Thursday, December 26, 2013

Plants, Pest, Disease and Human

Plants, Pest, Disease and Human

To understand how plant get disease I will write this post relating to how human react when met with the similar scenario. Plant is similar to humans, when they are healthy they can defend themselves against virus or illness. What they cannot defend is the pest attack and thru these attacks they will suffer more.

Different Pest

Pest attack healthy plant mainly for food. In the process of these attack they result damage to the plant and cause the plant to malfunction. I will only be exploring on the more common pest.

First of all pest that feed on the leaves. These pests are mainly caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers and snails. Without the leaves plant are unable to carry out the process of photosynthesis. Imagine a human prolong under serious toothache, we cant eat to replenish ourselves with nutrient and energy. Naturally our body will become very weak and thus lowering our immune system. Lose of food and prolong under this condition will cause the plant to have malnutrition also. When malnutrition occurs, the growth will be stagnate but if the attack from pest is not stopped, the condition of the plant will deteriorate further and eventually it will wilt.

Second is pest that feed on the plant juice, These pest are mainly scale insects, mealybugs, whitefiles, aphid and spider mites. These insect are generally small, about the size of 1mm to about 4mm, they come in large quantity. They suck out the juice from the plant. Imagine a human going thru a series of blood test/ blood donation, numerals times of needle poking and sucking the blood out make a human weak. Only the replenishment is faster then the output the body will be able to maintain the healthy state. The same goes to the plant without water soon the plant will lose it rigidity. Without enough resource to support the plant, it will abandon the leaves first and the symptom is yellowing of leaves, wilt or deformed and finally fall off.

The next problem that some of these insect after they feed, they excrete a sugary rich substance call honeydew, these honeydew attract ants and also will leads to a fungus growth which is call sooty mold. This mold is not harmful but when the growth on the big surface or majority of leaves, it prevent the plant to breath and photosynthesis and this will cause big damage to the plant.

Ways to stop these Pest

Caterpillars, Beetles, Snails and Grasshoppers are bigger and easily visible to human eyes, most simple and effective ways is to remove them by hand and dispose to a garbage bag. When some of the crawler travel around the plants, they leave trails. Follow the trail and you might find some. There are snail pills which can be use to eliminate snail, check out the nursery/garden for different types of snail pills and application.

Scale insects, Mealybugs, Whitefiles, Aphid and Spider Mite are smaller but their appearance are normally indicated by different color or symptom. All can be treated with soapy water and pesticide. Do read the pesticide label for direction on usage.

Scale insect
White color when young turn brown when matured. The body size is small and normally come in round shape. They attached themselves to the stem and leaves. To remove, use any sharp and long object to scrape it off.

Mealybugs
White or pinkish in color, crawling insect with long body. product a web like structure can be seen at the stem. Same treatment as scale insect. scrape it off with any sharp and long object.

Whitefiles
As the name suggest is white and as small as baby files. Hardly visible thus hard to treat. Use pesticide if need be, if the condition is beyond control, prune the affected areas, or worst case dispose it before it spread to other plants.

Aphids
Green or black in color, have a soft and oval shape body. Usually found under the leaves, flower buds and shoots. Rub them off as soon as discovered.

Spider mites
White, yellow and red in color. Very small and hardly visible, normally hide under the leaves. Prune the affect leaves is the best method to remove spider mite.

Fungi

The sooty mold produce by the honeydew is a kind of fungi attack. Stop the pest attack and the source of the mold will stop. The soot can be wiped off to stop the growth of the fungi.

Prevention is always better the cure. Provide your plant with a good and healthy growing environment can reduce a lot of the unwanted attacks. Care and regular inspection is the key to a healthy plant.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Compost - Booster of the Ecosystem

Compost - Booster of the Ecosystem

When living thing died, they decomposed and the end result will become compost. Its a highly nutritious material that provide a lot of benefit to the living things in the area. Normally these compost is dark brown in color.

