Hawaiian pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is known to be native to the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, and tropical China. These plants are also known as tropical veins as they are known to commonly exist in tropical countries. These are variegated plants and have white, yellow, and dark green colored streaks. This pothos grows well in the presence of medium to bright sunlight and produces green stems provided by the right care and management. The color of Hawaiian pothos leaves is not changed due to seasonal variation but the color intensity is greatly variable according to extent of exposure of the plant to the sunlight.

The newer leaves of pothos grow by unfurling the light green color widening from current leaves. These plants have a vining nature and trailing habits can grow 30-50 feet in the native areas. However, these can grow about 6-10 feet only in the other areas. Usually, giant pothos can be observed in the forests trailing on the trunks of higher trees. Hawaiian pothos leaves have alternate arrangements and only one leaf emerges from each node when the plant is growing in the ascending spiral structure. While the leaf type of pothos is simple with blade lengths of 18-36 inches, 12-18 inches, 8-12 inches, and 4-8 inches. The height of Hawaiian pothos is also dependent on the supporting structures and more height can be obtained by using the longer trails. Hawaiian pothos has fast-growing nature so the use of the right kind of supporting structure is critically important to get maximum growth and development.

Hawaiian Pothos Growing Guide

• Zones

Hawaiian pothos grows best in the USDA zones of 11-12 but these plants go under dormant conditions in winter. While their normal growth and development are resumed after winter. So, growers do not have to worry about the slower growth in cold climatic conditions. However, indoor growers can easily regulate the temperature for optimal growth.

• Soil

Hawaiian pothos grows well in well-drained soils as the presence of excessive moisture or irrigation water can cause root rotting and disease attack. The addition of a calculated amount of organic matter, perlite, vermiculite, and coconut coir is also helpful to improve the physical, chemical, and biological health of the soil. However, the results of scientific studies have also shown that Hawaiian pothos can tolerate occasionally wet, loamy, acidic, sandy, clayey, and slightly alkaline soils as well.

Growers must keep in mind the difference between survival and best-growing conditions, so management of soil health is critically important to get better results. Soil structure can be easily modified by the addition of organic matter and amendment to support and sustain the best growth of pothos. However, growers must consider soil testing analysis from any nearby government or private soil testing services so that only calculated and the desired amount of recommended material is added.

• pH

Although pothos plants can grow in a wide range of soil types the best growth and development can only be observed in the pH range of 6.1-6.5. Therefore, growers must regularly check the soil pH and should use amendments to adjust pH values in the desirable range.

However, growers can also buy a specifically designed potting mix or grow mix from the market if they don’t feel comfortable with the routine pH checks. These mixes are specially designed by keeping in mind the aeration, pH, watering, and nutrient requirements of the plants. So, growers can save time associated with routine checks and management.

• Light

These plants grow well in the presence of moderate light, but growers must place the plants at least 6 feet away from the window. Direct placement of Hawaiian pothos in the intense sunlight can cause the burning of foliage. So, care must be taken to avoid any damage as prolonged exposure can also cause the death of plants.

• Watering

Generally, pothos has optimal watering requirements and growers must water the growing plants once a week during summer conditions and once in two weeks in the winter conditions. The soil must be allowed to dry properly before the next watering. The moisture level in the soil can be tested by inserting the fingers in the soil because the upper layer is usually dried due to heat and evaporation. However, the lower layer has enough moisture to support water absorption by the plant roots. Irrigation frequency must be reduced during the winter conditions as plants go under dormancy and their growth is naturally reduced. Moreover, moisture losses in the form of vapors are also reduced in the winter so excessive watering must be avoided.

• Fertilization and Repotting

Hawaiian pothos needs to be repotted at least once a year. Growers can also report it when it grows double in the size. Usually, the fresh potting soil contains a sufficient number of micronutrients and macronutrients. So, there is no need to add fertilizers to the soil. However, the optimal amount of fertilizer must be added according to the requirements of plants if the soil is not being replaced for each repotting. However, the use of organic fertilizer, compost, and manure is also a good choice to improve soil fertility. Organic fertilizers must be free from pathogens and contaminants because the use of contaminated materials can cause significant quality losses.

Soilless potting mixes are also available in the markets and online stores. The use of soilless potting mix is also a good approach because these mixes are sterile and help to reduce the probability of insect pest attack and disease development. These potting mixes have excellent moisture absorption and retention properties. Furthermore, the use of organic materials in these potting mixes is a slow but steady source of nutrients so these mixes are also helpful for optimizing soil fertility.

• Temperature

Hawaiian pothos grows well in optimal temperatures ranging between 18-29 degree Celsius. So, the growing plants must be placed at such a place where growers can easily maintain this temperature range.

• Humidity

Hawaiian pothos does not require additional humidity because water absorption by the roots is sufficient to support the growth and development. Efficient water absorption by the roots is more important than the absorption by the leaves so growers should focus on managing soil moisture contents. However, these plants can tolerate 50-70% humidity in the environment but significant efforts must be considered to maintain minimum humidity in the surroundings.

How To Grow Hawaiian Pothos By Propagation or Cutting

Propagating Pothos from Cuttings

• Select a healthy and vigorously growing plant to take cuttings. The selected plant must be free from diseases, and insect pest attacks. Moreover, the selected plant should not have any nutritional deficiencies or health disorders. Because taking cuttings from poor-quality plants can cause a problem for next-generation growth and development.
• Obtain cutting of about 10-15 cm in length.
• Each cutting should have at least four or more than four leaves.
• Remove the leaves in the closet vicinity of the cut end.
• Dipping the cutting in rooting hormone is also a good approach to stimulate efficient rooting.
• Place the cutting in a water-filled glass or jar.
• Other than water cuttings can also be placed in the soil, peat moss, sand, and half perlite.
• Keeping the soil moist is essentially important to stimulate rooting development.
• Root emergence can be observed after 14 days of placing the root in the container.
• The cutting can be transplanted to the pot after the development of 1 inch of roots.
• Water the pots properly and place them in a place where they can get bright but indirect sunlight.

Is it Possible to Grow Hawaiian Pothos in Water?

Hawaiian pothos is a hardy plant and can be easily grown in the water in indoor conditions. While the quality of water is a major concern to produce good growth and development. Pothos can grow in water for numerous years if the water quality is properly maintained. Growers must replace the water after every two weeks to get good growth. Moreover, the addition of liquid fertilizers is also a good approach to maintain nutritional balance for the growth of plants.

Aeration pumps must be used to provide oxygen for the plant roots and care must be taken to check the growth of algal blooms. Algal blooming is a common problem in nutrient-rich water but can be reduced to a significant extent by routine checks and time management. The use of opaque containers and maintaining clean conditions are also important factors to reduce algal growth.

Propagation of Pothos Cuttings in Water

The cuttings of pothos can be successfully propagated in the water by using the right care and management measures. It is important to take cuttings right below the nodes. Leaves around the nodes must be removed to avoid their drowning and prevention of emergence of new growth. The container containing water and cutting must be placed in indirect and less intense sunlight. Liquid fertilizers must be added to the water after one month of cutting transplantation so that the growing plant can get sufficient nutrients for growth and development.

Growing of Hawaiian Pothos from Layering

Hawaiian pothos can also be propagated from layering. Growers can easily propagate the pothos by layering practice by considering the following points.

• Select any healthy growing and disease-free pothos plant.
• Bend a desirable and low-growing stem in the nearby soil or any container.
• The quality and health of the soil are significantly important to produce vigorous growing new plants.
• Properly cover the stem in the soil but avoid compaction as it can harm the cutting.
• The emergence of new roots and shoots can be evident after a few days and the growers can cut the stem from the parent plant.
• The new and individual plant is ready for growth, and development.

Growing of Pothos from Seeds

Pothos propagation from seeds is a rare practice because pothos does not bloom often. The blooming of Hawaiian pothos is very rare and only a few growers are lucky enough to see flowers or blooms on this plant. However, growers can get the seeds from progressive growers or registered and trusted markets. Hawaiian pothos can be propagated from the seeds by the below-mentioned guidelines.

• Take average-sized pots and fill them with good quality soil or potting mix.
• Organic matter must be added to the soil to provide nutrients to the germinating seeds and to improve soil health.
• Place the seeds in the soil-filled pots and properly cover the seeds with the soil.
• Must keep the pots in sunlight for about 2-3 hours on daily basis.
• Water the pots regularly to avoid watering stress.
• Over-irrigation must be avoided as it can cause germination failure.

Potting/ Repotting

It is important to report Hawaiian pothos once in one or two years, but repotting requirements are greatly dependent on the growing nature of plants. The reporting requirements are also dependent on growth controlling factors for the Hawaiian pothos. These plants can easily grow in smaller containers so growers can place the plants in the feasible sized container after repotting.

However, it is important to note that repotting allows plants to grow more in size because it provides more room to the plants for further growth and spreading. While keeping the plants in smaller containers for longer periods causes limited growth so the use of large size containers is a good approach.

Spring is the best repotting time for the Hawaiian pothos because plants start growing new leaves in this season. Moreover, repotting can also be done after observing the emergence of roots out of plants. This emergence is an indication that the plant needs more space and is looking for space feasibility outside its home.

Common Problems and How to Treat

Insect Pests and Stunted Leaves

The feeding activity of insect pests on the Pothos leaves causes malformation of leaves and dropping of leaves. Scales and mealybugs are commonly known to attack pothos plants and cause the significant malformation of leaves. The feeding activity of the mealybug minimizes the sap in plants and causes redirection of nutrients from pothos leaves. Higher infestation can cause leaf distortion and stunted growth. Therefore, the problem of insect pests should be reduced at the initial stages to avoid major losses.

Rubbing alcohol-dipped cotton swabs on the leaves helps to get rid of these pests. Although it is difficult to treat or rub all leaves at one time, the growers can rub alcohol on a few leaves each day. However higher infestations must be treated by using outdoor bathtubs and completely rinsing off the mealybugs. Moreover, horticultural oil sprays and insecticidal soap sprays can also be used to reduce the extent and severity of the problem.

Leaf Yellowing

Leaf yellowing in pothos may occur due to numerous biotic and abiotic stresses. While watering stress is the most common reason for leaf yellowing in Hawaiian pothos plants. Maintenance of hydration balance is essentially important to get good growth and development. Any fluctuation in irrigation scheduling and frequency can cause significant problems to plant health. The optimal growth of pothos is dependent on consistent watering.

Both overwatering and underwatering can cause yellowing of pothos leaves. While overwatering can also cause the appearance of brown spots on the plant surface. Oversaturation also causes pitting on the pothos leaves but these are hardy plants and can easily withstand the worst scenarios. Whereas the development of spots and pits may be a major concern for some people as they are greatly concerned about the beauty of plants. So, they can correct the problem by fixing the irrigation schedule according to the plant needs, soil moisture status, and prevailing climatic conditions.

Overwatering in poorly drained soils can cause significant losses due to root rotting. Too much pith necrosis due to overwatering also causes stem rotting of pothos, yellowing or browning of leaves, and falling off of the Hawaiian pothos plants. The problem can be fixed by using the soil with good drainage capacity and inserting holes in the bottom of pots. Underwatering causes drooping and dies off of the pothos leaves and can be easily identified by just looking at the plant foliage. Whereas the probability of stress due to underwatering can be minimized by the use of compost, potting mix, and organic matter because organic materials can absorb 20 times more water than their weight.

Overfertilization also causes yellowing of leaves due to burning. Usually, overfertilization causes significant damage to the roots. So growers should prefer soil testing to check the level of nutrients in the soil. Moreover, different types of fertilizers can provide some nutrients to the plants but the specific type of fertilizer works differently for different types of soil and growing mix. Therefore, proper consultation with agriculture extension workers or soil doctors is a must to get the best nutritional benefits.

Black Spots

Usually, the appearance of black spots on the Pothos is due to overwatering and root rotting. However, lower temperatures may also enhance the probability of black spots on Hawaiian Pothos. The sudden onset of these spots on the pothos plants is an indication that the environment is not warm and plants are suffering from cold stress. While, the gradual appearance of black spots is an indication of the poor health of roots, so growers must remove the soil around the roots for detailed examination.

Soft, smelly, and black roots are an indication of severe issues, and immediate action to required to save a plant from death. The sudden appearance of black spots can be treated by placing the plants in warmer areas. Whereas, the gradual appearance of black spots can be treated by rinsing off the soil around the roots and cutting the soft and smelly roots.

Drooping Leaves

Under irrigation and lower humidity levels are major reasons for the drooping of leaves in the pothos plants. Therefore complete drying of soil must be avoided by carefully monitoring the soil moisture contents. Drooping due to under irrigation is also accompanied by browning and limp veins. This problem can be resolved by watering the soil according to the needs of growing plants. While, if the soil is already wet, gentle soaking will also be helpful to reduce the extent of the problem. This soaking can be done by placing the plant in the sink and filling the sink with 3-4 inches of good quality water. Allow soaking of Hawaiian pothos for 40-50 minutes and drain the leftover water.

