Houseplants & Succulents For Dummies

Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 3 Beyond This Book 3 Where to Go from Here 4 Part 1: Getting Started with Houseplants 5 Chapter 1: Discovering the World of Houseplants 7 Getting to Know Houseplants 7 Houseplant history 8 Species houseplant names 9 Cultivar names 10 Hybrid plant names 10 Understanding the Benefits of Growing Houseplants 11 Growing Houseplants: A Month-by-Month Guide 13 January 13 February 14 March 15 April 16 May 16 June, July, and August 17 September 18 October 19 November and December 20 Chapter 2: Choosing the Perfect Houseplants 21 Figuring Out Where to Shop 21 Specialist houseplant growers or suppliers 22 Your local garden center 22 Home centers, groceries, and discount stores 22 Plant and home shows 23 Online houseplant suppliers 23 Considering Your Environment 24 Taking temperature readings 25 Measuring your light intensity 26 Asking yourself a few other questions 28 Knowing What to Look for in a Houseplant 29 Choosing a healthy plant 29 Deciding between a mature blooming plant and a young plant 30 Understanding how houseplants are produced 32 Selecting houseplants with a sweet scent 33 Introducing Your New Houseplant to Your Home 33 Chapter 3: Having the Right Tools on Hand 35 Focusing on Pruning and Cutting Tools 35 Pruners 36 Knives and blades 37 Considering Potting Tools and Supplies 37 Potting tools and supplies 38 Identifying Watering Accessories 41 Water breakers 41 Water-flow regulators 42 Hoses 42 Watering cans 43 Sprayers and misters 44 Fertilizer injectors and siphon mixers 44 Deionization and reverse osmosis units 44 Modifying Your Environment with Humidifiers, Ventilation Equipment, and Heaters 46 Humidifiers 47 Ventilation equipment 48 Heaters 49 Thermometers and hygrometers 49 Chapter 4: Houseplant Appreciation and Display 51 Caring for Houseplants in Their New Home 51 If the plant is in bloom 52 If the plant is not in bloom 52 Staking and Grooming Your Blooming Houseplants 53 Figuring out how to stake 53 Helping your houseplants look their best 55 Displaying Houseplants in Your Home 56 Knowing some tips to best display your houseplants 57 Arranging Houseplant Flowers 59 Understanding the three basic flower-design elements 59 Supporting houseplant stems in arrangements 61 Making your houseplant arrangement last longer 61 Part 2: Keeping Your Houseplants Alive and Thriving 63 Chapter 5: Providing the Right Growing Environment 65 Knowing How Much Light Your Houseplants Need 66 Let There Be Light! Recognizing Natural Light Sources 67 Greenhouses: Your high light source 67 Windowsills: Not all are created equal 68 Clues your houseplants want different lighting 71 Comparing Artificial Light Sources 73 Fluorescent lights 73 High-intensity discharge lights and commercial-grade LED lights 77 LEDs: The new kids on the block 78 Choosing the best lighting option 79 Knowing Some Tricks for Growing Houseplants Under Lights 80 Creating Humidity 81 Providing Ventilation: Fresh Air, Please! 83 Ceiling fans 83 Oscillating fans 84 Muffin fans 84 Considering Houseplant Temperature Requirements 84 Too-low temperatures 85 Too-high temperatures 85 Choosing and Planting a Terrarium 85 Giving Your Houseplants a Summer Vacation 88 Growing plants in a shade house 88 Summering houseplants in a portable greenhouse 90 Letting your plants hang around 91 Chapter 6: Watering and Fertilizing Your Plants 93 Water, Water Everywhere: Understanding the Art of Watering Houseplants 94 The type of houseplant 94 The type of pot 94 The type and age of the potting material 95 The roominess