A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Any ideas on

house plants for a very very dry house? I have a wood burning stove. I use it alot. Problem is it sucks out allt he moisture in the whole house. I run table top fountains,,,which the Sophie kitty loves, humidifiers, and bowls of water on the vents,lol. I have spider plants, philodendrons. a christmas cactus, that almost never blooms,lol, no matter i like it anyway. I have a dracenia and a corn plant. My aloe is in love with the way the house is. so no worries there but I would like some different varities for my house plants. summer time the a/c is on when it gets to a little over 80, we do construction.
finding cat friendly dry air loving house plants is a bit difficult for me these days.

Elfinone

Hi! My computer activity observer has requested that I suggest starting a pot or two of catnip for Sophie kitty's personal enjoyment. He said to let you know it helped him stay out of trouble by tending his own plants, hence, staying out of his mom's plants. He would also like to know if she is single.

Sophie has pet grass,lol. and in the summer I grow her her own lawn for the house,lol. I use wheat grass. I have thought of catnip, but then there is the dog,, whomis half chow half cattle dog, with a tinge of lab in her to.
Sophie is a house cat and is rather the princess of her domain, she is leash trained and rides in the truck when we go to the cabin,lol. Very single she is,lol. Lord save me I get one of those new puter moniters,lol she would toss one heck of a fit as she loves to lay on top and lounge in the heat,lol.

Kiki sits on my lap and watches the monitor screen while I move the mouse. He thinks that's really interesting, and doesn't understand why he can't seem to catch it. And he likes to assist me with typing. (Ssshhh.....don't tell him, but he's about to be neutered!) But he wants to tell Sophie hello from a real handsome guy in Florida! He looks very similiar to the cat on Catlover's signature button.
Anyway, house plants...hmmm...golden pothos, peace lily, prayer plants, parlor palm, heart-leaf philodendron, zebra plant...just check for toxicity to cats if they have a nibbling habit.

Is your Christmas cactus root bound?? It must be for it to bloom. Also I transplant mine every other year. It usually does not bloom as well the year I transplant it.

Another thing, it is a succulant (not a true cactus) but still does not like lots of water. Many make the mistake of watering it the same as regular house plants. This is wrong. Succulants and cacti do not require as much water. Try switching to a monthly watering schedule for your Christmas cactus. True cacti should be watered only annually. They also need greater heat than other plants (remember cacti come from the desert--summer hear can be as much as 125 degrees in the shade--so they don't do as well in cooler homes. There are some that will but for the most part, they prefer the heat.

I also have a dry house and the only plant that has ever given me problems because of it is a fern. I moved it to the bathroom for moisture but my bathroom faces north west and gets no light so alas it died.

Sohie sets top the monitor and she baps the screen,lol. then she goes to sleep with her front leg hangin over the screen, there are times when I have to move her,lol.

I think it is, I have had it for 2 years now and never repotted it as I had been told that very same thing. so I just never touched it. then I was told to put it in a dark cool place for about a month. then it would bloom. WEll,lol. it didn't,lol.
I like the plant as it is, maybe one day it will suprise me,lol.

Frens, I flat out gave up on,lol. It is way to dry in here for them. I would have to run a mister for at least 12 hours a day for it to get what it needed.
had a really nice boston fern, got it in the spring, it did really well til I started that wood burner, even put the rock tray under it. between Sophie and the wood. that plant just went south and stayed there.

Tamara has it right.

With a few exceptions, nearly all common indoor plants are not affected by low humidity.

The key in selecting plants is to provide the proper light for your plants. Some species need direct sun while others must be protected from direct sun.

Don't repot your holiday cactus. If you do you will either rot the roots are delay the flowering. They thrive when very potbound. I have written an article on holiday flowering plants that I will e-mail to you if you e-mail me a request.

I knew the cactus should not be repotted I learned that the hard way. I did it once before and it went to the garden outside after that. Not the plant just the dirt.
I have great lighting, I get morning sun thru the back french doors and afternoon sun thru the whole front of the house, this year will be higher light as my 2 trees (elms) died of old age. I have to replant a tree this year in the front. Int he winter time I have a serious wood burner that is going alot, almost constantly. I pull all ofthe plant away from it during that time of year. still it is very very dry in here.
Plus I have a cat. I do not want her getting sick because of plants I bring in, so I am tryin to bring ones int hat if she decides to taste it will not hurt her. She is just 2 years old. I will be pm'ing you soon about ideas, thank you for posting back to me.

Elfinone