We look at the process in miniature, just the decomposition process involved thousand to million micro organism. the commonly seen are earthworms, millipedes, snails and many more. These organism feed on the organic material, they break down the material and return the basic nutrient to the earth, in turn provide food for the plants.

When looking as a whole, abundant of nutrition promote vegetation growth. Canopy form, shelter provided and herbivores will be attracted follow up by the carnivores. In the nature world, plant change leaves, living things dies off or they excrete waste these will be decomposed by the micro organism and the nutrient will be returned to the soil for plant to re absorb and this form at complete ecosystem.

Moral of Story

The main point to capture here is that compost is a powerful material able to help boost your plant growth. Garden soil when used very often will lose it fertility and compost is the solution. Compost provide your plant with the required nutrient to flourish in the long run.

If you have the spaces, I would encourage you to make your own compost. Everyone can do it, it is cheap to make just require some space and time for the natural reaction to take place. The time to complete your compost various, depending on the material used.

Material needed is the kitchen organic waste and the green organic waste. Just dump it at 1 big container to ensure animal do not mess it up. Wonder will happen after some months. These are just basic compost. If you intend to make good compost, material used, condition of the climate, catalyst used need to take into consideration.

If you have no spaces, you can choose to buy it from the garden or nursery, is widely available.

Application of the Compost

Although compost works wonder for the plant but DO NOT used too much compost in the potted plant. The Compost itself is soft so it does not provide much support for the plant. It particles is small so it does not help the plant roots to breath. Compost help to retain water for the plant, if too much compost might cause root rot problem.

For optimal result, apply compost on top of the soil estimate of at least 5cm thick. This can provide protection to the soil and also boost the underground activities.

Alternatively, you can mix the compost together with the garden soil to change the soil structure. This can improve aeration for the roots, provide moist retention and improve underground movement.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Repotting - Create a Better Home for your Plant

Repotting - Create a better home for your plant

Plant stems and leaves grow bigger and in order to the support the bigger size plant the root also need to grow more, long and some thicker to reach out for more water and nutrient. In a small pot, there is a limited space for their growth. Your plants is always telling you what they need.

Signs to look out for

Look for the sign given by the plant, they will tell you if they need a repotting. When you notice the plant growth is slowing down, unresponsive to feeding and over crowding of the root at the drainage holes or roots force to grow on the surface of the soil, these are the sign given by them.

*Do take note that certain plant roots grow on the surface of the soil.

How to repot?

When these sign appear, repotting is required.

1- Remove the roots ball from the pot carefully without damaging the roots. During the process, remove any damage roots with sharp scissors. If the size of the plant need to be controlled, prune the roots.
2 - fill the pot up with soil not covering the previous soil level. this can be identified by the stem color marking.
3 - gently firm the soil.
4 - place it at the shaded areas until growth is observed, Do not water too much as plant is still adjusting to its new home and the intake of water will be slow.

Frequency of Repotting

The frequency various, greatly depending on type of plant and the rate of growth, recommended is repot once a year, but watch out for the sign before repotting.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Epipremnum Aureum, Pothos - Transplanting from Hydro Culture to Soil and Vice Versa

Transplanting from Hydro Culture to Soil

When Pothos grown in hydro culture get overcrowded they need to be relocate for better growth, overcrowding can result to plants fighting for mineral, water and space. In the nature world the fittest survive, to protect your weaker plants, alternative location can be outside the house (sheltered) for natural growth. Outside the house mean higher exposure to mosquito issue, so falling back to the traditional soil planting a better choice.

There are things to note when switching from hydro culture to soil planting. The plant will need a few days to adapt, when it is transferred into the soil, place the pot at a darker area for a few days to allow the root to adapt to the changes. during these period of time, you may chose to wrap your plants with plastic bag to minimize the lose of water, It will take a few days before the root start to take in nutrient, only then you will see growth.

Different between the 2 root system and the comparison is:
1 - The strength of water base roots are more fragile then the soil base roots.
2 - The appearance of the water base roots is whiter then soil base roots.
3 - The size of the water base roots are smaller then soil base roots.