Whereas, the lower humidity levels in the surroundings can be improved by using humidifiers in the growing spaces. Growers can also place the plants in trays filled with water and pebbles if they are not able to find or purchase the humidifiers. However, the use of humidifiers is a good idea to get better results. Moreover, the placement of the pots near the other plants is also a good idea to improve humidity around its surroundings because growing plants increase humidity levels due to evapotranspiration.

Less or No Variegation

Less variegation of disappearance of variegation is a major concern in the Hawaiian pothos. Although it is the least issue among all other concerns less variegation significantly reduces the beauty of pothos plants so it must be cured to get good looks. The major reason behind variegation is less production of chlorophyll, so if the plant is not producing good variegation it must be placed in partial shade conditions.

Hawaiian Pothos Vs Golden Pothos (Differences and Similarities)

Generally, the appearance of golden pothos and Hawaiian pothos is significantly similar but still can be identified by critical analysis.

• The major difference between the two pothos is the color differences on stems and foliage.
• Golden Pothos have intense and vivid yellow hues but Hawaiian pothos have variegations of yellow and green colors with white streaks.
• Golden pothos grows well in the less lights but the best growth of Hawaiian pothos can be observed in the bright and medium light intensities.
• Golden pothos has yellow vines, but Hawaiian pothos has green stems.
• Hawaiian pothos has split leaves to allow the penetration of sunlight to the below-ground parts. Whereas golden pothos does not split their leaves.
• The foliage color of Hawaiian pothos and golden pothos is nearly identical but the major difference lies in the color of their variegation. Golden pothos has white streaks and yellow and dark green leaves. While the variegation color of Hawaiian pothos lacks bright yellow color.
• The leaves of both varieties have heart-shaped leaves.
• The leaves of both varieties have pointed ends.
• Hawaiian pothos have bicolor leaves as the mingling of yellow and bright green colors can be observed in the form of amazing variegation patterns. The yellow color is not intense and can be confused as white in the absence of light. Golden pothos leaves also have yellow effects but have an intense yellow color. Sometimes these can be tricolors due to the presence of white-colored leaves along with the yellow and green color components.
• The leaves of Golden Pothos are small but the leaf size of Hawaiian pothos is significantly larger.
• Both this pathos requires enough space and good care for proper blooming and large crown development.
• Indoor blooming is rarely observed but outdoor blooming of Hawaiian pothos can be ensured by strictly sticking to the right care and management.
• Hawaiian pothos produces cream-colored and bigger flowers but the flowers of golden pothos are snow white and small.
• Both these plants have a climbing nature and can easily grow in the upward direction.
• The watering requirements of both plants are almost the same but Hawaiian pothos may need extra water due to their larger size.
• The heating, fertilization, and repotting requirements of both plants are also the same.

Common Types of Pothos Houseplants

Snow Queen Pothos

Snow Queen is a white pothos plant and is primarily known due to green and white blotches, and speckles. This plant is invasive in some regions of the world due to its quick-growing nature provided by the right conditions. This plant can grow well in the presence of medium or high humidity levels, and well-drained soils. Best growth can be observed by regular pruning, fertilization, and watering.

Golden Pothos

Golden pothos is commonly sold throughout the globe and is identified due to the presence of yellow streaks across green leaves. This plant requires minimal care and management for growth and is a natural purifier for the living spaces. This pothos grows 40 feet in length and 6 feet wide in the presence of the right conditions. This plant is more adaptable due to variegation but cannot grow well if humidity is too low in the surroundings.

Pearls and Jade Pothos           

The name of this plant is attributed to the presence of white-colored pearl-type variegation with jade leaves. Its colors are clearer than the golden pothos and have a more streaked appearance of variegation. This plant was developed at the University of Florida due to due to genetic mutation. It grows well in the presence of indirect bright light, and medium humidity.

Neon Pothos

Neon Pothos name is attributed to the presence of translucent, and brightly colored green leaves. This plant has its special beauty due to its electrifying bold leaf colors and bushy appearance. These plants have a vigorous growing habit and can be easily grown in containers and hanging baskets. Moreover, this Pothos can also be easily grown in the water or hydroponic grow system. However, these plants must be placed in bright locations where they can easily get filtered light.

Glacier Pothos

Glacier pothos grows slower than the other pothos plants and can be distinguished due to the presence of green foliage provided with the white variegations that are specifically flecked with the grey or silver accents. This plant produces smaller leaves and can be easily placed at any point in indoor conditions. However, growers must clean their leaves regularly to maintain their shine and cleanliness.

How to treat brown spots on Pothos Plant?

Brown spots may observe on the pothos plants due to insect attacks, cold temperatures, over-fertilization, low humidity, intensive sunlight, diseases, and incorrect watering. Therefore, growers must try to observe the main reason behind the browning of pothos leaves. The management measures for avoiding leaf browning due to these reasons are explained below.

Cutting off leaves: Growers must regularly check the growing plants to avoid major losses in the later stages. If the problem is detected at the early stages, the infected leaves can be immediately removed. Removal of bad leaves is the most effective and quickest solution to reduce the further spread of the problem. Removal of damaged parts helps plants to focus on maintaining nutritional, energy, and hydration status for better growth and development. Fungal attacks and diseases can be reduced by using appropriate fungicides. However diseased plants must be separated from the healthy plants to avoid further spread of the problem.

Deter the insect pests: Insect pests can be removed from the pothos plants in three distinctive ways such as using soap sprays, bug sprays, and rubbing alcohol. Soap sprays can be easily made at home. Soap sprays help to deter pests by reducing the sticky surfaces on the plant surfaces. The use of bug sprays is not recommended at the initial stages as chemical sprays cause significant damage to the beneficial insects and surroundings. While rubbing alcohol on the pothos leaves also helps to get rid of insect pests.

Maintenance of environment: Health and quality of the growing environment are directly related to the health of pothos plants. Growers must maintain appropriate sunlight, aeration, temperature, and humidity for better growth.

Avoid underwatering: Water is an essential constituent of plants as each plant cell contains about 90% water. Underwatering causes reduced water contents in the plants and causes browning of pothos. Therefore, the watering schedule should be carefully designed to avoid water stress.

Improper fertilization: Excessive fertilization and reduced fertilization both can cause the development of brown spots on pothos. Therefore, growers must check the soil fertility status to optimize fertilization application according to the requirements of plants and growing media.

Avoid direct sunlight: Direct exposure to sunlight is the foremost important reason for brown spots on the Hawaiian pothos. Although all plants need sunlight for photosynthesis and survival all of them are not able to survive in the presence of direct and intense sunlight. These plants survive well in natural forest conditions because they get filtered sunlight due to the presence of upper story vegetation. Therefore, these plants must be placed at such points where they can get filtered or partial sunlight.

Where to Buy the Hawaiian Pothos and Other Pothos Plants?

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Lavender (Lavandula spp.) belongs to the Lamiaceae family. It can grow 2-3 feet in length and 2-4 feet in width. Lavender is a well-known perennial herb and is well known for its scent. Lavender can easily thrive for about 15 years in the gardens and can be easily grown both from seeds and cuttings. Its longevity, growth, health, and development can be optimized by the right management and control. Lavender is a great choice for the gardens because it can be used as fragrant cut flowers, culinary herbs, natural ingredients for beauty, and crafting material. Lavender is an attractive and low-maintenance plant and can be easily planted in containers, hedges, swaths, gardens, and lawns.

Lavender has been reported to be used as a holy herb in ancient times. While some studies have also shown its significance for air freshening and adding scents to the gifts and personal items. Nowadays it is commonly used across the globe due to its therapeutic and medicinal benefits. Results of scientific studies conducted by the leading researchers have reported that regular and optimized use of lavender helps to improve sleep, skin texture, skin health, heart health, hair growth. Other than improving overall health and wellness it is also helpful to treat fungus growth, hot flashes, menstrual pain, blood pressure, and skin blemishes. Lavender has antioxidant properties and helps to accelerate the wound healing process. Levander oil is a rich source of linalool, and linalyl acetate so it also offers excellent inflammatory properties. Some studies have also shown that lavender aromatherapy is helpful to reduce anxiety, stress, and pain associated with different mental and medical conditions.

Lavender Growing Tips and Guide

• Zones

Lavender plants can easily tolerate various growing conditions and surrounding temperatures, but their best growth and production can be observed in the full sun and warm conditions. Most of the lavender species are considered hardy and are categorized between 5-8 in the USDA zones. Realistically plant can grow well in these zones but their growth and quality are affected in the presence of unfavorable growing conditions.

• Watering

Lavender is an extremely drought tolerant plant and can grow well with limited water application. However regular watering is required for starting the lavender plants. After the initial development growing plants can easily tolerate extended drought conditions. Overwatering must be avoided because it can cause root rotting and disease development. Growers must check the moisture contents in the soil by hand or sensors before the next watering.

• Temperature and Humidity

Lavender can easily tolerate temperature fluctuations, but its growth and production are greatly affected by dampness. Dampness is more dangerous for the lavender than the cold so damp environmental conditions must be avoided. Wetting in the rhizosphere soil is a major reason for dampness in the lavender plants in the winter months. While it can lead to high humidity in the summer conditions. So appropriate irrigation scheduling can help to resolve this problem.

Leaving enough space between individual plants helps proper airflow and this circulation greatly reduces the higher humidity levels. Lavender plants can be protected from the harsh cold temperature and winter winds by planting these plants next to brick or stone walls. These walls are not only important for protection but also provide heat to the plants by absorbing radiation from sunlight and radiating it at night. Mulch layering is beneficial to protect lavender plants from freezing temperatures in the areas where freezing and thawing are most common.

• Sun

Lavender plants grow well in the full sun conditions so growing plants must be placed at a point where these plants can get six to eight hours of sunlight a day. Lavender cannot grow well in the presence of filtered sunlight so unfiltered sunlight must be preferred. However, there are no requirements for continuous exposure to sunlight. Any specific area getting about three to four hours of sunlight a day and three to fours hours of sunlight in the evening or late afternoon is also considered a full sunny condition for lavender. More exposure to lavender to the sunny hours is also important to improve the overall health and growth of plants.

There are different ways and practices to improve the exposure of sunlight with the gardening plants. Pruning trees in the backyard, vines, and tall shrubs helps to improve the sunlight in the growing spaces. The use of straw, white rocks, and light-colored mulch help to reflect more sunlight on lavender. If growers are growing lavender near the fence, they must paint the fence with white color. Hanging aluminum foil sheets on or near the fence is helpful to improve more sunlight on the plants. Growers must plant lavender in lightweight containers and pots so that they can easily move the plants in sunny conditions according to requirements.

• Soil

Lavender grows well in the loamy and well-drained soil. The addition of organic matter and compost is essentially helpful to improve the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil. Growers can also add limestone, dolomite lime, and nitrogen fertilizers to improve soil fertility before growing lavender plants.

Lavender plants grow best at the optimal soil pH so management of pH around 6 is a good approach. Gowers can use soil testing kits to check the soil pH levels. Moreover, they can also visit any nearby soil testing laboratory for detailed analysis and testing of soil. If soil pH is too high or low it can be corrected by the addition of recommended amendments. Cover the soil with mulch, and organic material to protect soil from erosion. Furthermore, it will also protect the soil from freezing temperature and high humidity.

• Pest and Diseases

Lavender has significant susceptibility towards insect pests and diseases and thus it requires proper monitoring and care. Root rotting and four-lined plant bugs are major issues for growing lavenders. These bugs are dependent on the chlorophyll of the lavender leaves and can be identified by their specific greenish-yellow and bright color with various black strips on their backs.

These pests can be controlled by using insecticides but as the use of synthetic chemicals is not a good approach so biological, physical, and mechanical methods should be preferred for their elimination. The use of insecticidal soaps is also a good choice because it does not cause any toxicity hazards to the soil, plants, and environment. Root rotting can be avoided by optimized irrigation scheduling, drainage, and fertilization. Avoiding root rotting is greatly important to save plants from death and quality losses.

Common Varieties of Lavender

• Spanish Lavender (stoechas)

It is also known as Fringed or French lavender. French lavender is a Mediterranean variety and produces dark purple and fragrant flowers with busy and compact foliage. While fringed lavender is a spreading and bushy shrub that produces purple-blue dense flowering spikes with a mild fragrance.

• Lavandins( x intermedia)

It is a hybrid of Portuguese and English lavender. These plants have a larger size than other plant species and bloom only once a year (late summer). It has good resistance against humidity and heat-related stresses. Thus, foliar diseases and root rotting are not major issues for this variety. Moreover, it is well known for producing long flowering spikes.

