Draceana Janet Craig (Draceana Deremensis)

Today I'm going to talk about the amazing Janet Craig or Draceana Deremensis. When I picked this plant up from my local Home Depot it didn't have the correct name or care instructions on it. So needless to say I had to do some research to see exactly what was this beautiful dark green plant I  brought home. I contacted Costa Farms to find out the name of this beauty and little did I know I found a jewel of a plant. I fell madly in love with it's dark green foliage and liked that it had a nice kind of waxy feel to it. I'm happy to say that this is another easy to grow plant that needs minimal attention to thrive in a home or office. This plant will start off with full upright leaves but as it matures it will form a cane-like stem with clusters of leaves at its top. Just remember that because the leaves are naturally shiny and are dark green in color they can become dust-catchers. So always keep the leaves clean by wiping them off with a damp cloth.

Light: This is consider a low light plant but in my experience it does well in moderate to bright light. With this plant I would recommend that you give it as much as indirect sunlight as possible. I let many of my plants get direct sunlight and had great success. I have yet to try that on this plant if you decide you want to try it I always say test it out for yourself. Just remember if you notice brown marks on the foliage its getting to much light. However if you find that the leaves are pale in color that means that your plant not getting enough light. Low light plants still need some type of light to really take off and thrive.

Origin: This plant is from the region of East Africa and can grow up to 10ft tall if you don't prune it back.

Water: This is a pretty hardy plant but one thing you want avoid doing and that's over watering this plant. It won't do to well in soggy soil so you always want to let this plant dry out between waterings. I personally let it get almost bone dry and then I will give it a good watering and I make sure that the water leaks out the drainage holes at the bottom. That's a good sign that you are giving your plant enough water. You also want to make sure that your plant don't stand in water so empty out the saucer as soon as possible after you water it.

Humidity: From much research this plant like humidity that's around 40%-60%. To help with that I keep this plant on a tray of wet pebbles and I mist it often. Another thing I love to do is group this plant with other plants to try to help with bringing on extra humidity.

Temperature: This is one of the great things I love about this plant it can take average room temperatures without a problem. It do well in temps between 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit. I also notice when I have my windows cracked and the temp outside below 60 degrees my plant don't seem bother by it at all. So maybe just maybe this plant will tolerate temps below 60 degrees for a short periods of time.

Soil: Just about any good well draining potting soil should do. I personally like Baccto potting soil. It's very light and do a wonderful job at draining but also holds just enough moisture that the plant need to thrive. I highly recommend this potting soil to anyone who's interested in trying it out.

Fertilizer: It's recommended that you can feed this plant year round with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted by half the recommended amount. Now with all my other plants I've been feeding them since spring time and don't plan on feeding any of my plants during the winter. However I would reconsider that if my plant starts showing signs that it's stressed about something. The only thing I used with this plant so far is the miracle gro ready to go liquid plant food.

Propagtion: This can be done by taking 4 inches off the top of your plant kind of like a tip cutting basically. It's recommended that this is done in the spring to help promote new growth so you can root them in moist soil.

As you can see this plant don't want much attention but still need some TLC. A few more things about this plant that I want to mention is it don't have many pest that like to attack it but I would still watch out for those annoying spider mites. If you notice any webbing what so ever remove the plant from any other plants and spray it down with some soapy water. Let that sit for about an hour and give it a nice long shower to help get rid of any pest. If you notice that your leaves are dropping you may be over or under watering it. Which ever one it is you know to do less watering if it's over watered and try to water it a little more if it's under watered. Brown leaf tips are signs of soluble salts that's building up in the soil. So what you want to do is give you plant a nice shower to flush out all that salt that's caused my fertilizer and tap water. If you don't correct that problem it can cause damage your foliage and root system so you want to give it your all to keep your plant nice and healthy. If you have any other questions about this amazing plant please feel free to contact me on here or google+ and remember to always do your part to keep this world green.

