Gloxinia
(Cousin to African Violet)
Light - Bright indirect light
Water - Keep soil moist, not wet
Fertilize - Feed with 15-15-15 or 20-20-20 fertilizer every 2-4 weeks
After flowering - Reduce water, stop feeding, and allow tubers to rest 2-4 months in completely dry soil. When new growth shows, repot and resume watering and fertilizing. Will flower again in 3 months.
Diseases - Crowns rot and stem rot caused by over watering.
Insects - Spider mites - malathion
Cyclamen mites - malathion
Christmas Cactus
Temperature - Night, 62-65 degrees
Light - Bright indirect light in spring and summer. Full sun in fall and winter.
Water - Moist, but not wet.
Fertilize - Every 2-4 weeks with 15-30-15 (when blooming, every 4 weeks)
To reflower a Christmas Cactus:
About September, begin to cut down on watering, decrease by half on fertilizing and keep in a room that is cool (preferably 60-68 degrees). Also, keep it in a room that will remain dark from about 5:00 pm to 7:00 am. It should have at least 12 hours of darkness or longer. In other words, it should be in a room that is dark from sunset to sunrise.
Ornamental Peppers
Temperature - Night 60-65 degrees; Day 70’s degrees
Light - Bright diffused or full sun
Water - Moist, but not wet
No fertilizing is needed once fruit is set. It is considered an annual, so after the fruit falls and the foliage falls, it can be discarded.
Cyclamen
Temperature - Night 50-55 degrees; Day 70 degrees
Light - Bright indirect; prefers humid air
Water - Moist but not wet
Fertilize - Use 15-30-15, half strength while flowering. After flowering, feed full strength every 2 weeks while new leaves form. Reduce water as leaves die. Do not feed then. Replant dry corm into new soil and keep corm showing above the soil. Begin watering again and feeding every 2 weeks.
Jerusalem Cherry
Temperature - Night 50-55 degrees; Day 70’s degrees
Light - Bright indirect or full sun
Water - Let dry between watering
Fertilizer - Monthly with Peters or Miracle-Gro. After fruit and leaves shed, repot or plant outside. Fertilize monthly and pinch fast growing stem tips to encourage branching. Will flower in summer.
Norfolk Island Pine
Temperature -50-70 degrees; ideal, will tolerate 80 degrees
Light - Medium to bright indirect light
Water - Moist, not wet
Fertilizer - Miracid—follow directions from package
Kalanchoe
Temperature - Night 50-55 degrees; Day 68-72 degrees
Light - High light through fall, winter and spring
Water - Dry out between waterings
Fertilize - Feed every 2 weeks with 20-20-20; do not feed while flowering.
Tolerates drought conditions and low light. Easy to reflower: cut stem back to first pair of leaves and keep in bright light.
Amaryllis
Amaryllis will provide you with the largest most exotic bulb flowers you can easily grow in your home. Flowers are 6 to 8” across in a large variety of colors. Amaryllis is a subtropical plant so they do not require a cold period like so many other bulb flowers. Therefore, they are much easier to grow.
Plant amaryllis in any loose potting soil in a tall pot. The size of the pot is determined by the size of the bulb. The pot should be 1” larger on all sides than the size of the bulb. If the bulb still has roots, spread the roots through the pot. The bulb should be pointed upward and the tip of the bulb should stick well above the soil. Initially water the plant well with lukewarm water, but after that not more than once a week till you see that your amaryllis is starting to grow. Amaryllis likes to be grown at 70-75 degrees. Once your amaryllis starts growing you can water everyday. Amaryllis can grow as much as 1” per day. You can prolong flowering by placing your flowering amaryllis in a cool window or cooler room.
Future Flowering
If you would like to try to get more years out of your amaryllis, start feeding it after it starts growing (any good houseplant food will do).
Cut the old stem 6” above the bulb when the stem has finished flowering. Continue to water and feed till June/July. Remove foliage, stop watering and rest your plant for at least 2-3 months. Some people will plant their amaryllis in a semi-shaded garden during the summer months after the last chance of frost is gone. (This is fine but don’t forget to water if you don’t have any rain). In October, bring indoors and start watering and enjoy them all over again.
Pocketbook Plant
Temperature - Night 40-50 degrees; Day 55-60 degrees
Light - Filtered sun in winter; partial shade the rest of the year
Fertilizer - Feed (once a month until flower buds form) with liquid fertilizer diluted to 1/4 the strength
DO NOT feed plants after they are in bloom
Camellias
Lush, glossy foliage and exotic symmetrical blossoms characterize the elegant camellia. A beautiful cousin of the tea plant, camellia is native to Asia, where they have been cultivated for thousands of years. Now the many species, hybrids, and varieties are treasured by gardeners worldwide.
There are about 200 species of camellias, but 3 are of major importance to North American gardens-Camellia japonica, C. sasanqual, and C. reticulata.
Even if camellias never bloomed, their lovely, evergreen foliage would make them garden-worthy. The leaves are oval, pointed and slightly toothed along the edges. They are everything a leaf should be—dark green on the top, light green on the underside, and usually glossy. They have good substance, with the feel of polished leather. The lush, dark foliage is a perfect foil for the best feature of the camellia—its showy, solitary, rounded, flowers. The flowers range from pristine white to all shades of pink to the deepest of reds, and many are variegated. The six standard terms used to describe the different forms of the blossoms are single, semi double, anemone, peony, rose from double, and formal double.
The sinuous gray branches of camellia plants are pliable and ideal for training against the side of a house to create espalier designs. The plants can also be pruned of their lower side branches to create beautiful “avenues” or “camellia tunnels”.
Camellias usually flower between September and April (their bloom season is delayed in colder areas). They are sensitive to heavy frosts and freezing. However, camellias require only frost exclusion to perform well and can be grown indoors, especially in greenhouses and sunrooms. Many special miniature varieties have been developed to perform well as flowering houseplants provided nighttime temperatures are about 45 degrees and the air is kept humid.
Cineraria
Temperature - Cool
Water - Moist
Light - Plenty of light, shade from direct, and hot sun.