indoor stuff

I forgot to mention, but over a month ago I got a few new houseplants from someone taking cuttings in the neighborhood. This is string of hearts plant. So small!

I've since cut it back to one leaf set on the single rooted stem, and pieced the rest out into three parts to root again in water.

This one I think is supposed to be 'Cebu blue' pothos. It's leaves aren't as elongated as I've seen in other pictures, so I'm not sure if that identity is correct?

Here's another not sure of anymore- this plant when my husband bought it for me, was labeled as a monstera deliciosa, or swiss cheese plant. Mine's doing better now it stays where there's more light. I thought the leaves would get a lot bigger, and have a more broad shape, but maybe it will do that when it matures.

I recently took a few cuttings of this begonia (which I can't remember the name of right now!) and cut back hard the 'black witchy' (or whatever it's called) one just visible behind it the upper right corner, kept most of that as cuttings for new plant 

My little 'frosty' begonia is doing better in its new location.

The pilea has gotten taller- I'm starting to think I should cut it back

No picture of my madagascar palm, which survived the winter in a warmer spot but didn't get enough light there, so the leaves are all very small (as short as the thorns!) Sad to say my crown of thorns plant is all dead. 

Upstairs, I noticed my goldfish plant has a few bare spots. Trimmed some stems that were growing crosswise each other, am trying to start them rooting in water. Before, I've just stuck the stems in the soil and they didn't seem to take. Maybe this will work better.

houseplant growth

My solid-green spider plant has two new runners, the white flowers already starting to fade as the baby leaves grow on the end of the shoots- 

They're like tiny white stars.

Young monstera leaf unfolded!

The wandering 'dude' bolivian (haha) is looking better- and it even grew enough that I took cuttings.

I was surprised when I first read that this plant is closely related to the trandescantia zebrina- but realized when I took the cuttings yeah, it's the same in minature. The stems feel the same, the leaves have the same type of structure, only so very much smaller. So little, that I put the cuttings in a empty fish food can.

My peace lily and heartleaf philodendron have been in this new spot for a while- moved up off the floor by a window, to living on a table by the window. It was enough increase in light to make a difference- they both have new leaves growing.

Angelwing begonia still doesn't seem to get quite enough light- it retains the ladderlike upright growth habit, even though I've pinched it twice. There's the two younger angelwings below it.

I was thinking of cutting it in half, and rooting the top to double its mass- but then found this!

It's growing a new shoot at the base. I'm tickled pink.

Not pictured: pilea also has more new leaves, it seems happy now. And upstairs, my lipstick plant has a new shoot! it's the first I've seen that one grow in a long time. Looking forward to its flowers this summer.

two new leaves

So something's going right- on the pilea

and the tiny monstera 

Calathea- still nothing. Tossed it.

repotted

I put all my plants from that local seller in new pots- some slightly larger as they've grown a bit- with new and better soil. Glad I did, and probably should have done so sooner. Only the ficus had a good root system. The others it was so minimal they literally fell off the top of the soil onto my hand when upended. I don't know what the soil mix was- it seemed to have a lot of perlite and coir yet felt heavy and held the water too much. Regardless, I hope they do better now. They've been repotted two days and I am seeing a new leaf shoot on the monstera and the calathea, so maybe!

houseplant checkup

First the ones that are doing great- I'm very pleased with my plain spider plant. It's done so much better since I've been careful to water it only when needed- not on a weekly schedule like I used to, but hefting the pot. When it's lightweight, I give it a good long drink. About once every ten or twelve days.

I cut off its one baby to give to a friend, and now it's sprouting two runners that will flower!

The striped one I got from the swap, is starting to standing more upright

My crown of thorns dropped its flowers. To be expected. Some of the leaves have slightly paler patches, looking a bit variegated- I need to find out of this is normal, or sign of something wrong. It does have new leaves growing! that's a good sign.

Madagascar palm next to it is looking so much better, by the way. Full of foliage now! It had just needed more sun.

Actually, that ails a lot of my plants. I have to be strict with myself and stop acquiring new houseplants, there's no place left to put them, and many as is, don't quite get enough light (lots of my african violets are kinda leggy). My angelwing begonia case in point. It grows straight up with the gorgeous leaves held out perpendicular. Not at all like I see it in photos. I still love it anyways- but I know my conditions for it are not ideal. 

