Anyone know?

Currently trying to revive an Umbrella plant with drooping leaves, and a Yukka with dropping leaves with browning tips.

Anybody able to get these things to thrive? What sort of soil do you use (I'm using the soil they came with along with just standard compost in those 20litre bags you get from B&Q or whatever as they're in bigger pots). Pebbles at the bottom of the pots to allow water to drain from the roots.

How do people get these things to thrive?!

 

My mate grows different stuff......
He buys sacks of soil with ***** in it ....cocoa mix or something....his plants love it.
I also got told feeding from the bottom is better for a plant

But what do I know I'm a builder

 

ha...plants!

they either thrive or they don't. My Mrs love's em, but is a known plant murderer...I swear that when we go to garden centres, the plants hide from her.

Best to read up online about individual plants, some like acid soil, some loathe it, ditto lime soil etc etc.

Also, OVER watering is a s bad as under watering.
And don't use tapwater, collect rainwater and use that.

 

I've got a big Yukka, orchid, aleo Vera and another plant which I can't remember the name of. They're all alive, growing, in the original soil and all over a year old

Every time I water, I add 10 drops of general purpose plant feed to each plant which I suppose gives them a boost. I water every Monday, but the Yukka and aleo Vera fortnightly. The orchid has to be watered from the bottom so it is in 2 pots. I fill one pot with water (with the added liquid plant feed) and put the other pot that the orchid is planted in (this is just a plastic pot with holes in the bottom), into the pot with water. After 5 minutes take it out and pour the water away- that's all it needs.

I've also found that less is more believe it or not, particularly with the Yukka. A small amount every 2 weeks is enough.

Last summer my aleo Vera grew a huge flower which was a nice surprise .

 

Pmsl...cocoa and perlite by any chance

 

, plenty of boost though

 

Umbrella plant should be easy enough cared for - we have one in our hallway, which only gets a splash of water when it drops the odd leaf. It doesn't seem bothered by changes in temperature, lots of light or shade - it does like most plants grow towards the light, so needs to be rotated every once in a while. No magic potions added to the soil, just watered sparingly.

 

Try it with a bit of veg feed and see how it goes

 

"Wet feet" aka root rot (over watering)
Not enough feed
Too much feed
Aphids
Thrips
Lack of light
Lack of fresh air
I could go on


My Chillis have had all the above over winter...just about pulling through, just waiting for the nights to get a few degrees warmer before chucking them back outside


I left the yukka and aloe Vera outside over winter as there was nowhere to put them: they seem to be doing ok LOL

 

I'm rubbish with plants. I've killed almost every damn plant I've bought or been gifted. One (I don't know what it is) in the office is still going strong. All I do is water it sometimes, and that's it. It's about 7 as long as seven months old, so I think it may wither soon. I don't know. I give up.

 

If you want an indoor plant that's extremely easy to look after, get yourself a peace lily (Spathiphyllum). Put it in a decent sized pot with good compost, plenty of indirect light, and you literaly don't need to touch them at all, except for watering when the leaves droop.

 

I've checked out Peace Lily. Yes, that's the one I have in my office. It deffo is a hardy.

The other one that took my living room over was a creeper plant with heart shaped leaves. It carried on spreading without much care. I think I gave it to my neighbour, eventually. Of course I had to remove the jungle it created around our fire place and the mirror above it.