Now that my outside garden is put to bed (
) I will focus on my indoor plants.
Over the last year or so I have went from maybe one or two indoor plants to several. Sunday is watering day for me. It’s a day I have a little more time so I can “nurture” - water, clean the leaves, add dirt if needed, feed, etc.
Thought it might be fun to share some photos of what we have inside, help each other troubleshoot, talk about which plants you’ve had luck propagating, etc.
This guy is my current pride and joy. Bought last winter and he spent the summer outside where it really thrived. Hoping it can adjust back to the house . The little orange fruits make me so happy!!!
I think it’s a calamondin.
I would like some feedback at to indoor stakes you like that are less intrusive visually. The one I have in the plant above is from when it was outside and I need to replace.
I have used one of the thin metal green stakes that has a round loop at the top for my money tree and that is working out good but it’s not the right type for this plant.
I have a meyer lemon and a kumquat that I put outside on my deck in the summer, where they flourish. Every fall I drag them inside and place them in a very sunny location, where they start out strong, flower beautifully (the best fragrance fills the house) and then eventually almost die until I can get them outside again in the spring. The lemon tree fruits (although the fruits often don’t fully ripen and are just generally dry and unappetizing) and the kumquat has yet to make fruit, in spite of robust flowering. Who knows, maybe this year will be the year they don’t get traumatized by winter…?
I was able to get this citrus tree home and kept alive and flowering from February to probably May when it went outside so hoping it adjusts again! The nursery I bought it from gave me some special fertilizer for it so I’ll be diligent about feeding it.
The little “oranges” (technically suppose to be a cross between orange and lime flavored) are tiny but very juicy and tart! I will slice them and add to water for a little zing.
Does anyone have an Aerogarden? What do you grow in it? I’m trying tomatoes for the second time, but haven’t been impressed. So far, lettuce has been my most successful crop.
Good timing! Does anybody have plant propagation tips?
Background: I have a house full of geranium plant brought from the yard. Some were outdoor pots but most were in the ground. It’s a hobby based mostly on light geraniums from my mother’s window sill and plant light before she died, I assume originally from my yard that she tended. This was the second summer they were outdoors at my house, and I try to propagate to keep new growth growing. My geranium propagation attempts last year were a failure in the water but partial success into soil with stem coated with honey and then later started using rooting hormone. Even in soil I had a low success rate, but I still did get some nice new plants out of it.
A few minutes ago, before seeing this timely thread, I purchased potassium permanganet to try giving water method another try.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08F6GR3F1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It was recommended on this video. The picture below is a fancy glass holder, but video shows a way to make one from plastic water bottle.
I have had a lemon tree for several years - it’s outside mid May - October and winters inside. I usually get one lemon, but the lemon is always quite large. The fruit is currently about the size of a baseball and it will ripen in the next few months! I also have another citrus tree which is very pretty and blooms in the spring but never produces fruit. I have a few other houseplants, too.
I would love more, but we are moving next year and I will have to re- home the ones I have. A friend is interested in my lemon tree which I am happy to leave with her. I told her that she has to agree to send me some pictures!
Everything I’ve propagated has just been clear the lower leaves, put in plenty of water, freshen the water and wait until the roots sprout quite a bit before planting!
I gave my son an Aerogarden last winter for his Seattle apartment - it came with a selection of herbs. It did quite well but he doesn’t really cook from scratch so didn’t have much use for the crop. I just wanted him to have something green growing over the winter that he didn’t have to pay much attention to. We took most of the herbs when we were there briefly in June. Then he let it go over the summer when it was so hot because the light did create heat. Now he’s interested in the lettuces so I’ll probably send him some pods in December.
In San Diego, everything can stay outside year round.
Ha, San Diego! When there in August, I took a few bits from a sidewalk jade tree and put them in my window boxes to propagate. They are now ready for potting. I also took a Mexican oregano, sprouted it and it trails 2 feet or so. Do you use this in cooking, anyone? It has succulent like leaves.
My houseplants are projects for the most part, rather than decorative objects. I have little space. I have two Norfolk Island pine. One needs to be rehomed, as it is 4 feet tall, and the other about 2 feet, which is fine to hold lights for various seasons.
Can they not be decorative and “projects “!?
I brought in my rosemary and oregano from outside and put them in the sun porch. The oregano is actually from summer 2020 it weathered over last winter. I also propagated some mini globe basil.
Not sure they will also make it but I’ll try because I love having fresh herbs even in winter. After Christmas I’ll plant some parsley seed inside as well
I have a bay leaf plant which has been exiled to the patio permanently because it became a magnet for whiteflies or whatever (it survived just fine during last winter snow). I also have a lemon bush that I hope will do better this year than last. Other than that, all my indoor plants are inedible: peace lily, plumerias, monstera, orchids, and a coffee tree (it produces cherries but they are not worth the trouble going after! 
)
Just curious. Did you wash it with soapy water before bringing it inside? Back in the day when I kept house plants outside over the summer, I would throughly clean them with soapy water (Dawn). If I didn’t, some nasty pests would eventually take over.
I did not and can’t say I have ever had any issues. I did usually harden and reverse harden them - meaning gradually get time used to the new-to-be environment a few hours a day.
I have a bay leaf plant too–we just brought it inside last weekend. Also, I have a lot of succulents (echeveria, haworthia, portalacaria, burro’s tail, sansevieria, and jade). They’re small plants that I have on shelf right by large windows in my kitchen. All of them did really well outside and I had to repot some before bringing them inside. There’s one plant (I bought it at a plant sale and I don’t kow what it is).
I’m posting pix–can anyone tell me the name? It did incredibly well outside.
Glad to know your method has been successful. You should be fine then.
Thanks to someone on this board, it dawned on me this year that I didn’t need to put my outdoor potted geraniums to the curb at the end of summer (doh!). Look at this happy guy brightening up my office.
I have various “house” plants that make their way inside and out depending on the season. With our first freeze coming up, I will bring them inside over the next day or so, but they won’t need to permanently stay inside for another few weeks (we are in GA). I do wash them with Dawn to reduce the chance of introducing pests and occasionally spray with neem oil.
Most of my plants are pretty standard: peace lilies, money tree, orchid, aloe, Chinese evergreen, asparagus fern, Christmas cactus and other succulents, pony tail palm (not having great luck with this one), climbing potato, variegated croton, crocodile fern, split leaf philodendron. I had fun walking around to make that list!
BUT I do have a challenge… a friend just gave me a fiddle leaf fig that is in poor shape. I have not had the best luck with these in the past (and would not try again at $$$ a plant), but I will give this a go. I am repotting and spraying well with water and then washing each leaf with neem oil. I will keep it in a well-lit spot (I believe this was my problem with previous attempts) and only take it outside when temps are over 68.
I’d appreciate any tips for fiddle leaf figs so maybe I have my first success story. Of course, since this one is starting out poorly it may be beyond salvaging. It is over 5 feet tall and doesn’t appear to be dropping leaves, but most of the leaves have brown spots. It definitely has spider mites which the neem oil will hopefully take care of. However, if there is some sort of bacterial infection it may not be salvageable. I’ll post pics if anyone is interested.
I did not do anything to clean my geranium plants when I brought them in. Admittedly I did see some holes in plant leaves and removed a few green wormy things. I’m assuming if there are more they will stay with food source in the pots.
