Indoor Composting

I have decided to try composting. It's true I live in a small apartment but this post has inspired me to give it a go. The compost in that post is actually vermicompost (they use worms to feed on the waste and make compost) but from the looks of it it's a quicker process than worm free composting and apparently it doesn't smell if done properly.

So here's a list of things I need to get:

• Two plastic boxes
• A box of red worms

Pretty cheap so far, as for the compost material, that pretty much takes care of itself. Newspapers, paper, fruit and veggie peals, veggies that have gone bad in the fridge, egg shells, tea bags and all the trimming and dead leaves from my plants. What an excellent way to reduce your waste and get something in return, my plants will certainly benefit.

Now for starters, apparently the worms will eat half their weight in food every day (!!). That means that if I buy a pound of worms I need to feed them half a pound of waste every day, that comes to about 2 Kg of food a week. Do we consume that much waste in a week? I need to figure that out before purchasing the worms I guess.

The worms also need to be kept in the dark.  I need to find two dark boxes, drill some holes in one of them for ventilation and some at the bottom for drainage, and place one box on top of the other to collect the excess water.  I also need to keep the box in a dark place but I am not too comfortable keeping the box inside,  I will place the box in a small corner in my yard and cover it up somehow.  Ok so it's not really indoor composting but it's close enough.

I will be posting the making of the compost bin once I get everything, meanwhile, time to start collecting food scraps :)

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Succulents - When to use terracotta pots

Cactus in terracotta pots

Ever wondered what the difference is between plastic, metal, clay and every other pot ?  I never took any notice about what type of pot to plant in except maybe that it looked nice or that it was the right size.  Recently however I got two terracotta pots, once again because they were the right size for my cactuses and the store only had clay pots.  I later learned that I made the right choice.


As it happens the porous material soaks up the water from the soil so the plants will not get all the water given to them.  Now where this is not ideal for regular plants because they would need to be watered more and more often, it is perfect for cactii.  The pots will soak up some of the water from the soil so it will not retain its moisture for long.  The porous material also helps the soil get more oxygen when compared to plastic or metal containers. 

A note of caution, if the pots are new it's a good idea to give them a good soak in water before planting as they are extra dry.  I didn't know this at the time so I went ahead and planted anyway but since they are cactus I didn't really mind. 

Oh and one more benefit for terracotta pots, you can actually see the water level when you are watering.  The pot will get wet so you can tell how much more water is needed.  Happy potting :)

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Succulents - Crassula Perforata Variegata

Crassula Perforata Variegata

Finally I found a name for one of my succulents :)  This succulent is a native of South Africa and is of the Crassulaceae family.  It and can be grown in full sun or partial shade and prefers bright light and good airflow.  The spot I chose for it in this container gets about 4 hours of sunlight a day and it seems to be doing quite well.

As with all my other plants I planted this in compost but I should have used a sandier soil.  I had originally placed the succulents in a smaller pot and it was getting quite crowded.  As a result growth was restricted.  Since I placed them in a bigger pot these plants have flourished and have grown at least another three inches since then.

Unfortunately the roots are a tangled mess now so I cannot remove them from their current location to a dedicated pot. The only choice is to keep upgrading their pots every once in a while, which is a shame really because these plants can grow up to 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide!

Despite being a succulent they don't drink that much, I hardly water them at all and the soil remains moist for a long time.  I keep getting alarm bells in my head thinking root rot (!!) but it's been almost six months now and they seem happy and growing strong.  I should move them to a sunnier place in winter though to allow some of the water to evaporate due to increased rainfall.

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An Easy Way To Propagate Succulents

Here's is a little story about how easy it is to propagate these succulents.  I didn't have any faith at the time but now as you can see in the picture below, the new plant it really taking shape, so here's how it happened.


As I was repotting my original succulent a leaf fell off, I didn't think much of it at first but I noticed it had roots coming out of it. It must have falled in the soil and rooted. Anyway it fell to the ground and I thought nothing of it until my dad came to visit.

