You have a cactus sharing a sunny windowsill or a mixed planter with other houseplants, and one of the neighbors is starting to yellow, droop, or rot. It is natural to wonder if the spiny plant is somehow responsible. The short version: A cactus will not attack or poison its neighbors in any meaningful way. … Read more >>
Your kentia palm sits in the corner of the living room, mostly green and graceful, but a few lower fronds have turned yellow, crispy, or brown at the tips. The short version: Learning how to prune a kentia palm plant comes down to cutting only fronds that are fully or mostly brown, using clean, sharp … Read more >>
A green, ribbed column of Peruvian apple cactus sits on your windowsill, and one arm has grown tall enough to lean toward the glass. That arm is a ready-made new plant, and learning how to grow Peruvian apple cactus from cutting is one of the easiest ways to multiply this fast, forgiving cactus. The short … Read more >>
A tall, blue-green column with neat ribs and short spines stands near your window, and you want it to keep growing straight and firm instead of leaning or going soft. Learning how to care for Peruvian apple cactus indoors comes down to a few habits you set once and adjust by season. The short version: … Read more >>
You glance at the ponytail palm on your windowsill and notice the swollen trunk looks thinner and wrinkled, the leaf tips have gone crispy, and the soil has shrunk away from the pot. The short version: An underwatered ponytail palm usually shows a shriveled or wrinkled trunk base, dry brown leaf tips, and bone-dry soil … Read more >>
A dieffenbachia cutting sits in a glass jar on your windowsill, its broad speckled leaves leaning toward the light while you wonder whether those pale roots can carry it for months or only weeks. Can you grow dieffenbachia in water, or does every water-rooted cutting eventually need soil? The short version: Yes, dieffenbachia roots readily … Read more >>
A row of small cacti lines your sunny windowsill, and you’re wondering whether they’re quietly cleaning the air in your apartment or just looking good. People often ask whether cactus plants are good for air quality, and the honest answer is more nuanced than most plant tags suggest. The short version: Cacti are not effective … Read more >>
Your English ivy is trailing off a bookshelf or hanging near a window, and the new growth looks small, pale, or slower than it did last spring. If you are wondering what is the best fertilizer for English ivy, the answer is simpler than the crowded fertilizer aisle suggests. Ivy is a light feeder, and … Read more >>
Your pothos has pale new leaves, the bag of potting mix under the sink says “feeds for months,” and a box of blue crystals sits on the shelf by the window. If you are asking whether Miracle-Gro is good for houseplants, you are asking the right thing before you mix a batch and pour it … Read more >>
Picture two big, leafy plants side by side near a living room window: one tall and upright with stiff, violin-shaped leaves, the other sprawling with glossy, split leaves that reach toward the light. The short version: The fiddle leaf fig vs monstera choice comes down to light and patience. A fiddle leaf fig needs very … Read more >>