One of the things I remember about my grandmother is that she loved growing African violets. She had colorful plants all over her house. She never bought a plant, though. She would either snip off a few leaves and place them in water to root, or she would exchange “starts” with her church friends. She might trade a leaf of a white blossoming flower for a pink or purple flowering plant. She had a green thumb, and her colorful flowers (and her garden) blossomed under her care.
Just like people, house plants need occasional “hair cuts.” Last week I did some grooming on my house plants. I have the kind that are hard to kill easy to grow. As I have in the past, I followed my grandmother’s routine and used the trimmed vines and leaves as “starts” for a future plant.
First, I gave the plant a good bath followed by a drink in my kitchen sink.
Then I trimmed off the stems that had gotten too long and unruly.
I removed the bottom leaves from each then……
I placed them in a pitcher of plain water. Right now they look somewhat unruly, but the green in the white pitcher adds some life to my kitchen counter. Over the next few weeks roots will grow, and then I will plant them in a pot of soil and have a new plant.
You all might already know this little trick, but I had fun sharing it in case you didn’t. Meanwhile, one of my big, beautiful plants that I bought at a local nursery last spring has developed mites. I have done everything to it that I know to do, and it is just drooping and dying. I have moved it outside in hopes that fresh air and rain will give it a new lease on life. Any suggestions are welcome.
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Take care.