As I was showing him my latest collection he found it on the ground and asked me about it. I figured, oh nothing just throw it away... He found my old pot which hosted my poor portulaca, now long gone, and stuch it in the soild which was still there.  He said, this will grow, just give it a little water around the cutting but don't fill the whole pot. Words of wisdom, my dad being a veteran in container gardening. So I left it there and watered it whenever I found the soil was dry as a bone. To my surprise after a few weeks it started growing:

Succulent after a month

This was quite a surprise and so I found another leaf one day from it's parent (you can see it in the background in the pic above) and I stuck it in there, no roots or anything.  To my surprise I now have another plant growing right next to this one! Who knew it was so easy to propagate these plants.

Succulent one month later

So the good news is (if this can be good news) that if my original succulent dies from lack of judgement at least a part of it still remains and now I have learnt my lesson, these plants grow big and fast!  No overhanging this time, I'll make sure of that.

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Succulents - Repotting the Kalanchoe

Today is the day I decided to repot the Kalanchoe.  I have been meaning to do it since I noticed it was getting really tall.  Finally it toppled over and I knew the time had come.  It has to move to a bigger pot even though the timing couldn't be worse for it.


The rule of thumb is to repot to one pot size bigger than the current pot but due to the growth rate of this plant (it currently stands at 3 feet tall) I decided to go a few sizes bigger and I got a 25cm pot.

Kalanchoe in original pot

I filled up the pot half way up with compost and pressed it down slightly to keep it airy but firm at the same time.

25cm pot filled with compost

I gently took out the plant out of its current pot.  The soil was dry enough so it came right out without any effort.  I then made a small hole in the middle of the compost heap and placed the plant into it soil and all. Holding it upright with one hand, I filled up the surrounding areas with compost pressing down gently to keep the compost firm.

Place the plant in the middle of the pot

When filling the pot I made sure to keep enough room so that the top of the soil where the stem comes out is still inside the pot.  That way I can surround the plant with compost and not just go around the existing soil.

Plant repotted

Once the pot was completely filled with compost I pressed down a bit so that the compost does not fall apart when watering.  I finally watered the plant thoroughly.

Drench plant in water to get a good soak

And there you are.  My plant has been repotted.  I did not press the compost hard enough and the compost sort of caved in because there was too much air inside.  I will add some more compost and adjust it when it dries.  

I did this after the sun came down so the pictures are not too great but had I done it in full sun the water would have evaporated leaving little for the plant.  This way it has all night to adjust to its new home.  Now I have a more stable and hopefully happier plant :)  

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Succulents - The Meaning of Top-Heavy

Succulent when I first got it

In this post I relate how I got to know the meaning of top-heavy plants.  Unfortunately I had to learn the hard way so I hope this will give you some insight so you have time to take action before the same happens to you.

When I first got this succulent it was a little small than this so I put it in a small pot thinking it was quite big enough for it.  As you can see in the above picture it started hanging over the pot a little but I didn't take much notice.  I thought it was just growing and was actually pleased with the progress! Silly me!

Now this plant has grown to a point where it fell completely over the side and I think the stem is half broken.  The only thing saving the plant I believe is the fact that it is resting on the shelf.  I started noticing that it wasn't drinking as much as it used to but I didn't even realise it was broken until I lifted it up one day to check on it.  The plant now looks like this:

Succulent with broken stem hanging over the side of the pot

I should have bought a support for it from the start when I saw it overhanging the pot, or else put it in a bigger pot.  I can still trim it back now or just cut off the stems altogether, these plants can be propagated so easily, here's the story.  Trimming will also encourage root growth, this plant grew so fast the stems are not thick enough to support it, trimming will lessen the load and thicken the stems.

In any case the damage is done now and I need to fix this before it dies.  Next time I'll definitely plant this in a bigger pot and keep it in check. 