of the pot 95 The humidity, temperature, and ventilation of the growing environment 96 The growing stage 96 Quenching Your Houseplants’ Thirst 96 Using the pot-weighting method 96 Knowing some tips and tricks for watering your houseplants 97 Over- or Underwatering: Roots Tell the Story 98 Houseplant ER: Rescuing and Resuscitating a Dehydrated Houseplant 101 Realizing Fertilizers Are Plant Boosters — Not Magic Potions 103 Knowing what to look for in houseplant fertilizers 103 Identifying types of fertilizers and knowing how to use them 106 Chapter 7: Getting the Skinny on Containers, Potting Mixes, and Repotting 109 Exploring Different Kinds of Containers 110 Examining standard container materials 111 Getting creative with containers 113 Growing houseplants hydroponically in self-watering containers 114 Getting the Right Potting Mix 115 Comparing potting mix to soil 115 Understanding components of potting mixes 116 Figuring out which potting materials are best 118 Whipping up your own mix 119 Repotting Houseplants without Fear 120 Playing the Matching Game — the Right Plants for the Right Pots 121 Up-close-and-personal displays 122 Tucked-in attention-grabbers 123 Containers of mixed company 123 Chapter 8: Multiplying Your Favorite Houseplants 125 Cloning Your Plants through Vegetative Reproduction 125 Cutting and rooting stems 126 Reproducing with leaf cuttings 128 Propagating by air layering 130 Growing Plants from Seeds: Sexual Reproduction 131 Recognizing the different kinds of seeds 132 Knowing the benefits of sowing seeds 133 Buying seeds: What to keep in mind 134 Testing seeds 135 Getting better results from sowing seed 136 Thinning seedlings 138 Hardening off seedlings 139 Transplanting seedlings 139 Chapter 9: Keeping Your Houseplants Pest- and Disease-Free 141 Preventing Problems before They Start 142 Besting the Bugs 143 Identifying common houseplant pests 143 Finding safe and effective pest-control measures 148 Applying pest-control treatments 150 Identifying Fungal and Bacterial Infections 151 Noticing when your houseplant has a virus 152 Handling a sick plant 153 Part 3: the Best of the Houseplants 155 Chapter 10: Succulents and Cacti: Easy-Care Plants 157 Caring for Houseplant Succulents and Cacti 158 Potting 158 Watering 159 Lighting 160 Other maintenance tips 160 Meeting the Succulents 161 Genus: Adromischus 162 Genus: Aeonium 163 Genus: Agave 164 Genus: Aloe 165 Genus: Anacampseros 167 Genus: Bryophyllum 167 Genus: Ceropegia 167 Genus: Cotyledon 168 Genus: Crassula 168 Genus: Echeveria 171 Genus: Euphorbia 173 Genus: Faucaria 175 Genus: Gasteria 176 Genus: Graptopetalum 176 Genus: Graptosedum 177 Genus: Graptoveria 178 Genus: Haworthia 178 Genus: Kalanchoe 181 Genus: Lithops 181 Genus: Pachyphytum 184 Genus: Pachyveria 185 Genus: Pleiospilos 186 Genus: Portulacaria 186 Genus: Sedum 186 Genus: Sempervivum 189 Genus: Senecio 191 Saying Hi to Houseplant Cacti 193 Getting to the point: Cactus spines and prickers 194 Two can tango: Grafted cacti 194 Genus: Astrophytum 195 Genus: Cephalocereus 195 Genus: Cereus 196 Genus: Disocactus 197 Genus: Echinocactus 198 Genus: Echinocereus 199 Genus: Echinopsis 199 Genus: Epiphyllum 200 Genus: Ferocactus 201 Genus: Gymnocalycium 202 Genus: Mammillaria 202 Genus: Opuntia 203 Genus: Oreocereus 204 Genus: Parodia or Notocactus 205 Genus: Rhipsalis 206 Genus: Tephrocactus 206 Chapter 11: Easy Orchids: Don’t Pass Up These Beauties 209 Becoming Familiar with the Basics of Orchid Culture 210 Repotting Orchids without Fear 211 Knowing when to repot 211 Orchid potting — step by step 212 Understanding