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kristamaranatha_gw

Multiple Houseplant Questions

17 years ago

I have several houseplants, which I purchased at the beginning of the summer: a dumb cane, aloe vera and dracaena. I also have a parlor palm and an african violet I received as gifts back in January, and a venus fly trap I purchased last weekend. I am wondering if anyone can tell me how I can better take care of these plants. They have been kept off to the side of my living room where indirect sunlight reaches them. I have used Miracle Grow fertilizer (those little sticks you put into the soil). The dumb cane has some yellow leaves which I have been cutting off. The aloe doesn't seem to be doing well on account of my toddler continually pulling it up, and several of its leaves have fallen off. The palm is starting to droop and its leaves seem dry, but it otherwise is green. The dracaena seems to be doing well besides having a few brown leaves I have cut off. The violet wilted before I learned what it is and how to take care of it, and now all is left is a few suckers growing up out of the soil. The flowers and leaves all died. The venus fly trap has caught a few flies already and seems to be doing good considering I just bought it. I read somewhere that it will go dormant for the winter but I'm not sure what the means or what I will have to do to take care of it during that time. I know there I have a lot of questions but would appreciate any help I can get. Thank you.

Comments (3)

  • 17 years ago

    The Aloe and the African Violet definitely need more light. Aloes need full sun and African Violets need about 14 hours of bright, indirect sun daily. Aloes need to dry out a fair bit between waterings, the other plants need moderate watering and the venus fly trap needs to be kept constantly moist. I kept mine in a cup of water all the time. The palm probably needs more humidity, as well as the African Violet, however misting is not a good choice as a humidity booster for plants with fuzzy leaves like the violet. It will rot the leaves.

    Hopefully someone'll have some more helpful info for you. Good luck!

  • 17 years ago

    Venus Fly Trap must NOT get any fertilizer. They also want lots of bright light, as much as you can give them, I believe. But if it's been in lower light, transition to higher light slowly. If your water has lots of minerals in it, use RO or distilled water. I stay on the safe side and use distilled water for my carnivorous plants. If you are in zone 8 you can actually put your Venus Fly Trap outside to overwinter, and make life easier on yourself. Otherwise, you're going to have to figure out how to deal with the dormancy period. I don't have one of these specifically because I don't have a good way to deal with the dormancy, nor can I keep it outside. I think you can simulate dormancy with a fridge, but I don't know the details. It would probably be best to do a search for Venus Fly Trap over in the carnivorous plants forum and read up on Venus Fly Traps in general, and what people have posted about dormancy.

    If most of the African violet has died off, it will now be very overpotted (in a pot too big for it). This is a prime situation for rot to set in, and kill off the rest of it. If it is only a few suckers popping out of the soil, which sounds very small, I would repot them into a 3oz Solo cup with a hole punched in the bottom for drainage.

    The palm sounds like it needs more light and more water. However, if the leaves are crunchy, even if they are still green, those leaves are dead. Hopefully it isn't all like that.

    Aloes are pretty tough, but I'd put it out of reach of your toddler so it can recover. I've never grown dumb cane, but get that out of reach of your toddler as well. It is toxic. Hope this helps!

  • 17 years ago

    The VFT needs very bright light. Indirect will not work. Also if you already used fertilizer on it then you need to flush the media very good with distilled, R/O or rain water immediately. Carnivorous plants get their nutrients from bugs. Fertilizer in the media will kill them. Transplant may be in order. Use a 2-1 ratio of sphagnum and perlite. Be very careful with the roots, they don't like disturbance at all. Dormancy is a must. You can leave it outside, but if you get an extended freeze then you need to make sure it is somewhat protected, mulch with a couple inches of pine needles. It may look dead when in dormancy but will come back to life in spring. Also keep the soil dryer when in dormancy, moist not wet.