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House Plants/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Yucca is drying | 2/8/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: I bought yucca more than year ago and replanted right away. I keep it in front of the window. Last ... A: The Yucca in the photo you posted certainly does not look miserable, so I think you may be ... | ||
| Lucky Bamboo Yellowing | 2/6/2012 | Darlene K. Kittle |
| Q: I own a little lucky bamboo since 2007, and everything was fine until now, the leaves are starting ... A: Anna, Your lucky bamboo is actually Dracaena sanderiana. Lucky bamboo is happy to grow without soil ... | ||
| Lucky Bamboo Yellowing | 2/6/2012 | Richard Hern |
| Q: I own a little lucky bamboo since 2007, and everything was fine until now, the leaves are starting ... A: Anna (Great name - I have a sister Anna) Here are your answers: 1. No...Your plant is just growing ... | ||
| Jasmine plant leaves turning brown | 2/5/2012 | Darlene K. Kittle |
| Q: I just recently transfered my jasmine plant to a different location, none of the roots were damaged. ... A: Elizabeth, It would have been safer to wait until after April 1st to move your Jasmine. Unless it ... | ||
| Dracaena Marginata | 2/5/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: Just moved in the cold, my plant has limp leaves on two of the tops. Do I cut it off or pick leaves ... A: Like most houseplants, Dracaena marginata is tropical in origin and cannot withstand very cold ... | ||
| How much product? | 2/4/2012 | Darlene K. Kittle |
| Q: I just found your recommendation to use Bayer Tree & Shrub Protect & Feed to treat Mealy Bugs on ... A: Claudia, The foliage would not be poisonous to the touch but it would make a small child or pet ... | ||
| is this fungus on my cactus? | 2/4/2012 | Darlene K. Kittle |
| Q: ok this plant has been hanging over my sofa for about 4 years now. the basket has several types of ... A: Mary, Your picture is a little fuzzy. The bright white spots may be mealy bugs if they look like ... | ||
| ponytail plant | 2/4/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: My boyfriend has had a beautiful ponytail plant for years. The stem is about 14 inches tall. He ... A: Yes, that's what cats do! There is a reasonably good chance the Ponytail Palm will survive, but it ... | ||
| Scale | 2/2/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: I have a lovely bird of paradise which has been invaded by what I suspect is some variety of scale. ... A: That is soft scale on your Bird of Paradise. Mix a solution of 5 parts water, 1 part isopropyl ... | ||
| devils ivy | 1/31/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: i have a huge devils ivy but we moved across the country from oklahoma to vermont every since my ivy ... A: I will need a photo or two to properly assess your Pothos. Dark stem nodes can be perfectly normal, ... | ||
| Japanese Peace Lily | 1/31/2012 | Darlene K. Kittle |
| Q: I read your answer about this peace lily and you said that it is a poisonous plant. I've read this ... A: Synthia, Peace lilies actually clean the air as they take in carbon dioxide and breath out oxygen ... | ||
| Fiddle leaf fig | 1/30/2012 | Darlene K. Kittle |
| Q: ... Do you know if FF fig will Bloom as a potted plant? A: Nick, No you will not see a flower on a Fiddle Leaf Fig in a pot or in the ground. You need a ... | ||
| Indoor jade plant | 1/30/2012 | Darlene K. Kittle |
| Q: I have had an indoor jade plant for years. It's about 3ft around and about 2.5 ft tall. It was full ... A: Barb, The best thing to do would be to put it outside where it only gets sun in the morning and ... | ||
| spider mites and more | 1/30/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: Our aralia (chicken gizzard) tree seems to have a case of some spider mites. Not horrible yet but ... A: Yes, the spider mites were probably on the plant at the time of purchase, perhaps in such small ... | ||
| Cactus Problem | 1/29/2012 | Darlene K. Kittle |
| Q: This cactus is getting brown on the stalks and starting to fall over somewhat. What could be wrong? ... A: Michael, It does matter whether it is near the light. You won't notice a difference in a couple of ... | ||
| spider mites and more | 1/28/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: Our aralia (chicken gizzard) tree seems to have a case of some spider mites. Not horrible yet but ... A: Spider mites are so small you can get a half-dozen of them on the head of a pin. If you treat only ... | ||
| Cactus Problem | 1/28/2012 | Darlene K. Kittle |
| Q: This cactus is getting brown on the stalks and starting to fall over somewhat. What could be wrong? ... A: Michael, I am consulting a friend who is a cactus expert on what exactly it is. In the meantime ... | ||
| Cactus Problem | 1/28/2012 | Darlene K. Kittle |
| Q: This cactus is getting brown on the stalks and starting to fall over somewhat. What could be wrong? ... A: Michael, It is drying and forming the brown skin because of the lower indoor humidity. I suspect ... | ||
| amaryllis | 1/28/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: I'm the one who previously asked you questions about how to care for amaryllis a few months ago. My ... A: There is no good reason I can think of for 3 of the leaves to have died back recently. New leaf ... | ||
| Indoor jade plant | 1/27/2012 | Darlene K. Kittle |
| Q: I have had an indoor jade plant for years. It's about 3ft around and about 2.5 ft tall. It was full ... A: Barb, You have to make sure a jade is very dry before watering again. They are very susceptible to ... | ||
| Leaf Regeneration ? | 1/27/2012 | Richard Hern |
| Q: Greetings Richard, I have a Zebra plant which is growing in height but has lost some its lower ... A: Don, Don't feel bad most people complain about Zebra plants for the same reason. The way to keep ... | ||
| ficus benjamina | 1/27/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: I have a ficus benjamina houseplant that is at least 20 years old. It had gotten rather spindly so ... A: As with many plants, your Ficus is more inclined to produce berries with seeds inside when it is ... | ||
