In the late fall season, grocery stores and nurseries are filled with colorful blooming plants, commonly called Christmas cactus or Thanksgiving cactus…or even Zygocatus.  If you’re confused by plant names, it may help to make this mental separation: Common names: “What is this plant called?” (names given to a plant) Botanical name: “What *is* this plant?” (the unique identifier) My Schlumbergera truncata with a full display of blooms: a treat every winter! Common names are loosely applied by most people, but some try to be strict – “it’s not a Christmas cactus, it’s a Thanksgiving cactus ..read more

Disclaimer: this is a paid partnership between Soltech Solutions and House Plant Journal.  The products were given to House Plant Journal to provide an honest review.  Using the links to purchase from Soltech supports my efforts to create educational content on House Plant Journal. Get 15% off a Soltech grow light with my code: hpjsoltech15 (House Plant Journal is an affiliate partner with Soltech) The Soltech Grove LED Bar Light comes in black and white.Impressive by build quality Right from the unboxing and holding the unit in my hands, I was impressed with the build quality.  ..read more

Plant Parent I still don’t understand what they mean by indirect. I use a grow light on my office plants because while I have a larger window in my office, and it’s even south facing, it’s mirrored on the outside and just isn’t enough. I recently added hoyas and I am afraid of hurting them; does the further distance from the grow light make it indirect? Darryl The distinction of direct vs indirect applies ONLY to the sun and, when dealing with indoor natural light, it is assumed that the window is mostly transparent (not highly tinted). Tinted windows will definitely result in weaker light. T ..read more

I’m excited to partner with Dowan Ceramics to introduce and test their A-Pot self-watering houseplant pot! This is a paid partnership between Dowan Ceramics and House Plant Journal I was immediately drawn to the design of the A-Pot because of its stylish combination of glass and terracotta.  While I’m generally on top of checking up on which of my plants require watering, this task can be daunting to a first-time houseplant owner – or an avid collector with many plants – the A-Pot makes ensuring your plants get adequate watering super easy (and stylish too!). Within a few minutes of bein ..read more

Disclaimer: this is a paid partnership between Soltech Solutions and House Plant Journal.  The products were given to House Plant Journal to provide an honest review. Plant parents of today should rejoice from two converging trends: (1) the fact that LED technology has come a long way – cheaper and highly effective; (2) light requirements for ornamental foliage plants (what we broadly call “houseplants”) are modest in comparison to agricultural plants. The fact that there are so many choices for grow lights means the products will continue to evolve to suit the demands of today’s housepl ..read more

Plant Parent Is it okay to cut off my Monstera’s aerial roots? Darryl As a matter of convenience, yes.  I usually try to direct them into the pot but they’ll eventually creep out, at which point I just cut them: I’ve done this for years without any noticeable impact on the overall growth of the plant: here’s my plant 4 years apart… If your growing conditions are good (adequate light) and you’re watering/fertilizing accordingly, then everything keeps growing – including aerial roots after they’re cut: A small Monstera deliciosa will eventually grow many aerial roots, creating a crazy ..read more

In my book, I stated that misting is about as useful to raise humidity as it is to light up a match to warm up a room: the effect on ambient humidity is minimal and temporary. And I don’t use a humidifier anywhere – my ambient indoor humidity in the winter goes down to 30% but all of my houseplants are fine – just look at this Ctenanthe burl-marxii: Look, if you enjoy misting your plants, go ahead and do it for your plants with waxy leaves (leaves that are hairy, like Begonias and African violets, may develop fungal spots) – I’m just saying you shouldn’t feel obligated to do it for raising hu ..read more

I’m so excited to share that HPJ has partnered with Greg, the app that helps you grow healthy and happier plants, to bring you even more data-driven, science-based plant care! The Greg team and I agree that plant care should be highly personalized, because no two plants or environments are alike. So we both emphasize an understanding of why you’re doing something – not just the do’s and don’ts.  We share a vision of making the journey of plant care a fun and rewarding experience.  Together, we’ll provide you with tools and guidance to grow plants that thrive in your environment. Ben ..read more

Scale is an interesting pest: most people notice them when they see little domes stuck to the stem or any ridges along a leaf. The domes are actually the last stage of the insect since it is a protective shell that resists insecticidal soap sprays. Inside the dome are the eggs. When they hatch, the “crawlers” move along the plant and find a new place to settle and suck out the sugary fluids from the plant. The way I’ve effectively dealt with scale is two-fold: physical removal of domes with tweezers (or just cutting off plant material if heavily infested) and insecticidal soap to destroy any r ..read more

Just as I was running out of space in my first Ikea Greenhouse Cabinet (Milsbo), I stumbled upon a gently used Detolf display cabinet FREE for the taking in my apartment’s garbage disposal room! Disclaimer: this article contains affiliate links that help to support House Plant Journal content ~ Thank You! Product Summary (links where applicable): Ikea: DETOLF display cabinet LENOX Tools Hole Saw, Bi-Metal, Speed Slot, Arbored, 2-3/8-Inch White Cable Grommet Timer Power Bar by Zoo Med (I like the green one!) Cable Management Box with Bamboo Lid Govee Thermometer and Hygrometer Foam tape (1/4″ t ..read more