19 December 2013

cold and dim

I rearrange some of my plants with the change of seasons; my palms and avocado have to be kept from drafts near the large windows, for example. I move the little schefflera away from the window at night, and put cardboard sheets between other plants and the glass panes after dark, to protect from the chill. But they also suffer from lower light levels, and I forget sometimes what leggy plants look like in different species.

This is my pink rex Begonia Coleus, which has some nice new leaves, but it's awfully scrawny in growth habit, and the color just got vivid again when I moved it to a spot that gets more sunlight.
My nice large Aloe is suffering. I think partly from overwatering; I mistakenly thought the wilt was from not enough water. (They are not actually cacti but succulents so need more watering than a real cactus would). Looked up its symptoms and realized that the long, drooping leaves are also due to not enough light- the plant spreads itself out to get more sun on its surface area. So I've moved that one, too, where it gets direct light during the day.
The winter sun is weaker, thus the plants need more exposure in my little apartment.

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