Hello! Happy Ides of March! Well, finally, some folks are out there in their sugar bush even as we speak, tapping those sappy sugar maples.

But today, let’s let the rest of us stay inside with our happy, sappy houseplants, or maybe not so sappy or happy. You know, with our houseplants, it’s either feast or famine. Either they are doing great or they are dead, dying, or drying. And usually this is caused by our very own hands and by our watering cans.

As far as watering goes, if you wait until the soil dries out like in the Sahara Desert, then those plants will wilt and the stems will get all woody and hard. On the other hand, if you are heavy-handed with your watering can, then those flower pots will turn into mini-swamps and those houseplants will literally drown. So here are a few watering suggestions to help you avoid any of those houseplant tragedies.

1. When watering is necessary, do so thoroughly and completely. Then allow all of the excess water to drain away. But don’t let those pots sit in those saucers of water. After all of the excess water drains out of those pots, empty those pot saucers. And, the best time to water is in the early morning. All plants, including houseplants, do need to do their photosynthesis stuff during the daytime and they need H2O and light to do this process.

2. If the air in your house is very dry, then those houseplants are drying out very frequently. So very frequent, heavy watering may be necessary. Even daily watering may be necessary.

3. These winter months are not only rough on us, they are especially rough on houseplants. It’s that hot dry indoor air, not only bad for your skin, but also for your plant’s skin. So you usually will use a moisturizer for your skin. And it might be a great idea to spray-mist your plants with water.

So here is a spray-misting mix for your plants:
3 drops of baby shampoo
3 drops of ammonia
1 drop of antiseptic mouthwash
1 quart of room temperature water
Simply mix all of these up in a spray mister container and spray your plants at least twice a week. Trust me – they’ll love you for it! Keep in mind, there are some plants out there that do not like to ever get their leaves wet; these plants like to get bottom watered, like African Violets. So you are not doing your fuzzy-leafed, delicate, bottom-watered plants any favors by spray-misting them and getting their leaves wet.

4. Keep in mind, if daily watering and spray-misting your plants aren’t satisfying your houseplants, then it just may be time to repot those plants. This is especially true if you see plant roots poking out of the bottom drainage holes, or up on the surface of the soil.

5. Also keep in mind, slow growing plants, like Christmas cactus, need far less watering than those rapidly growing plants like ferns and fuchsias.

So – go to it! Get up close and personal with your house plants, but do “tough love” – don’t drown those houseplants with love!

Hey – Remember – Eat Smart New York!

And – Bye – Talk to you soon!
D