• English lavender(Lavandula angustifolia)

English lavender is the most commonly used variety of lavender. There are further many varieties of English lavender that are well known for producing different sizes and colors of lavender flowers. It produces two blossoms in a season and growers can even harvest lavender twice a year. Hidcote English lavender produces silver to gray colored compact foliage and compact and deep, purple-colored flowers.

How to Prune Lavender

Pruning and harvesting methods are different for different plants so careful pruning and harvesting is essentially important to get good quality yield. Improper pruning can cause stress on the plants so growers must follow instructions to get good results. Two leaf sets of lavender should be carefully pruned above the woody growing point. This practice significantly reduces the stress on the growing lavender plant. Any mishandling during the cutting can cause the root rotting of lavender plants. Moreover, leaving the two specific leaf sets also helps to stabilize the growth and allows healthier and thicker development of leaves.

However, there are different practices for pruning winter lavender as aggressive trimming is required at this time. This practice involves the removal of wooden branches down to the root hedges and tops. The plants may look like dying soon after the trimming and this condition will stay evident till summer. However, normal growth and developmental activities can be resumed by fertilization and right irrigation practices. Growers can harvest good quality and quantity of lavender within a few months after complete trimming.

Growers must remove all buds on new lavender plants soon after the emergence of green little buds. Removal of flowering buds is essentially important to keep the plant in the vegetative state that encourages hardy, and larger lavender plants. Pruning in the first growing season is essentially important to improve the plant vigor for tolerating the cold stress. No pruning in the first growing year causes compromised growth and production. Moreover, it can also cause reduced yields and low-quality products in the second and third years of the lavender life cycle.

Typically, growers must practice pruning during lavender harvesting as it helps to minimize the loss of valuable buds and saves the time associated with separate harvesting and pruning practices. The early spring season is also a good time for pruning. Growers must carefully remove the dead branches in the downward direction towards the hedge bottom. Early season spring pruning followed by nitrogen fertilization significantly improves the vegetative growth of lavender plants. Shooting up and formation of sporadic buds can be observed after the initial harvesting. Tall stems with bloomed flowers should also be removed.

How to Harvest Lavender

Growers can easily harvest and dry the lavender flowers at home. Harvest lavender soon after the opening of the lowest flowers on the stems. It is important to cut the flowers above the first leaf sets. Cut the stems as first work in the morning because there is the strongest fragrance at this time. Properly hang the harvested lavender in the form of bundles in the upside downward directions. It is important to dry the lavender plants in a dark and cool place as intensive sunlight can reduce their scent and color. Proper harvesting of lavender helps to produce vigorous and quality yields.

How to Dry Lavender

• Drying Lavender Using a Dehydrator

Although growers can dry lavender in a cool, dry, and open place but open-air drying can promote contamination and quality losses. Use of food dehydrator is significantly important for better, efficient, even, and quick-drying of lavender leaves. Immediate trimming of stems before drying is essentially important to get good results. The selection of full lavender blossoms helps to get good quality. Shriveled, discolored, and diseased flowers should be removed. The collection of lavender stems in the clean and contaminant-free basket is essentially important practice.

Growers must check all leaves, flowers, and stems for insects and diseases. Removal of diseased parts and insect pests is important to reduce the further spread of the problem. Washing lavender flowers are not a good choice because it can cause direct shedding of flower parts. Evenly spread the flowering stems in a single layer in the dehydrator trays. Carefully stack these trays in the dehydrator and adjust the dehydrator to 80-100 degrees.

Turn on the dehydrator and leave it running for about two hours. Check the moisture level in the lavender with the hands and if the stems and flowers feel dry these are ready for further processing. However, if flowers and stems feel moist these should be placed in the dehydrator for one more hour. Carefully remove lavender from the dehydrator and cool the stems in the same trays. Place the dried lavender stems in plastic bags or containers. Tightly seal these bags or use the airtight lid to protect the dried lavender from environmental impurities. Over drying of the stems should be avoided as it can cause complete disintegration of the stems even by the light touch. Thus, these over-dried lavender stems cannot be used in designing and creative projects.

• Drying Lavender Using the Microwave

Preheat the microwave at 100 degrees Celsius and lay harvested lavender on a baking sheet. Overlapping of lavender stalks should be avoided as it can cause uneven drying. Usually, high heat is sufficient to dry lavender in one minute only.

• Drying Lavender Using an Oven

The process of lavender drying in the oven is almost similar to microwave drying. Overheating should be avoided as it can cause the disintegration of blossoms.

• Drying Lavender on the Countertop

Countertop drying is the easiest process for drying lavender. This practice involves placing stalks on a dry table or countertop. Newspaper and dry racks can also be used for spreading the harvested lavender. The brittle appearance of dried lavender is evidence of good drying. However, cleanliness should be maintained to avoid contamination and disease development.

• Dry Bunching

Cut a bunch of specific lavender stalks. Group 15-25 stalks and tie them properly with any rope or elastic band. This band helps the stalks to stay stick while getting dried. It can also be decorated with beautiful ribbons to give prettier looks. Hang these bundles in a dry, warm, and dark place like a cellar or basement. It is important to hang it in the upside-down direction to retain the shape of blossoms. However appropriate space should be allowed between the individual stalks to allow the circulation of air. Metal hook, wall pegs, clothing hangers can also be used for dry bunching.

How to Store Dried Lavender

Lavender must be stored in the cool, dark, and dry space, because the exposure of dried lavender with the humidity, heat, and light can reduce its quality. Light will cause color fading of the lavender buds and heat will cause fragrance fading. While the presence of moisture and humidity will cause rotting and mold attack. Lavender can be stored in airtight jars and these jars can be placed in cool, dark, and dry spaces. The use of a colored jar is also a good approach to prevent the interaction of sunlight with dried lavender.

Only completely dried lavender is suitable for storage because the presence of little moisture can also cause mold attacks and quality losses. Removal of stalks from the blooms is also an important practice for lavender storage. It can be easily done by rubbing dried lavender stalks with the hands. However, care is required because some stems are sharp and may hurt the hands.

How To Grow Lavender from seed

Lavender can be easily grown from the seeds but the use of good quality, contaminant-free, and nutrient-rich soil help for better germination. Sterile soil mix and potting mix can also be used for seed sowing and germination. The use of organic material is also a good choice for starting the seedlings because organic matter is a good source of nutrients and helps to retain more water than soil.

Appropriate watering is also helpful to keep the soil moist to support seed germination and plant development. Growers must place the seeds on the top layer of soil. There is no need to cover the seeds with the soil as covering seeds with the soils reduces the chances of seedling emergence and germination. Growers must maintain the right irrigation schedule to avoid moisture stress as it can directly kill the growing plants. Seed starting trays or any container can be used for good quality seed germination. Growers must ensure ventilation holes in the trays and containers for effective drainage.

Proper germination can be ensured by placing the seed containing trays or containers in the proper sunlight. The seeds can be grown in both indoor and outdoor conditions. However, maintenance of indoor growing conditions is greatly important to get better results. The use of grow lights is a good choice to provide light to the indoor germinating seeds.

How to Grow Lavender from Cuttings or Propagation

Lavender can be easily grown both from softwood and hardwood cuttings. Hardwood cuttings are thicker than soft cuttings and are resistant to bending. While softwood cuttings are obtained from pliable and soft tips of newer cuttings. The selection of the right cutting is also dependent on the time of years and specific seasons. Softwood cuttings are abundant in the spring season and can be easily obtained without damaging the parent plant. Softwood cuttings can easily develop new roots but are less reliable than hardwood cuttings.

Hardwood cuttings are available throughout the year and help to produce a good quality product than softwood cuttings. Irrespective of the cutting type, growers must select straight growing, healthy, and disease-free stems for rooting. Some lavender plants offer free blooming so offers difficulty for selecting the bloom-free stems. Blossoms use significant energy of plants and thus the capacity of stems to produce roots is reduced.

Growers must select the stems with no buds and good color. The use of a sharp knife is important to take both softwood and hardwood cuttings. Ideally, these cuttings should have 3-4 inches length to support good growth. Remove all leaves from the lower 5cm of stems and gently scrape the skin from the bottom portion with a knife. The cuttings can also be treated with hormones to facilitate strong and quick root development.

Stick the lower 5cm of cuttings in the well-prepared and good-quality soil. Firm the soil around this cutting so that it can easily stand in the upward direction. In the colder regions or unfavorable environmental conditions, these cuttings can also be covered with a plastic sheet to provide a greenhouse-type environment. However, direct contact and full wrapping of these cuttings with the plastic sheets should be avoided.

FAQ:

Can you grow lavender in a pot?

Growers can easily grow lavender in containers and pots. The use of good quality soil, organic material, potting mix, and compost in the pots and containers helps to boost growth by multiple times. The use of well-draining soil is significantly important to reduce the moisture stress and probability of diseases. The use of containers and pots with the drainage wholes is also important to improve drainage for better growth. The addition of one tablespoon of dolomite is also important to improve drainage in the pots and containers.

Mic peat, compost, and organic material in the soil to be used in the pots and containers. Properly mix all the components to provide an efficient and steady source of nutrients for the growing lavender plants. Heavy pruning must be practiced for the lavender growing in the pots so because the removal of damaged and dead plant parts helps to improve the rooting system of the growing plants. Lavender plants must be placed in the sunny spots, but these can also be moved to the partial shade in the presence of intensive sunlight and scorching heat.

The use of artificial grow light and fluorescent lights are also important to provide light to the growing plants in indoor conditions. The intensity of grow lights can be adjusted according to the requirements of lavender plants. However direct contact or touch between grow lights and plant foliage should be avoided as it can cause foliage burning. Schedule irrigation according to the requirements of the plants and when the upper two to three inches of soil are getting dried. Growers can also check the moisture contents in the soil by the finger touch method.

The use of organic fertilizers is essentially important to get maximum growth and production. Inorganic fertilizers are not good for the potting mix as these contain salts as carrier material and the presence of these salts greatly affects the soil properties. Thus, plants will not be able to perform normal tasks because plants have to use extra energy to utilize water and nutrients.

Some lavender species can easily tolerate biotic and abiotic stresses, but some species are not resistant to the stresses. So, the selection of the right species, and variety is essentially important to get maximum growth, development, and production. Meanwhile, the maintenance and management of moisture, humidity, nutrients, light, and aeration are also important for better growth.

Can You Grow Lavender Indoors?

https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/flowers-and-plants/herbs/growing-lavender-indoors

Lavender can be easily grown in indoor conditions followed by the right care and management. Lavender is not a traditional houseplant so its growth and production in indoor conditions require more care. However, selection of right watering scheduling, using good quality organic fertilizers, grow lights, aeration and temperature management, and humidity control is important for creating the right growing conditions. While growing requirements and management practices remain the same for both indoor and outdoor growing but plants can get benefit from natural conditions in the outdoor environment. Whereas plants in the indoor conditions are only dependent on the provided conditions so any mismanagement or mishandling can directly kill the plants.

BEST TYPES OF SUCCULENTS TO GROW INDOORS

Succulents are gaining ever-increasing popularity to grow in indoor conditions due to their unique features and beautification properties. This article is focused to give a basic understanding of succulent plants, care, management, and indoor maintenance.

Best Types of Succulents to Grow Indoors

Euphorbia Milli (Crown of Thorns)

This succulent gets its name due to longer thrones covering the whole stem. It offers year-round blossoms by minimal care but is in the category of underrated beauty. This plant has gained significant popularity in recent years and breeders have developed varieties of this succulent that can produce more blossoms.

Aphelandra Squarrosa (Zebra Plant)

The Zebra plant is pretty and petite and is an important succulent for space-limited conditions. It produces stripped flashy leaves and large-sized golden flowers during the early autumn or late summer seasons. It is a true tropical plant and thus it requires abundant sunlight, moisture, and warmth for survival.

Sedum Spurium (Roseum)

It is shamelessly cute and low-growing succulent and is an ideal plant for indoor growing. The pots containing roseum can be easily placed in the windowsills. It produces pink-colored rose-like blooms in the summer season followed by optimal care and management.

Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana (Flaming Katy)

This succulent is well known for producing good flair. This plant is native to Madagascar and produces blooms ranging between red and vibrant mauve and therefore make it an ideal choice for windowsill adornment and hostess gifts. It can produce blooms multiple times in a year in indoor growing conditions.

Sansevieria Trifasciata (Snake Plants)

Snake plants have fewer requirements for sunlight as compared to other succulents. Snake plants can ideally grow in partial shades but can also tolerate full shade conditions. These plants are slender and tall and are the best option to add architectural elements to small living places. Snake plants do not produce regular blossoms, but it produces blooms after few years that offers tubular size, white color, and good fragrance.

Aloe Vera (Aloe Vera)

Aloe vera is a beginner-friendly, easy-growing, and pleasant succulent. It can easily grow in bright rooms and sunny indoor conditions. However, it is sensitive to freezing and its exposure to below freezing conditions for only one night can cause the death of the plant. This succulent is well known for its sap and soothing properties.

