- Araucaria: It looks cool. And I could use a Christmas-tree. This would suffice :-)
- Asparaguses: There are so many more species out there, and I only have a few :-(
- Camellia sinensis: I love tea! Of course I should have the plant that provides it!:-)
- Cyperus haspan and papyrus: Well, it looks lovely. And papyrus is linked to ancient Egyptian history and the pyramids....
- Sarracenia and Nepethes: I need something to take care of the fruit-flies, and these are funny plants, capable of eating plenty of them (continuous processing rather than batches) :)
- Pinguicula moranensis: The cutest carnivorous plant I've set my eyes upon!
- Agave stricta, Dasylirion acrotrichum (same plant???!?): They look so sculptural and are very effective in a simple way: very narrow "leafs", like sticks, that point straight out; almost like a hedge-hog with too long (1m) needles!
- Dizygotheca elegantissima: An elegant thing. Could be somewhat greener, and thus is not very high up in the list:-)
- Echinocactus grusonii: The ultimate cylindrical cactus! Easy to grow, too, and beautiful: yellow needles and green body.
- Saguaro: The ultimate cactus! (as seen in all of those Westerns:-)
- Myrtillocactus, and perhaps some other sculptural cactus with a lovely colour.
- Euphorbia obesa: the ultimate cylindrical plant. Classically symmetric. Very beautiful, too, looks almost good enough to eat (don't: it's poisonous!) It's perfectly cute!
- Palms-trees: I love them!
- Banana-tree (Musa acuminata (Too big, I admit) or Musa ensete): ..."I think I'm a banana tree"...
- Senecio articulata: Looks like green pencils, hence the name 'articulata' :-)
The Illusion of the Green Thumb
Well, let's face it: I kill plants once in a while. There are species that don't agree with me. And there are species that agree with me. You make notes on that, and try to get more of the sort that could agree, and not the sort that disagrees. This means that you have to know what sort of environment you provide. There are species of plants in nearly any environment, there is something for you. You just have to look for the right ones for you. Read books on plants.Things that you can do to improve success-rates:
The Lazy Layman's Guide to Growing Potted Plants is something I wrote a long time ago for a class (I got a 2.5+ of 3 possible:-). The title is self-explanatory.
- Choice of pots: Pots come in different materials and sizes. They do affect success-rates, because you can modify watering with pot-choice without altering your habits. This works the other way, too: what sort of pots should be avoided with certain habits or plants.
- Never leave water on the plate. The air needs to circulate in the pot from top to bottom. There are very few exceptions to this rule.
- Arrangement of plants: Put many plants close together to get a more humid microclimate.
- Ways to increase air-humidity for plants that require high levels of it:
- grow in a bottle/container of clear glass (or plastic) but gravel or something on the bottom. Put the plant in (with pot), and pour water on the bottom, but it should not reach the pot.
- The above with only the container.
- Put the plate and pot on a bed of moist gravel/sand/moss.
- Hydroculture could be the answer: low maintenance, straightforward care with easy guidelines.
- Big plants are easier to take care of (when they're acclimatized to your environment) than small ones, because larger plants require less frequent care.
- Self-watering pots can be a blessing and a curse.
- Watering-tactics:
This tactic works well with all my plants (no cacti! but I hear that this should work with them, too)
- Put pot in a bucket of luke-warm water
- Leave it there for half an hour or so (often I forget them there for a few hours)
- Drain the excess water from the pot. Just put the pot on a surface which tolerates water (like the bathroom floor) or empty the plate frequently. By the time this is finished, water should not sip to the plate.
Just pouring water on the surface of a dry root-ball does not work!
