OCR Text |
Show . - ' ' ' v s i Li vl7- What do you notice first when you walk into a lovely room - the furniture, the carpets, drapes? If you're like most of us, you notice the plants. Plants add vigor, excitement ex-citement , peace and tranquillity to any room. Plants bring a room to life. House plants can cost a lot, but they don't have to - not if you choose hardy yet dramatic varieties and have the patience to wait for them to grow. When you nourish a plant and coax it along, especially if you started it from a tiny seed or cutting, you get attached to it - like you're its mother. Here are some ideas for those who share my love for house plants: A dishwashing detergent bottle with a screw top (the kind with a small hole in the top) makes a good substitute for a long-spouted watering water-ing can and for watering seeds that are just getting started. Polished leaves make' a plant look glamorous, but there's no need to buy a special product for this. A damp cloth will do the job for a small plant. If there's an oily film on the leaves, add a bit of detergent to the water. A tablespoon of cooking oil added to the soil occasionally occa-sionally makes for glossy leaves. Large plants can be put in the shower and washed with a fine spray. When practical, put potted plants outside during a gentle shower or water them with rain water or melted snow. Plants that are too large to move may be cleaned by spray-misting, spray-misting, or you can blow off the dust with a hair dryer on the cool It Makes Cents By Vi Judge Blake setting. Misting discourages insects in-sects and provides needed humidity. Water houseplants with the nutrition-rich water in which eggshells egg-shells have been boiled. Crush the eggshells and put them around outdoor out-door plants. I've heard that snails and slugs won't walk over them. Pour leftover tea on your plants. They love it. Hanging plants can be a nuisance nui-sance to water, especially when they are too large to take to the sink or tub until the dripping stops. Remedy: water them with ice cubes but take care not to let them the ice touch the plant itself. The soil will soak gradually soak up the moisture as the ice melts. A hanging drip catcher can be made by removing the top of a gallon plastic milk jug. Hang the jug by hooks inserted in holes punched in the rim. A plastic lid placed between the pot and its holder will also catch drips. When repotting a plant into a pot that would be too heavy to move when filled with soil, fill about a third full with plastic popcorn pop-corn or squiggles, the kind packers use. This also provides drainage. Crushed charcoal from the fireplace fire-place or an open fire keeps the soil as sweet as the high-priced commercial com-mercial charcoal sold in garden shops. Pretty pebbles collected from shallow places in streams while you're out fishing or relaxing add no-cost beauty to dish gardens and terrariums. Wrap a flea collar around the base of a plant infested with bugs then cover the pot and the plant loosely with a plastic bag. Remove Re-move the bag in a few days and the bugs will be gone. Show me a person who has bad luck with houseplants and I'll show you a person who over-waters them. Test the dampness of the soil by poking your finger way down into it. If you can feel any moisture, wait until it's thoroughly dry. The water gurgling down into dry soil carries needed oxygen down into the roots. Plant a small plant in a small pot. Transfer it to the next size pot when it outgrows that pot. You'll know when the roots start coming out of the drainage holes. Never place plants near a furnace vet, a drafry spot, or near the fireplace. fire-place. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Happy is the person, who learns to love, appreciate, and enjoy the wonders of nature. Readers: This is your feature. Send your good ideas to: IT MAKES CENTS, 328 So. 300 E. 5, St. George, Utah 84770, or e-mail e-mail (viblakeinfowest.com.) If used here, I'll send you $2.00 or a copy of one of my booklets, Kitchen Tricks, Vinegar, the Homemaker's Best Friend, or All about Rhubarb. Please state your choice. Also, check my web page (www.infowest.comcents) for more good ideas. For back issues, click Archives. |