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Colocasia Plant Tips

Colocasia known as Elephant ears. They can be grown indoors or planted outside. Colocasia have a more spreading habit and their leaves typically have a velvety surface texture. Elephant ears can easily hold their own as a solo plant in the garden or in a large container.

Below are a few plant care tips to help your colocasia to flourish.

Care Difficulty – Easy
Provide a bright, indirect location with minimal sunlight. Sites that are too bright will cause bleached leaves and sun-scorch, whereas shady areas will result in soil mould and root rot. It’s best to locate Colocasia with overhead lighting, as their growth structure may topple over when situated too far from a light source.
Allow the top third to dry out in between waters, reducing this further in the autumn and winter; over-watering is the most common issue with Colocasia, so always be cautious with your regime.
Keep an eye out for Spider Mites that’ll form webs on the under-leaves of the plant, Aphids that’ll attack the juvenile growth.
Especially with those kept in a dark location, gently rinse the foliage monthly to increase the light-capturing efficiency.
Repot every three years using a ‘Houseplant’ potting mix, or a general-purpose compost with some perlite. Introduce some grit for larger specimens to strengthen their root system.
Bright overhead lighting is best for wholesome (360º) growth, as locations too far from the window will cause dramatic phototropism. Although the excessive sunlight should be avoided at all costs, an hour or two of winter sun will provide vital nourishment to get it through the dormancy period.
Allow the top third to dry out in between waters, reducing this further in the autumn and winter. Under-watering symptoms include stunted growth, brown leaf edges and yellowing leaves. These issues are commonly caused by being pot bound, too much sunlight or heat, or pure forgetfulness. Over-watering symptoms include a collapsed base, yellowing older leaves, mouldy soil and plant death. If you feel that root rot is to blame, remove the affected leaves, roots, and soil, and replace with a fresh batch of houseplant compost

If you have any more helpful tips please comment below….

Growing Calamondin Citrus Tree

With its glossy-green foliage and abundant, golden fruit, this citrus tree is a great starter plant. If you’re new to growing citrus trees as houseplants, I highly recommend starting with an indoor/ patio-tolerant Calamondin Orange. Small but abundant, bright-orange fruits appear at regular intervals on this cross between a Kumquat and Mandarin Orange. Calamondin oranges are quite tart and a good substitute for Persian limes in most recipes. Their tangy juice and sweet zest is delicious in many drinks, desserts, & savory dishes.

When potting your newly acquired citrus tree, choose a ceramic, clay or plastic pot with adequate drainage. Ensure that the selected container has several holes at the bottom, and fill the drainage dish with gravel or stone to allow good moisture release and airflow. Well-drained soil is also critical. Buy pre-mixed potting soil and mix with compost to give it more nutrients.

Citrus trees need 8-12 hours of sunlight per day. During the fall and winter months, place your Calamondin in a draft-free, south-facing window with even temperatures (55-85°F is ideal). Avoid locating the tree where temperatures fluctuate radically: such as near wood stoves, ovens, radiators or exterior doors. Calamondin Orange Trees may be moved outside in late spring (after the last frost date in your area). Be sure to slowly acclimate your tree to outdoor conditions by placing it in a protected spot.

Water your tree regularly and cover the soil with mulch to help reduce evaporation and temperature fluctuation at the root zone. Soil should be kept on the drier side during winter months to avoid root rot and fungal infections. Like most tropical beauties, Calamondins enjoy humidifiers and/or regular misting as well.

Calamondin oranges take about one year to ripen from the time blossoms appear. However, because the tree will produce flowers and fruit at the same time, harvests can happen over a period of weeks or months. Snip bright orange fruit from branches with sharp snips to avoid tearing the tender skin. You’ll know the oranges are ripe when they are just soft enough to give slightly under the pressure of your fingertips.

With proper attention and care, a Calamondin Orange Tree will provide many golden harvests of fruit and years of beauty, inside and out.

All you can eat in a basket

Planting up a mix of edible plants in a hanging basket can be a rewarding activity that you can share with your children or your loved one. Children of all ages can help plant and watch the plants grow in the summer and throughout the fall.

Getting started:

Plant combinations in one basket can create a delicious salad or a fruity snack. Such as a few strawberries, edible flower petals, feathery dill and leafy basil. To make caring for the planted basket even more child friendly, hang it eye- level so that everyone can see the plants growing. Children can also help with watering, collecting the petals, strawberries, or leaves from the basil.

Watering and feeding

The dill provides edible foliage and also grows quickly so is ready first and gives children a quick reward. A couple of marigolds will provide plenty of edible petals, which add a vivid orange color to any salad. Hanging baskets can dry out easily because of wind, sun, so adding compost soil to the dirt mixture can help. You can also hang your basket indoors in the kitchen for an easy way to add a few leaves or petals to any meal.