When the conversion period is over, give your plants support when they grow, let the Pothos root stick on to the walls. Feeding are still require, slowly you will see the plant grow bigger and slowly the leaves will get bigger too.

If you are willing to let the root stick to your wall, be prepare that your paint will most likely be damaged. Alternatively you can choice to erect a 2 inch thick pole, wrap with mulch, place it in the middle of the pot, Pothos like to climb on in. This make a good decoration to your entrance door.

Transplanting from Soil to Hydro Culture

When you are type of person that like clean planting and do not to touch soil, the sight of the underground organism will make you feel Eeee! hydro culture work best for you.

1 - Clean the pebble before used.

2 - To change from soil to hydro culture you need the pebbles as medium, a pot with no drainage holes.

3 - Remove the plant from the pot by squeezing the side of the pot to loosen the soil, use a knife or sharp object to go around the soil to separate the soil and the pot.

4 - Soak the root ball in water to soften the soil. REMOVE ALL SOIL attached to the roots. In the process be gentle, do not damage the root in the process.

5 - Remove all dead and rot roots, prune the root to a smaller size, if needed.

6 - Setup the pebble in pot with plant, filled with water. Do not fertilizer until you see growth.

7 - Cover up the plant with plastic bag until you see growth.

Other accessory to use
- water indicator to check if the water level is sufficient.
- use 2 pots, 1 with drainage and the other without drainage, pot with drainage will with pebbles and the one without drainage as the outer layer.

Soil - the Basic of Life

Soil the basic of life

Found at the upper layer of the earth crust where most of the plant will root on, absorbing mineral and water. Different environment will cultivate different kind of soil and from the look of the soil we can tell a story of the land.

Good soil will produce good plant, if you want your plant to flourish its worth to spend some time to study the soil that your plant is growing on.

You might ask, why is soil so important? This is because plant get food from the soil if the soil is unhealthy your plant will also be unhealthy. Once you know how to feed your soil, your plant will naturally benefit from it.

Normally soil is divided into 3 section, Topsoil, Subsoil and Substratum
Topsoil - dark brown in color, full of organic activity. Richest in mineral thus liken by the plant.
Subsoil - contain mainly rocks particles. little organic activity thus limited mineral, only water is available.
Substratum - layer of rocks and stones.

Before you feed your soil, you need to identify type of soil so you can know how to improve it. There are 5 main types of different soil commonly used, Sandy, Clay, Loam, Peat and Silt.

Sandy - as the name mention is sand, the holes between particle is very big, unable to hold together, this promote good aeration but mineral also drain off fast. Good aeration drys and warm the soil fast. Since its unable to hold on together, is better to protect it with some mulch. grain size - 0.05 to 2mm

Clay - the same characteristic as clay, the particle is small and stick closely. Does not allow aeration but hold mineral well. However, these characteristic also keep the water in place causing a lot of water logging issue. If dried, it will be hard as stones. grain size - 0.002 mm

Slit - is a mixture of sand and clay has each material characteristic but overall has a good structure. grain size 0.002 to 0.05 mm

Loam - is a mixture of sand, slit and clay (40%, 40%, 20%). This is a good mixture that utilities the pro of each individuals material and eliminate the con.

Peat - mainly decay vegetation, very fertile, very good aeration and draining system.

The main different is the particle size of each material and how to mix the different size particle to achieve a better result. Each soil have it own strength and weakness that fit into different plant requirement.

Refer to my other post on feeding the soil.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Epipremnum Aureum, Pothos - Type of Symptom

Study your Pothos - Understand the Symptom

Plants do not speak of their problem, they show it to you and only those understand it will grow a better plant. There is only a few basic symptom that plants will show.

Symptom of Fertilizer Burn
Brown burnt- looking tips or yellow and brown spots on leaf margins.
This happen when a plant is being given too much fertilizer this is call Fertilizer Burn,
To treat this, reduce the frequency of feeding. if the condition fertilizer burn is bad run the soil with water, this dilute the concentration level in the soil. if it was hydro culture planting, change the water with normal tap water.


