Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with plants

tall, cat-safe indoor plants?

sentient — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:40:34 -0800

Wanted: recommendations for tall, indoor, cat-safe plants/trees. Superior, NASA-approved air-filtering and oxygen-producing properties are a plus. I've looked the previous askme and have seen the ASPCA list of cat-safe plants, as well as a helpful post on Apartment Therapy (last comment the page), which has some good prospects. But perhaps there are some others.

I'm looking for an indoor floor plant that's more tree-like than bush/shrub like -- maybe five feet tall, or so. It can't be toxic to cats, and being exceptional in the air-filtering department would be nice. Any recommendations?

Is hibiscus really toxic to cats?

amtho — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:07:15 -0800

Is hibiscus really toxic to cats (not dogs)? I need to bring in our two big tree-like hibiscus tonight -- it's going to freeze soon -- but we have nowhere really good to store them, and we have kittens here. I know that hibiscus is toxic to dogs. I know that some plants, e.g. lilies, are deadly to cats. I know where there are big lists of plants that are toxic and non-toxic to cats, and that some don't list hibiscus, though at least one does -- although that list might include it just because it's toxic to dogs/pets in order to be extra safe.

Does anybody know for sure whether hibiscus is poisonous to cats? Just pointing me to a non-qualified "list of plants toxic to cats" won't help much -- I need something authoritative, or at least a personal anecdote one way the other. Please?

Of course it's safest to just keep them away, which we'll do by default, and the plants might be vulnerable to the kittens -- but we'd end up having to keep the kittens out of a fun room in the house, and it would be nice to have the "temptation" of the fun-looking tree-like plants available so we could carefully train the kittens to respect house plants (if such a thing is possible).

Put a spell on the John?

mds35 — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:00:27 -0800

Can anyone tell me what kind of plant this is? I found these in the men's room at work, in Boston. They don't look like a native species to me, and we don't have them in the atrium in my office building either.

Also, it looks as though they were placed purposefully. Note the arrangement in the last photo.

Any ideas? Is this some sort of spell?

I am asking two questions, I guess:

1. What plant are these branches from?

2. is this some sort of ceremonial/religious/magical arrangement?

What are and how do I obtain miniature cacti?

artifarce — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:11:00 -0800

Are miniature cacti just younger plants or do they have their own name or classification? Awhile ago I saw some tiny (~1 in. apiece) cacti for sale in a big box garden/home supply store, but am not having luck finding them online (getting a lot of hits for dollhouse miniatures, etc). I would like to buy some but know neither the right terminology to use, nor where I'd buy them. I've already browsed several online cacti stores w/o success. Thanks for your help tracking this down!

Cacti experts, help!

peachfuzz — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:15:35 -0800

I have some questions about cacti. First, can you help me identify the awesome cactus my boss' husband gave me? It looks exactly like this one (though that's someone else's photo). Second, can you recommend how to take and transplant a cutting from it? I've read some guides and know to let it callous over before potting it, but I'm not sure how or where to cut - it's larger than this one, with lots of branches and paddles and bulbous bits. Should I just try to get most of a node? And when I pot it, should I bury it or just put an inch or so into the soil? Is half sand and half soil the right mix to use? I've read a lot of different opinions. Ditto on whether to water it after repotting or not. Basically, all cacti tips are welcome.

Thanks!

Stay Away from the Banana Plant

billysumday — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:13:19 -0800

My cat is slowly killing my indoor banana tree by scratching the hell out of it. Now what? I live in Central Pennsylvania and in the spring of this year purchased a dwarf plantain plant/tree. It grew very well outside in the summer but now that the weather has taken a turn for the cold, I've brought the plant indoors and have placed it on a small table in front of our large south-facing window. It's continued to thrive and is still sprouting new leaves, but my cat is intent on killing it. He loves to scratch at its trunk and tear at the leaves. He doesn't dig at the soil or eat the plant, so I don't need advice regarding that. Just: how to keep the cat away from the plant? I'd prefer to find a solution that saves the tree while keeping it aesthetically pleasing - i.e., I'd rather not wrap the tree in aluminum foil. My strategy thus far has been to shoot him with water from a water bottle when he gets up in/on the plant, but now it's like he just jumps up there and looks at me for attention. If I don't shoot him, he'll cry and then scratch at the tree until I do shoot him, at which point he runs away. He's a bit challenged in the brain department.

