Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Two new house plants

GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
in Plants
Having moved house to a property which has the opposite aspect  to the previous one, I now have more opportunities for more house plants.
Just purchased a Schefflera it has a wobbley cane supporting it, will I need to replace this with a stronger cane as it grows?
The other plant is a Epipermnum Marble Queen which I have never heard of any hints and tips on it's care please.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
«1

Posts

  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    edited December 2023
    Epipremnums are climbers although you can leave them to hang gracefully from the pot but you will need to cut the plant back when it reaches the floor (free cuttings). A moss pole is the usual way of getting them to climb but it won't need any support for a while as it is still a baby. I have Epipremnum aureum and it is happy to trail. They can be grown in pots hung from the ceiling if you fancy a bit of greenery overhead. Don't keep the plant in direct sunlight, advice that is true for so many houseplants, but too little light may cause it to lose some of its variegation. They don't like being in wet soil so water the plant when the compost is looking dry.
    Wobbly canes are a pain. I have taken to using bent canes crossed at right angles with the tops secured with garden twine. It gives a more stable support to a plant.

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    If you want to let the Schefflera grow as a tall single stem then it will need a proper cane, not one of those skinny green sticks (I can't quite make out what you have there). If it's very wobbly, perhaps the compost is too light/loose. If/when it eventually gets bare at the base, you can use the young tip as a cutting and cut the rest back hard, then it should grow multiple shoots from the buds in the old leaf axils.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @ceres Hi I hope I can keep it long enough to trail to the ground. I would be more than pleased to take cuttings. I have an east facing sill in a bedroom no radiator underneath and wondered if I could try placing it there. Obviously as it grows the trailing part will get less light but by then it will be spring/summer with more options.
    @JennyJ Thankyou that is great advice I had no idea you could cut it back, I have put this in my bookmarsk. Yes it is one of those green sticks will replace with a cane.
    Cheers Suze
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    An east facing windowsill will be fine at this time of year providing the room isn't freezing (I am assuming there is a heat source somewhere) but don't leave it behind the curtains overnight as it can get pretty cold in the space between drape and glass. The nightly ritual of moving the plants to a table is one that I hate but it's better than pulling back the curtains in the morning and seeing a very unhappy plant. Come summer, if the light there is too intense then move the plant back from the window. That epipremnum is a nice looking plant and I am very tempted to add one to my collection but must resisit the urge.
  • Balgay.HillBalgay.Hill Posts: 1,089
    I had 2 Schefflera, one in a large pot, and one i've trained as a bonsai over a rock. The one on the floor grew to the ceiling unsupported, but i've given that one away. I still have the bonsai one. They grew in a west facing bright room with mostly indirect sun.
    I found them to be pretty easy plants to look after, and very easy to take cuttings from.
    Sunny Dundee
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    Well it would seem I have the Schefflera in the right place. A warm sunnt sitting room away from direct light. Thankyou @Balgay.Hill
    @Ceres There is a radiator the otherside of the room under a north facing window . The house is new and warm. I was so pleased to have a window sill without a radiator underneath great for plants. Two tradascantia are doing well on the same sill, I am growing them to go outside next summer. There is a blind at the window which is rarely closed at night. The other thought is to place it with the Schefflera?
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    I'm sure it would love to be with the Schefflera. That would leave the tradescantias space to dominate the windowsill.
    I'm sure buying plants is addictive. Where shall we put it? No idea but if we get rid of the furniture there should be room somewhere. I found a glorious pink anthurium online yesterday. I don't need it, I have no room for it, but I've bookmarked the link just in case.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @Ceres I have never had that much interest in house plants other than growing cuttings or annuals for summer pots. A new home and a garden that is at present jusy empty and very wet, it is good to have a different focus.
    I also have an Alocasia which I bought about a month ago, it is just three inches high and cost very little. I will probably kill it but I am always ready for a challenge.This is on a south facing bathroom window sill. I have just moved it out of the window will put it back tomorrow. Thankyou.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    I too never had any interest in houseplants but a peace lily that was given to me grew into a giant and since then I have added to the jungle. The windowsills were for seedlings and cuttings and now they have to fight for space with the resident indoor mob.
    Buying very small plants is a great way of building a collection without breaking the bank. My Monstera arrived in the tiniest of pots and was so small, just like your Alocasia. It's not small any more.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    Is it true that a large Monstera can root into a carpet?
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
Sign In or Register to comment.