Help, my plant

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luvmy2cats

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I used to have a small bamboo plant too but Popsie ruined that by eating it.
Currently I have the two plants you guys saw, plus a nice big verigated spider that gets flowers in the Spring. Then I have a ficus, a Christmas cactus and a rubber tree plant or whatever you call those. I hate the thing because it's half dead but DH won't let me get rid of it.
 

arlyn

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Pothos and heartleaf philodendron are my absolute favorite terrarium plants.
It's like they're just made for that sort of setup.

All I have now is a heartleaf philo, my spider plant did not survive the winter (gets far too dry indoors here even with daily watering).

Once I get moved though, I'll be able to fill my life with houseplants again.
I am so, so glad that Spaz has never been the least bit interested in houseplants.
 
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luvmy2cats

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I tried growing one of my spiders babies last year. I was going well until Popsie got a hold of it.
 

pjk5900

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one of the best things I remember hearing about house plants is to water them with the water from boiled eggs. (cooled to room temp first!!)

that and to crush the egg shells and mix with the soil.

haven't had plants in years since the animals came along, but this is supposed to provide nutrients to the soil.
 

strange_wings

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^The soil I've mixed in before is high in calcium, probably why it helped.
Originally Posted by luvmycat1

I tried growing one of my spiders babies last year. I was going well until Popsie got a hold of it.
Hang them up. Spider plants do better in a hanging pot.
 
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luvmy2cats

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

^The soil I've mixed in before is high in calcium, probably why it helped.
Hang them up. Spider plants do better in a hanging pot.
Yeah, I could do that. I have my adult spider sitting atop the highest shelf of my (the thing with glass shelves, some French word. Can't spell it.)
Anyway, Popsie managed to get up there and chew off one of the babies hanging down.
 

strange_wings

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Cats love spider plants. Whether it's cause they look like grass or just because they instinctively know that they're not toxic, I'm not sure.
We have one, Sho nearly demolished it. I hung it up, and now several months later it's blooming and putting of little ones left and right (literally).

Does Popsie have some cat grass? He would probably enjoy some if he doesn't
 
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luvmy2cats

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

Cats love spider plants. Whether it's cause they look like grass or just because they instinctively know that they're not toxic, I'm not sure.
We have one, Sho nearly demolished it. I hung it up, and now several months later it's blooming and putting of little ones left and right (literally).

Does Popsie have some cat grass? He would probably enjoy some if he doesn't
No, I should probably get him some, but don't cats puke it up when they eat it. Popsie sure pukes up the spider plant.
 

glitch

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

First off... water about weekly or get in the habit of checking the soil with your finger.

Second, don't use soil from outside unless you serialize it (bake it in the oven). You do not know what little things are living in the soil and would probably not want to grow a colony of them inside.

Get a very close look at the plant. Make sure there are no little webs on it.

Make sure that window is not leaking any cold air. Cold drafts are not good for plants. It looks like it could use more light as well. If the window doesn't leak set something on that little table to make the plant sit up higher or switch it to another window.
Isn't there a site run by Anne thats a plant online place??? Pretty sure there is.... Anyone know?? I dont have plants! My thumbs are black (deadly) instead of green!!
 

saya

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Some new soil never (ok rarely) hurts.

Plants need food though too! I honestly find that those stupid stakes do next to nothing.

here are a few of my favorite tips for feeding or fertilizing on a tight budget...

Are you a tea drinker? dump any left over cold tea into your pots (provided that you don't take sugar, honey or sweetener in your tea)

Do you boil your veggies for dinner? Anytime you boil vegetables (no salt!) dump the cooled down water into your pots.

seaweed! plants LOVE seaweed soup! If you live near the coast you can just harvest it on your own, making sure to rinse it thoroughly. You can also buy a big bag for cheap at the store. Asian markets sell it the cheapest.
Soak it in a bucket or pitcher of water for a week. Do it outside. This stuff smells foul. After the week is up pour a ladle or so into each pot (again, outside). This is a miracle tonic for plants!

Compost. Start a compost pile, even if you can only do it in a bucket on the patio. This stuff is gold for your plants. It cuts down on your garbage bill too.

These are safe! unlike chemical fertilizers you cannot over feed your plants with this stuff...
 

strange_wings

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Seaweed sounds interesting. I don't remember the name for the plant forum - someone help out here?
And yes, cats will vomit grass back up if they eat a bunch of it, but it's not harmful to them. Often they only do that if their stomachs are upset already.
 

isabel

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I agree with hanging plants like spiders and pothos. They can be a hassle to water when they're hung (it runs on hte floor) but the cats can't get them.

I only have tough leaved plants now. I have Jade plants, and snake (MIL tougue, sanseveria) plants. And one red-margin leaf draceana that is too tall for the cats to eat the leaves.
 

natalie_ca

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I wish I could help
I used to have dozens of plants back when I lived in a house. My windows faced the west and the apartment was on the upper floor and quite humid much of the year.

However when I moved from there all of my plants died, including a my HUGE spider plant which was about 12 years old. I've never had any success in growing plants since.

Now the only plant that I have is a fake plastic one!
 

saya

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Originally Posted by luvmycat1

I found what my plant is on google. Here's the link.http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/housepl...syngonium.html
It's still not doing all that great.
Assuming your doing all the things you are supposed to be doing for this plant...

consider these basic needs of all plants,

sunlight, is it getting the proper type and amount of sunlight needed for that particular plant?

soil, is it in the right kind of soil? some plants need light loamy soil while others need dense sandy soil. if you find that the soil isn't correct for that plant, replace it.

water. is it getting the right amount of water? generally speaking, if the plant looks yellow and wilty it's probably getting too much water, dry and crumbly, not enough. (be sure to read all you can on your specific plant though. there are exceptions to these rules)

and last but most important, how do the roots look? If your plant is root bound or root rotted it won't be able to take up the nutrients vital to healthy shoots. some plants like their roots to be a little cramped however, so again, check on your plants requirements.

after this checklist I would definitely check on feeding requirements and try to do it at least annually.

good luck!
 
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luvmy2cats

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Thank you everyone for the advice. I finally think it starting to come around. I had to cut a bunch of leaves off but it's getting two new ones so that's ok. I fertilized it and I think that's helping. I also read to mist the leaves because they like humidity.
So thanks again for the help peeps.
 
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