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Reference Books

Tropical Foliage Plants
The Manual of Interior Plantscaping
Smartee Plants
Marschner's Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants

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Of course I'm posing with a plant on the way up to

Of course I'm posing with a plant on the way up to the castle
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#houseplantjournal #monsteradeliciosa #Monstera #sintra #sintraportugal

How does it stand without a support? 1) This was a

How does it stand without a support?
1) This was a top cutting I took 3 years ago (only took the top 3 leaves) so there wasn't a long vine that needed support from the initial planting.
2) The plant is mature with a very thick stem so it's already quite rigid - enough to stay upright for the next few leaves. I imagine another year or so and I will need to add a trellis or just take the top cutting again
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#houseplantjournal #monsteradeliciosa #Monstera #monsteramonday #houseplants

Waiting until a peace lily wilts isn't the best wa

Waiting until a peace lily wilts isn't the best way to tell when it's time to water - better to water BEFORE obvious wilting occurs.
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My living room windowsill is limited in space due to baby stuff so the peace lily is going to have to spend the winter in the basement with just 80 FC x 14 hours a day of light (DLI - 0.8 mol/day)
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#houseplantjournal #hpjtimelapse #planttimelapse #peacelily #spathyphyllum

Each year, when I bring my Ctenanthe burl-marxii i

Each year, when I bring my Ctenanthe burl-marxii indoors, I like to give it a thorough clean up of dead and blemished foliage.
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As long as it's growing well, I can even cut off slightly blemished (but otherwise functional) leaves purely so the overall plant looks nicer.
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#houseplantjournal #ctenanthe #ctenantheburlemarxii #plantcare

Yesterday, I posted about peace lily leaf turnover

Yesterday, I posted about peace lily leaf turnover, which doesn't feel like a big deal because there are so many leaves.
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But for a single Monstera stem, each leaf that retires is a significant event.
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From my observations of container-grown Monstera deliciosa, leaves have a lifespan of 2 to 3 years so this one, getting almost to 4 years is a treat.
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I'm not worried about the plant because it has grown many new leaves since then. I'm actually happy that I documented when this leaf was born with a time lapse back in Feb 2021.
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Now that it has retired, I can thank it for its contributions to photosynthesis!
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#houseplantjournal #monsteradeliciosa #Monstera #hpjtimelapse #planttimelapse

I'm commonly asked: if yellowing leaves can be a s

I'm commonly asked: if yellowing leaves can be a sign of something wrong but also just natural leaf loss, how will I know the difference?
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Instead of diagnosis based on leaf signs, I diagnose each factor of care directly *and* accept that leaves have a limited lifespan.
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So I expect leaves to die on a regular basis but as long as the overall plant is growing well, producing new leaves, and doing things that I want from it (example for peace lily: flowering), then I'm happy with the plant.
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This peace lily is over 10 years old but the leaves currently on the plant aren't that old. These leaves emerged over the past 2 or 3 years with contiunal turnover.
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This mindset shift on plant care is the basis for my two books, 'The New Plant Parent' & 'The New Plant Collector' - which will help you enjoy houseplants with clarity on care and realistic expectations
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#houseplantjournal #peacelily #spathyphyllum #leafturnover #thanksforphotosynthesis

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