Kalanchoe Tomentosa (Panda Plant)

Panda plant produces blue-green, fuzzy, and thick leaves and adds vibrant organic texture and beauty to the living spaces. This plant grows well in the presence of good sunlight and must be placed on conservatories and windowsills for indoor growing. However, it is a toxic plant for cats and dogs and can cause intense irritation in their throat and mouth causing vomiting sickness, and difficulty in swallowing.

Crassula Ovata (Jade Plant)

This is no fuss and hearty succulent and can grow well in indoor conditions. Often it survives for various generations and can grow to a height of about 3 feet. It is highly sensitive to overwatering so the excessive application of water must be avoided. Moreover, it adds significant beauty to the indoor places by producing Emerald green and glossy leaves.

Sempervivum Tectorum (Hens and Chicks)

Indoor growing of this succulent is getting trendy due to low requirements for maintenance and care. It is especially an ideal choice for those who just love to plant and then forget their gardens and growing plants. The mother rosette has a connection with the chicks with a delicate small rooting system that can easily penetrate the smaller cracks.

Sedum Morganianum (Burro’s Tail)

This succulent has trailing tendrils and can grow to a height of three feet. It is an ideal choice for the growers who love to have hanging plants and vegetation. It can also add a good greenery spill to the shelves. It is native to the Mexican conditions and requires bright light for survival. However, its direct placement in the intense sunlight can cause the burning of foliage. Usually, it rarely produces blooms but sometimes it produces red or pink colored blooms in the late summer.

Christmas Cactus (Crab Claw Cactus)

This succulent has segmented, fleshy, and flat stems. It grows well in moist conditions, so it needs frequent watering. It does not produce sharp spines and its segments have spiky nature than the scalloped. It produces pink-colored flowers followed by the right care and management.

What are succulents?

Succulents are specific groups of plants having good capabilities to store water and to grow and survive under water-deficient conditions. There are different types and kinds of succulents and all of these plants do not have the same properties and growing behavior. These plants grow best in dry climatic conditions and their growth is ceased in the presence of higher humidity in the environment.

Most of the succulents have broader or deeper root systems because these plants are native to the semiarid regions and deserts. Generally, all succulents have one common adaptation that is the opening timings of stomata on their leaves. Stomata are small pores or mouthlike structures found on the surface of leaves and stems. These stomatal openings help to absorb carbon from the environment and allow the escape of oxygen and water to the surroundings. Stomata of other plants are open during day times and are closed at night. While the stomata of succulent plants open at night and are closed during day times. Therefore, succulents offer a modified form of photosynthesis and carbon fixation.

Usually, succulents have modified leaves and are well known for having specific sap. Water is the primary constituent of this sap and has significant importance for skincare. Succulents can be easily propagated from fallen leaves and using parts of growing plants.

Succulent’s term is used for a wide range of species and genus of the plants and has different shapes, colors, and textures. Usually, these plants have thicker fleshy tissues, and some plants can store water in the stems while a majority of succulents store water in the leaves. The succulents storing water in the stems do not have proper leaves or have smaller leaves that cannot favor the water storage.

How often do you need to water succulents?

Although watering requirements of succulents are significantly low as compared to the other plants. Still, they need watering in lower amounts and proper watering can significantly boost their growth, development, and flowering. Succulents can tolerate extended drought periods in natural conditions by depending on the stored nutrients and water in their leaves. However, watering needs should be monitored regularly in indoor conditions to reduce any drastic effects of drought on growing plants.

The roots of succulents are greatly sensitive to wetting and high moisture retention in the growing media. Therefore, the selection of the right grow media, and pots are essentially important to ensure good drainage. The pots should be provided with 1-2 holes to allow drainage of excessive water. Moreover, the use of clayey soil should be avoided as clay has a high water holding capacity and may cause root rotting and the development of certain diseases on growing succulents.

Reduced watering may also cause color changes in the succulents and their leaves may appear dull green in the color. Generally, succulents have a full blushing range in different colors such as red, black, purple, orange, and pink. So, their blushing nature and attractive colors can be maintained by keeping a good eye on the soil moisture levels and plant needs for watering.

Most of the succulents grow well in warmer temperatures and their growth and development are negatively affected by the freezing. So, growers should never apply cold water to the plants as it can affect their metabolism and biochemical reactions. Their direct placement in the cold and freezing conditions should also be avoided as it can lead to mushy leaves and plant death. Some succulent species can tolerate below-freezing conditions, but their growth and development are significantly more in the warmer growing conditions.

How much sun do succulents need?

Succulents need good sunlight to grow well and these plants must be placed at sunny spots to allow their exposure to sunlight for at least six hours a day. However, their direct placement in the extremely hot, and scorching heat should be avoided. Improper exposure to sunlight can make growing succulents, discolored, distorted, and weak.

Exposure of indoor succulents to the sunlight may be a significant challenge if growers have space-limited conditions or are living in areas where sunlight is not enough due to prevailing climatic conditions. Growers can use light-emitting diodes and artificial lighting systems to provide heat and specific radiations to the growing succulents.

Different types of grow lights or artificial lights are available in the market and are specifically made according to the lighting requirements of different indoor plants. These lights work best as supplemental lighting systems as these are designed to provide color spectrum according to plant needs.

Growers must select grow lights with the desirable color spectrum, wattage, and lighting intensity to get maximum benefits for improving the growth and development of succulents. However, the direct contact between grow lights and plant foliage should be avoided as it can cause the burning of foliage and reduced growth.

How to Care for Succulents

Although succulents need minimum care and management, the provision of optimal growing conditions can greatly improve the growth and production by multiple times. Followings are some important measures to care for succulents.

Lighting

Succulents are sun-loving plants and must be placed at such a spot where they can receive sunlight for six hours a day. Newly planted and young succulents are more prone to sunburning so they should be gradually exposed to full sun conditions. Alternatively, these plants can be placed in partial shade conditions as direct exposure to scorching heat may cause stunted growth and death.

Although succulents require direct interaction with the sunlight but keeping the plants on the same spot for many days may cause uneven distribution and absorption of sunlight by the plants. Moreover, succulents can lean towards the sun and therefore rotation is essentially important to keep growing plants straight.

Watering

Succulents have fewer requirements for watering and the watering needs of growing plants are greatly dependent on the prevailing conditions and properties of growing media. Usually, succulents need more energy and water during their growth stages. While the watering requirements are also high during the summer and spring seasons, but minimum water is required during winter and fall conditions.

The moisture levels in the soil can also be tested by inserting a finger in the soil or grow media. Growers must water the growing plants when the upper 2.5 inches of the soil are dry. Both overwatering and underwatering can kill the plants therefore watering intervals and frequency should be carefully decided.

Water should be applied to such a level that it starts coming out of the drainage/seepage holes. Water spraying on the succulent foliage is not recommended as wetting can lead to the development of diseases. These pots can be placed in the waterpots so that water can be reabsorbed to the grow media.

Maintain Clean Conditions

Succulents must be grown in neat and clean growing conditions as the presence of contaminants and pollutants can negatively affect their growth. Gently wiping off the spines and leaves with slightly damp clothes is a good approach to remove dust and other particles.

Select Right Soil or Grow Media

Succulents grow well in well-drained, pollutant-free, and healthy soil so growers must select good quality soil after proper soil testing. The addition of the appropriate amount of organic matter, compost, and peat is also important to maintain the physical, chemical, and biological health of the soil.

Insect Pest Control and Disease Management

Usually, insect pest attack is not a big problem for growing succulents, but these plants may be prone to bugs. However, overfertilization, overirrigation, and environmental contamination may favor the outbreaks of diseases and pests. The probability of diseases and insect pest attacks can be greatly reduced by regular monitoring and measuring the threshold levels of insect pests.

Fertilization

Growing succulents does not require a high number of fertilizer applications but slight feeding in the summer and spring season with organic fertilizers is a recommended approach. The use of inorganic fertilizers is not a good approach as synthetic fertilizers are designed to release nutrients immediately and any over-application can exert drastic effects on succulents. Severe toxicity and overdosage may also cause plant death.

How To Grow and Care For Philodendron Gloriosum Plant

Philodendron gloriosum is a well-known plant due to its attractive foliage, and heart-shaped leaves. It is a creeper plant and has a crawling growing nature along the surface and ground. This plant is thought to be originated in Columbia but is native to Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, and Central America. The mature plants of gloriosum produce white-colored flowers every year between May to July.

Philodendron plant can attain a size of about 36 inches but the size and height of the plant are greatly dependent on the feasibility of growing conditions, management measures, and type of variety being grown. It is important to note that it is a slow-growing plant and the proper opening of one leaf can take more than one month time.

Care and Management Practices for Philodendron Gloriosum

• Light

Philodendron gloriosum grows well in the presence of indirect and bright sunlight. The direct contact of this plant with sunlight should be avoided as its interaction with the intensive light can cause burning.

• Temperature

Growers should maintain the average growing temperature between 18-26 degrees Celsius. Although indoor conditions and temperature can be easily managed management of outdoor conditions is difficult. So plants must be grown in those areas where temperature conditions lie in the acceptable range for their growth and development. Healthy growing plants can tolerate some fluctuation in the temperature conditions, but plants must be placed in indoor conditions during the winters to avoid frost damage.

• Humidity

Gloriosum plants require optimal humidity levels for better growth, survival, development, and flowering. Using an indoor humidifier is an ideal choice to improve humidity if the humidity levels are below 40%.

• Watering

Philodendron gloriosum is sensitive to both overirrigation and under irrigation stresses. Therefore growers must maintain the optimal moisture level in the growing media. Overirrigation can cause root diseases and therefore it is significantly important to check the moisture levels in the soils. Growers can test the moisture levels by inserting a finger in the soil and checking the moistness.

• Soil Requirements

This plant grows well in moist, well-drained, organic, and healthy soils. However, the use of grows media, sphagnum moss, potting mix, and peat soil is an excellent approach to improve the health of growing plants. The pH levels of the soils must be maintained between 6.5-7.5 because the use of synthetic chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers can cause fluctuations or alternations of soil pH.

The addition of charcoal to the soil helps to maintain good growing conditions that are similar to the soil conditions of natural forests. Moreover, the use of charcoal is also helpful to reduce the populations of problematic fungus, and bacteria. Thus the problem of toxin production in the soil can be reduced to a greater extent.

If there are any wounds in the stems and roots of the plants, these can be treated by using cinnamon. Thus the problem of diseases and rotting can be avoided easily. Moreover, the poor drainage of the soil can also be improved by using orchid bark, pumice, and a specific mixture of perlite. The use of larger size pots with good drainage holes is also a good approach to improve drainage. Whereas, if the plant is to be grown in outdoor conditions, the tilth of soil should be improved by optimal plowing.

• Growth & Size

There are different varieties of philodendron gloriosum and growth flare of all varieties is different according to management and surrounding conditions. However, most of the varieties have larger-sized leaves and can grow up to 2-5 feet tall. Whereas some varieties can climb well in the upward direction but some varieties cannot climb due to their inherent characteristics.

How To Grow And Propagate Philodendron Gloriosum

The plant should not be allowed to grow on the edges as it will not be able to grow more roots. Usually, the leaves become smaller in this condition but a change in the size dimensions is also an indication of repotting time. The best way to propagate philodendron gloriosum is to use stem cuttings.

Followings are important steps to consider for the propagation of philodendron gloriosum.

• Select any healthy growing, disease-free, and insect-free plant to take cuttings.
• Choose a suitable section on the plant rhizome.
• The selected rhizome must be located between 2 leaves.
• Must leave 3 leaves on the mother plant before taking cuttings for propagation.
• Use of sharp knife or scissors to take the cuttings.
• The cutting process must be performed carefully to obtain even and clean cutting.
• Cinnamon can be used to protect cuttings from infections.
• Freshly obtained callous must be allowed to rest for a few hours for better results.
• Prepare the pot to place cuttings.
• Add moist moss, peat, or potting mix in the pots.
• Add the cuttings to this pot after a few hours.
• Cover the pot with a plastic bag or add the lid to conserve the humidity levels.
• Conservation of humidity is essentially important to help plants for growing new roots.
• Wait for two to four weeks.
• The emergence of new leaves can be evident within two to three weeks. At this stage, the cuttings can be transplanted in the final growing places.

How to Properly Pot Philodendron Gloriosum

Philodendron gloriosum is a slow-growing plant and needs proper care and management for best growth in indoor conditions and as a household plant. Usually, it is being planted in the pots and the conditions of pots and indoor growing spaces are different from that of natural outdoor conditions. Therefore great care is required to avoid stresses for growing plants.

