Care and How-To - Houseplants and Indoor Gardening
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Nearly every sentiment can be expressed by flowers. Amaryllis—Pride, pastoral poetry; Anemone—Forsaken; Aster—Symbol of love, daintiness...
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Discover how to grow and care for amaryllis bulbs, from potting and forcing to after-bloom care. Learn about various types, colors, and cultivation tips!
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The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is one of the most popular potted flowers in the United States and one of the most beautiful symbols of the holiday season. These colorful plants can be found in nearly every household or business during the December holiday season. Careful selection and proper care of these festive plants will insure enjoyment during the entire holiday season.
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Using mistletoe and holly as decoration during the holidays is a long-standing tradition. These classic evergreen plants are not commonly grown or found in Iowa, but their use and traditions around the holiday season make them familiar plants. Learn more about these interesting plants and the traditions and folklore that surround them.
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Holiday cacti (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter) are easy-to-grow, long-lived plants that thrive with minimal care. Learn about the best growing conditions, how to care for them, dealing with potential problems, and how to get them to rebloom each year.
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Succulents generally make good indoor plants because they require little care. They are grown for their attractive leaves, stems, growth habit, and/or flowers. The many different colors, shapes, and sizes of succulents and the fact that many are small in size make them highly collectible.
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Looking to buy a houseplant? Try starting with some of these easy-to-care-for, low-maintenance indoor plants.
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Reusing plastic, clay, and other containers is a great way to save money and reduce the amount of plastic waste that goes into landfill. Plastic containers cannot be recycled in traditional single-stream home recycling programs and, unfortunately, programs to collect and recycle plastic pots are not common.
Proper cleaning and disinfecting of pots requires just a minimum amount of effort, yet can mean the difference between the success or failure of containerized plants, plus it allows you to reuse containers and reduce plastic waste. Follow the steps below to clean and disinfect used containers.
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Air plants grow and reproduce without any soil. The watering method and frequency for air plants looks much different than the typical houseplant.
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Alternatives to cuttings are air and simple layering. Discover air layering and simple layering methods, timing, rooting hormone use, and suitable plant species.
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There are many traditions associated with the holidays. Many involve plants. Evergreen trees, poinsettias, holly, and mistletoe played important roles in ancient legends and rituals, but have evolved into traditions associated with Christmas and other holidays during the holiday season.
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Growing houseplants is a rewarding and popular hobby.
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Forcing flower bulbs indoors is an excellent way to brighten the cold, gray days of winter. Paperwhite narcissus can be forced indoors to bring cheer to winter. Paperwhite narcissus are easy to force. Unlike tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and crocuses, paperwhite narcissus don't require a cold storage period to flower.
Learn how to grow paperwhite, what to do with them when they finish blooming, and the many cultivars and varieties available to the home gardener.
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Bulb forcing can bring the bright colors and fragrances of spring indoors during winter. Daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, crocuses, and other spring flowering bulbs can be started indoors in September for forcing from December through March. Learn how to force bulbs indoors below.
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Light is crucial for plant growth. Key factors include quality, intensity, and duration. These three factors are used to determine the light requirement needed for best growth, called the daily light integral (DLI). Learn more about the important factors that need to be considered and how to calculate the DLI below.
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Philodendrons are easy-to-grow, attractive houseplants. They come in climbing and non-climbing types, need indirect light, and prefer evenly moist soil. Learn about care, propagation, and different types.
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The orchid family (Orchidaceae) is one of the largest plant families on earth with more than 28,000 known species. Orchids can be found on every continent except Antarctica, but it’s the tropical regions of the world that grow the most diverse number of species. They are noted for their uniquely shaped, colorful, and often fragrant flowers.
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Learn how to grow petunias from seeds indoors. Tips on timing, containers, sowing, germination, and care for successful petunia seedlings before outdoor planting.
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Light is crucial for plant growth. There are many sources of supplemental light that can be used to grow plants including LED and fluorescent, among others. Learn about the different sources of supplemental light and compare them to determine the best type of light fixture for you.
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Propagation is the creation or growing of new plants. When houseplants get large or more plants are desired, many can be easily propagated. Many species are propagated at home utilizing techniques like cuttings, division, and layering.
Step-by-step instructions on many of the different forms of propagation that can be used on houseplants are outlined below.