Are there any sprays or anything I can use that would cover the plant in some sort of anti-cat repellent? I did some Googling but came up empty.

Thanks, mefi.

Name this plant/suggest similar ones

melissasaurus — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:00:24 -0800

What kind of tree/plant is this? Someone dug out and stole this little tree from in front of my building. I'd like to replace it with the same or something similar.

Any ideas on what it is?

Any ideas on other plants that don't take up too much space (probably about a 2ft radius for the plant), survive year-round in NYC, in partial shade, and are generally safe for dogs (i.e. no poisonous berries)?

Thanks!

Indoor vines on a trellis

machaus — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:33:37 -0800

Looking for a recommendation for an indoor climbing vine. We built a trellis for a large window in our house (eastern exposure, strong morning sun) and successfully grew Hoya vines. However, we've battled mealy bugs over and over and have given up. What's a hearty, fast growing vine that:

1.Won't try to attach itself to drywall.
2.Is a climbing vine and won't need to be tied off.
3.Is pest resistant.

???

What is this pot plant and how to treat it?

procrastinator — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:40:26 -0800

We got this pot plant in our office as a gift but we have no idea what its name is or how frequently we should water it or where to keep it (direct sunlight? shade?). Please help.

Going native with Seattle plants: R U doing it wrong?

Cool Papa Bell — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:10:38 -0800

Seattle gardening and native plants: How hard should I be trying to stay native? If not native, what's good for this climate? Hi there ... I have a large-ish swath of yard that I'd like to re-plant, and I've been focusing on native plants with mixed success. How hard should I be trying in my efforts to "go native?" If not native, what plants are good for this environment? Maybe some that are not native, but not invasive, either?

For example, sedum is being used by local "green" projects, but the ones most commonly used are native to Europe and are considered "naturalized" to North America.

Stipulations: I've already been to Molbak's and have raided their native plant section.

Best way to move my avocado plants long distance?

illenion — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:06:56 -0800

How should I prepare my avocado plants for moving across country? I have three avocado plants that I raised from pits and have sentimental value for me, and I would like to bring them with me when I move across country, coast-to-coast, at the end of this year. We will be driving a car full of stuff, and estimate the trip will take a week. How can I best prepare them for this trip? They are currently about 2 feet tall each, not including the pot/root ball, and here's a picture. Should I wrap them carefully in wet burlap and then plastic, and check on them regularly to keep them moist? Space is limited in the car, so I am considering either taking just a cutting from the tops of them, or pruning them back to just stem, preserving some of the lower leaf nodes. Does anyone know if avocados take either of these methods well?

I was given grow lights - what should I grow?

iftheaccidentwill — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:57:00 -0800

I was given grow lights - what should I grow? A friend recently gave me three different grow lights. I have a 400w metal halide, a 250w high-pressure sodium, and some sort of special fluorescent thingamajigger. I'm going to mount one of them above a 3'x3' table in my living room for an indoor garden.

What (legal) plants would be really neat to grow over the winter? I'm thinking especially of edible plants, but am certainly willing to consider others. I already have quite a few house plants, but I'd love to work on something a bit different or useful.

I'm not sure that it matters, but I live in Winnipeg which has pretty brutal winters. I also live in an apartment.

For a start, I'm thinking of growing peppers to play around with my own hot sauce.

What are these plants?

srboisvert — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:02:17 -0800

What are the names of the plants in this picture? I have a couple of the silver/grey succulent on the left and several of the flowerish green things with red tips. I got them as cuttings from a friend and don't know what they are called.

Gardening in the sink

bradly — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:13:00 -0800

What indoor plants or herbs can I grow in this repurposed children's sink? The ideal plant would have a carpet-like sheet of foliage (if a non-herbal plant) or be something I could use around the kitchen.

This is in a bedroom, but quite a bit of sunlight can be given if needed.

FWIW, the 'sink' doesn't have any drainage.

Thanks in advance!

What is this kudzu-like plant in my Toronto neighbourhood?

winston — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:04:16 -0800

What is this kudzu-like vine that grows in my neighbourhood in Toronto? It behaves very much like kudzu not only in the way it quickly takes over and chokes out other plants but it also spreads by runners and rhizomes, and produces seed pods only for a short time in the fall. The photo linked above shows both the flowers and the seed pods, but these are usually not present.