Growers must use the pots provided with the optimal drainage holes to allow drainage of excess water as it can negatively affect the growing roots. Rectangular pots are best suited for these plants and the use of narrow and long plants is also a good approach. It is a creeper and climbing plant so it can easily crawl along with the potting mix or soil and thus will easily reach the endpoints of the conventionally round-shaped pots. Once the plant starts hanging on the edges the growth of roots is stopped is the size of leaves will become smaller. So the selection of the right size and shape of the pot is essentially helpful to get better results.

How To Reduce Pests on Philodendron Gloriosum

This plant is not much susceptible to insects and pest attacks but certain conditions can favor their populations on growing plants. The common pests for this plant include whitefly, spider mites, fungus gnats, scale, mealybugs, and aphids. These pests can be easily eradicated by using insecticidal soap sprays, neem oil, and carefully rubbing alcohol on the plants by using a cotton swab.

Tips for growing Philodendron Gloriosum

• Try to use healthy, pollutant-free, and rich soil for growing philodendron gloriosum.
• Use of peat, potting mix, and grow media is also an ideal choice to promote growth and development.
• Use a rectangular-shaped pot.
• Must use the pots having holes at the bottom to support efficient drainage.
• Avoid direct contact of plant with bright and intense light.
• The placement of the plant in dark conditions should also be avoided.
• The soil or grow media must be kept moist.
• Avoid the excessive wetting of grow media.
• Watering is a must 1 or 2 times per week during the summer conditions.
• Maintain 40-60% humidity in the environmental conditions.
• Maintain soil pH between 6-7.5.
• The plants can be placed near the windows to get indirect sunlight.
• The temperature should not be allowed to exceed 25 degrees Celsius.
• Frost and cold conditions can kill the plants so growing plants should not be exposed to chilling conditions.
• Repotting should be done in the early summer conditions or when the plants’ roots can be easily seen on the soil surface.
• Plants should be carefully inspected for integrated pest management.
• Insecticidal soap can be used to kill infestations.
• Use compost, organic fertilizers, and liquid formulations of fertilizers to ensure the provision of nutrients to plants.
• Avoid over-irrigation and under irrigation to get maximum growth.

Varieties of Philodendron Gloriosum

There are numerous varieties of philodendron gloriousm and growers can select the best variety according to their personal preference, geographical conditions, and environment. The best growing varieties of philodendron are discussed below.

• Heartleaf (Philodendron Scandens)

This plant is named because of the distinctive structure of leaves. Usually, these leaves grow to a length of a few inches and produce a heart-shaped structure. This plant is also known as the sweetheart plant. It produces many leaves and the whole stem is properly covered with the leaves.

• Winterbourn (Philodendron Xanadu)

This plant is well known for its shiny, long, and leathery leaves. It is not a climber plant and grows well in confined and compact spaces. It can grow about 5 feet wide and 4 feet tall provided by the ideal growing conditions.

• Fiddleleaf (Philodendron Bipennifolium)

This plant is naturally found in the deeper conditions in tropical rainforest conditions of Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, and South America. These plants cannot grow in the frost and cold conditions but grow well in the warmer climates. Its leaves are larger and resemble leaves of the fiddle. Generally, its leaves can grow up to 8-12 inches in length but some studies have also reported the leaf length to be about 18 inches. These plants produce dark green and glossy leaves throughout their growing cycle at the expense of minimum care and maintenance.

• Swiss Cheese (Philodendron Monstera Deliciosa)

Primarily this plant is occurring throughout Panama, Guatemala, and Belize of Central America. These are known as Swiss cheese due to the presence of distinctive gaps, and holes throughout the middle area of the leaf. The holes in the leaves favor the passage of light through the leaf surface to its stems and growing roots. This is a significantly important characteristic because the stems and roots of average and fewer-height plants in the forests are not able to get sunlight for performing their regular biochemical functions.

• Philodendron Birkin

This variety of philodendrons is a smaller plant and can grow to a height of about 3 feet. This plant grows slowly as compared to the other varieties of philodendron.

• Philodendron Grazielae

It is a climber plant and can grow numerous feet tall provided by optimal growing conditions. If the plants are growing in the natural conditions in the forests these can easily get attached to the trunk of trees. The appearance of this variety of plants is similar to the heartleaf plants. However, the major difference is that its leaves are significantly smaller in size and are more in numbers.

• Spade Leaf or Lemon Lime (Philodendron Domesticum)

This plant got its name due to the spade-type shape of the leaves and lemon-lime due to its yellow and green colors. This plant grows taller and requires abundant space. Its leaves can grow 6-8 inches wide and 24 inches in length. The yellow and green hues of the leaves are not predictable at all times and may or may not appear in certain conditions. There is a neat and proper division of yellow and green colors on the leaves of some plants. Whereas the green and yellow sections on leaves may appear in the form of spots and blotches. However mostly its leaves are green with yellow dots and freckles on its surface.

• Philodendron Prince of Orange

This plant produces orange leaves that start changing the color to rusted orange or deep copper with time. However, the color of leaves turns green when plants get mature. Therefore, this plant is well known for the production of a wide range of colors during its life cycles. Certainly, it can be an excellent addition to the indoor plantation as it offers an eye-catchy color splash. Usually, this plant comes compact and in smaller sizes as it can grow to a length of 2 feet only. This plant cannot climb but it can grow faster if growing conditions are monitored and managed carefully.

• Philodendron Verrucosum

These plants are well known for their unique texture as it produces soft leaf sheath that gives velvety touch. In the natural forests, these plants are attached to the healthy growing trees so their roots can easily touch the forest floor to obtain moisture and nutrients. However, this is not a compulsory requirement for the house plants as they can grow well by the provision of ideal growing conditions.

• Philodendron Majesty

This plant looks different from the other plants of the Philodendron varieties as its leaves are of the deeper reddish brow to specifically black color. This color is dependent on the characteristics and age of the plant. Its veins and stems are also unique as they appear red from the underside and topside of the leaves. This plant has a climbing nature and can climb well in the presence of favorable conditions. Otherwise, it will grow well but without climbing.

• Philodendron Tripartium

The name is given to the plant due to the presence of three-lobe structures. Each stem of this plant diverges well into skinny and longleaf lobes ranging between 6-12 inches in length. This is a climber variety and can easily grow to a height of 3-5 feet if optimal care and management are ensured.

• Florida Ghost (Philodendron Pedatum)

This plant gets its name because it produces much longer leaves and can climb well in the presence of favorable conditions. Initially, it produces green leaves, but these are turned to creamy white color. Later on, its leaves become greener and greener with the passage of time and plant maturity. Its leaves grow only one time, so the appearance of white leaves is significantly evident among the green leaves. Moreover, it also resembles ghosts due to lobes on the sides (arms), skinny top, and wide bottom.

• Silver Sword (Philodendron Hastatum)

This plant is found to be originated in Southeastern Brazil and has similar characteristics to the household plants. However, it has been endangered due to extensive habitat destruction, and deforestation. This plant produces a gray, blue, or green hue on the leaves and its leaves produce a skinny and long appearance. Its addition to the indoor growing space can add significant impact in terms of color and shape.

Is Philodendron Gloriosum Edible?

Philodendrons are toxic plants and should not be consumed by human beings and animals. Therefore, care should be taken to avoid the eating of plants by pets, animals, and children. The oral consumption of this plant can cause mouth pain, poor swallowing, and throat irritation. Its consumption in larger quantities may lead to coma, kidney failure, seizures, and cramps.

What to do About Yellow Leaves?

Yellowing of leaves is not a major concern for the philodendron gloriousm plants. Usually, the older leaves change their color to yellow before dying or falling off. However yellowing of younger leaves is a problem and can be treated by identifying the major causes. The appearance of yellow leaves can be due to the direct contact of plants with the sunlight. The plants must not be placed in direct sunlight as too much exposure can cause leaf yellowing.

Leaf yellowing may also be due to overwatering and irrigation stress causes yellowing of both older and younger leaves. This problem can be greatly resolved by reducing the amount of water application. Check the moistness level of the soil before the next irrigation because it will not only change the color of leaves but also make the plants more prone to diseases and insects attack. Root rotting may also cause yellowing and unfurling of the leaves so the health of roots must be monitored properly to avoid rotting.

How to Grow the Pandan Plant at Home

• Select good quality soil, soilless growing media, or potting mix to grow Pandan. Growing media must be free from contaminants and gravels.
• Take a Pandan cutting from a healthy, disease-free, and mature plant to grow Pandan.
• Cut all leaves on the cutting to reduce dehydration by the transpiration so that cutting can survive well in the outdoor environment.
• There is no absolute requirement to cut the leaves for indoor plantation because transpiration rates are reduced in the enclosed conditions.
• Dig an optimal size hole for planting one cutting.
• Trench digging is recommended for planting few cuttings in the ground.
• Carefully place the cuttings in a trench or hole. Adequately fill it with good quality soil to grow Pandan.
• The soil should be properly tested before plantation to check the presence of contaminants and nutrients.
• Only good quality soil should be used to support soil biodiversity and microbial activities.
• Only ½ to 1/3 portion of Pandan cutting should be inserted in the soil to support ideal growth.
• Filled soil should be properly compressed by feet stamping or hoe.
• Carefully manage the cutting to avoid trampling.
• Add some water to the soil to support growth. Too little or too much water application should be avoided to protect the plant from water stress.
• Add some organic matter or compost to support water retention in soil.
• Regularly inspect the cutting for leaf growth, and to check the populations of insect pests.
• Pandan plant survives well in nutrient-rich and moist soils. Therefore, the addition of organic fertilizers, potting mix, compost, or properly processed kitchen leftovers is essentially helpful to provide nutrients organically.
• Indoor plants require watering when the top one-inch layer of the soil is dried. The watering requirements of indoor plants can be checked by inserting the finger in the soil.
• Adequate drainage holes should be provided in the bottom of containers for both indoor and outdoor Pandan plants. These holes favor the drainage and thereby offer protection from root rotting, fungal attacks, and disease development.

What is the Pandan Plant?

Pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius) belongs to the Pandanus family and is also known as fragrant screw pine, and fragrant Pandan. It is an Asian medicinal herb, aromatic, and ornamental plant. Pandan is categorized as shrub and can attain a height of about 1-1.5 m.

This plant has wooden aerial roots and spiral blade-like leaves. Its matured leaves are 3-6 cm wide and 40-50 cm long. Its leaves have acute or abruptly rounded tips. Pandan is a sterile plant, and its flowering growth is very rare. However, its leaves produce a pleasant aroma and can be used as a natural air freshener.

These younger fragrant leaves are also eaten as cooked food in many parts of the world. Moreover, these leaves are being utilized as flavoring agents in different sweets, deserts, and curries.

How to Grow the Pandan at Home

• Growing Pandan at Home from Seeds

Growing Pandan plants from seeds require great care and attention and any mismanagement can cause poor germination. Pandan seeds must be soaked in the moist medium for 24 hours before seed sowing. The seeds must be sown in good quality and contaminant-free soil or any other growing media.

Germination of these seeds can be observed after two to three months and therefore growers must have to wait patiently. One Pandan seed should be sown in the individual pot as each seed can produce about three plants. Similarly, it is recommended to maintain a good distance among individual seeds for sowing in the gardening site.

The adequate distance among individual seeds is significantly important to ensure good space for the growth and flourishing of individual plants. Plants may not grow well if an adequate distance is not provided.  Pandan seeds must be sown in the fresh propagating mix or good quality organic soil to ensure maximum germination and vigorous seedlings.

• Propagating Pandan from Cutting

1. Select Disease Free and Healthy Cuttings

Pandan propagation from cutting is the simplest and easiest task due to quick growth and easy management. Growers should only select disease-free and healthy cuttings to disease development and insect pest attacks. Moreover, the selection of cuttings from plants with dying foliage and drooping is also discouraged. The cuttings having vigorous growth and developmental points are the ideal choice to grow healthy Pandan plants.

2. Finding Good Stems for Cutting

Growers should select the non-wooden stems to obtain cuttings. Newly growing stems can easily develop the rooting than the older stems. Selecting stems with the nods is essentially important as this is the point where new rooting emerges. The parent plant should be large and mature so that cutting its parts will not harm the plant itself.

3. Taking Plant Cuttings

Use alcohol sterilized and clean razor blades or scissors to take cuttings. The portion lying immediately below the node should be cut. The cutting must contain at least one node and two leaves to grow Pandan at home. Ideally, the cutting of about 4-6 inches size is enough to grow Pandan by cutting. The use of longer cuttings should be avoided as they quickly dry out in the growing medium.

4. Cutting Preparation

Place the obtained cuttings on a hard and clean surface and get a clean slice in the middle portion of a node by using sterilized blades. This is known as scarification of node and greatly improves the rooting chances from this point to grow Pandan by cutting.