More edible suggestions

Tomatoes, such a single plant, can be planted ( cherry tomatoes) easy for little ones to pick and eat.

Lettuce needs plenty of moisture for the leaves to be sweet and tender.

Mint is one of the most popular herbs for kitchen gardeners because they can quickly harvest while cooking. You can grow most herbs from seeds or starter plants. If you’re starting from seeds, keep in mind that most herbs don’t like waterlogged soil, so it’s best to use a spray bottle instead of a nozzle to water your containers.

Most varieties of peas are easy to grow, and a great plant to start with your children. Peas grow quickly, providing an immediate reward. Plant peas in well-draining soil, and within just a few weeks you’ll be peas-fully shelling and snacking.

All of these plants are easy to grow, requiring little garden know-how and very little legwork. Keep in mind that these plants require well-draining soil. If you use a pot, make sure you have a tray underneath to collect water. Place your plants in areas with plenty of sunlight and remember to harvest regularly for the freshest and tastiest results.

Aloe Vera

What is Aloe?

Aloe vera is a succulent plant species of the genus Aloe. The plant is stemless or very short-stemmed with thick, greenish, fleshy leaves that fan out from the plant’s central stem.

Aloe vera is gel from the leaves of aloe plants. People have used it for thousands of years for healing and softening the skin.

Planting tip for Aloe

Water aloe vera plants deeply, but infrequently. …
To ensure that you’re not overwatering your plant, allow the top third of potting soil to dry out between watering.
Aloes prefer dry soil conditions, and should be watered sparingly, particularly in winter when sunlight becomes scarcer. Watering once a week should be sufficient in warmer months, and about once every two weeks in winter.

Do you have any plant tips using or taking care of aloe? if so, post in the comments

DIY Indoor Compost bin

Starting your own indoor compost bin ranks on the easier side of home projects. All you’ll need is a suitable compost bin and all those food scraps from the kitchen that would normally go to waste. Time and nature take care of the rest.

Knowing how to keep a well-balanced compost bin will be your first line of defense in creating a bin that has little to no smell. Adding items to the compost bin that certainly shouldn’t be there, or adding the wrong balance of organic materials, will create an unpleasant odor that could make indoor composting impossible.Your compost bin needs five major components: Greens, browns, water, air, and soil.

Example of Greens: could use veggie leftovers, fruit waste like apple cores and banana peels, eggshells and even old bread. Anything , as long as it’s somehow plant-based. Animal products like meat and dairy should be kept out of the bin, as those will immediately lead to a smell.

Example of browns:anything carbon-rich, like coffee grounds, tea leaves, dry grass/leaves and untreated paper (like coffee filters). A general rule is a 2:1 green to brown ratio, but ratio estimates vary dramatically. If your pile is slimy, add more browns. If your pile is dry and slow to compost, add more greens.

Example of water: should be slightly damp, but not soaking, to the touch. Usually, kitchen scraps can keep this level of moisture, but you should check to make sure the compost pile isn’t drying out. Spray with water if the pile is dry.

Example of air: allow aerobic breakdown of the scraps in a way that doesn’t lead to a foul odor. Estimates vary for when you should turn your compost pile, but a general estimate is that you should turn it once or twice per week for decent aeration.

Example of soil:You’ll only need one scoop from outdoor dirt.

Follow our simple directions to create a compost bin that can turn everyday waste into fertile soil for your garden or indoor plants.

Materials

Sealable container
Drill
¼-inch drill bit
Charcoal air filter (optional)
Tape or glue
Scissors
Decorative scrapbook paper

Instructions:

Locate a sealable container you can use as a kitchen compost bin. Coffee containers, metal tins, plastic ice cream containers and small buckets all make great options
Clean out your container with Dawn Ultra Dish Soap and water
Use your drill and ¼-inch drill bit to create a series of holes in the lid of the container to allow air to circulate
Measure the height and circumference of your container, and use scissors to cut scrapbook paper to the appropriate dimensions. Wrap the scrapbook paper around the container and glue or tape in place
Store your compost bin somewhere you’ll remember to fill it, like under the kitchen sink or in a closet, cabinet, pantry or garage. Every other day, give it a shake or a stir to help circulate air

BEST MATERIALS FOR COMPOST

Flowers
Leaves
Paper towel rolls
Egg shells
Nut shells
Seafood shells
Coffee grounds
Lint
Pencil shavings
Old spices
Stale bread
Tea bags and grounds

Fruit and vegetable peels
Shredded paper: napkins, mail, tissues, newspaper and paper towels

Ideas to use your compost by freshening up your garden from flowers to shrubs, mix your compost into the soil that surrounds the base of plants in your garden. Also you can use your compost to feed your houseplants. Provide a fresh dose of nutrients for houseplants by blending compost into the top 1-2 inches of soil. Flower boxes, hanging flowers and patio plants can also benefit.