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Plumbago - Time for a trim

Plumbago before the trim

I have decided that it is time to give my Plumbago a trim.  I have neglected the poor thing in Summer and there are alot of dead stems and leaves which need to be removed.  It is also almost time to move it so I'm getting it ready for the transfer.

I took out all the sticks I had put in to keep it steady.  Then slowly branch by branch I cut off all the stems which had dead flowers at the ends, carefull not the cut off the stems which have new stems and flowers growing out of them.  The stems tend to branch out into two or three stems, some have dead flowers at the end of them which can be cut off but some have new buds coming out so it important not to cut the entire stem at the base and cut off those too.  It is a very slow process and it took be the best part of two hours.

Here is the amount of dead foliage and stems removed when I was finished:

Dead stems and foliage after the trim

Then, just as I was checking to see if everything was ok disaster happened.  One of the larger stems broke off in my hands!  I had forgotten how delicate the stems are to handle and I broke it off without any effort at all.  Since we are now at the end of summer the growth season has probably ended so I may have caused a bit of damage to the plant.  I watered it with fertiliser when I was finished and I didn't tie the stems to the sticks to hold it steady.  I was afraid I would cut off another stem by mistake.  I am monitoring it now to see that it heals properly.  Here is the end result:

Plumbago after the trim

As you can see the foliage is much thinner now and it will let more sun through.  This is the first time I trimmed a plant so much but I am sure it will get through.  The plant is still a bit too big for my yard so maybe I need to cut it back a bit more to keep it in check.

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Succulents - My latest additions



Succulents badly planted

More succulents and Cactii

This summer I got myself some succulents.  They are the easiest plants to grow, just leave them there and when the soil dries out water them.  How easy can it get ?  I have no idea what each of them are called so I will have to do some research on all of them and perhaps dedicate a page for each but for the time being I just grouped them together under one name. 


As you can see I placed them on a shelf in the shade.  They get some morning sun for a couple of hours but then it's mostly shade.  I read however that most succulents are able to thrive in the shade and actually some do not require full sunlight all day.  This is ideal for my yard however since I don't yet know what they are I need to monitor them to see how fast they are drinking water and their growth rate.

My biggest grower by far is the second plant in the second picture.  It is growing taller than I can manage.  It must have doubled it's height in the month that I had it and I believe I will have to find a new pot for it soon or I risk it toppling over!  I have sent a picture of it to the nursery where I got it from in the hope that they can tell me what it is because it was unnamed when I got it and they just told me it's another succulent. (Very helpful of them).

Update - since then my nursery told me that it's 'probably' a kalanchoe.  I have yet to find a similar image of this plant online but at least they narrowed my search from about 1600 species to 125, it's a start...

The picture below is a week after I first got it:

Kalanchoe after one week

As you can see it has now grown considerably taller.  I looked for it online but I couldn't find an image for it anywhere.  I water it every other day and I have never given it any fertiliser.  I drinks alot though and it keeps on getting taller, it reminds be of the giant beanstalk in Jack and the Giant Beanstalk, who knows maybe it will just keep on growing...

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Plumbago - Summer in a shady spot

Plumbago August 2011

The Plumbago has been doing exceptionally well in it's shady spot in Summer.  The growth in one year has been very good considering this is not the ideal place for the plant to live.  I'm begging to re-think my theories that this plant is not a fast grower.  I had flowers all summer and the foliage has increased considerably and is now a healthy green. 

I only water it when the soil is dry but I do give it some fertiliser every now and again.  I should do this more often because I notice an immediate growth surge and flowering after a fertiliser session.  I had to put sticks in to keep the plant in place because it was growing in every direction.

As we are now towards the end of September the plant is not flowering as much.  The next step is to give it a good trim because there are alot of dead stems in there.  I will also be putting the plant in a sunny place in winter just like I did last year, but only when I see that the plant is slowing down.

My concern over this plant is how to shape it.  I give it a light trim whenever it needs it.  I just trim off the dead flower stems but it seems to enjoy it and I always get alot of blooms afterwards.  The stems at the bottom are getting thicker now since I first bougth it so it's not easily put in place.  I would like to have a small bush and not let it go up a trellis because I don't have the space.  Will have to do some research.