Draceana Warnekii Lemon Lime ( Draceana Deremensis)

Today I'm going to talk about the beautiful Draceana Warnekii. When I first came across this plant I thought it was so pretty and I couldn't resist. The only thing with that was I didn't buy it for myself I brought it for my mom for mother's day. It was just something about it that stood out and I knew she would love it and she do. This was the plant that got my mom back into wanting house plants again. Like many others she wonder why her thumb was so black come to find out she was over watering all of her house plants and didn't realize it. She gave them water every single day and it wasn't until I gave her this plant and told her how to grow it that got her back on track with house plants. I felt this was the perfect house plant to start her off with because it's super easy to grow and seriously don't need much care requirements. This plant actually comes in different various leaf patterns that compliment each other with overlapping beautiful foliage. They are native to Africa and been around since the 19th century as a house plant. Now I'm going to break down the easy care requirements for this plant so if you are interested keep on reading.

Light: This plant will tolerate low to medium light but in my opinion it will do well in bright but indirect sunlight. The reason I say indirect because with this plant if it's left in direct sun you risk burning it's beautiful foliage and you don't want that to happen.

Water: You always want to keep the soil evenly moist but never soggy. If the soil stay wet for to long especially in the winter months you risk root rot setting in which can cause death to your plant. Honestly try to keep this plant on the drier side when in doubt it's better to under water a plant. Just try not to go to long without watering or you will notice brown tips on your plant and if this is present give your plant water as soon as you notice this problem. It's always best to water until you see water coming out the drainage holes and always let this plant dry out between waterings. I will recommend that you try to use distilled water or water that's been sitting for at least a day or two (if it's from the sink). These plants are sensitive to fluoride and can cause salt build up which you want to avoid but if you notice any salt build up give your plant a nice shower for a few minutes to try and get rid of the salts that's building up.

Temperture: This plant thrives in tempertures between 65-80 f. If possible always try to keep this plant above 50 f degrees. Most plants don't like temperatures to drop below that you never want to put stress on your plants so it's always important to keep them comfortable.

Soil: You want to use a well draining soil with this plant. I will recommend for now Baccto premium potting soil. I will try to mix my own soil in the future to see how well that will work for this plant.

Fertilizer: You only want to give this plant fertilizer in the growing season which is spring through fall. I advise that you be very careful because to much fertilizer can and will cause the leaf tips to burn. I always use a liquid or foam plant food that's already ready to go and I just give the recommended amount printed  on the bottle. Never fertilizer or feed in the winter months the growth rate slows down big time so you don't want to do more harm then good.

Propagation: I haven't personally propagated my plant because it's not mature enough for me but from what I know they root readily from cuttings and should root in about a month if you keep the soil warm and moist. I will do some propagation on my plants in the future and see what I get and I will do a future post about that.

Repotting: I only repotted this once and that was a couple of weeks after I got it from my local Wal-mart. My plant was seriously root bound and needed to get out of that small pot ASAP. I always recommend that you pop your plant out the pot every once in a while and check on the root system. If the roots are wrapping around the soil it's time to repot but always remember only go the next size up to avoid over potting.

Overall this really is a great plant to have and on top of all the other information I just gave you I want to point out that my plant really loves to be mist every couple of days. I haven't had any problems with pest but you still have to be careful. Every now and again spray it down with soapy water let it sit for about a hour no more then two then rinse it off and wipe the leaves with a damp cloth. This really helps keep the foliage clean and to prevent any type of pest that may try to destroy your plant. I recommend you use the regular Dawn you can find a small bottle for about 97 cents. I fill a spray bottle up with water and only use 2-3 drops and shake it up and spray my plants down. This plant also purifies the air so you want to do your best to help keep it's foliage clean since it's helping you by cleaning the air around you. Also don't be alarmed if the bottom leaves on this plant turn brown and die off. This is natural for the plant because it's getting taller and the older leaves will dry up and die off. Well that's my thoughts on this beautiful plant if there's anything else I can help you with feel free to leave a comment. You can also follow me on Google+ and subscribe to my new YouTube channel thank you for reading my blog and always remember to do your part to keep this world green.

