Houseplants

By Jon VanZile, About.com Guide

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The Brain Cactus

Monday April 30, 2012

It's easy to see why these are called "brain cactus." Most of the species in the Stenocactus group include wavy ribs that look vaguely brain-like. Although these plants aren't very common, they are definitely worth snapping up if you see one. Aside from their cool ribs, they also have beautiful flowers and aren't particularly difficult to grow.

Photo © WallyGrom/Flickr

A Great Beginner's Cactus

Monday April 30, 2012

Rebutia Also known as the crown cactus, the Rebutia genus includes some great plants for beginners. These attractive plants are fairly typical in their care and quickly form large and very pretty clumps. They readily flower, so the cluster forms a mass of plants and colorful flowers. Even when not in flower, this group includes plants with excellent body and spine coloration.

Photo © WallyGrom/Flickr

Ball Cactus

Monday April 30, 2012

Now here's a nice little cacti ... the popular ball cactus. This group of cacti includes the Parodia genus, which includes many interesting and easy to grow small ball cactus. Be aware, however, these plants are native to South America and they appreciate a bit more water and a bit less direct sunlight than some of the other desert species. Still, these are easy to grow and an excellent place for beginners.

Powder Puff Cactus

Friday April 27, 2012

The Mammillaria cactus, also known as the powder puff cactus, is likely the most common cactus grown today, for good reason. Unusually for a cactus, it blooms several times during the summer blooming season, each time bearing a crown of colorful flowers. There are more than 275 species in the genus, ranging from very easy to expert level, so there's something to appeal to anyone.

Photo © Manuel M. Ramos/Flickr

I Thought It Was A Flower Too

Friday April 27, 2012

Ruby Ball Cactus I admit it: the first time I saw one of these grafted cacti years ago, I thought the red part was the flower and the green part was the plant. In fact, these very common decorative cacti are grafted specimens. The top is a Gymnocalycium mihanovichii and the bottom is a green columnar cactus that provides the chlorophyll and food to keep the colorful ball alive. These cactus, known as ruby ball cactus, are very common in dish gardens, which makes sense because they are so decorative.

Photo © By Deurs/Flickr

Flowering Sea Urchin Cactus

Thursday April 26, 2012

It's too bad cacti aren't more widely appreciated for their flowers. It's true that dedicated cactus growers know and love their flowers, but I still find enough paper or plastic flowers glued onto cactuses in garden centers to suspect that the general public isn't fully up to speed on how awesome their flowers can be. Well, enter the Echinopsis, or sea urchin cacti. These lovely little columnar cacti have been hybridized to have an incredible array of lovely flowers.

Columnar Cactus

Thursday April 26, 2012

I always find it interesting to grow smaller versions of plants that, if left alone in their natural environment, turn into true monsters. I count the Peruvian apple cactus (Cereus peruviana) among these. These little cacti look like harmless little barrels when they're younger. Well, maybe not harmless, considering they do have sharp spines on their ridges. But left to their own devices and given twenty years, they will grow into large, very spiny columnar cacti. And if that happens, you might get very lucky: they are night bloomers with mysterious white flowers that only emerge on older plants at night.

Humidity and Houseplants

Saturday March 31, 2012

So I figured I'd close this series on basic houseplant care with one of the most confounding factors in raising healthy plants: humidity. Unfortunately, many of the plants we love to grow indoors don't really like our houses. Plants that prefer 80% humidity can suffer indoors, where humidity levels can be a fraction of that. The solution? Try to create a microclimate in your house with relatively higher humidity for your plants. So if you're experiencing a lot of brown leaf tips or leaf margins, you might want to consider ways to beef up the humidity.

Plants and Light

Friday March 30, 2012

Next to watering, providing adequate light is the most important thing you can do for your plants. Or, in some cases, not providing too much. Yet how much is too much? This is a harder question that it seems at first, because indoor light conditions can be deeply deceiving. Your room can look bright, but actually have very low light intensity. Similarly, a few hours of direct late-afternoon sun pouring through a window can wreak havoc with many plants. So besides learning the basics of the species you're growing, pay close attention to your plants and let them tell you how much light they need.

Plant Maintenance Continued: Pruning

Friday March 30, 2012

Since I've been posting so much today, let's go for another: this time on plant pruning. As with repotting, pruning houseplants should be done in the spring or just after flowering. Meaning this is the perfect time of year to consider giving your plants a little shape. That said, I've never been comfortable with the idea of giving plants a "haircut," because that's not really how they grow and indiscriminately shearing off leaves can open the plant up to diseases and shock. Instead, use a careful eye and conservative hand to encourage your plants to be their best.

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