The main difference between this plant and (what I've read about) kudzu is that this plant has nettles that sting. Well, that and the fact that it thrives in Toronto.

How to remove ornamental grasses?

guptaxpn — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:55:35 -0800

I'm being offered $100 to remove "Ornamental Grasses", any experience with the removal of plants would be greatly appreciated. I need the money, badly, I just have never done this kind of work before. I'm being told that it will be a b**** of a job and that I should be able to do it with a shovel. Brief googling is telling me that people have needed hatchets and axes to get rid of the roots of these plants.

Have you ever had any experience removing this sort of plant?

I believe they just want it gone.

I'm just curious to know how I can prepare for tomorrow.

Thanks MeFi!?

Help with Tradescantia Pallida

Ziggy500 — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:16:03 -0800

Can I safely place a pot of Tradescantia pallida outdoors without it overrunning the garden? So this is possibly a waste of a question, but I'm a novice gardener and Googling hasn't turned up too many useful results. I love the beautiful leaves of Tradescantia pallida (wandering jew) and also the fact that it's apparently unkillable and a good first-time plant for a plant noob. I want to buy a potted one, but I can't keep it indoors. It's going to have to be outside in the garden path/garden area.

I know this plant is highly invasive and considered a pest in some areas - is it likely to overrun the garden even from a pot? I intend to manage the spread/shape of it by cutting back sections - will this help? I am a complete beginner, in case that wasn't glaringly obvious.

Don't bogart the pot(s)!

applemeat — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:29:45 -0800

Can anyone identify this plant? I keep a flower/vegetable container garden out on my condo porch here in Chicago, Illinois. This year, our garden's been plagued with this uninvited species. These very fast-growing invaders seem slightly plump and "fleshy"--(perhaps a succulent?)--but I don't know if they flower because I pick them out before they get much bigger than this. Their seeds may have fallen or blown into my soil from nearby gardens (or bird feeders). Can anyone identify this plant?

Fabulous flower folk, please help!

taz — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:32:42 -0800

A flower question in three parts: 1) what are these flowers: a1; a2; b1; b2? (I included versions w/my hand to show scale, since I have a lot of trouble figuring that with most internet pix) 2) what are other potted flowering plants that will do as well as these in my climate/situation? 3) Help me help myself? Suggestions for plant/flower identification sites. Much Longer: I end up spending quite a bit of time and effort, and a lot more money than I'd like, trying to find potted plants and flowers that will survive our sun-drenched courtyard situation (southern Greece) - especially flowers. Our plants get plenty of water (I water every day during the hottest part of the year), but the sheer intensity of heat and amount of direct sun exposure means that many (way too many, really) don't survive.

The photos of the two flowering plants above do survive, and thrive; the second does well in full exposure, and the first (climbing, vine-y one -- my favorite!) does well in a sort of half-and-half position: strong sun for part of the day, but some shade; with either too much sun, or too much shade, it doesn't flower. But I don't know what they are called, so I can't get more information about them, or find similar flowering plants. I had the idea that the first one might be a primrose, but the photos I've seen of primroses show very different leaves.

Aside from these, I have some of what I think of as "desert flowers" - succulents, that can stand our sun and heat, but most other flowering plants just don't make it. Even the old reliable geranium can't take the heat (actually, the exposure, I guess; I see flowering geraniums elsewhere in our neighborhood, but they get more shade than we have). Chrysanthemums can survive and continue to flower, but not thrive in the summer; they always end up looking sickly. Likewise, petunias, even if they are in the areas that receive the most shade (which isn't a whole lot, compared to what most people probably have). Even bougainvillea don't do that well (which they should, really), maybe because they get too much water... I haven't quite figured that out.

Non-flowering and thriving plants include ficus trees, yucca plants, Australian "bottle brush" plants, and something else I don't know the name of, but which are very common almost everywhere.

All our plants are in pots; they get plenty of water... and way too much sun.

What are these happy flowering plants we have? What plants (especially flowering ones) should we get? What site(s) can I can use to identify flowers/plants when I don't know what they are?