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Schefflera - Doubled in Size over Summer

Schefflera - August 2011

I must say the Schefflera is becoming a monster.  It is now August and the Scefflera has been growing almost every day since last spring.  The plant has almost doubled in size since we first got it.  It is such an easy plant to care for, I rarely give it any fertiliser, it's growing enough as it is and I only water it when the soil has gone completely dry.

The next step for this plant is repotting.  I don't want to increase the pot size but I want to replace the soil.  I believe it has gotten every possible nutrient that soil had to offer by now so I intend to remove it from the pot, remove the soil carefully from the roots and pot and replace with new soil. The plant was originally planted in normal peat and it did very well so it shouldn't be an issue. 

My biggest issue is size.  We are now nearing the end of summer so the plant should go dormant again but if it grows like this next year I will have no space for it in my yard.  On the other hand if I cut it down it will only grow bigger.  Hmm.... decisions, decisions.

Check out this site on how to re-pot a Schefflera. I will be posting my own experience when I get down to it.

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Plumbago - Winter in a sunny place

Plumbago - Nice growth in a sunny place

In November I saw the Plumbago was not doing so well.  The plant was looking rather weak and the foliage was sort of drooping down.  I decided it was not getting enough sun so I transferred it to a sunny place.


This was a good decision because it got about 6 hours of sunshine a day when the weather permitted and flowered all throughout the winter.  I was careful to shelter it from the wind as it can get very windy here and it can damage the plant.  I was worried that the rain will also damage the leaves and flowers as they are very delicate so again I thought of sheltering it a bit from the rain as well.

The foliage increased greatly and with the added hours of sunlight I got quite alot of flowers in winter.  This confirms that the shady spot I put it earlier this year was not doing anything for the plant in terms of flowers. 



Plumbago flowers

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Schefflera - New Growth for Spring

Little baby umbrellas

The Schefflera gave me a bit of a fright last Winter becasue it's so low maintenance that I didn't know if I was doing anything wrong by neglecting it completely or if I should bring it inside to shelter it from the rain and cold.


I learnt eventually that the Schefflera is a tropical plant and loves the rain well, thank God for that because we got quite a lot last year.  The one thing that it hates is the cold but it never gets that cold here, the minimum temperature at night goes down to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celcius) and the plant did not seem to be affected by this.

The plant went dormant thoughout the Winter months and I did not see any growth at all.  This got me a little worried at first as I thought that the plant was getting too much water and was dying on me but I saw no difference in leaf coloration or the stems so I monitored it occasionally and let it be.


Now it's Spring and finally I am seeing new leaves coming out.  The plant went in full bloom as the months started getting warmer again around the end of February and it is now showing small leaves (they are not exactly buds) all over the place.  It looks like it's going to go into a growth surge pretty soon.


I also started noticing that it's requiring more water than normal.  I never gave the plant any fertiliser, only watering occasionally when needed.  Now it seems that it requires water every three to four days.  That's another indication that the plant is getting ready to grow some more.

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Portulaca - A light trim to get it into shape

Portulaca before the trim




Portulaca after the trim

As you can see there is not much difference in the before and after pictures but I decided to give the Portulaca a light trim.  I simply cut off the stems which had dead flowers at the end and no buds in them.  I left all the stems with buds.  I have never trimmed a plant before so I decided to go easy on this one since it is the most successful plant so far :)

Once I finished the trim I watered it with some fertiliser to help it recover from the shock.  We'll see what happens.




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Portulaca - Looking Shabby and Overgrown

Portulaca - In need of a trim it seems

Here's the Portualaca after one month of purchase.  This plant is amazing, it just seems to grow and grow.  The flowers are just beautiful and it's a delight to wake up and see new flowers in the morning ready to open. 