Yellowing of leaves thats cause by Lack of Nitrogen
Yellowing of leaves. Generally this symptom start from older leaves.
this happen when the plants Lacks Nitrogen .



Healthy Pothos with a long inter node

Short inter node that cause by Lack of Phosphorus

New leaves are small, inter nodes are short. comparing the 2 pic above.
This happen when the plants Lacks Phosphorus .


Comparing the vertical vines/ leaves to the Horizontal vines/leaves, same family but at different time
New leaves and stems will get smaller.
This happen when the plants Lacks Pottasium .

Yellowing of leaves between the veins, normally this symptom start from older leaves.
This happen when the plants Lacks Magnesium .

To treat the specific symptom, get a fertilizer with higher number on that specific element. But in general, apply 1 or 2 application of the all purpose fertilizer (NPK15.15.15) should solve all the above issue.

*refer to my other posting on the ways to fertilizes your Pothos.

Epipremnum Aureum, Pothos - With your Fishes Natural Filtration System

Growing Pothos as the tank Natural Filtration System




Continue from the previous experiment to grow Pothos as an aquatic plants.

A fish tank without plants have high nitrate and ammonia from fish waste, so frequent water change is needed. The rate is dependent on the amount of fish in the community. If this routine is not done frequently or at the right time, it will cause damage to the fish organ. In the worst scenario the entire tank will be wiped out. Even the durable sucker fish will not survive.

To balance out this situation, plants is introduce to the tank. Plants help to reduce the toxic level by breaking down fish waste and absorb the nutrient. It forms a cycle that is beneficial to both plant and fish. One of the way to do this is growing Pothos on top of the tank cover with the roots dangling in the water, this add additional toy for the small fish and shrimps. Final step is to attached an artificial light on top for the plant to photosynthesis.

For best result grow your Pothos on the tank top filter. Used the ceramic ring in the filter to provide support for the vines and roots, the water from the tank provide the plant with steady flow of water supply and the water comes with diluted natural fertilizer. When the vine flourish, it will cover up the entire top of your tank and camouflage your filter system. Compare to other aquatic plants Pothos is cheap, durable and easily propagated.

Things to note when you grow Pothos in tanks. With all the supply given, you wont be touching the plant for a long time, over time there will be fallen leaves, these leaves need to be remove as soon as possible, because fallen leaves will rot and cause the water to smell, decomposed material will fight for resources in the tank. so too much of the fallen leaves will spolit the tank eco-system.

Check out my other posting for other interesting things with Pothos.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Epipremnum Aureum, Pothos - Fish-less Tank

Growing Pothos in a fish-less tank

Houses in the western country normally comes with a garden of your own. Unlike Singapore houses are small with limited space but there are still many video online showing what they can do living in a small space, so is up to you to explore.

Do not restrict yourself to just 1 or 2 growing method, play around with the tools or item around you and you can amuse yourself with what creativity you can come out with. Pothos is a very strong, durable and easily propagated plant so try all you want with this plant.

growing Pothos in the equipped fish tank

I grow my Pothos in a fish-less tank, equipment require is only a lighting system and a simple filter system. Why this idea come about is because I like soil-less planting, I do not want mosquito to breed, I know Pothos root breath. So a equipped tank meet my requirement. (a small tank are able to support about 6 small Pothos)

Start off use some clothes pin attached it with the Pothos to the side of the tank, this give them the support. Pour in the water and activate the filter pump and attach the lighting, the light does not need to be always on, this greatly depend on your placement of tank. Place the tank near the window for natural light source. If additional light is require you can always add in more lamps.

A good healthy water change frequency is once every 2-3 days, you can change it once a week. Just add in some liquid fertilizer when you do a water change this will boost a lot of growth in the plant and you never have to worry about your plant dying of thirst.

the Pro:
1 - Is soil-less, so it will be clean, more space for the roots to grow.
2 - The water is moving seamlessly, so mosquito wont breed (not 100%, monitoring still require)
3 - In Feng Shui theory, flowing water is a sign of wealth, if place in the correct location it will bring you prosperity.
4 - sound of the water flow create a tranquil environment.
5 - With the water fall filter, this will dissolve oxygen, enable the root to breath (not sure if the root can breath underwater).
6 - does not require to change water that frequent but require to add in water with the fertilizer weekly.

the Con:
1 - require power supply,
2 - require to change to liquid fertilizer.