Orchid Names 214 Meeting the Moth Orchids 214 Examining the popularity of moth orchids 215 Deconstructing the beauty of moth orchids 216 Checking Out the Cattleyas 224 The queens of the ball: Cattleya hybrids 225 Exploring the miniatures 229 A few other cattleya relatives of note 230 Trying On the Slipper Orchids 232 Giving your lady’s slipper a good home 233 Admiring marvelous Maudiae 234 Going big with modern lady’s slippers hybrids 234 Taking a spin with the dancing ladies: Onicidiums 235 Growing miniature oncidiums or tolumnias 236 Chapter 12: Foliage Plants: Create an Indoor Tropical Paradise 237 Examining Why People Grow Foliage Plants 238 Introducing an Assortment of Foliage Plants 238 Large-growing foliage plants 239 Small-growing foliage plants 254 Vines and climbers for foliage and flowers 273 Chapter 13: Flowering Plants: Dazzling Additions to Your Indoor Garden 285 Understanding the Conditions Flowering Plants Need to Thrive 286 Introducing a Parade of Flowering Plants 286 Genus: Abutilon 286 Genus: Acalypha 287 Genus: Alpinia 288 Genus: Anthurium 289 Genus: Aphelandra 289 Genus: Beloperone 290 Genus: Bougainvillea 290 Genus: Brugmansia 292 Genus: Brunfelsia 292 Genus: Burbidgea 293 Genus: Canna 294 Genus: Cestrum 294 Genus: Clerodendrum 295 Genus: Clivia 295 Genus: Costus 297 Genus: Crossandra 297 Genus: Curcuma 298 Genus: Duranta 299 Genus: Euphorbia 299 Genus: Fuchsia 301 Genus: Gardenia 302 Genus: Globba 303 Genus: Heliconia 304 Genus: Hibiscus 305 Genus: Ixora 305 Genus: Jatropha 307 Genus: Justicia 307 Genus: Medinilla 308 Genus: Mussaenda 308 Genus: Nerium 309 Genus: Pachystachys 310 Genus: Pentas 310 Genus: Plumbago 311 Genus: Plumeria 312 Genus: Rosa 313 Genus: Ruellia 313 Genus: Spathiphyllum 314 Genus: Tabernaemontana 314 Genus: Tibouchina 316 Genus: Zantedeschia 316 Genus: Zingiber 317 Chapter 14: African Violets and Their Kin: Almost Always in Flower 319 Understanding Why Gesneriads Should Be More Popular 320 Introducing the Main Players in This Genus 320 Genus: Achimenes 321 Genus: Aeschynanthus 321 Genus: Chirita 322 Genus: Chrysothemis 323 Genus: Columnea 324 Genus: Corytoplectus 325 Genus: Episcia 326 Genus: Kohleria 326 Genus: Nematanthus 328 Genus: Pearcea 329 Genus: Saintpaulia 329 Genus: Seemannia 333 Genus: Sinningia 335 Genus: Smithiantha 339 Genus: Streptocarpus 340 Chapter 15: Begonias: Brilliant Flowers, Gorgeous Foliage 343 Examining Why People Grow Begonias 344 Understanding Basic Care of Begonias 345 Potting your begonias 345 Regulating humidity 345 Watering correctly 345 Providing light 346 Managing temperature requirements 346 Meeting the Begonias 347 Foliage begonias 347 Flowering begonias 351 Shrub or cane begonias 354 Part 4: the Part of Tens 357 Chapter 16: Ten Common Reasons Houseplants Die (and How to Avoid ’em) 359 Overwatering 359 Underwatering 360 Too Much Light or Heat 360 Leaving Houseplant Foliage Wet Overnight 361 Too Much Fertilizer 361 Insect Infestation 361 Improper Use of Pesticides 362 Purchasing Sick Plants 362 Poor Water Quality 362 Inadequate Ventilation 363 Chapter 17: The Ten Most Frequently Asked Questions about Houseplants 365 Are Houseplants Difficult to Grow? 365 Why Should I Grow Houseplants? 366 Do I Need a Greenhouse to Grow Houseplants? 366 Are Houseplants Expensive? 366 How Long Will Houseplants Live? 367 What Makes a Plant a Houseplant? 367 Are Any Houseplants Cold-Hardy? 367 Are Houseplants Fragrant? 367 Where Can I See the Best Collections of Houseplants? 368 What Are the Best Materials to Use to Repot or Transplant My Houseplants? 369 Appendix 371 Index 375