Portulaca - hanging flower

Portulaca flowers

My question now however is whether I should trim it or not.  I love the way the stems hang over the basket.  My concern is that I read somewhere that once they finished the blooms and become leggy the plant slowly becomes dormant and began to die. So, its important to take immediate cuttings and replant them just after they matured or at their prime. This happens when a single plant puts out 3 - 5 long stems.

So, is the plant it it's prime after just one month, is that possible?  Should I leave it and risk losing it or should I just try to cut a few stems to see what happens?  I don't know what to do yet.

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Plumbago - Growing up with first flowers

Plumbago - looking fuller but few buds

The Plumbago is doing very well but the growth rate is very slow.  I had read that this is a fast growing plant that if not kept in check can overwhelm the space.  I don't think there is chance of that happening here. 

The plant only gets a few hours of sunlight a day and since we are now towards the end of September it's not that strong.  The foliage is getting fuller and I have a few buds which look promising but nowhere near what I thought it would be.  I also think the pot it too large for this plant for now.  I put it in a larger pot as I thought it would grow very fast but as I said it doesn't seem to be the case.

I test the soil with my fingers and if it's dry I water it, and I try to fertilise it regularly but still it's a slow grower.  The good news is I had some flowers the other day and I was surprised to see that they were white.  My plumbago is an imperial blue so I was quite surprised to see white flowers there.  The plant is in the shade for most of the day so perhaps that's the reason, it's not getting enough sun.  I will have to move it to a sunnier place in Winter.

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Portulaca - Fast Grower

Portulaca - Getting fuller now in its new place

I decided the hang the Portulaca since it has long stems with flowers at the end.  They would make for a wonderful hanging basket of flowers.  It is a very easy plant to care for, water it whenever it's dry and leave it pretty much to itself.  It's only been three weeks since I first got it and the growth rate is very good.

The plant only gets about 4 hours of direct sunlight a day in it's new spot but it doesn't seem to mind.  It is growing very fast and I am getting some new flowers now.  I give it some all purpose fertiliser whenever I can remember to do so which is not much. 

The flowers open at first light in the morning and then close again when the plant is in the shade.  This means that I don't get to enjoy them much but the colors are beautiful. 

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Schefflera - An Introduction



Schefflera - September 2010

Light: Indoors in a sunny location but not in direct sunlight

Moisture: Water when the soil is dry at least 2 inches deep. Do not allow pot to sit in the access, give it one hour and then remove, as it may lead to root rot. Black leaves mean too much water, yellow leaves mean too little water.

Pests: Black spots under the leaves or in the stems is an indication of spider mites. The leaves will begin to turn yellow, then brown. There may also be wedding under the leaves or when the leaves meet the stem. Control with organic pesticide.

Care: Fertilise the plant once a month with normal houseplant fertiliser. In summer the plant can be set outside in a shady location, best to be brought in during the winter, the plant will go dormant and the growth will slow. If the plant is left without water and cold it may start losing its leaves, re-position plant and water.

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Begonia lost to stem rot !

Stem Rot

Here is how I lost my poor Begonia to stem rot.  I only had it for a couple of weeks and here are all of the things I did wrong (in hindsight) which ended up killing the plant.  Here's a post on what to do, if you plant is affected by stem rot. Since this is not the only plant I lost I learnt a couple of things.  Hope this helps.

When I purchased the Begonia I left it outside and I noticed that the soil was constantly dry, I thought this was a good sign, that the plant was in good health so I watered it every other day and left a small container underneath the pot so the access was not removed but eventually absorbed as well.  Big mistake!

The first time I noticed there was something wrong was when the flowers started drooping, as can be seen in the picture above.  I thought that since it was September it was time for them to fall out so it didn't really bother me that much.  Then came the rain.  We had a heavy downpour and that's when I noticed that the soil remained for over a week.  Something was wrong.

I took the plant inside thinking that a few days without watering in a sunny window would do the trick and the soil will dry out.  It didn't.  I moved the leaves about the see what was going on with the stems and an entire stem came off in my hands.  The end of the stem where it broke off was soggy and brown and looked rotten.  That's when I did some research and I found out that stem rot is a disease, a fungus which keeps growing until the plant dies.

