Difficult House plants

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Difficult House Plants

Plants for New Mexico gardeners that may be difficult as they require acid soil conditions and/or high humidity. Many can be grown in terraria successfully.

common name	genera & species	soil	light	water	temp	humidity	propagation	cautions
Anthurium	Anthurium spp.		s shade	moist	warm	v. moist	cuttings, offsets
Aralia	Polyscias spp.		any	moist	cool to avg	v moist	cuttings
Azalea	Azalea spp.	acid	sun to s sun	moist	cool	avg	cuttings
Baby tears	Helxine solerolii		s shade to shade		avg	v. moist	cuttings, division	never let dry
Butterfly orchid	Oncidium spp.		s sun to s shade	moist	avg	v moist	division
Camellia	Camellia japonica	acid	sun to s sun	moist	cool	very moist	cuttings
Cobra plant	Darlingtonia California	acid	s shade to shade	wet	avg	moist	seed, shoots
Columnea	Columnea spp.		sun to s sun	moist	avg	very moist	seed, cuttings
Cyclamen	Cyclamen Persica & others		s shade to shade	moist	cool	v moist	seed
Dipladenia	Dipladenia splendens		sun to s sun	moist	avg	v moist	seed, cuttings
Gardenia	Gardenia jasminoides	acid	sun to s sun	moist	avg	moist	cuttings
Ginger	Curcuma spp.		s sun to s shade	moist	avg	v moist	tuber division
Ginger root	Zingiber officinale		s sun to s shade	moist	avg	v moist	division
Hydrangea	Hydrangea spp.	acid	sun to s sun	wet to moist	cool	avg	cuttings
Lady slipper orchid	Paphiopedilum spp.		s shade	moist	avg	v moist	division
Lipstick vine	Aeschynanthus pulchra		s sun to s shade	moist	avg	v moist	cuttings
Maidenhair fern	Adiantum spp.		s shade to shade	wet	avg	v moist	division
Mistletoe cactus	Rhipsalis spp.		s shade to shade	moist	warm	v moist	cuttings
Moth orchid	Phalaenopsis spp.		s sun to s shade	moist	avg	v moist	division
Oleander	Nerium Oleander		sun to s sun	moist	avg	v moist	cuttings
Orchid	Brassavola spp. or Laelia Digbyana		sun to s sun	let dry	avg	v moist	division
Orchid	Epidendrum spp.		sun to s sun	near dry	avg	v moist	division, air layer
Orchid	Cattleya spp.		s sun to s shade	dry	avg	v moist	division
Peacock Ginger	Kaempferia spp.		s sun to s shade	moist	avg	v moist	seed, division
Pineapple	Ananas comosus & others		sun to s sun	near dry	avg	very moist	root top of fruit
Plumeria	Plumeria		sun	let dry	warm	avg	Slideshow of Valley Of The Sun Plumeria Society - Album 1
Primrose	Primula spp.		s sun to s shade	moist	cool	v moist	seed
Rabbit's foot fern	Davallia spp.		s shade	moist	cool	v moist	division
Rhododendron	Rhododendron spp.	acid	sun to s sun	moist	cool	avg	cuttings
Screw pine	Pandanus Veitchii		sun to s sun	moist	avg	v moist	suckers
Selaginella	Selaginella spp.		s shade to shade	moist	avg	v moist	cuttings
Squill	Scilla spp.		s shade to shade	moist	avg	v moist	offsets
Staghorn fern	Platycerium spp.		s sun to s shade	moist	avg	v moist	offsets
Swan Orchid	Cycnoches ventricosum		s sun to s shade	moist	cool	v moist	division
Sweet flag	Acorus gramineus & others		s shade	wet	cool	v. moist	division
Table fern	Pteris spp.		s shade	moist	cool	v moist	division
Tiger orchid	Odontoglossum spp.		s shade	near dry	cool	v moist	division

Gardenia Culture

Gardenias make beautiful house plants with their bright waxy leaves and fragrant white flowers. To grow them successfully indoors can be challenging. They require an acid soil of pH 5 and abundant moisture. Use a soil mix high in peat moss and use a fertilize recommended for acid loving plants.

Nutrition is another important part of gardenia culture. Gardenias are sensitive to high salt levels in the soil which results from using hard water and fertilizing. To prevent salt buildups, do not over fertilize and periodically leach the soil to wash out excess salts. Using an acid fertilizer at half strength every few weeks during the summer should be sufficient.

Plants do best when given sunny days and cool nights especially during the fall and winter when buds are forming. The ideal temperature range for proper bud development is between 60 and 65 degrees F. At lower temperatures, buds may be malformed. If night temperatures rise above 70 degrees F. buds will drop, though leaf growth will be profuse.

Keep plants evenly moist, but not soggy and increase humidity around the plant in the winter by setting it over a tray of pebbles filled with water. Do not let the plant stand in water. Site your plant away from sources of hot, dry air.

Although your gardenia plant can be left inside year round it will benefit by being placed outdoors in the summer in a semi-sunny location. It relishes the cool nights in the fall and will begin to set flower buds. Be careful when you bring it in. Give it the coolest spot in the house which receives good sun light as high temperatures and low humidity will cause flower buds to drop. It is also not uncommon for leaves to yellow and drop due to reduced light and higher temperatures.