Houseplants & Succulents For Dummies

Steven A. Frowine is a noted professional horticulturist and a longtime avid gardener and communicator. He has co-authored many titles in the For Dummies gardening collection, including Orchids For Dummies and Gardening Basics For Dummies.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 3Beyond This Book 3Where to Go from Here 4Part 1: Getting Started with Houseplants 5Chapter 1: Discovering the World of Houseplants 7Getting to Know Houseplants 7Houseplant history 8Species houseplant names 9Cultivar names 10Hybrid plant names 10Understanding the Benefits of Growing Houseplants 11Growing Houseplants: A Month-by-Month Guide 13January 13February 14March 15April 16May 16June, July, and August 17September 18October 19November and December 20Chapter 2: Choosing the Perfect Houseplants 21Figuring Out Where to Shop 21Specialist houseplant growers or suppliers 22Your local garden center 22Home centers, groceries, and discount stores 22Plant and home shows 23Online houseplant suppliers 23Considering Your Environment 24Taking temperature readings 25Measuring your light intensity 26Asking yourself a few other questions 28Knowing What to Look for in a Houseplant 29Choosing a healthy plant 29Deciding between a mature blooming plant and a young plant 30Understanding how houseplants are produced 32Selecting houseplants with a sweet scent 33Introducing Your New Houseplant to Your Home 33Chapter 3: Having the Right Tools on Hand 35Focusing on Pruning and Cutting Tools 35Pruners 36Knives and blades 37Considering Potting Tools and Supplies 37Potting tools and supplies 38Identifying Watering Accessories 41Water breakers 41Water-flow regulators 42Hoses 42Watering cans 43Sprayers and misters 44Fertilizer injectors and siphon mixers 44Deionization and reverse osmosis units 44Modifying Your Environment with Humidifiers, Ventilation Equipment, and Heaters 46Humidifiers 47Ventilation equipment 48Heaters 49Thermometers and hygrometers 49Chapter 4: Houseplant Appreciation and Display 51Caring for Houseplants in Their New Home 51If the plant is in bloom 52If the plant is not in bloom 52Staking and Grooming Your Blooming Houseplants 53Figuring out how to stake 53Helping your houseplants look their best 55Displaying Houseplants in Your Home 56Knowing some tips to best display your houseplants 57Arranging Houseplant Flowers 59Understanding the three basic flower-design elements 59Supporting houseplant stems in arrangements 61Making your houseplant arrangement last longer 61Part 2: Keeping Your Houseplants Alive and Thriving 63Chapter 5: Providing the Right Growing Environment 65Knowing How Much Light Your Houseplants Need 66Let There Be Light! Recognizing Natural Light Sources 67Greenhouses: Your high light source 67Windowsills: Not all are created equal 68Clues your houseplants want different lighting 71Comparing Artificial Light Sources 73Fluorescent lights 73High-intensity discharge lights and commercial-grade LED lights 77LEDs: The new kids on the block 78Choosing the best lighting option 79Knowing Some Tricks for Growing Houseplants Under Lights 80Creating Humidity 81Providing Ventilation: Fresh Air, Please! 