The main culprit, over watering with no drainage for access water.... sounds familiar.  Another lesson learnt. 

Update:

In hindsight what I should have done was cut off a stem which wasn't infected and try to propagate the plant.  This is possible by cutting a large enough stem, with possibly some buds in it, at a 45 degree angle and plant it potting soil.  Just enough not to overwhelm the plant.  As you can see above I still have a small part of the plant to the right which is not infected.

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Portulaca Grandiflora - An Introduction



Portulaca Grandiflora when purchased - September 2010

This is the least plant I found least information on:

Type: Annual / Perennial (found both)

They are happy to grow in dry and hot conditions ... they love the full sun and a well-drained soil ... and they thrive on neglect. It's a plant that doesn't need to be coddled. Just water them when they're a bit dry and feed them lightly even now and then. When it gets a bit leggy and looking rather scraggly, give a trim. On top of all this, they are easily propagated ... just break off part of the stalk that's about to flower or is not flowering and stick it in some propagating mix or even straight into the ground. It's that easy

All Portulacas need sun for their flowers to open. The flowers of older varieties closed up around noon. But most plants sold today have blooms that stay open all day, only closing at night and on cloudy days.

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Begonia Elatior - An Introduction



Begonia Elatior when purchased - September 2010

Type: Annual

Light: Some Morning Sun, Filtered Sun, Shade

Moisture: Needs frequent water and should not be left to dry out.

Soil: Slightly Acidic - I used common peat.

Disease: Powdery Mildew (a fungal disease that causes white powdery patches on the leaves) - Spray with Fungicide

Care: Begonias like attention. Remove dead flowers, leaves, and stems. Trim off long stems to help retain it's compact shape. A little care will pay you back with lusher foliage and more blooms. Add a general purpose fertilizer once a month. For houseplants and container plants, give them a dose of liquid fertilizer once a month instead dry fertilizer.



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Plumbago Auriculata - An Introduction

Plumbago when purchased - September 2009

When I first bought my Plumbago (otherwise known as Leadwort) I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I just loved the blue flowers and thought it would brighten up my yard in no time. I looked up some info about the plant and I found out these plants can really grow and are normally used as hedges! In fact these plants are used all over the country to brighten up our streets and roundabouts. Not exactly the kind of plant you can grow in a small yard such as mine.

Still the flowers won me over. I was determined to keep it and try to control it somehow. With regular pruning and trimming the growth can be restricted to the desired size right? I placed the plant in a 30 cm pot and the plant started growing slowly at first. I don't water in frequently I allow all the soil to dry up before watering it and I give it some fertiliser once a month.

I got it early Autum and I didn't see much growth all Winter. In Spring however the plant really picked up. It had a growth spurge and I can see now how it can quickly get out of control. I had flowers all winter but only becasue I placed it in a sunny position. In spring I placed it in the shade becasue the flowers and foliage started getting bleached and went yellow. This worked and I had beautiful flowers all spring and summer.

It is Autumn again now and after one year I must admit the plant has grown considerably. I trim it often whenever there are dead flowers and stems however I haven't really pruned it yet. It's getting too big for my yard now and I really need to take a decision. If I'm going to keep it there I need to prune it down considerably.

The question is timing. Is Autumn the right time to prune this plant ? I read that the plant is very resilient, sometimes too resilient, there are people who consider it a pest and no matter what they do they cannot get rid of it. In my case I want to keep it in it's pot so that the growth is limited but I don't want it sprawling all over the place. I'm afraid pruning it just before Winter will not do it any good now that I've seen some decent growth.

The truth is I don't think this plant is suitable for a container in a small yard, it needs room to grow and sprawl. I will keep cutting is down each year, hopefully it will grow denser in the middle and get a small bush. That would be the ideal way to keep it in such a small space.

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