Dracaena Dorado (Dracaena Deremensis)

Today I'm going to talk about the beautiful Dracaena Dorado. When I first picked this plant up at Lowe's I was very shocked that it was on the clearance rack for $1.00. Of course I had to examine it very well to see why it was marked down so low. Now the only issue I saw with this plant was a little brown scaring on one of the leaves and that was it! It wasn't anything to bad and didn't make the plant look sickly at all. I'm in love with the dracaena family simply because they are the perfect house plants even for beginners and those with black  thumbs. One of my favorite features of this plant is the dark green leaves edged in charteuse which makes it so beautiful and graceful looking. What do amaze me is you really don't see or hear a lot of talk about this plant for some reason. I'm going to take a wild guess and say maybe it's not one of the more popular dracaena plants and if it's not it need to be in my opinion. Another thing I want to mention about the leaves is it has a twisted kind of look to it which I find very rewarding and just another simple reason to love this plant. This plant is also a slow grower which is perfect for a indoor house plant especially for those of us who don't have a lot of indoor space. If you don't have the patience to watch it grow you can find these plant much bigger and more then likely you will pay a little more money for it. This is also a very forgiving plant like most dracaena plants so if you forget to water it from time to time it won't mind that at all. Of course like I state all the time avoid overwatering that is a sure way to kill any house plant no matter how tuff or hardy they are. Just like most of my other house plants I never water on schedule I keep a plant care book that's how I keep track of which plant I watered and feed on any giving day. For this plant I do let it dry out between watering's because most (if not all) dracaenas like to dry out. Once I test the soil and it has dry to my liking I take the plant hold it over the sink and give it a nice soaking. Once the water starts to run out from the bottom I sit the plant in it's saucer for a few minutes and then I dump the excess water out. I also like to mist this plant every now and again just to increase the humidity and it also sits on a tray of wet pebbles daily. Now we can talk about the lighting for this plant I personally keep it in a spot where it's getting indirect sunlight all day. This can tolerate low to medium light but I recommend giving it as much indirect sunlight as you can. This is one plant that I don't give direct sunlight to no reason behind that I just never did but I'm willing to give that a shot one day just for a couple of hours. Just keep in mind that if your new leaves seem narrow your plant not getting enough light so of course the fix to that is moving it closer to a light source. I know I mention before that I let my dry out but one thing I want to point out is if you notice brown leaf tips your plant not getting enough water. I personally don't have this problem but just wanted to add that in here. This plant thrives in temperatures between 65-80 f so keep that in mind where you place your plant. So far as the soil goes you always want to use a well draining soil you can buy it from your local big box store or garden center. Some people like to mix their own soil or sometimes use a soilless soil. All I use in the beginning was the miracle gro soil for cactus, palms, and citrus plants I haven't tried just their basic potting soil but maybe willing to give it a try. One soil that I'm liking this far is the baccto premium potting soil. I mention before that it seems much lighter then the miracle gro soil and drains much faster so eventually I want to make that switch and see how it goes for all my plants. I believe they consider that a soilless soil and if that's the case it will explain why I see a huge difference between the two. I'm just going to touch a little on the fertilizer because I don't use much if any at all. The reason behind that is both soils that I use already have it mixed in and you never want to over fertilize any plant because that will cause the tip of the leaves to burn. So every once in a while I will use miracle gro plant food that's all ready to go. I only feed my plants spring through fall and never in the winter because the growth slows down big time. One thing I have never had an issue with is pest on this plant and I really can't say what pest love this plant (if any at all). Nonetheless you still want to take steps to keep your plants healthy and pest free by simply cleaning the foliage. Every once and again give your plant a nice shower in the sink or your shower and take the time to wipe the leaves down with a damp cloth. This helps the plant keep up the good work with cleaning the air for you and it keeps pest away from your green babies. To add to that it just simply keep your plants looking good all around because let's keep it real having a dusty plant not attractive at all. One thing I notice they have in the stores is this product that shines the leaves. I personally never invested in this product but it's said to do more harm then good so just be mindful of that if you are or thinking about using it. So far as propagation my plant is to small at this point to even think about cutting it up so I have no experience with that. Like any other plant that's mature enough you probably can just divide the plant up but don't quote me on that. Last but not least let's talk just a little on repotting, like I always say I don't repot in the winter it's always spring, summer, and even fall. I haven't had any issues at all following this routine that I do but you have to do what's best for your plants. This plant I only repotted once and that's when I first brought it home. This baby was so root bound roots were coming out the bottom and were wrapping around the pot. Because this is a slow growing plant you will not have to repot it much just check on the roots from time to time and if it's more roots then soil you know it's time to repot. Make sure you are choosing the right size pot to avoid over potting your plant. For example if you buy your plant in a 4 inch pot and it need to be repotted repot it in a 6 inch pot. I mention before in another post I repotted two plants and over potted them and it was clear signs they were being over watered because the soil stayed wet longer. It was no worries because I quickly moved them down to a smaller pot and both plants are doing very well. As always if you have any more questions feel free to leave a comment or you can follow me on Google+ and remember to always do your part to keep this world green.