I'm guessing now it might be called 'torch' 

the younger one by that name has narrower leaves, but coloring and speckles look the same. Here from two angles:

The other two are doing better- my 'richmondensis' has lots of new, healthy-looking leaves, 

and the 'frosty' one has a few. I'm not as fond of it now, though. Plants that are too pale or yellowish in pattern tend to look sickly to me. (I feel the same way about albino fishes, btw).

Of the other newer plants, the ficus (rubber plant) is okay, it has new growth but pretty slow, and the 'friendship' pilea is looking nice.

but calathea is still struggling.

And I have a few newer ones, now, too, though I'm half regretting it. My husband was out on an errand and found somebody selling starter houseplants at a stand. He sent pictures on his phone to see if I wanted any. Some were plants I have been wanting so I said yes! and "pick me out some nice-looking ones". This is what he brought home: 

They are monstera adonsanii, pilea peperomioides, and the last is labeled "Wandering Dude Bolivian." I'm curious about that label- yeah, I'm pretty sure it's a tradescantia- wandering jew 'bolivian' but the seller found the original common name problematic so called it dude instead. Hm, my husband doesn't like to hear me call the plant wandering jew either, so I've been referring to mine as tradescantia zebrina now instead.

As for conditions- well, I wish I'd had better photos because I would not have paid five dollars apiece for these plants. Pilea looks fine but the wandering dude is leggy and sparse, and this has got to be the saddest monstera plant I've ever seen. They're all in too-heavy, waterlogged soil. 

I suspected when I saw the pics off my husband's phone, that this was the same person who was selling plants from his house. Same varieties, pot size/shape, soil type. Yep, I knew it from the labels when he brought them home. With the earlier plants I didn't mind- the price was $2 per and I was willing to take a chance on them (have lost one already and might have to toss the other calathea). In Feb seller said they were cheap because had been kept in "a bad environment" and he was clearing out stock. So I'm surprised the plants are still being sold in rather poor condition, at a higher price now!

some compost notes

Mainly, that I tossed two houseplants in the bin. That haven't done well for a long time now. A very sad striped spider plant

and the little pilea which withered to near nothing. I don't know where I went wrong with these two, but if I try again will be with a new, healthier plant. Don't think I can bring them back from this.

Also, when turning my worm bin last week I couldn't help noticing a lot of the worms were pale and lethargic. The bin had dried out a bit and not been fed in a while. I'm sure the population will bounce back now that I've refreshed their bedding, moistened it, and am trying to feed more regularly. But when I saw someone nearby was giving away worms from her vermicompost bin to downsize, I thought it a good chance to boost my own. So I got some. She had four or five large plastic bins going. Gave me two good-sized scoops of worms (with bedding/foodstuff mixed in). May the red wigglers be happy and find new companions here.

not so well

Not all of my houseplants doing great. The parlor palms look well enough from across the room-

but have several dried, crispy patches on lower leaves. I usually just trim these off. My eight-year-old has recently taken to spraying plants with a tiny spritz bottle- she thinks it's fun- I directed her to give the palms, avocado, dracanea, schefflera and foxtail fern this treatment. Maybe it will help some!

This little cute blue-green trailing "foliage plant" has been dropping leaves, too. I found it's name! Pilea glauca 'aquarmarine' and it likes to dry out between waterings. I found it only had one drainage hole, and that set in center of the pot above the main surface- so after removing its dried-up foliage I stabbed a bunch more holes in the underside with a steak knife. Then moved it to bright indirect light in the bedroom to keep a closer eye on it. And saw that it has tiny bitten specks on the leaves- so I moved it back downstairs to a spot away from other plants, after dousing it with soap spray. Until I know it's clean.

Spider plant looks better than in the past, but still rather droopy.

Saddest of all is my eight-year-old avocado. Lower leaves pale between the veins,

upper leaves droopy and crumpled. I'm ashamed to show this one. I gave it a slight trim, topped off with fresh potting soil, and it's getting misted kind of regularly now. Not sure what else it needs. Afraid that repotting could put it into shock