nasty things... their flesh is too much like the flesh of men, and their perfume has the rotten sweetness of corruption... (raymond chandler/wm. faulkner)

yeah, yeah, yead, yadda, yadda, yadda

Hey? Ya'll to shy to admit your love of plants? (not including the green stuff, if you know what I mean). OK, I'm addicted to plants. Got something like 5 orchids, 11 african violets, then there's the various cacti and tropicals, and the boston fern who thoroughly enjoys dropping fronds all over the place just to see how fast I can sweep them up. Oh, and then there's the 10 roses outside that, despite my loving attention, still give me those wonderful love bites. Anybody wanna go next?

Love plants. Kittens love to eat them. All is in transition.

ok, got 11 orchids now, think I'm an addict *smile*

well, make that 5 orchids. after my stint in dry country, the babies keeled over despite my hubby's tender loving care. the african violet collection is bigger now but am having trouble making them bloom. they're under lights and seem to appreciate that as the leaves look healthier and they aren't reaching to the sky! my boston fern gave up when the orchids did.

okay, the african violets are really responding to the lights. i think, though, that i'll need to increase the amount they receive. they are blooming. the orchids i have left are hybernating or something. i picked up a phal and recently put her in fresh medium. really cleaned off her roots and didn't damage any in the process. everytime i see another orchid i want to take it home but know that because of my lack of talent with that genera, i'm gonna take a wait and see approach.

ok, i ordered a couple of greenhouse gadgets to help me determine what i'm doing wrong with the orchids. i buy them in bloom but they never bloom again. just keep giving me green leaves. ugh. so the gadgets are a min/max thermometer and a light meter. the girls are on a humidity tray but the hygrometer won't get above 60%. they'll be going outside soon when the humidity levels start to rise. guess next winter, i'll have to use a humidifier. i've lost a bunch of african violets to bugs or crown rot. only three that i ordered (out of five) are still hanging in there. a couple others are still going but not nearly as many as i had before. i had some gesneriad seedlings and they did real well until i had to go out of town and the AM didn't know to water them even when i told him to. so they all kicked the bucket. my nematanthus black gold (or guppy plant) is still going strong but no blooms yet. have had her for two years and got her from cuttings. probably still a baby. but as long as she's growing, i'm happy. really want some blooms though. oh, and my christmas cactus bloomed for the holiday and bloomed again just a few weeks ago. it's time for the spring blooming (or easter) cactus to kick in.

We just hang the orchids in a moss-lined wire cage in a leafy tree and make sure to mist them with the hose if they don't get any rain. If yours are too green you are not giving them enough sun.

they'll be moving out into the garden soon. i saved some strawberry baskets to repot them into to ensure they're roots get plenty of air. it's hard to grow them under lights when you don't know how much they need. now the phals don't like really bright lights but they'll be going outside too.

I keep my Phals under my poinciana tree which has tiny feathery leaves and lets through filtered sunlight and rain. They LOVE it and thrive until I have to divide them to keep the size of the plant manageable.

I never got the hang of grow lights...never had the need to out here in the tropical Pacific...

well, the light meter came in and it seems there's enough, maybe not the right kind of light though. the AM is planning on putting together a small green house for me to overwinter the orchids and other plants. then i won't have to mess with the lights anymore. problem with growing plants under lights is there's nothing small and manageable to put in your living room. even the table-top versions are huge and i don't have the space. i've got a plastic three shelf deal in my living room with those under the counter lights strung up. guess i just need to add a sun room, which has been discussed but money is limited. (money not so much as commitment on HIS side).....

Those under-the-counter lights do not emit the correct wave-length of light to be of much help to your plants. They probably got more benefit from ambient light than from the strip light. (Yeah...I knoiw about limited money and commitment!)

but they are helpful with heat! only thing is they take the humidity right out of the trays before the plants benefit from them. think we figured out the problem!

Fluorescent lights give off heat?

yeah...

Huh!

Oncidium orchid (yellow) with bouganvillas in the background

OOOO pretty!! (Your backyard?? mine's VERY mundane)

Nope! That is one of the four garages (the cinder block wall leading to it) in the front - the actual house is farther on the left than I photographed. One part of our continuous jungle, the broad-leaf plant on the right is a Ti plant from whose leaves the "grass" skirts are made and from whose roots Okolehau is brewed...a very potent hard liquor with a particularly odd taste.

Houseplant Care Many of us are itching to haul our houseplants outdoors, where they can really thrive. This is great for your plants since they will get better air circulation, light exposure, and humidity than they did during those dull winter months. A word of precaution: Wait until the weather is consistently warm (days and nights) before bringing out your houseplants. Many of these are tropical plants that can be damaged at temperatures under 40-45 degrees. Don't immediately move plants into full sunlight. Initially, find a shady place for the first day or two, gradually easing them into filtered sunlight. If the plant likes high light intensities, the move to full sunlight should take from 10 days to two weeks. If you find that plant foliage is bleaching, fading, or burning, move the plant back into filtered sunlight, and allow another week for it to adjust.