Books, Allergies and Plants

So It's getting to the end of the semester and I am way stressed out! Ah school, why do we do this to ourselves. I swear sometimes I think it is the least efficient way to learn. Anyway, so in this time of upheaval I'm looking to cut things out of my day. So I considered not going to my office today because I have loads of schoolwork and I just had to get to the store to buy allergy medicine (I had been sneezing and sniffling all day). But then I decided maybe I should go just in case a student shows up (although no one has yet this semester).

So I got off the elevator on my floor and I saw this handwritten sign "Free books this way". I pretty much never turn down a chance to get free books so I followed the signs to some professor's office and there was a full glorious wall of beautiful books, mostly novels and plays, etc, all for the taking! So 20 minutes later I had a good-sized box of Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Dante, Milton, Eliot and the like. And what else did I find Henry Sweets grammar and reader of Anglo-Saxon! Joy! I shrieked when I found it. I guess you really have to be a linguistics nerd to appreciate it, but I just so happened to be writing a paper on Henry Sweet so it was perfect! So the moral of the story I is if you do what you're supposed to good things happen! Well at least today they did. Now I've just got to find a place for all these books.

Oh so I've also decided to start giving "how to" blog posts just to mix it up a little and also to share my vast knowledge with my readers. So my first topic is something I actually know something about-plants!

How to Kill your Houseplants

1. Give them too much water- yes, that’s right a plant can have too much water.
Some plants don’t need to be watered everyday, especially when they aren’t in full sun. If mildew or mold is growing on the top of the soil you are definitely watering too much.

What to do- check the soil, does it look dry and light colored? Pick up the pot, is it light? If so, then it’s probably time to water. Your indoor plants may only need to be watered once a week or less.

2. Treat them all the same- Each kind of plant has different needs, a cactus and a fern are totally different kinds of plants, one likes more sun and drier soil than the other. One is native to the swamp, one to the desert.

What to do- look up what climate your plant is native to and how much light, water, temperature and humidity it likes and what kind of soil it needs.

3. Sit your houseplants outside in the sun when summer comes along-your plants were doing fine in your house all winter long, they don’t need full sun like your outdoor plants do. They like a little shade, that is why they are indoor plants.

4. Leave for two weeks with no one to watch your plants-Think of your plants like pets, they are living things just like your puppy and need a little TLC.

What to do- If you have a tendency to forget about them pick a time and day when you will check them, make it a habit, mark it on your calendar, put it into your palm (no pun intended)-your plants will thank you (in their own plant way that is).

*If you have a half-dead plant now, you may still be able to save it. Just remove the dead leaves and stems then water it regularly, make sure it has some light too.

5. Water them just a little bit each day-This may work for a few plants, but not most.

What to do- water your plant, when needed, (with lukewarm, not cold water) until some water comes out the bottom of the pot (oh about 10% of what you’ve put in). This way you know water will reach all the roots and toxic salts that can build up in the soil will be flushed out. Also it’s better to water in the morning than at night. Night watering can lead to rot.

6. Never repot them-when a plant has been in a pot too long, it may become rootbound. This means there are too many roots in too little space (the root/soil ratio is off) and the roots start to circle around the bottom of the pot and come out the bottom. You may also be noticing that you have to water your plant a lot. This is because there is too little soil to hold much water.

What to do- find a pot of the same material and just one size larger than your current pot (remember root/soil ratio). Make sure there is a drainage hole(s) at the bottom. You may place gravel or a some pebbles at the bottom to help drainage. Fill the pot part way with soil, place you extricated plant in the pot and fill the sides and just a little of top with soil, then water in. Be sure to leave some space between the rim of the pot and the soil line.

7. Let them sit in water-Again with the drowning issue. Make sure you dump the excess water in the catch plate under the pot.

8. Don’t give them light-when a plant doesn’t get enough light it becomes leggy. This means its stems and leaves become stretched and can’t support themselves, usually falling over.

What to do- If plants become leggy move them to a sunnier location, also remember to rotate your pots, so one side of the plant is not always facing the light.

*plants that get too much light may have dry, brown leaf edges.