| String of Pearls plant | 1/27/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: please can you help? I've got a string of pearls plant that was a cutting grown from my mum's plant ... A: Much appreciated! That additional information is helpful. The increased light and dry heat from the ... | ||
| Pony Tail Palm Too Tall | 1/27/2012 | Darlene K. Kittle |
| Q: I have a 35 year old ponytail palm that has a monster bulb and the stalk roughly 2" diameter but 12 ... A: Ron, You can cut the top off your ponytail palm but it is best if you wait until summer when it can ... | ||
| String of Pearls plant | 1/26/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: please can you help? I've got a string of pearls plant that was a cutting grown from my mum's plant ... A: I think your String of Pearls can be saved, but I am not quite sure how to instruct you because I ... | ||
| Monstera | 1/26/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: I read your reply to the woman who had repotted her Monstera. I was recently lucky enough to find ... A: Congratulations on your find! Monsteras are interesting-looking plants that are moderately hardy as ... | ||
| identify plant that needs help | 1/26/2012 | Darlene K. Kittle |
| Q: I received this plant a year ago when it was very small. It has grown very big and overlapped the ... A: Heather, I have the same plant and I have never been able to identify it except to say that it is ... | ||
| plant humidity | 1/26/2012 | Richard Hern |
| Q: what happens to plants when the humidity levels are too high? A: Dezi, In some cases they die, especially succulents/cacti. On most plants too high of humidity will ... | ||
| Gnats in house plants | 1/26/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: I have a question that is not directly related to house plants but it is about the gnats that are ... A: Unfortunately, the fungus gnat problem you have IS directly related to your houseplants. The gnat ... | ||
| lucky bamboo stalk turning completely yellow | 1/25/2012 | Darlene K. Kittle |
| Q: liquid fertilizer but first i cleaned it please help me im panicking i don't want my luck bamboo ... A: Nino, You need to change the water on lucky bamboo at least every 2 weeks. The fertilizer you added ... | ||
| brown spots and tips on yucca tree | 1/24/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: I bought a yucca tree in upstate NY, 2 yrs ago in the summer. It did well for the first 6 months or ... A: It is much appreciated! Rigid, upright leaves on a Yucca occur only when the plant is grown under ... | ||
| ponytail palm repotting | 1/22/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: We have a 30 inch ponytail plant (indoors) that is doing well, but the roots are so shallow that the ... A: Adding soil to the top of the rootball is not a good way to stabilize your plant. It won't work that ... | ||
| "water stains" on gardenia leaves | 1/21/2012 | Richard Hern |
| Q: I live in Mitla, Oaxaca, MX @ 6,500 ft altitude. It is a high, semi-desert valley. Day temp up to ... A: Heidi, Make sure when you water the plant you do not get any water on the leaves as this will ... | ||
| hybernate a fig tree | 1/21/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: We live in New York and were given a fig tree this fall. We were told to hibernate it indoors in a ... A: Many New Yorkers, especially in Italian and Greek neighborhoods, grow their Fig trees in the ground. ... | ||
| brown spots and tips on yucca tree | 1/20/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: I bought a yucca tree in upstate NY, 2 yrs ago in the summer. It did well for the first 6 months or ... A: The Yucca in the photo you posted looks fine, but I assume that is not recent. Your description of ... | ||
| sick yucca tree | 1/19/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: I bought a young yucca tree in 2010 and it did wonderful its first 6 months. I had to move into a ... A: The Yucca in the photo you posted looks fine, but I assume that is not recent. Your description of ... | ||
| about nematodes in my plant . | 1/19/2012 | Richard Hern |
| Q: Please, could you give me some information about nematodes in sheflera plant . i am an egyption ... A: Essam, 1st thing is that many nematodes are beneficial often attacking plant damaging ... | ||
| Aechmea Plant | 1/19/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: we have a bunch of aechmea plants here in the office which are beautiful. Hopefully when they trade ... A: a member of the Bromeliad family of plants. Bromeliads have some of the most spectacular looking and ... | ||
| opuntia care | 1/18/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: i have a 25-30 year old opuntia (prickly pear) plant. the trunk is sturdy and round. the new ... A: Mary. I wasn't clear enough in my reply that moving your Opuntia to a larger pot will not only not ... | ||
| china doll plant | 1/18/2012 | Will Creed |
| Q: and i just bought 3 china dolls for my science project and only two of theme are strong and healthy ... A: The most important thing is NOT to repot your China Dolls. They have sensitive root systems that do ... | ||
House Plants
Answers by Expert:
Will Creed
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I have professional knowledge of all indoor plants and can answer questions regarding light, water, fertilizer, repotting, and humidity and temperature requirements. I can identify plant pests and provide information on safe, effective treatment. My answers are based on 30years of professional, hands-on experience and scientific research and are clear and easy to understand.
Experience
I have nearly 30 years of professional indoor landscaping experience caring for plants in homes, offices, building lobbies, stores, restaurants, and other adverse environments. I have written extensively on the care of indoor plants. My specialties include Ficus trees, low light plants, repotting, pest control, and re-blooming holiday plants. I am writing a book on indoor plant care.
Be sure to check my ratings and nominations to learn why I am the top-rated indoor plant expert. I am the only House Plant expert consistently ranked in the AllExperts Top 20.
Education/Credentials
BA, Amherst College
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