I had tried this method of fish-less tank growing for months already, most of Pothos flourish in the tank and none of them wilt. They only fight for space be it roots or the leaves and in fact I still have to remove a few of them to make space for the rest.

Check out my other post on Pothos

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Epipremnum Aureum, Pothos - With your Fishes (experiment)

Growing Pothos with your fishes

Plant have natural ability is to break down fish waste but Pothos is not an aquatic plant. I decide to experiment if Pothos survive under water.

Test Subject: 2 new Pothos cutting, each with 1 leaf insert into a plastic cup, tied with some pebbles to provide weight for it to sink.

Apparatus: 2 lighting blue/white and white were used to brighten up the tank. A water fall type filter and a external breeder tank customize to become a water filter for charcoal and ceramic ring, contain only 2 Yamato Shrimps, 2 Guppies, 1 SAE and 1 Corydoras and 1 Java Fern

Duration: Lasted for 3 week.

Observation: The cutting do not grow in size, some sign of roots growth, some sign of new bud/shoots, no change in vine or leaf color. I assume it can only survive, maybe very slow growth.

To further the experiment I remove the cutting and place it into the external breeder tank, for 1 week the condition of the cutting remain the same.

Next I tried placing the cutting into the external breed tank with only the roots submerge into the water. The area was further away from the light source so i cant really continue to find out more.

Months ago I spoke to a landscape specialist to understand more about plant. He mention during the removal of the plant there is a possibility it will cause the plant to go into shock mode. Shock mode refer to adaptability to a change of environment or damage to the roots system.

There are many factor affecting to this experiment. I decided to eliminate some of those before trying.

Pothos in the tank
Next experiment I will be trying out new cutting with roots and place it inside (see pic above).

Check out my other post for more Pothos information.

Epipremnum Aureum, Pothos - Different types of Planting Method

Epipremnum Aureum, Pothos - Type of Planting Method

The traditional way of planting Pothos is of cause growing it from soil but I like to plants it without soil, so I experiment with various method of a soil-less planting.

Pothos in the vase

1 - My first and foremost experiment which is also the easiest method, growing the Pothos in vase/ container of water, is quite a traditional way similar to displaying a flower in the vase. This method works for Pothos but the downside of this method is the frequent change of water is needed to promote healthy growth. This method is cheap but require a lot of attention. changing 1 vase is fine, imagine you have more then a vase, say 10 vase at different location. it will be very time consuming.

In a humid and hot weather place like Singapore is a good place for the mosquito to breed. If you leave your plants out there too long without changing the water, this will easily attract Aedes mosquito to breed and spread dengue fever, is harmful to yourself, your family and also your neighbors.

Keep the quantity of Pothos low and this traditional vase method works!

2 - The second method that I'm trying out is planting it using crystal gel as the medium. These gel will absorb water and contain it. When placed in to the container/ pot the plant roots will slowly absorb the water in gel and without the presence of water, mosquito won't be able to breed. These gel can be brought at supermarket or florist. These gel need to be prepared before using, to prepare soaked it in water for 2-3 hours then drain off the excess water and the remaining gel is ready for use.

From the result of using the gel, this gel is good for plants that is small and light, in this case is not suitable for house plant Pothos because when the plant is big, long and heavy, the gel wont be able to support the weight and when it get too big it will uproot itself.

As long as you keep the plant small, crystal gel is a good method.

3 - The third method is using a similar product call the Sumi balls. This material that is very versatile, is light, able to provide aeration for the roots and when given depth is strong enough to support the plant.

With the aqua type of planting Pothos, pot used are different from the usual pots. The bottom of the pot cannot have holes and require a stopper to prevent the water from draining off.