Neanthe Bella/ Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea Elegans)

I want to start off by saying if you absolutely love palms but don't want one that will quickly outgrow your home this is the plant for you. I came across this beauty while I was shopping around at Walmart  for another green baby. It caught my eyes just sitting there so graceful looking and its foliage was drop dead gorgeous in my opinion. Needless to say I decided to buy it and bring it into my home I knew nothing about this plant but I was definitely excited to learn. This Palm absoulely thrives in a home or workplace versus other palms that may struggle to thrive. Another great addition to that is this plant is known as being one of the cheapest palms you can buy. I picked mines up for $2.98 that's a huge bargain in my eyes and it was very healthy when I picked it up. This plant has been very popular as a indoor plant because it can adapt to low light and humidity levels indoors. This is another plant that made NASA list for being a great indoor air cleaner. Now let's talk about the light requirements, this plant will tolerate low light but having it in deep shade will stress this plant. I always say just because it's low light don't men no light so always keep that in mind with any house plant. Avoid putting this plant in direct sunlight for long periods of time this will possibly cause leaf burn to the plant leaving it to look sickly. Now let's move on to watering the Bella Palm I would say it's better to underwater this plant versus overwatering. I never water on a tight schedule I always let the top dry out and then I'll stick a light colored stick down in the soil to check for any type of moisture. It's important to check the soil before watering. You want to avoid overwatering and having a possible root rot case on your hands. If this plant is in a low light setting it will always take less water so please be mindful of where you store your plant. I will now talk a little bit about humidity for this plant. Luckily this plant can adapt to low humidity but I will highly recommended that you spray the foliage often and keep it on a tray of wet pebbles to help with the humidity to avoid any pest. The Bella Palm is actually made up of several single plants so having enough nutrients is very important for this plant to thrive in your home. Just keep in mind this is a small slow growing plant so you still don't want to over feed it, I always feed mines about once a month but never in the winter months. Speaking of winter months it's important to keep this plant on the warmer side this plant will do well with temperatures 50 degrees Fahrenheit and above. Now so far as repotting goes for this beautiful plant it really don't like its roots to be disturbed to much. They have a very weak root system so you want to avoid repotting this plant to much. I brought mine in a 4 inch pot and waited a few weeks before I repotted it into a 6 inch pot and it's very happy and popping up new shoots like crazy. I must say that my plant was seriously root bound so it was definitely time for a new home. They say you should repot every year until it's mature but I recommend that you pop it out of its pot every now and again and check the root system. If the roots are going in a circular motion with more roots then soil it's definitely time to repot into a bigger pot. Always go up one pot size never ever overpot any house plant you can easily overwater your plant which can cause serious problems with your plant. So far as the height and spread of this plant I never seen one indoors taller then 3ft tall. One thing to remember is this plant spread as wide as it will get tall so if your plant grows up to 3ft tall it will spread 3ft wide. I never propagated my plant and never will but if you want to do this you can by dividing this plant. Just remember it's made up of several small plants so if you do that your plant will not look as full. Before I forget I want to mention that mealy bugs and spider mites love to attack this plant but I haven't had any problems with any pest. A couple of things I do is wash the foliage off often, spray it down with regular dawn dish soap, and wipes the foliage down with a damp cloth. Just remember when you spray it wish dish soap (only use 1-3 drops in a spray bottle filled with water) spray until it starts to drip off the foliage. Let it sit for 1-2 hours and make sure you rinse the foliage off very well and then sit it in a place with indirect sunlight. The last couple of things I want to say about this plant is use a very good draining soil and this is considered a non poisonous plant. This is a very easy plant to grow with little cafe requirements as you can tell I highly recommend this plant as a first timer plant. As always if you have any further questions feel free to leave a comment and I'll get back with you asap and remember to always do your part to keep this world green.