5. Application of Rooting Hormone

Some healthy and vigorous cuttings have easy rooting capacities, but some may need a hormonal application for rooting stimulation. Fill any container or pot with contaminant-free water, add some rooting hormone, and dip the node containing cutting in this water. The hormone will start its root stimulation activities soon after exposure with the cutting.

6. Container Preparation

Fill up a clean container or gardening pot with the soilless growing media or potting mix. Insert the stem cutting in this media for rooting purposes. Soilless mixture offers good drainage than the gardening soil and helps to retain the optimal moisture contents.

The use of ordinary garden soil or soil without testing is not recommended as it may contain harmful pathogens and fungal spores. Furthermore, there are no requirements to use large-size containers as these cuttings must be repotted for good growth and development. The pots having 4-6 inches of depth can be easily used for repotting to grow Pandan by cutting.

Pandan cuttings can also be rooted in the water instead of soil or soilless growing media to grow Pandan at home. But usually, these cuttings don’t survive well after transplantation to the soil media. Therefore, rooting of Pandan cutting in soilless or soil growing media is recommended by gardening experts and agricultural extension workers.

7. Bore Hole in the Growing Media

A pencil or any other clean pointing object can be used to make a planting hole in the growing media. The diameter of the hole should large than the stem diameter to avoid the cleaning or wiping of rooting hormone.

8. Cutting Plantation

Carefully insert the cutting in the growing media and firm the soil gently. It is possible to add more than one cutting in the container but Pandan plants need good space to grow. So, only one cutting should be planted in each container.

9. Covering Container with Plastic

Containers can be covered with a plastic bag to conserve humidity levels in areas where humidity levels are low. However, complete sealing should be avoided, and some holes must be placed in the bag to allow airflow. Improper air circulation may lead to fungal growth. Therefore, proper care must be ensured to support the good growth and development of Pandan plants.

How To Care For your Pandan Plant

Usually, all plants require good care and management for better growth and survival. Pandan plant also needs optimal growing conditions and management measures for good growth. Growers should keep a good eye on the growing environment to address the biotic and abiotic stresses to grow Pandan at home.

• Humidity

Pandan plants require about 60% humidity in the surroundings so growers should spray the plants at least twice a day. Moreover, the plant should not be placed near the radiators in winter. This can negatively affect the overall growth and development.

• Light Requirements

Pandan plants require bright diffusing light for about 8-10 hours a day. Pandan plants having greener leaves may tolerate shade up to some extent, but indoor plants must be placed in some sunny locations. Or else light-emitting diode (LED) lights can also be used to fulfill the lighting requirements.

• Soil Requirements

Pandan plants require good drainage and nutrients and therefore use of organic soil, or good quality potting mix is greatly recommended. Growers can mix the potting mix, compost, well-processed kitchen waste, plant leaves, clay, and coarse sand to assure better physical, chemical, and biological soil properties.

• Watering Requirements

The watering requirements of Pandan pants greatly vary according to the prevailing environmental conditions and plant age. It is better to keep the soil moist but over-irrigation and under irrigation should be avoided. Waterlogging or over-irrigation may cause fungal development and disease attack. Therefore, well-planned irrigation scheduling should be focused to grow healthy Pandan plants at home.

• Fertilizing Requirements

The use of organic fertilizers is essentially important to promote growth and development. Supplementing Pandan plants for 3-4 times often results in lush growth. However, organic fertilizers are slow-release in nature and therefore they should be incorporated in the growing media before cutting transplantation. Inorganic fertilizers offer quick release, and these can be added at each growing and development stage according to plant requirements.

• Regular Infestation Checks

Pandan plants may get attacked by mites, aphids, and mealybugs. Infestation may cause white-colored powdery mildew, visible insects, or a tiny web on the leaves. Timely treat the infestation to reduce the further spread on the same plant and other plants. Don’t use synthetic chemicals and pesticides as they can harm the indoor environment and may kill beneficial insects in the garden. However, organic, and homemade pesticides can be used to cure the problem on a sustainable basis.

When to Harvest Pandan.

Pandan leaves can be harvested after six months of planting. However, harvesting can be continued for many years followed by good care and management. Its leaves can be simply trimmed from the base when the plant has attained 30-40 cm of height. Pandan leaves having less height should not be harvested as they can cause stunted growth.

According to the agricultural experts and results of scientific studies, only 25% of Pandan leaves should be harvested at any specific time. Complete harvesting is not a good approach as it will negatively affect the overall growth and development.

Tips for Growing Pandan Plants

• Pandan plants require good sunlight and cannot tolerate shady conditions. So, it must be grown in sunny locations.
• Pandan can tolerate drought in the older conditions, but over-irrigation must be avoided.
• The soil must be kept moist to ensure normal growth and developmental activities.
• Good quality potting mix or organic soil should be used for better growth.
• Inorganic or organic fertilizer must be applied according to the requirements of growing Pandan plants.
• Pandan can be grown both from seeds and cuttings. This plant rarely produces seeds so mostly cuttings are used for further propagation.
• There are many varieties of Pandan plants, and they are distributed throughout the globe. So, the best varieties should be used according to the instructions of the local agricultural extension department.
• Overfertilization, under fertilization, and irrigation stresses must be avoided.
• Plants leaves should be regularly inspected to check for disease development, rotting, and insect pest attacks.

A Comprehensive Guide About How to Grow Potatoes in A Bucket

Potatoes are easy to grow in buckets and containers and therefore growers can obtain good production in the space limited and poor soil conditions. Usually, the growth period of potatoes consists of 10-20 weeks only and thus can be easily grown in the buckets throughout the year. However, it is important to note that potatoes grow in the downward direction so the selection of the right bucket, and grow media is essentially important to get good quality products. Therefore, this article is mainly intended to discuss important steps and points for growing potatoes in a bucket.

Step by Step Guide To Grow Potatoes in a Bucket

• Select the good quality and disease-free potatoes and cut them into small pieces but it is important to note that each piece should have one eye for further development.
• It is important to select recommended potato varieties by the agriculture department or agriculture extension workers as they have a proper understanding of the local climatic conditions and can suggest the best possible choices for quality production.
• Potato eyes are smaller pits or indents in the skin and are required for further growth.
• Use potatoes that have many eyes so that these can support further growth and development.
• Scrub or wash each potato to remove dirt from any contamination. However, gentle scrubbing is important to minimize the chances of harming the eyes on potatoes. This scrubbing and washing are also important to remove the residues of pesticides and synthetic chemicals.
• Carefully cut the potatoes into two halves so that proper germination can be ensured.
• These potato tubers should be placed in dry and cool places for 3-4 weeks for the development of growing shoots. This is known as chitting process and is significantly helpful to improve the quality and quantity of the final product.
• Other than the above-mentioned point growers can add four toothpicks to the skin of the potato. These toothpicks must be carefully placed between the cut ends and top ends and must be placed in different directions like that of the compass. This potato piece along with toothpicks should be placed in a glass containing water. The cut edges of the potato must be properly submerged in the water to ensure proper sprouting. This glass must be placed in a sunny location for at least 5-6 hours a day. Spindle-shaped, off-white colored, and log roots can be observed after a week of submerging potato in water and it can be used for growth in growing media.
• Only 2 growing shoots should be allowed on the potato parts and the rest of the shoots should be rubbed or removed.
• The remaining two shoots after cutting should be allowed to grow for one more week.
• Good quality grows mid/grow media should be added in the buckets. The selection of growing media plays a direct role in the overall growth and development of potatoes in the bucket. Different types of growing media are also available in the market and growers can easily select any grow mix as per requirements and personal preferences.
• Grow media or grow mix can also be prepared at the home by the addition of compost, rough gravel, expanded clay, and commercially available grow mix. However, it is important to note that all components of grow mix should be free from contaminants to avoid quality losses. Primary rock powder, peat, and sand can also be added for optimizing the physical, chemical, and biological properties of growing media.
• The use of loamy soil with a pH range of about 6-6.5 is an ideal choice for growing potatoes in buckets.
• The use of acid sulfur and mineral sulfur is a good choice to feed the potatoes but they can cause a significant reduction in the pH of growing media. So growers should make sure that the pH of grow media is maintained at more than 5.5.
• Growers must add recommended doses of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients for optimal growth and development.
• Small holes should be made in the bucket to add potato parts.
• Both the inner and outer portions of the bucket should be properly washed to remove any dirt and contaminants.
• Add a layer of gravels and stones and the bucket should be half-filled with good quality and contaminant-free compost.
• Gently add the potatoes to the compost layer with the shoots pointing in the upward direction.
• Never place any potatoes near the edges of the bucket or container as it will not allow their proper growth in all dimensions.
• Other than compost addition mulching is also an important practice to protect the topsoil layer in the bucket against erosion. Moreover, the addition of organic mulches helps to improve the fertility level of growing media by the addition of nutrients due to the decomposition process.
• Properly space the tubers in the buckets to ensure good growing space.
• Add some soil for properly covering the potatoes.
• Water the potatoes every 2-3 days in the bucket but make sure that bucket has smaller holes for good drainage.
• Shoots of potatoes will grow out of the growing media within few days.
• Add more soil after the emergence of shoots so that growing roots are properly covered with the soil.
• It is important to add both soil and compost for properly covering the roots and provision of anchorage and support to the growing plants.
• Potato buckets should be irrigated properly, and growers must keep a good eye to check the water stress to avoid stress.
• Selection of the right growing place is the best way to increase the chances of good production. Generally, potatoes grow well in bright and warm places and therefore growers should carefully select the location.
• Potatoes are sensitive to frost so growing potatoes must not be exposed to extreme cold conditions. Direct placement of buckets in cold environments should be avoided. However, indoor conditions can always be regulated and optimized for better production.
• The bucket must be placed at sunny and aerated places in growing conditions. But direct and too much exposure to the sunlight can cause negative effects on the growing potatoes.
• More compost or soils should be added if there is any appearance of potatoes on the surface layer of growing buckets.
• Direct exposure of potatoes to sunlight makes potatoes green and turning potatoes to green color should be avoided as these are poisonous potatoes and are not good for health.
• Usually, the determination of the harvesting time of potatoes is difficult as potato development takes place in underground conditions. However, growers can get an idea about the size of potatoes by plunging the hand in and around the growing roots.
• First tubers can be easily harvested soon after the flowering initiation.
• Growers can harvest potatoes once they have reached the size of a hen’s egg, but they can also allow more development and size enhancement.
• The complete plant should be removed from the container soon after the start of the drying process as there will be no more development of potatoes in the bucket. Keeping potatoes for too long in the bucket can cause rotting and quality losses.

How Long Does It Take to Grow Potatoes?

The time for growing development and maturity of potatoes is greatly dependent on the specific variety, care, management, and environmental conditions. Usually, the early growing varieties take 70-80 days to grow and produce firm, fast development, and standard shape in this period. While mid-season varieties take 100 days and late-season varieties take about 120 or more days for final growth and development.

How Many Can You Plant In 5-Gallon Bucket?

Using a 5-gallon bucket is an ideal choice to grow potatoes as it provides enough growing space for ideal production. 5-gallon buckets are easily available in the market, but growers should be focused to use buckets made up of food-grade plastic to avoid any problems. Drilling at least 10 holes in the bottom of the bucket is greatly recommended for effective drainage as excessive water retention in the root zone and growing media can cause rotting and disease development. Other than holes, the addition of rocks is also a good choice to improve drainage in the 5-gallon bucket.

The use of good quality buckets is essentially important as growers can grow potatoes or other vegetables for many years. Moreover, the use of a 5-gallon bucket offers great ease for harvesting. If growers are not able to buy new 5-gallon buckets for potato growing they can also use recycled buckets. Growers can easily grow 1-3 potato plants in each 5-gallon bucket. This will help to produce enough potatoes for regular consumption and growers can harvest potatoes from buckets whenever they want to.

It is important to add loose and good drainage capacity soil in the 5-gallon bucket. Growers should also add a good mix of organic matter, compost, ash, and properly treated kitchen waste and farmyard manure. Usually, the potato tubers can sprout within few days but if sprouting is not evident, the buckets must be placed in the well-aerated and sunny spots.

Potatoes grow well by using hilling techniques where stems are gradually and specifically buried in the heap of soil or grow media. The buried potato stems develop more roots with the higher growth of hills. Growers can get a maximum harvest by hilling the heaps of soil or growing media around the growing potatoes.

Many green-colored shoots will emerge from the growing potatoes in the buckets. Once these shoots start turning yellow potatoes will be ready to harvest. However, if growers want to harvest potatoes before the yellowing of leaves, they can harvest as per their preferences. Ideally, growers can produce 10-16 pounds of potatoes from each 5-gallon bucket. However, the growing media should be removed from the bucket after harvesting and must be disposed of properly.

Can You Grow Potatoes In Bucket All Year Round?