To start off, put the Pothos into the pot semi filled with Sumi balls then cover the roots and few segment of the bottom of the plant with Sumi ball to the slightly more then 3/4 of the pot. this way the plant will be well supported. Thereafter filled the pot with 1/2 water full and not over the sumi ball. If water change is required, just remove the stopper to drain of the water. The frequency is 2-3 times a week.

So far this is the most preferred method, its clean, easy, no pest and beautifully enhance the environment.

check out my other posting for interesting experience with Pothos.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Epipremnum Aureum, Pothos - Fertilizer

Fertilizing

Pothos need nutrients to grow but where do they get all these nutrient? Soil is the answer. To the human eye, soil can be dirty and with many lurking creature in it but that is the place where plant get their nutrient from. There are many nutrient a plant need for growth. Nutrient are classified as  2 main types, Organic and inorganic.

Organic fertilizer come from living things, animal dung, blood, bones, remains of any dead insect etc. All this can be process by manufacturers in pellet or powdered forms.

Inorganic fertilizer are chemicals use commonly by the home gardener. normally refer as NPK fertilizer. N for Nitrogen, P for Phosphorus, K for Potassium. the higher the value beside it the higher the concentration. These are the 3 main element that plant needs for foliage, roots and flowering growth. other then these 3 element plant still need other micro nutrient and we call is Trace elements, inclusive of copper, iron, zinc etc. Below is a photo of the fertilizer packaging i brought from supermarket.

photo of the NPK fertilizer
As for the Pothos case, its better to have a regular supply of fertilizer, always provide your Pothos with small quantity. Read the packaging to direction, if unsure use an amount lesser then the recommended. Try and error for better result.
*Note - Pothos will not have immediate effect when you fertilized. If too much is used, the plant will result in fertilizer burn and lost it rigidity at a very fast rate.

Frequency of applying the fertilizer various. fast growing plant require a closer frequency then slow growing plant. Is recommended to use a dilute fertilizer for weekly application.

photo of the slow releasing fertilizer
Alternatively you can choose this slow releasing fertilizer. Normally comes in tablets or stick forms, placed it at the side of the pot and it can last you for 30 days.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Epipremnum Aureum, Pothos - Propagating

Understanding your Pothos



We tried planting it and it beautify our house and now we want more of it.

As mention Pothos is a strong and durable plant and some comments from the net is this type of plant can survive better when is left unattended, duration was not specify so i decided to try out. I put my Pothos outside the walkway where they can get their supply from the natural source and the plant really shown strong will to survive. Such a strong plant propagating it will be very easy.

Initially when I started playing with Pothos, I know nuts about it all I know is this plant suitable for newbie. Since I'm new to garden i just start with this. Looking thru the website, YouTube and some random forum, I somehow know how to clone but still is full of doubt so I try it out myself.

Before we propagate it, we need to know some of the basic plant parts before you can properly locate where to cut.

Illustration of Pothos parts
Propagating

when I was researching on the ways and method to clone Pothos, I found 2 version. Refer to the photo above.

I have made indication on the photo the basic component of Pothos part and location to cut. The 2 version found in the net is cutting from point 1 and the other is from point 2. Both method have been explored and experiment and both ways work. Personally I prefer doing it from point 1, this give your new Pothos cutting an allowance between the plant and the base of the pot, more rooms for the root growth. If is place in the vase, the base of cutting is longer to absorb the water, but eventually the vine below the node will wilt depending on the amount of water given.

For new cutting, have at least 2 leaves, but I wouldn't suggest anything more then 3. Reason to be, having more leaves at the new cutting will boost the new house plant evaporation rate. The root system is not establish thus the water intake will be lesser then the water output and this will put risk to the new plant.

Put your new cutting into the vase, normally within a week roots will start to grow from the node or an extension of root from the existing root.