83Ceiling fans 83Oscillating fans 84Muffin fans 84Considering Houseplant Temperature Requirements 84Too-low temperatures 85Too-high temperatures 85Choosing and Planting a Terrarium 85Giving Your Houseplants a Summer Vacation 88Growing plants in a shade house 88Summering houseplants in a portable greenhouse 90Letting your plants hang around 91Chapter 6: Watering and Fertilizing Your Plants 93Water, Water Everywhere: Understanding the Art of Watering Houseplants 94The type of houseplant 94The type of pot 94The type and age of the potting material 95The roominess of the pot 95The humidity, temperature, and ventilation of the growing environment 96The growing stage 96Quenching Your Houseplants’ Thirst 96Using the pot-weighting method 96Knowing some tips and tricks for watering your houseplants 97Over- or Underwatering: Roots Tell the Story 98Houseplant ER: Rescuing and Resuscitating a Dehydrated Houseplant 101Realizing Fertilizers Are Plant Boosters — Not Magic Potions 103Knowing what to look for in houseplant fertilizers 103Identifying types of fertilizers and knowing how to use them 106Chapter 7: Getting the Skinny on Containers, Potting Mixes, and Repotting 109Exploring Different Kinds of Containers 110Examining standard container materials 111Getting creative with containers 113Growing houseplants hydroponically in self-watering containers 114Getting the Right Potting Mix 115Comparing potting mix to soil 115Understanding components of potting mixes 116Figuring out which potting materials are best 118Whipping up your own mix 119Repotting Houseplants without Fear 120Playing the Matching Game — the Right Plants for the Right Pots 121Up-close-and-personal displays 122Tucked-in attention-grabbers 123Containers of mixed company 123Chapter 8: Multiplying Your Favorite Houseplants 125Cloning Your Plants through Vegetative Reproduction 125Cutting and rooting stems 126Reproducing with leaf cuttings 128Propagating by air layering 130Growing Plants from Seeds: Sexual Reproduction 131Recognizing the different kinds of seeds 132Knowing the benefits of sowing seeds 133Buying seeds: What to keep in mind 134Testing seeds 135Getting better results from sowing seed 136Thinning seedlings 138Hardening off seedlings 139Transplanting seedlings 139Chapter 9: Keeping Your Houseplants Pest- and Disease-Free 141Preventing Problems before They Start 142Besting the Bugs 143Identifying common houseplant pests 143Finding safe and effective pest-control measures 148Applying pest-control treatments 150Identifying Fungal and Bacterial Infections 151Noticing when your houseplant has a virus 152Handling a sick plant 153Part 3: the Best of the Houseplants 155Chapter 10: Succulents and Cacti: Easy-Care Plants 157Caring for Houseplant Succulents and Cacti 158Potting 158Watering 159Lighting 160Other maintenance tips 160Meeting the Succulents 161Genus: Adromischus 162Genus: Aeonium 163Genus: Agave 164Genus: Aloe 165Genus: Anacampseros 167Genus: Bryophyllum 167Genus: Ceropegia 167Genus: Cotyledon 168Genus: Crassula 168Genus: Echeveria 171Genus: Euphorbia 173Genus: Faucaria 175Genus: Gasteria 176Genus: Graptopetalum 176Genus: Graptosedum 177Genus: Graptoveria 178Genus: Haworthia 178Genus: Kalanchoe 181Genus: Lithops 181Genus: Pachyphytum 184Genus: Pachyveria 185Genus: Pleiospilos 186Genus: Portulacaria 186Genus: Sedum 186Genus: Sempervivum 189Genus: Senecio 191Saying Hi to Houseplant Cacti 193Getting to the point: Cactus spines and prickers 194Two can tango: Grafted cacti 194Genus: Astrophytum 195Genus: Cephalocereus 195Genus: Cereus 196Genus: Disocactus 197Genus: Echinocactus 198Genus: Echinocereus 199Genus: Echinopsis 199Genus: Epiphyllum 200Genus: Ferocactus 201Genus: Gymnocalycium 202Genus: Mammillaria 202Genus: Opuntia 203Genus: Oreocereus 204Genus: Parodia or Notocactus 205Genus: Rhipsalis 206Genus: Tephrocactus 206Chapter 11: Easy Orchids: Don’t Pass Up These Beauties 209Becoming Familiar with the Basics of Orchid Culture 210Repotting