Golden Pothos (Epipremnum Aureum)

Let me start off  by saying this is one of my favorite vine plants! Please don't tell my other green babies I said that (lol). Seriously this plant is the ultimate beginner plant and I'm going to tell you why. Epipremnum Aureum have many different common names such as golden pothos, hunter's rope, ivy arum, money plant, silver vine, taro vine, Solomon Islands ivy, and my personally least favorite name devil's ivy. Whatever you want to call this plant it's an amazing plant and a very nice indoor plant especially for those who feel like they don't have a green thumb. The golden pothos is known for it's long trailing stems that can get very long if you let it. This plant have beautiful glossy heart-shaped leaves and some are variegated with yellow or white. I personally have the golden and the marble queen pothos plants. I said that to say even though this plant is consider a low light plant if it don't get enough light the leaves will lose that variegation and the leaves will grow smaller. Of course this also means if you keep this plant in low light it will also grow slower so be very mindful of that. Like I do most of my plants I let both my marble and golden pothos get some direct sunlight but I also so this in moderation. The last thing you want to do is keep your pothos in direct sunlight all the time you may risk your pothos plant getting sunburn! If you don't have enough natural sunlight coming in this plant will still do well under fluorescent lights. Golden Pothos will look great just about anywhere one of my favorite looks is when this plant is in a hanging basket. However some people like to train this plant to climb up a moss stick or some type of treliss. Because of it's aerial roots this plant will easy attached to whatever you want to train it to climb. Some like this plant to trail for days but some will control the growth by simply cutting the vines back to keep the plant looking fuller and less leggy. I'm proud to say this is another plant that made the list of top plants to clean the air. It's known for removing formaldehyde that's commonly found in carpets and other materials in our homes. So who wouldn't want a beautiful, inexpensive, low-maintenance, air cleaning plant like this in their home? Oh one thing I really want to mention before I continue is a lot of people mistake the pothos plant as a philodendron. All though they look very similar these plants are not the same and many times the stores will mislabel these plants. A difference I found between these plants are the leaves the pothos have a slightly thicker leaf and is more drought tolerant then the philodendron I just wanted to point that out. Anyway... I always use a well draining soil and a pot with drainage holes with all of my green babies. You also want to let the soil dry out a little between waterings because the pothos can't take soggy soil. A sure sign that you're overwatering this plant is yellow leaves so please be very careful not to overwater. Also if you keep this plant in a lower light setting you will want to water it less because it's not getting as much light which means the soil will stay wet longer. I do this to all of my plants and I highly recommend that you don't water on a tight schedule instead do the stick or finger test. Take a light colored stick push it down about 2-3 inches in the soil. If it's moist check again in a few days of course if it's on the dryer side water it until the water comes out of the drainage holes. So far as feeding I always use miracle gro foam or liquid plant food every 2-4 weeks on this plant. I always get soil that have slow release fertilizer in it so I try not to do to much so far as that go.  Now let's talk about something annoying to us growers inside and out pest problems! The one thing I hate is pest on plants and sadly this plant is susceptible to some house plant pest. Now I am glad to say I've never had a problem with any of these pest and I'll tell you why in a minute. Some pest that may attack this plant however are mealybugs, spider mites, and scale insects. If you have any of these pest attacking your plant you can use alcohol on a cotton swab, an insecticidal soap, or removing them by hand. Now I mentioned before that I haven't had this problem with any pest on my plants because I simply give my plants a "shower" and keep their foliage clean. This really help the plant breathe as it cleans the air but it also helps to keep those nasty pest away from your plant. Another measure you can take is take a spray bottle filling it up with water and putting a couple of drops of dawn (the very basic one that only cause about 97 cents at Wal-Mart) in the water shaking it up and spray your plant. Let this sit on the plant for about a 1-2 hours and rinse off and wipe the foliage off. Now lets talk about propagation the golden pothos is so easy to propagate. Just take any steam you feel like cutting and make sure you cut under a "nod" this will look like a little bump on the plant. You can take that cutting and stick it in slightly moist soil OR stick it in a cup of water. Within 3 weeks or so you should see some roots popping up once that happens you have the option to leave it in water (if that's how you rooted it) or stick it in a pot with good draining soil. Before you know it you will have a brand new plant in no time! Another tip I always like to give is never over pot your plant especially the pothos plant. They have a shallow root system so if you over pot this plant you risk root rot setting in. The soil will stay wet for a long period of time which is not a good thing for this plant so only go up the next size when it's time to repot. It's always recommended to repot late winter early spring but I repotted mine in the summer and haven't had a problem thus far. It's also good for your plant if you pop it out of it's container and check on the root system every now and again. Another thing I want to mention is the humidity this plant can take average household humidity but I still mist mines and or put it on a tray with wet pebbles. You can also group your house plants together (assuming you have enough) to create more humidity for your plants. As always if you have any more questions about this plant feel free to leave a comment on this post or you can contact me on my Google+ page and remember to always do your part to keep this world green.