The Philosophy of Green Plants
The lore is that I hate flowers. Well, I love flowers. It's just that I want my plants to look good all year, not just the few weeks or so it is flowering (if one's lucky). But if a plant does decide to flower, I am overjoyed, not cursing. It is a kick and a reward. Thus I tend to emphasize non-blossoming aspects of a plant, and don't choose plants because of the flower.But I do detest most variegated plants: lushious green is my thing. I suppose one of the reasons variegata evolved was to make the plant look repulsive and perhaps poisonous to avoid becoming dinner. Well, that approach certainly works on me. And just a note on aesthetics: a big bundle of different shapes and colours do not look very calming and harmonious. But lots of green shades and shapes do.
Choosing pots according to watering-habits:
Rules of thumb for materials:
- water too much: try unglazed clay-pots, because a lot of the water is evaporated through the pot.
- Watering too little: glazed clay or plastic.
- Too much time between watering, forgetting: try pots with a water-basin (itsekasteleva/altakasteleva ruukku). Watering means filling up the basin.
- The bigger the pot, the less frequently it needs to be watered. The less moisture is lost through the pot-wall, the less frequently it should be watered:
- Plastic, unglazed clay: no evaporation through the pot-wall
- Unglazed clay: evaporation through the pot-wall -> requires a lot more water than the prev. category
Self-watering pots behave VERY differently from ordinary pots
The quick guide to the anatomy of pots:
SIZE: My smallest pots are about 4.5 cm (a bit less than 2") in diameter. The largest ones have been 40 cm (16") in diameter. There are shallow and deep pots. Some plants prefer deep pots, other shallow. This is due to the root system: tap-roots generally go for the deep pots, surface roots and plants that spread over an area are better in the shallow pots.Conventional pots:
Self-watering pots
- These should have a hole for drainage in the bottom.
- Unglazed clay, glazed clay or plastic. Glazed clay and plastic behave essentially the same way. Clay pots are heavier than plastic pots.
- The shape should be such that the pot doesn't tip over easily.
- Plastic
- The size of the basin varies: the larger the pot, the larger basin.
- Some simply have a double bottom, others have an inner pot (double pot)
The selfwatering pots primer
These are marvellous pots in my opinion. However, the reaction towards them is rather mixed among authors of books. I like the fact that these are very 'housetrained': no spills of water on surfaces, because there is no drainage-hole. There also very durable and stable, and won't tip over easily.There are plants that like self-watering pots and there are plants that I woundn't put in one. Generally plants that like even levels of dampness or want to be very damp are suitable for these. Cacti and succulents are not very suitable.
The pitfall is that they demand a very different approach to watering than the ordinary pot. Because there is a water-basin, watering-intervalls are increased dramatically compared to conventional pot. And one of the major errors is that you'll continue to water the plant once a week or whatever interval you had in the ordinary pot, and you drown the poor plant. The other error in these lines is that you only check the basin, and add water if it is empty. You should still judge watering-need from the dampness of the soil, not the water-level in the basin! Do this and success will be yours :-)
Usually the norm is to water through the tube that is connected to the basin. However, at least periodically a portion of the water should be watered from above, to flush nutrients back in. Most often I don't bother to aim at the tube: I water from the top. You should not overwater: fill only to max-level. (on some very thirsty plants this doesn't seem to be something to worry about. They'll drink it in no time, but never let the plant swim in water.
Fertilizing: use fertilizer in liquid form, and make it more diluted than normal. On many brands, the instructions will tell what kind of dilution you should use for self-watering pots.
Good books on plants
I have accumulated quite a few books relating to potted plants, and bonsais. These are my favourites:
- Anything by Rob Herwig: I love the style, the ideas, and he does like self-watering pots. I have a few of his books: "Lilla krukväxtboken" and "Inomhusväxter". These go by the name the little bible and the big bible in my books:-)
- Books on bonsais: if you want one, and want to grow it inside, make sure that the book has info on plants that thrive indoors, ie regular potted plants (ficus benjamina etc).
- David Attenborough's "The Private Life of Plants" is a good insight into what makes plants tick, and why features that delight (well, sometimes) us have evolved. An absolutely fascinating book! Warmly recommended!
Written by Camilla Lukkarila, last update 30.11.1998