The Daily Bucket is a regular series from the Backyard Science group. Here we talk about Mother Nature in all her glory, especially the parts that live nearby. So let us know (as close as you are comfortable) where you are and what's going on around you. What's the weather like? Seen any interesting plants, bugs or critters? Are there birds at your feeders? Deer, foxes or peahens in your yard? Seen any cool rocks or geological features? Post your observations and notes here. And photos. We like lots of photos. :)
Like most of us, I occasionally attempt to bring a little bit of the outdoors, indoors. Alas, some of my attempts have been . . . uh . . . less than successful . . .
OK, I admit it--I have a brown thumb. Putting a houseplant in my care is a virtual death sentence. Give me a plant, and odds are that within a few months it will be wilted, brown, and dead. It's a curse.
In my own defense, though, some of it hasn't been my fault--on occasion the people I have asked to water my plants while I'm away on vacation have been . . well . . less than diligent, and several times I've come home to a shelf full of dead and dying plants. But it's true--I myself can be a bit neglectful, and forget to water them. For a long time. A really long time. :(
Nevertheless, I keep trying. Whenever I'm passing the "gardening" section somewhere and see a plant that I like, I bring it home and give it a try. Many times, the poor plant soon lives its last. But over the years, through the sheer process of natural selection, I've managed to put together a collection of plants that have, so far, survived my brown thumb. I've even rigged up an automatic watering system for them: I have a big plastic sweater tub with an aquarium pump inside it, with plastic tubing running to each plant. Each day at exactly 9:30am, a timer turns the pump on, waters all the plants for one minute, then shuts off--individual sprinkler heads allow me to adjust the flow for each plant.
Since my plants are on shelves in a north-facing window, my ideal plants are low-light, slow-growing, and only get around a foot and a half tall.
So here are some photos of my hardy survivors (some I've had for years, some for just a few weeks):
My plant shelves. The plants that like light are at the top, the low-light plants are lower, and the reservoir for the watering system is at the bottom.
Dwarf Banana. The last Banana tree I had grew pretty quickly and I had to repot it a few times. Alas it died when my friend neglected it while I was on vacation. I've had this new one for about half a year now--it'll soon need a new pot too.
Dracaena Dragon Plant. I've had this one for years--it's very hardy, and slow-growing.
Dwarf Papyrus. I've had this one a few years. It seems to be pretty tough--a few times when it didn't get watered it died right down to nubs, but always came back.
Dwarf Orange Tree. About a year and a half old. It seems to grow in spurts--it will do nothing for several months, then put out a burst of leaves, then sit quietly for a few more months.
Arabic Coffee tree. About a year old. Seems to be pretty tough. I've already trimmed it back a few times.
Dieffenbachia. This one is really tough and hardy. I've had it maybe three years now. About once a year it gets too tall for the pot, gets top-heavy and falls over--instead of repotting it I cut it down to a nub and it regrows. I can also cut off a sprig, poke it into the soil, and it will start growing.
Ming tree, grown from seed. About a year old.
Fou Kou Tien Tea Tree, grown as a bonsai. Seems to be pretty hardy. It was this size when I got it--I've had it about two years.
Red Maranta Prayer Plant. About a year old. Trimmed back often to keep it in the pot.
Green Maranta. I've had it as long as the Red Maranta, but it doesn't seem to grow as well for me.
Pothos. Now this is my kind of plant--grows like a weed no matter what I do to it. I regularly have to trim it back.
Snake Plant. Slow-growing. I've had this one for about two years.
Ponytail Palm. Another slow-grower that I've had for a couple years.
Sago Palm, actually a Cycad. Another slow-grower. I've had this one for about four months and it hasn't put out any new leafs yet.
I lost the little ID tag for this one so I don't know what it is--if anyone can ID it I'd appreciate that. I've had it about a year and it seems to be doing pretty well.
I lost the tag for this one too--I think it is some kind of Begonia. It seems to be doing OK--it's put out some new leaves over the past couple months.
Cyclomen. Just got this a few weeks ago. It's been dropping some leaves--I don't know if that's from the shock of moving, or if it's part of the normal dormant cycling for this species. Or maybe I'm just killing it.
Another one I just got a few weeks ago. It's an Ironcross Begonia. Alas, it's been dropping leaves and not growing new ones. Maybe it will recover, maybe it won't.
And now it's your turn. Let us know what's going on in your neck of the woods. :)