Sansevieria Trifasciata (Snake Plant)

Today I'm going to share with you my thoughts and experience on taking care of a Sansevieria aka the Snake Plant or even Mother's in law tongue. I personally call it a snake plant it just suits the plant better to me because of its unique but beautiful foliage. It actually reminds me of snake skin with it's dark green marked wavy cross stripes. One of the biggest mistakes I made was over potting my plant and let me tell you if this wasn't a "plant of steel" I would have been one of the rare people who killed a snake plant lol. So needless to say I took the time to realize the mistake and corrected it ASAP!. I said all that to say PLEASE don't over pot this plant. Much like a spider plant it like to be root bound just a little bit. Of course you want to check the roots from time to time and if things starting to get crowed and it's more roots then soil then you would want to repot your plant. Another important tip to remember is always use a good potting soil with great drainage. NEVER EVER use garden soil on a potted plant that's a  huge mistake. Garden soil is a lot heavier then potting soil so that means it will stay wet longer and can cause root rot to your plant which can kill it and you don't want that to happen. Two soils that I use are Miracle Gro and Baccto honestly I think Baccto is a little lighter then the Miracle Gro which means better drainage. With that said I'm only speaking on the Miracle Gro soil for cactus,palms, and citrus plants. I'm going to test out the Miracle Gro potting soil to see what's that like and I'll compare all three in a future blog post. Now the snake plant is consider a low light plant which is perfect for those spaces that don't get a lot of light. Remember LOW light don't mean NO light so make sure your plant getting some type of light or it may die slowly from lack of light. I honestly give my plant both direct and indirect sunlight of course it gets more indirect because I don't want to use harm to my plant with to much direct sunlight. Every other day I'll sit it in my windowsill which is facing south I believe and let it soak up some direct sun no more then 4 hours at a time and I'm seeing great results. The more light you give it I believe it will grow just a little faster so try to keep that in mind even though its a low light plant. If you don't have a space with a lot of indirect sunlight try to give it as much fluorescent light as possible and that should be enough for this plant to continue to grow. Another thing I like to do is rotate my plant weekly so it's getting even exposure of light. Snake seems to thrive in temperatures between 40-85f it's said they will take lower and higher temps for a short period of time but you don't want to stress the plant so try to keep it between those temperatures. Snake plants are also known for their low water requirements which is great for the forgetful gardener or if you travel a lot. When you water (ALWAYS USE A POT WITH DRAINAGE HOLES) make sure the water runs out the drainage holes. You don't want you plant having "wet feet" root rot can set in and cause major problems. Like I do with every plant I own I always check the soil with a light colored stick or stick my finger down to the first knuckle. If my snake plant have any moisture at all I will not water it until it's almost bone dry to be honest. The first time I water my snake plant it took two weeks before it needed to be water again so please keep that in mind. However if the plant goes to long without water it will start to droop so of course use room temperature water to water it. I personally use distilled water OR I will use tap water that's been sitting in a jug for about a week. I never use water straight from the sink because of the chlorine and fluorides in the water which can cause salt buildups in the soil. Try to water the plant from the sides to keep water out of the leaf clumps which can hold water which you don't want at all. If you have a pot with cache try at the bottom dump the excess water out promptly. You never want this plant sitting in water because once again root rot can set in. So far as fertilizer go 99% of the time the soil I use have some type of slow release fertilizer so I really don't give it anything but Miracle Gro foam or liquid plant food maybe once a month but never in the winter months because the plants grow slower or taking a rest however you want to look at it. Another wonderful thing about this plant is it's a wonder air cleaner and it made NASA list of top air cleaners. With that being said as it cleans the air the foliage will get very dusty so you will have to clean it. What I like to do is when I see my plant getting dusty I will spray it down with water and use a soft damp cloth to wipe its tuff waxy feeling leaves. WARNING WARNING WARNING! please be VERY careful with the tips of this plant as tuff as this plant is it do have a weakness. If a tip break off a leaf that leaf WILL NOT grow any longer sad but true. So you really have to be extra careful with that now if you want the plant to stay a certain length then that's the way to go it's all up to you. As these plants get taller since they do grow up right they will get a little top heavy so always take measures to keep your plant from falling over. One thing I almost forgot to mention is snake plants do come in several color variations. Some have gold colored edges or cream stripes. I haven't seen it yet but I may see it in the future but these plants can flower! They can flower tiny white flowers who some say have a very powerful fragrant smell to them. Of course to see this happen the snake plant must be well taking care of and getting enough light and proper watering. My guess is much like the spider plant it will flower when it's root bound so I'm going to test this out and keep my snake plant in a smaller pot. If you do need to repot your plant make sure you do it before winter set in. Most people will say late winter early spring but I'm still seeing growth and I repot mine the first week of fall. I have yet to try to propagation on this plant but I've seen videos of leaf cuttings and plant dividing. If you take leaf cuttings make sure you remember which side goes in the soil or it will not root at all. I plan on taking leaf cuttings on mine and I will personally cut a leaf on which a tip as broken off since it won't grow any more anyway. As always of you have any questions about this plant please leave a comment or send me a message on Google+ and remember always do your part to keep this world green!

