what about INDOOR plants?

[vash]

my house looks sad.

i need plants.

i know i want that indoor "fig" tree, and the "mother in law" plant.

anything else that can survive my black thumb?

[vash]

the fiddle fig tree. come to think of it, i could use that couch, that rug, and all the wall pictures!

[drkshdw]

Pothos and spider plants. Both are nearly impossible to kill.

[stevej37]

Cactus are easy to grow. I have two different types that are 4-5 foot tall. They are prob at least 10 years old.

[MBAtarga]

aloe vera plants are also good - and they have the benefit of the gel to use for first aid on burns!

[pavulon]

Orchids. Water (really it’s just soaking them in some fertilized water for an hour) once a week and keep them in bark mulch near a window with sunlight. Done.

[Baz]

I can contribute to this thread.

For starters....the Fiddleleaf fig (Ficus lyrata) ia an excellent choice for indoors.

I picked one up at Home Depot for about $90 a couple months back and it's thriving!

Drinks like a fish! At some point I will step up to a larger container.

I also bought some smaller 3 gallon size at Walmart and they are both thriving.

I normally buy wholesale but with indoor stuff the best nurseries are too far to drive. I'm happy to pay a little more for the few I buy, as long as the quality is very good.

Here's my big boy......it's in my office area.....

[dan88911]

Palms are a nice touch.

[Baz]

Here are the 2 smaller Fiddleleafs.......they would fine to start with and allow to grow taller. If in the right location - the closer to filtered light the better - they would grow at a medium rate.

[Eric at Pelican Parts]

It’s 10 feet high, I don’t know if it’s bad to trim it down.... but its gotta happen sometime soon, or I’ll have to relocate it.

[Baz]

EDIT: Just as I posted this, I see Eric posted a pic of his Corn Plant...lol.....

There's a plant called a Dracaena that is very popular for indoor use. The variety that most people are familiar with is the Corn Plant...D. fragrans 'Massangeana'. There's probably about 10 varieties that are mass produced for the consumer market. They have an upright growth habit.

One that I have always liked is called Janet Craig and I picked up this small one at Walmart earlier this year.....



I was at Walmart today and they had the Corn Plants in 3 gal. size with 2 canes that were very healthy for only $10. ea.

I would buy one but I already have an old one that I need to cut up and propagate.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by dan88911

Palms are a nice touch.

Indeed......popular varieties include:

• Areca Palm
• Chamaedorea (Parlor) Palm - several varieties
• Kentia - rare and expensive
• Lady Palm - Rhapis
• Majesty Palm

[pwd72s]

Our cats taught us that we can have them or we can have house plants. They won...

[Eric at Pelican Parts]

Hey Baz, these are the other ones I have inside the house too! I didn’t know they were really popular, haha.

[wdfifteen]

I’ve got some indoor plants!

[Baz]

Originally Posted by Eric at Pelican Parts

Hey Baz, these are the other ones I have inside the house too! I didn’t know they were really popular, haha.

In order of your pics:
1. Orchids
2. Janet Craig Dracaena
3. Warnecki Dracaena

Nice assortment, Eric!

Getting back to your Corn Plant...you can cut it back and take the piece you cut off (it's called a tip cutting) and root it in another pot to get a second plant. Wherever you cut on the cane of the original plant, you will get multiple new shoots.

Best to liquid feed it a times per month leading up to the pruning and move it where it will get the max filtered light (no direct sun) when you do the deed.

I would cut the top third off...then cut the piece you cut off (the tip cutting) in half and root both pieces together in one pot.

[Baz]

One of the best plant families to derive indoor foliage plants from is the Araceae Family.....commonly referred to as the Aroid Family.

The most popular plants from this family include:

1. Philodendron
2. Aglaonema
3.Diffenbachia
4. Anthurium
5. Monstera
6. Spathiphyllum
7. Scindapsus (or Epipremnum)
8. Alocasia and Colocasia
9. Caladium
10. Nepthytus

You can Google any of the names I listed above for pics and more info but they are all great options for use indoors.

[Baz]

When I graduated from college in 1977, I wanted to start off as a grower working at a nursery. I landed a job at a mom and pop nursery in Lake Jem and after almost a year there as the only grower on site in charge of all cultural needs plus pest management, I found a better job at a larger operation in Apopka where I was head grower with 5 growers under me. I stayed there for another 2 years before re-locating back to NSB where I worked at a "landscape" nursery for about half a year before landing a job as horticulture instructor at the local community college where I worked for the next 5 years. The rest I won't bore you with but all in all I've been in the green industry now for 41 years.

Here's a pic of me at my Apopka job sometime around 1979. I was 25. Those were some good times. We grew all kinds of interior use plants. Lots and lots. When I was dating, I would show up with a huge plant specimen instead of flowers. It started things off really well!

[Eric at Pelican Parts]

These should be the last of my indoor plants!

[masraum]

Originally Posted by pavulon

Orchids. Water (really it’s just soaking them in some fertilized water for an hour) once a week and keep them in bark mulch near a window with sunlight. Done.

You've got to be careful, there are lots of different kinds of orchids, and some can be VERY fussy. Most of what you see at grocery stores are what Baz has pictured, below. Phaleanopsis. They are pretty easy to grow. They don't like too much light, and they like some water but not too much. Most folks that kill orchids "care too much" and end up over watering.

Originally Posted by Eric at Pelican Parts

Hey Baz, these are the other ones I have inside the house too! I didn’t know they were really popular, haha.

I've got a couple of phalaenopsis, and a few others. I only have 2 that are still in bark. I've moved to what orchid folks call "semi-hydroponic" for my orchids. It's easier for me as they get the right kind of moisture, but not too much. I've got 2 phals currently in bloom, and a long spike full of buds on an oncidium. I've been growing these for about 1 a year and they seem pretty happy. I like the "semi-hydro" because it's easy and practically fool-proof.
More info that you can shake a stick at (this is the site of the guy that invented semi-hydro about 20 years ago)
Semi-Hydroponics™ - First Rays LLC