Holly-weird and Vine

headspace — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:36:46 -0800

What is this ornately-leafed vine we found in our yard? It was growing on the east side of our south-facing house, mostly shaded, slinking across the sidewalk rather than climbing the house. We are in central Indiana.

Help me not quash my Bonsai's second life

RobotNinja — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:20:20 -0800

My Bougainvillea Bonsai dropped all its leaves after I bought it due to the climate change (I think). Since then it has regrown lots of new leaves and shoots, but most of the original branches are leafless. Are they dead? Should I trim them? Help this Bonsai noob! A recent mefi post details some problems I had a couple months ago with a new Bougainvillea bonsai. Briefly: I bought it, and it promptly dropped all its leaves. I chalked it up to the change in climate and kept watering it and such, and it eventually grew new shoots. One of the new shoots in particular is decidedly un-bonsai-like, having huge leaves and sticking straight out at a funny angle - it's quite long as well. The other leaves grew on new shooter shoots and mostly around the bottoms of the original branches. The region from middle to end of nearly all of the original branches is still leafless. It has been nearly two months since the leaves started growing out again and there is no sign of new growth on these bare branches. However, if I snip off the "nubs" of the old leaves, the branches still seem green all the way through. So, two questions:

1) What should I do about these bare branches? Should I wait much longer to see if they get new growth? How long might that take and when should I think about trimming them?

2) What can I do about this mutant branch? It's so long and leaf-full that I'd like to "train" it to a better shape, although I know nearly zero about how to do that. Any good tutorials online?

Water drainage for indoor potted plants?

wsquared — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:46:22 -0800

Newbie gardening question: I'm very new to gardening and have some questions about drainage. I live in an apartment, so can only grow things in containers. For plants on the balcony, I'm using terra cotta pots with a hole in the bottom and setting them on the matching saucers. But what about indoor plants? Do all pots need drainage holes? From everything I've read, drainage seems really important for plants. But I've seen lots of pots in stores without holes. I have some nice white ones from Ikea, for example. I've also seen cool suggestions for growing plants in repurposed containers like old wooden boxes and colorful tin cans. Could you just use a layer of rocks or gravel at the bottom instead? Are some plants better suited to this than others? I'm really interested in succulents, but it looks like those need the most drainage because too much moisture is bad for them. Then again, I've seen succulents planted in open terrariums that definitely don't have drainage holes!

So, any advice on beginner container gardening? Or any book/website suggestions on really basic gardening how-tos?

What is this plant?

dfan — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:57:59 -0800

My parents recently noticed a few strange plants sprouting up in the middle of their lawn. This one has grown from nothing to around a foot high in three weeks. Can anyone ID it? They're in the Boston area, if knowing the region helps.

Looking for crafty suggestions for a huge glass bottle

primer_dimer — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 06:27:03 -0800

Looking for crafty suggestions for a big glass bottle I've just scored a big glass bottle that was being thrown away at work. I think technically it's a tapped demijohn - it's a big cylindrical bottle about 12" across and about 20" high, with a bung at the bottom. It looks a bit like this but with the tap. It's previously been used to contain 10% ethanol.

What crafty thing should I do with it? I'd love to have something living in it to look at - maybe one of those moss terraria that are so popular at the moment? How about turning it into a micro fish tank, but with just plants and maybe snails - I'm pretty sure it's not big enough for fish. Is this easy to do? Could I just scoop up a load of mud and algae from a local pond, fill 'er up, and see what happens? Would I need one of those air bubbler things? As you can see I'm pretty clueless about all things aquatic...

I want to know more about bindweed/morning glory than how to kill it.

epersonae — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:24:59 -0800

Resources for information about field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis, perennial morning glory) other than how to kill it? I've become obsessed with bindweed, originally because it's overrun my backyard. (Olympia WA USA) I want to write an essay about it, probably for my website or for my neighborhood association newsletter.

I can find lots of information about its growing habits and how to (try to) eradicate it. (My working title is "Worst. Weed. Ever.")

What I've become curious about is its history: why in god's name did anybody bring it to the New World? where is it originally from? does it have any special significance in other cultures? etc.

I've used the Google, Wikipedia, and the friendly reference desk at my local library, so far to no avail. (I do have a couple of books on invasive plants on hold, and the librarian suggested that I follow the footnotes or bibliography.) Can anyone help find more resources?