Orchids without Fear 211Knowing when to repot 211Orchid potting — step by step 212Understanding Orchid Names 214Meeting the Moth Orchids 214Examining the popularity of moth orchids 215Deconstructing the beauty of moth orchids 216Checking Out the Cattleyas 224The queens of the ball: Cattleya hybrids 225Exploring the miniatures 229A few other cattleya relatives of note 230Trying On the Slipper Orchids 232Giving your lady’s slipper a good home 233Admiring marvelous Maudiae 234Going big with modern lady’s slippers hybrids 234Taking a spin with the dancing ladies: Onicidiums 235Growing miniature oncidiums or tolumnias 236Chapter 12: Foliage Plants: Create an Indoor Tropical Paradise 237Examining Why People Grow Foliage Plants 238Introducing an Assortment of Foliage Plants 238Large-growing foliage plants 239Small-growing foliage plants 254Vines and climbers for foliage and flowers 273Chapter 13: Flowering Plants: Dazzling Additions to Your Indoor Garden 285Understanding the Conditions Flowering Plants Need to Thrive 286Introducing a Parade of Flowering Plants 286Genus: Abutilon 286Genus: Acalypha 287Genus: Alpinia 288Genus: Anthurium 289Genus: Aphelandra 289Genus: Beloperone 290Genus: Bougainvillea 290Genus: Brugmansia 292Genus: Brunfelsia 292Genus: Burbidgea 293Genus: Canna 294Genus: Cestrum 294Genus: Clerodendrum 295Genus: Clivia 295Genus: Costus 297Genus: Crossandra 297Genus: Curcuma 298Genus: Duranta 299Genus: Euphorbia 299Genus: Fuchsia 301Genus: Gardenia 302Genus: Globba 303Genus: Heliconia 304Genus: Hibiscus 305Genus: Ixora 305Genus: Jatropha 307Genus: Justicia 307Genus: Medinilla 308Genus: Mussaenda 308Genus: Nerium 309Genus: Pachystachys 310Genus: Pentas 310Genus: Plumbago 311Genus: Plumeria 312Genus: Rosa 313Genus: Ruellia 313Genus: Spathiphyllum 314Genus: Tabernaemontana 314Genus: Tibouchina 316Genus: Zantedeschia 316Genus: Zingiber 317Chapter 14: African Violets and Their Kin: Almost Always in Flower 319Understanding Why Gesneriads Should Be More Popular 320Introducing the Main Players in This Genus 320Genus: Achimenes 321Genus: Aeschynanthus 321Genus: Chirita 322Genus: Chrysothemis 323Genus: Columnea 324Genus: Corytoplectus 325Genus: Episcia 326Genus: Kohleria 326Genus: Nematanthus 328Genus: Pearcea 329Genus: Saintpaulia 329Genus: Seemannia 333Genus: Sinningia 335Genus: Smithiantha 339Genus: Streptocarpus 340Chapter 15: Begonias: Brilliant Flowers, Gorgeous Foliage 343Examining Why People Grow Begonias 344Understanding Basic Care of Begonias 345Potting your begonias 345Regulating humidity 345Watering correctly 345Providing light 346Managing temperature requirements 346Meeting the Begonias 347Foliage begonias 347Flowering begonias 351Shrub or cane begonias 354Part 4: the Part of Tens 357Chapter 16: Ten Common Reasons Houseplants Die (and How to Avoid ’em) 359Overwatering 359Underwatering 360Too Much Light or Heat 360Leaving Houseplant Foliage Wet Overnight 361Too Much Fertilizer 361Insect Infestation 361Improper Use of Pesticides 362Purchasing Sick Plants 362Poor Water Quality 362Inadequate Ventilation 363Chapter 17: The Ten Most Frequently Asked Questions about Houseplants 365Are Houseplants Difficult to Grow? 365Why Should I Grow Houseplants? 366Do I Need a Greenhouse to Grow Houseplants? 366Are Houseplants Expensive? 366How Long Will Houseplants Live? 367What Makes a Plant a Houseplant? 367Are Any Houseplants Cold-Hardy? 367Are Houseplants Fragrant? 367Where Can I See the Best Collections of Houseplants? 368What Are the Best Materials to Use to Repot or Transplant My Houseplants? 369Appendix 371Index 375