Potatoes can be easily grown throughout the year in buckets, containers, and indoor growing conditions. Using deep containers, and buckets is an ideal choice to grow potatoes throughout the year. Indoor planting of potatoes is a simple process, but the right care and management can help to get maximum yield and healthy potatoes. Although, potatoes do not require regular watering but keeping the soil or growing media moist is an ideal way to maintain the optimal moisture for best growth. Watering stress must be avoided in indoor conditions because there is no natural sunlight, aeration, and precipitation and therefore good balance must be maintained. Overwatering can cause root rotting and disease development and underwatering can cause direct killing of potatoes. Therefore, round year production of potatoes requires more care, skills, and management.

A general rule for feeding or fertilizing the potato plants is to check the soil health and soil quality every 2-4 days. Watering should be immediately stopped once the plants start turning yellow or dying. Organic fertilizers and compost must also be added to the growing media to improve soil fertility and productivity levels. However, inorganic fertilizers must be applied after proper dilution to avoid the direct effects of concentrated fertilizers and synthetic chemicals.

Growers should use good quality and efficient LED lights, watering management, aerating, ventilation, and temperature regulation systems for the provision of optimal growing conditions in the indoor production systems. It is important to note that potatoes only need 5 hours of lighting in a day so growers must optimize the lighting conditions and light periods for better growth, development, and production.

Usually, the indoor growing potatoes are not affected by diseases and pests but there are significantly greater chances of aphid attacks. Aphids specifically suck the sap of growing potato plants. The attack of bugs and aphids on potato plants can cause discoloration. The populations of aphids and bugs can be eradicated by spraying the soap water, and organic and inorganic pesticides.

Although potatoes are not prone to disease attacks in indoor growing conditions, but rotting is the most evident concern for year-round production. The rotting problem is greatly stimulated by the wet foliage and more humidity in the surroundings and therefore humidity and irrigation levels should be carefully monitored.

The harvesting process is the same for both indoor and outdoor growing conditions. The general principle of harvesting potatoes is the same, and growers should wait for yellowing and the death of plant shoots. Mature or fully developed potatoes must be pulled out gently by using hands or gardening tools. It is important to pull out the whole plant from the bucket or container and new grow media should be prepared for the next plantation. Moreover, the cuts and bruises should be avoided on the potato skins as they have tender structure and skin and can be easily torn.

After harvesting potatoes must be allowed to stay in sunlight for at least 1-2 days. However, if outdoor conditions are damp or cold the harvested potatoes must be placed under the artificial light or grow lights for proper drying. While it is important to consider that there should not be any contact between grow lights and potatoes as it can cause their skin burning and quality losses. Furthermore, it will also pull out the moisture from potatoes and thus nutritional quality will also be negatively affected. After drying, potatoes must be stored in the cold, dark, and dry spaces for quality maintenance.

A Comprehensive Guide About Rosemary Propagation, Growth, Care and Harvesting

Summary

• Rosemary is an easy-to-grow plant for home gardens.
• There are many perennial and annual varieties of rosemary and growers should select only compatible varieties according to local climatic conditions, and soil types.
• Rosemary can be easily planted both in the pots and garden soils.
• Rosemary grows and survives well in the slightly acidic and loamy soils.
• Good drainage conditions must be ensured in both pots and garden soil to avoid root diseases.
• Soil pH levels must be maintained between the 6-7 pH range. Growers can use good-quality organic and inorganic amendments to maintain pH. However, the use of organic amendments is greatly recommended.
• Rosemary requires a minimum of six hours of sunlight exposure. Its best growth and development can be observed in full sun conditions. Therefore, rosemary must be planted in sunny locations.
• The perennial rosemary plant should be planted in such a location where its growth and roots will not be affected by the tillage practices.
• All rocks, weeds, shrubs, roots, and debris must be removed from the selected site for growing rosemary.
• Soil samples must be properly collected from the desired site to analyze the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil. This is essentially important for the fertility optimization of soil.
• A thin layer of compost or organic matter must be added to the growing soil to improve solubility and availability of nutrients. Moreover, it also helps for moisture conservation and temperature regulation of soil.
• Rosemary is a drought-resistant plant and can easily tolerate light freezing.
• Excessive watering may cause root rot and therefore watering schedule must be decided according to the requirements of plants.
• Rosemary plants can be grown both from seeds and cuttings. Propagation from cuttings is greatly recommended as the germination of seeds is 15% only.
• This plant is fairly resistant to diseases and insect pest attacks. However, regular inspection is essentially important to reduce the probabilities of disease development and insect attacks.
• This article is intended to provide a detailed guideline about how to grow and propagate rosemary.

How to Propagate and Grow Rosemary.

• Rosemary can be easily propagated by taking cuttings from healthy, disease-free, and vigorously growing plants.
• Rosemary can also be planted from seeds but its propagation from cuttings is most effective.
• Obtain three inches of a branch from good growing rosemary plant.
• Do not take cuttings from woody and older stems.
• Prefer younger, flexible, green stems to take cuttings.
• Use contaminant-free and sharp scissors to take cuttings.
• Trim all the lower leaves on the stem.
• Plant 1-2 cuttings to a depth of 3-4 inches in the pots or garden site.
• These cuttings can be placed in peat moss or perlite to assure effective rooting.
• Cuttings can also be placed in a water jar filled with good quality water.
• Properly water the cuttings.
• Plant the cuttings in a sunny spot where these can get proper sunlight and aeration.
• Rooting can be observed after 6-8 weeks of planting cuttings.
• After the proper establishment of the rooting, these cuttings can be carefully transplanted to any other desirable location.
• The appearance of foliage yellowing is an indication of repotting requirements.
• Propagation from cuttings offers quick maturity of plants and early harvesting.
• Moreover, various cuttings can be obtained from a single plant without affecting the growth of the parent plant.
• The cuttings that will not survive well in the water, perlite, or peat moss will turn brown in color and needles will be dropped.

What is the Rosemary Plant?

Rosmarinus officinalis, rosemary is an evergreen, fragrant, and easy to grow plant. It belongs to the Lamiaceae a mint family. Rosemary’s name is derived from the Latin word ros marinus meaning dew of the sea. This plant is also known as Anthos in some areas and Anthos word is derived from the Greek word meaning flower.

It produces a pine-like scent and pungent flavor and is an ideal choice for cooking. Rosemary bears needle-shaped leaves and produces blue, purple, pink, or white-colored flowers. It has a fibrous root system and minimum fertilization requirements.

Rosemary is a hardy plant in the cooler climatic regions and its needles are similar to the hemlock. It is a potentially invasive plant species in some parts across the globe and can reach 4-11 inches in length. Usually, these plants can have 25-30 years of life span.

Its leaves are broad, and evergreen, with woolly, short, and dense hair. Flowers are produced in the summer and spring seasons in the temperate regions but constant blooms can be observed in the warmer climatic conditions. Moreover, this plant can also produce flowers outside the normal flowering seasons.

Twigs, leaves, and flowering apices of rosemary plants are used for decorative and cooking purposes. Rosemary has a good position for xeriscape landscaping due to its drought-tolerant nature. It can be easily pruned to low hedges and formal shapes and thereby adds significant beauty to the gardens and landscapes.

The Rosemary plant contains numerous beneficial phytochemicals such as carnosol, carnosic acid, betulinic acid, ursolic acid, caffeic acid, camphor, and rosemarinic acid. Therefore, rosemary plant extracts and oil are being used in folk medicine due to potential medicinal effects. How to grow and propagate rosemary has a significant influence on final yield and quality. Therefore, growers should be careful about the management measures.

Care of your plant

• Site Selection and Site Preparation

Rosemary can be planted in both garden sites and pots. This plant requires good drainage conditions and slightly acidic loamy soil. It is fact that all gardens and places may not have loamy soil and therefore gardeners can take good quality soil from any other site. This soil can be properly added and mixed with the gardening soil to improve its physical, chemical, and biological properties.

Rosemary plant requires good exposure to sunlight so it must be grown at a point where it can receive at least six hours of sunlight. All shrubs, weeds, rocks, tree roots, and plant debris must be removed from the site to minimize the hiding spaces for insects and pests.

• Watering

Rosemary plant is somehow tolerant to the drought conditions but still over watering and under watering must be avoided. Excessive irrigation may cause root diseases and thus the capacity of plants to uptake nutrients, water, and minerals will be reduced.

Moreover, it is difficult to determine the watering requirements of rosemary plants because their needles do not wilt like that of broadly shaped leaves. Rosemary plants should be watered once in 1-2 weeks according to climatic conditions, plant age, soil type, and humidity levels. Excessive moistening and wetting of soil should be avoided between watering intervals.

• Weeding

The presence of weeds is dangerous for all types of growing plants as they create competition for nutrients, space, and water. Therefore, unnecessary plants must be eradicated by manual, mechanical, or chemical weeding. Manual weeding is a good choice to remove small size and younger weeds.

However, weeds become persistent with time. So mechanical eradication must be followed to reduce the weeds. Chemical weeding offers immediate results at the reduced energy expenditure, but it is an expensive approach and also contaminates the surroundings.

• Fertilization

Rosemary plants have low fertilizer requirements but complete neglection may result in poor growth. Extreme nutritional deficiencies may cause the pale-yellow color of leaves and stunted growth. Growing rosemary plants must be fertilized in the early spring season to provide macronutrients and micronutrients.

All-purpose fertilizers can be applied both in dry and liquid forms to correct nutritional deficiencies. Direct application of fertilizers must be avoided as it can cause leaf burn. However, the foliar application is significantly important to correct nutritional deficiencies immediately. Whereas doses and formulations should be carefully selected to avoid any negative effects.

• Insects and Diseases

Rosemary plants have good resistance to insect pest attacks and diseases, but regular inspection is a must to protect other plants. Moreover, early detection is significantly important to reduce the further spread and use of synthetic harmful chemicals.

Overgrown grasses in the nearby areas should be properly pruned to improve air circulation and to reduce hiding places for the pests. Furthermore, pruning is an important practice to stimulate the emergence of new shoots and healthy growth.

While some insects such as scales, mealy bugs, and spider mites may attack rosemary plants. Their attack can be greatly reduced by using synthetic or organic insecticides. In case, if scales have attacked the plant, the infested branches can be clipped and dumped in the soil. The contact of infested branches should be avoided with other branches of the same plants and the rest of the plants in the growing spaces.

Mealybugs attacks can be controlled and reduced by using soap-based insecticides, pyrethrum soap, and water. Excessive nitrogen application may promote the attack of sap-sucking insects. Therefore, fertilizers must be applied according to plant needs. Proper fertilization, weeding, and watering are key most practices to reduce the insect pest attack and disease development on rosemary plants.

When to harvest Rosemary

Rosemary plant is ready to harvest after reaching a suitable size. Smaller branches of the rosemary plant can be picked without damaging the growing plants. Rosemary cuttings can be harvested at various times in the season. However, cutting too many branches should be avoided as it will negatively affect the overall growth of the plant.

It is important to give enough time to the plants so that the growth can be resumed in a good fashion. Some rosemary varieties are planted for the flowering purpose that is used for eating and medicinal purpose. Its clippings can be consumed immediately after harvesting or after drying.

The flavor of fresh cutting retains well for 2-7 days in the refrigerators. However, these cuttings can be properly dried in cool and safe conditions to improve their shelf life. Both drying and storage places should be free from contaminants to retain their good quality.

• Nursery plants are ready to harvest within three months.
• Rosemary cuttings for cooking or other purposes can be harvested after one year of growth.
• Rosemary seeds can be harvested after one and a half years of growth of rosemary plants.

Tips for Growing Rosemary

• Rosemary grows well in the Mediterranean regions so its best growth can be observed in the humid, sunny, and hot atmosphere.
• This plant should be quarantined in indoor conditions. Placing rosemary in separate conditions is helpful to trace pests and diseases and to protect other plants.
• Place the growing rosemary plants in bright sunny locations. Grow lights or LED lights can be used during winter conditions to provide lighting intensity.
• Keep the soil evenly moist.
• Allow good drainage of extra moisture by providing drainage holes in the pots.
• Avoid direct contact with plants with the wood stoves and heat sources.
• Humidity levels should be carefully decided in the rosemary surroundings.
• Compensate reduced humidity by regular misting on the plants.
• Moreover, rosemary plants can also be placed on a tray containing water and pebbles to improve humidity.
• Regularly check the plants for pests and diseases and control the problems by using organic approaches.
• Focus well to improve the aeration around the plants.

Compatible and Incompatible Plants for Rosemary

• Compatible Plants

Rosemary is a healthy and fairly vigorous growing plant and can easily withstand insects and pests and therefore is an ideal companion plant. Compatible plants for rosemary companion planting include marjoram, oregano, strawberries, onion, cauliflower, marigolds, brassicas, parsnips, sage, carrots, beans, lavender, alyssum, chives, and thyme.

