Garden Talks
With the outdoor gardening season and the Holiday rush behind us (and the Patriots season over) our thoughts often turn to projects in the home. Some projects are easier than others but one of the EASIEST and HEALTHIEST projects any of us can do is to improve the look and health of our homes with Clean Air Houseplants!
In the late 1980s, a study by NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) resulted in excellent news for homeowners and office workers everywhere. The study concluded that common houseplants such as bamboo palms and spider plants not only make indoor spaces more attractive, they also help to purify the air!
Newer homes and buildings, designed for energy efficiency, are often tightly sealed to avoid energy loss from heating and air conditioning systems. Moreover, synthetic building materials used in modern construction have been found to produce potential pollutants that remain trapped in these unventilated buildings.
NASA has done extensive research on the efficacy of plants at absorbing contaminants in the air, while converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. Many popular plants such as philodendron, ferns, pothos and the spider plant do great work in cleaning the air in our homes and they look darned nice to boot!
One of the most attractive and rewarding flowering plants we grow and sell is called the cyclamen.
The key to keeping cyclamen happy and healthy is to replicate their natural environment as closely as possible. They thrive in cool temperatures that drop as low as 40 degrees F. at night and rise into the 60s during the day. Place them close to a bright south-, east-, or west-facing window for maximum sunlight.
Cyclamen are a bit fussy about watering. It's best to let the soil get somewhat dry between waterings, but not to the point of wilting. When the pot feels light or the soil feels dry just below the surface, water it thoroughly and let it drain. Pour out any water left in the saucer so that the soil doesn't stay soggy. Fertilize with regular houseplant fertilizer for flowering plants. (One note: I like to recommend not watering the cyclamen in the very middle of the plant--that can contribute to crown rot. I recommend watering a cyclamen in the sink and to water around the exterior of the top of the root system).
To keep plants blooming, remove flowers as they finish by cutting the stems near the base of the plant. Sometimes the petals will fall off and leave a round seed capsule that resembles a flower bud. Remove these, too. True cyclamen flower buds are long and pointed. Also remove yellow and withered leaves.
