PLANT GROWTH 101 - BLOG, TIPS & TRICKS

Chinese fringe plants are hugely popular in many places because they are almost bulletproof. Heavy soil or sand, pretty wet or fairly dry, full sun or part shade, they grow and bloom. The biggest issue with this gorgeous group is their way of growing beyond all proportions. The tag may say, “easily maintained at 4 [...]

The post Bottom Heat and Breaking Rules appeared first on Hormex for Plants.

I remember meeting Haworthia, my first succulent plant acquaintance after Aloe vera. My mother kept that one in a pot on the porch for burns long before my daddy and his lodge buddies began putting it in their milkshakes to aid digestion. I digress, which is sometimes the best way to blog if it doesn’t [...]

The post Happy New Year! appeared first on Hormex for Plants.

When the bracts put on their finest holiday hues, it’s hard not to fall in love with poinsettias. Whether you find your favorite in the reds, pinks, icy white, or wildly patterns, these are tropical plants that shout ‘Happy Holidays!’ I am a fan of white poinsettias, but every Saturday morning I am treated to [...]

The post Propagate Poinsettia appeared first on Hormex for Plants.

Of all the classes I took in college, where I majored in English and Horticulture, none had a bigger impact than Vocabulary. The subject fascinated me then, made it much easier to understand other words, and still perks my curiosity. Geek that I am, I might be the only adult you know that still looks [...]

The post Word Matters appeared first on Hormex for Plants.

This week a great two-part question crossed my desk and it reminded me it’s been awhile since I asked you to send me more. Consider them gifts of the season, if you will, to inspire future blogs – these are gifts we can both enjoy. Thanks in advance! Here’s that question: I want to know [...]

The post Clones at Home appeared first on Hormex for Plants.

I hope that you took my advice a few weeks ago and began cutting back tropical plants for rooting material. Ok, so sometimes you have to cut back container plants to move them indoors or to the greenhouse, and sometimes you cut them back to reduce shock as you plan to shelter them in place [...]

The post Indoor Notes appeared first on Hormex for Plants.

I got an email from a worried man who had a complete failure in his rooting efforts. After successfully rooting a variety of plants, he lifted the hood one day to find disaster. Every cutting in the 2’x 2’ box was flat on the surface of the rooting medium, its stem darkened at its base. [...]

The post Keep It Clean appeared first on Hormex for Plants.

A friend of mine had a meltdown last week. With a cool spell predicted, she decided to move the tender plants from the porch into the house. Good idea, of course, so the plants suffer less shock than if she waited to bring them in until truly cold weather arrives. Gardeners can be clumsy, but [...]

The post Propagating from Leaves appeared first on Hormex for Plants.

A good crop of questions came across my desk, giving me the opportunity to delve into several different species and how to clone them. Red apple ground cover You asked about rooting red apple ground cover and there are 2 Hormex products that will work well for your project. You can roll callused cuttings into [...]

The post Red Apple Ground Cover & Star Magnolias appeared first on Hormex for Plants.

This strawberry plant grew out of the raised bed above it on a runner sprouted earlier this year. It will be propagated! I got an email from a strawberry grower last week detailing the varieties they will have for sale this fall and encouraging early orders. Since I live on the verge of [...]

The post Propagating Strawberry Plants appeared first on Hormex for Plants.

Right now, while tropical plants are at their best in the temperate zone, take a forward look on the calendar. In just 8 or 10 weeks, lows in places like Ames, Iowa, will reach into the 40’s, right into the danger zone for truly tropicals plants. Conventional wisdom teaches us to bring potted trops indoors [...]

The post Tropical Futures appeared first on Hormex for Plants.

One Stokesia plant yielded the ten foot row outside my back door We dig up and divide perennial clumps to make new ones or rejuvenate a planting that has stopped blooming due to overcrowding. Gardeners seem to fall into two categories when it comes to this important garden routine. Some fear they’ll kill [...]

The post Propagate Flowering Perennials appeared first on Hormex for Plants.