Draceana Marginata (Dragon Tree)

Draceana  Marginata also known as a dragon tree have beautiful green red-edge almost ribbon like stiff leaves. It's complimented by graceful curving stalks for trunks. I find this a perfect house plant because it's a slow grow which in my opinion make it perfect for those who don't have a lot of living space for fast growing plants. Draceana's are said to thrive in full sun as well as shaded areas but I find that my plants benefit from both. I often move my plants to my windowsill for a few hours of direct sun and move them back to a indirect sun light spot so the foliage won't burn from being in direct sunlight all day long. Draceana's are pretty drought tolerant which is perfect for those of us with forgetful minds or for those who travel a lot. Like many of my plants I let them dry out a bit before I water them again. I found that sticking a light colored stick in the soil works best for me. If soil come out on the stick I don't water at all. Another way to tell is when the soil dark in color it's clearly still moist so I also wait until it's looking a little light in color before I even check it. Another important thing to remember is when you water it make sure you water it until the water runs out of the drainage holes. I made a mistake and was giving my dragon tree little sips of water when I first got it. Needless to say I almost killed it I'm so glad I realize what I was doing wrong and corrected the problem in time. I had to feed it some plant food and good watering and in no time the leaves were lifting up and the trunk it's self harden up again. I only feed my dragon tree with miracle gro liquid plant food in the spring and summer because plants need to rest in the fall and winter so you don't want to over fertilizer it during it's resting period. Now lets talk about pruning I don't prune this tree at all! Now if you notice any brown tips I don't see no harm in trimming them off to give the plant a better look. Before I forget to mention this please remember that it's normal for a dracaena to loose their bottom leaves. Mature plants will have a spindly looking trunk with tufts of leaves at the top. It's also normal to see multiply trunks and some people even "braid" the trunks. I like the look but I personally won't do it to my tree. Now if you want to make the tree look more bushy, cut the tallest cane down if you wish and from the cut you will see new sprouts which will grow new leaves eventually. I haven't notice much issues with this tree but there are a few like leaf spot diseases which can occur during warm weather and being wet for a prolong time period. If you notice this issue you want to cut the affect area so the other leaves won't get affected. Some of the pest that can affect this tree are thrips, and mites but that can be controlled by giving this tree a nice shower once in a while and keeping the humidity up around this tree. I keep my tree on a tray of wet pebbles and it seem to be doing my plant some good. This plant also help clean the air but don't forget to wipe the foliage down with a microfiber cloth so the plant can continue to thrive and breathe. Cleaning the foliage also help with keeping pest away from your plant which is always a great thing. The ideal temperature for this plant is between 60-75 degrees. So far as repotting go you only need to repot when the plant is very congested and showing clear signs that it's suffering. So don't be afraid to pop it out the pot and check the root system every once in a while. It's been said that indoors this plant can grow up to 6ft tall with proper care of course. I also forgot to mention that these are fairly inexpensive plants. I wanted to watch mines mature and grow so I brought a very small one from Ikea for $1.99! Now of course you can buy them bigger but they will cause a little more still not to expensive though. If there's any questions you may have for me leave a comment on this blog or you can follow me on my Google+ page and remember to do your part to keep this world green.