• Broccoli is an ideal rosemary companion due to its insect repelling properties.
• Both sage and rosemary require the same watering conditions, lighting intensity, and soil.
• Sage is ideal for rosemary due to its great capacity for attracting pollinators and repelling insects.
• Oregano has low creeping nature and can easily grow well under rosemary.
• Rosemary aroma repels the bean’s beetle and thereby reduces the need for synthetic chemicals.
• Planting rosemary and cabbage helps to attain caterpillar-free gardens.
• Thyme is a deterrent to worms and can flourish well near rosemary plants.
• The powerful scent of rosemary provides benefits to parsnips by repelling flies.
• Both rosemary and marigold offer good insect repelling properties and thus benefit the whole growing space.
• Rosemary and onion are also good companions as onions repel the bugs and rosemary repels the insects.
• Companion planting of strawberry and rosemary greatly improves soil fertility.
• The flavor and health of marjoram are greatly improved by its companion planting with rosemary.
• Planting rosemary along with hot peppers improves the flavor of peppers.
• Carrot’s plantation along with rosemary helps to repel carrot flies.
• Incompatible Plants

Rosemary plant does not support the growth, development, yield, quality, flavor, and taste of all plants. Some plants must be avoided to grow along with rosemary.

• Mint is an overpowering plant and can easily utilize most of the space in the garden. So, planting rosemary along with the mint should be avoided. Moreover, mint grows well in damp soil and rosemary requires well-drained and dry soil. Therefore, mint and rosemary do not have good companionship.
• Rosemary plant negatively affects the growth of basil due to different moisture requirements.

A Comprehensive Guide About Garlic Care, Management and Harvesting

• Garlic is an easy-growing plant in homes and kitchen gardens. However, better growth and production require good care and management.
• Garlic can grow well in a wide range of areas and soils, but its growth is reduced in highly humid and hot climatic regions.
• Garlic is a full sun-loving plant, but healthy and vigorous growing plants can easily tolerate partial shade.
• Sandy loam is an excellent soil for garlic growth, development, and production.
• Growers should properly dig the soil to make it crumbly for good growth.
• Weeding is essentially an important practice to reduce the competition for nutrient absorption and water use efficiencies.
• Garlic can grow well in a variety of soils, but a good quality yield can be obtained in good drainage and loamy soils.
• The addition of organic matter, compost, or potting mix greatly helps to improve the drainage capacity of the soil.
• Moreover, organic matter and compost also ensure a slow and steady supply of nutrients for good growth and production.
• Growers can buy good-quality cloves from certified sellers. Moreover, vigorous cloves can also be obtained from self-grown garlic or neighbors and friends.
• Growers should choose healthy bulbs with plump cloves and good shape.
• Clove size is significantly important as it affects the size of future bulbs.
• The stocks of new seeds should be planted in the isolated patches.
• There should be the proper breaking of bulbs to the cloves before planting. This process is known as cracking.
• The separation of cloves should be done few minutes before planting to ensure good growth, development, and production.
• Garlic can be planted in a single row or double row. However, a distance of about 4-8 inches must be maintained between the individual plants.
• Growers should mulch the garlic beds for moisture conservation, weed inhibition, and moderation of soil temperatures.
• Watering schedules should be carefully planned as per the requirements of growing plants and prevailing environmental conditions.
• Soil fertility should also be optimized by the addition of organic and inorganic fertilizers. However, the use of organic fertilizers is the best approach than the use of synthetic chemicals.
• Growers should regularly inspect the garlic beds and plants for diseases, fungal development, and insect pest attacks.

Botanical Features of Garlic Plant

Garlic (Allium sativum L). is an ancient plant and is known to be originated from Central Asian Steppes. It is a bulbous and flowering plant and is technically and scientifically placed in the Allium genus. The word garlic is derived from the old English word garlēac that means spear-shaped leek.

There are many close relatives of garlic including Chinese onion, Welsh onion, chive, leek, shallot, and onion. It can be grown all year round in moderate climates. While it can be propagated by both sexual and asexual means. Garlic has a good history to be used by Teutons, Galls, Chinese, Indians, Romans, and Greeks.

Garlic is a perennial, tall-growing, erect, and flower-producing plant. Its leaf blades are solid, wide, linear, and flat and have an acute apex. Its bulbs are odoriferous and have layers of thin sheathing leaves enclosing the cloves. Usually, one bulb has 10-20 cloves with asymmetric shape and size.

The fruiting body of garlic produces numerous sulfur-based compounds such as S-allyl cysteine, vinyldithiins, diallyl polysulfides, ajoene, and allicin. Moreover, it also contains Maillard reaction products, flavonoids, saponins, and enzymes. Moreover, it also contains a good range of trace elements and minerals such as selenium, germanium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper, vitamin A, C, and amino acids. These compounds offer numerous health and metabolism improvement properties. Therefore, garlic is being used for cooking and medicinal purposes throughout the globe. Based on its importance for cooking and medicinal purpose this article is focused to educate people about how to plant garlic.

Care of Garlic Plants

• Mulching in Cold Season

Growers must ensure proper mulching in the colder areas for overwintering. Mulch is known as a friend of the gardener for various possible reasons. It offers significant soil protection from erosion and favors moisture-locking and weed suppression. Moreover, it also releases essential nutrients in the soil to support garlic growth and development.

However, there should be the removal of mulch in the spring season as the danger of frost is over. However, still, younger shoots should be properly covered with the optimal mulch layer as they cannot tolerate lower temperatures.

• Soil Management

Garlic grows well in the sandy loam and loamy soils as these soils ensure good drainage. Clayey soils are not good for garlic growth, as they hold more water and offer minimum drainage. More water retention may promote root rotting and disease attacks. Therefore, good drainage is a foremost requirement for garlic growth and production.

Soil testing is critically important to know the level of nutrients in the soil and fertilization optimization. Adding nutrients according to soil requirements and plant developmental stages can greatly improve the nutrient use efficiencies on a sustainable basis. Good understanding about soil fertility will help growers to optimize soil fertility and how to plant garlic.

• Cut Off the Spring Shoots

The warmer temperature in the spring season favors the emergence of shoots through the ground. The emerged flower shoots in the spring season must be removed because they usually result in reduced bulb size.

• Fertilization

Garlic requires good fertilization and nutrient-rich growing media for better production. Therefore, growers must ensure good fertilization with compost, well-processed kitchen waste, chicken manure, blood meal, or synthetic fertilizers. Plants growing in nutrient-poor soils are more prone to biotic stresses and therefore yield is drastically reduced.

Moreover, plants should also be fertilized before bulbs start swelling in response to the daylight lengthening. The garlic plant is a heavy feeder and replenishes a good amount of nutrients from the soil. Therefore, amendments and organic fertilizers must be added to maintain soil fertility on a sustainable basis. Moreover, chemical fertilizers can also be applied by the foliar means to ensure immediate absorption and correction of nutritional deficiencies.

• Weeding

The presence of weeds is significantly harmful to the garlic as they compete for nutrient absorption, water, space, and aeration. Therefore, weeds must be reduced by manual, mechanical, or chemical weeding. Manual weeding is a good choice for kitchen gardens and mechanical weeding can be used for larger growing spaces.

The use of chemical weeding is also a good choice for immediate weed eradication, but it causes contamination of soil and the environment. Therefore, manual or mechanical weeding must be preferred over chemical weeding.

• Watering

Watering intervals should be carefully planned according to the growing stages of garlic plants, surrounding conditions, and soil properties. Over irrigation may cause root rot, fungal attacks, and disease development. These problems may even infect the nearby growing plants and therefore watering scheduling should be done according to the needs of growing plants.

Watering should be done to a depth of 2-3 feet after every 8-10 days during hot and dry conditions. However, watering intervals should be reduced to 3-5 days at the bulb formation stages.

• Regular Inspection for Pests and Disease Attacks

Garlic has only a few insect pest problems in the garden because it has naturally pest repellent properties. It is a sensitive plant to the white-rot fungal attack in cooler climatic conditions. Crop rotation, and proper cleaning of the area after harvesting can greatly prevent and control the problem.

However, spores of the white-rot fungus can easily survive in the soil layers for various years. Usually, this fungus infects the roots and basal leaf parts of garlic. Therefore, this fungus and its spores should be carefully removed from the garden soil and plants to minimize the chances of fungal infection.

Mice, insects, and some other creatures can make their nests in the garlic plants or may even eat these plants. Moreover, aphid attack is also evident on leaves and flowering buds of garlic. The aphid attack can be easily reduced by simple rubbing of leaves with the fingers followed by the squashing.

The use of pesticides is also a good option to minimize the populations of insect pests but synthetic pesticides should only be used in case of severe infestation. Moderate attacks can be cured by using natural and organic pesticides that are greatly safe for environmental protection and maximizing the biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning.

When to Harvest

Determination of garlic harvesting is the trickiest task. Earlier harvesting renders underdeveloped and smaller cloves. Whereas late harvesting causes dry heads of the cloves that often leads to their separation due to reduced tightness and firmness. Although harvesting dates may be different for different areas and climatic regions, a general instruction is to check for yellowing of foliage.

Growers can start harvesting garlic when the leaf tops start getting yellow and falling over. Complete drying of the plant must be avoided to ensure freshness and quality yield. A sample plant must be harvested before digging the whole crop to reduce the problem of skin disintegration, and poor shelf life.

A Garden fork or spade can be used for digging to harvest the garlic. The concept of pulling should be greatly avoided as it may affect the overall structure and longevity of the produce. Soil should be carefully brushed after harvesting. Harvested garlic must be cured in dry, shady, and airy places for 1-2 weeks. Hanging them in the upside downward direction on the ropes is also helpful for good drying and storage.

Tips for Growing Garlic

• Plan garlic plantation in the fall season.
• Garlic should be planted at least 4-6 weeks before soil freezing in colder regions.
• Select a well-drained, weed-free, and properly enriched site in a sunny location.
• Properly loosen the soil up to a depth of 8-10 inches and add the appropriate amount of organic matter.
• Fish meal or bone meal can also be added other than organic matter and compost.
• Select disease-free, healthy, and large cloves to produce healthier, and bigger bulbs.
• Must break garlic heads to cloves before planting.
• Plant each clove to a depth of 3-4 inches and orient them in such a way that their pointing ends are facing an upward direction.
• Each clove must be placed 2-4 inches apart to provide good space for growing plants.
• 10-14 inches of distance must be maintained between the individual rows for plant growth and ease of cultivating experience.
• Gently water the soil and spread good quality mulch.
• Ensure, proper, weeding, fertilization, and watering to reduce the chances of biotic and abiotic stresses.

Compatible and Incompatible Plants for Garlic

Compatible Plants

Companion planting is a specific practice of planting compatible companion plants that helps to promote the growth and development of each other by producing certain chemicals. Companion planting for garlic requires low maintenance as it is a great deterrent to onion flies, snails, ants, aphids, Japanese beetles, cabbage loopers, spider mites, codling moths, and fungus gnats.

Compatible companion plants for garlic include kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, peppers, tomato, eggplants, cabbage, carrots, fruit trees, potatoes, spinach, kale, beets, and dill. While roses, geraniums, marigolds, and nasturtiums are good flowering companions for garlic. Numerous scientific studies have reported that companion planting of garlic with rue, chamomile, yarrow, and summer savory greatly improves its overall growth and development.

• Garlic repels common pests of cabbage such as diamondback moths, worms, cabbage moths, and cabbage loopers.
• Garlic plantation at the base of fruiting trees offers protection against apple scab, leaf curling, mites, Japanese beetles, and aphids.
• Garlic plantation along with the peppers helps to keep the fungi away from sun-loving plants.
• Planting garlic along with roses helps to deter the rose pests. Therefore, the needs to control snails, ants, mites, are blackspot fungi are reduced.
• Sowing lettuce and arugula provides protective layers around the growing garlic.
• Growing garlic along with tomato and pepper helps to keep spider mites away.
• Plantation of ground covers along with garlic helps to reduce evaporation from the soil. Moreover, it also returns nutrients to the soil and thereby improves soil fertility.
• Planting garlic along with fruits trees such as apple, nectarine, oranges, and lemon prevents the climbing of pests on the fruit trees.

Incompatible plants for Garlic

Not all plant species for compatible companions for each other and the same is the case with garlic. Planting garlic along with peas, parsley, asparagus, sage, and beans should be avoided.

• Growing garlic along with strawberries greatly inhibits their growth and development.
• The above-mentioned plants compete with garlic for nutrients, space, water, and aeration.
• Growing heavy feeders along with garlic extracts the nutrients for themselves and thus the growth of garlic will be negatively affected.

However, if growers are still interested to grow garlic with these plants at a smaller scale, they can plant garlic on the other side of growing beds or patches. In this way, the negative effects of these plants on each other will be greatly reduced. Furthermore, growing these incompatible plants at some distance will not minimize the negative effects completely but only to some extent.