Check out my other post for more Pothos information.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Epipremnum Aureum, Pothos - Natural Window Grilles Cover

Natural Window Grilles Cover with Pothos

I read thru the net and saw many people share the advantage of growing Pothos at home. Some of the benefits is Pothos help to purify the air, capture dust, lower down the temperature, beautify the your house and in FengShui's theory its bring in fortune.

To fulfill all the benefit listed above, the best location to grow this plant will be onto my room window grilles. Firstly, dust came from the window, so it can help to block of the dust. Secondly it can block of the sunlight and still allow wind to breeze thru, I believe that will reduce the temperature and lastly beautify the place.

My understanding of FengShui is if a environment make a person feel good it will attract a lot of positive energy and this will lead to prosperity. and other factor that benefit the plant, Pothos is a indoor house plant, it a climber vines type plant so window grilles is a good planting spot and its a indoor environment.

Pothos have characteristic to absorb the water from the air using their aerial roots, but that amount of water is not enough to make them flourish. They will move around the window grilles, normally toward the light. To make proper cover, guide the vines to where you wanted. Frequent watering is still required, preferably mix in some diluted fertilizer to boost the growth.

When the leaf is not expose to sunlight the leaf will be green.
When the leaf is expose to sunlight the leaf will have different shades of green.

Note: The leaves will have different shades of green depending on exposure to the sunlight (see pic above). Following the law of the nature, plant fight for resources too, so some of the Pothos will have very nice shades of green, big leaves and thick stem. Try to distribute the water and fertilizer evenly to avoid this situation or try planting it in different pots.

The downside of this planting method is ants or insects love to mingle around with the plants, especially when you are planting it with soil. These might scare off your ladies friends.

Second (theory part) the plant give you oxygen in the day and fight for your oxygen in the night, so is not really a good idea to plant it in your sleeping area.

Do check out my other posting on Pothos.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Epipremnum Aureum, Pothos - Natural Fence Cover with Pothos

Natural Fence Cover with Pothos, for privacy and to beautify your home.

I'm not an expert in gardening so before I tried growing Pothos I did a lot of reading. From my finding, I realized not many people like to grow it differently so I decided to grow the Pothos my way.

Commonly landscape architect will consider other plants to cover up the fences, seldom will professional suggest the use of Pothos to grow on fencing for a natural cover. There are reason behind it, as an alternative I tried to cover the fences with Pothos and i realize it make a good cover, if the quantity and density of the plant are place properly, the end result will be as good as the others plant.

These Pothos are fast growing vines plant so the fence will be covered in no time. I only able to plant it on a small portion of the the fence but the result was good. If you intend to Do It Yourself the fence cover require quite a bit of work to make it real nice, keep in mind, quantity and density is the key to make it nice. You need to readjust the position of the where the vine is going, guide it to some where there to lesser leaves this is to balance out the coverage.

Frequent watering still required (preferably daily in the morning), if you forget to water its fine, it will not wilt that easily. The Pothos is a strong and durable plant that able to withstand a lot of hardship. Its ideal if your fencing Pothos is grown on solid ground, true ground provide a lot of rooms for the root growth, plenty of nutrient and water from the subsoil.

Some characteristic of Pothos I notice during the experiment, when the vines are given supported (natural way of the aerial root gripping onto something), constant supply of water are given and frequent fertilizer are feed, the vine get thicker, the leaves will grow bigger and the distance between the leaves get further.

*note: growing Pothos outdoor expose to a lot of sunlight and these will make their leave less green.

There are also many other ways to plant Pothos.
Look out for my other posting on Pothos.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Epipremnum Aureum, Pothos - Introduction

All about Pothos Epipremnum Aureum



This page capture all the details I have learn over the years when i did research before growing this plant and own experience when playing with it.

Epipremnum Aureum - Alternative Name

Devil's Ivy, Money Plant, Golden Pothos, Silver Vine, Solomon Islands Ivy etc.

There are some similar species - Epipremnum Aureum Gold, Epipremnum Aureum Marble Queen.

Origin of Epipremnum Aureum

They are native from Malaysia, China, Japan, India and Australia, mainly are from Asian country.

Characteristic of Epipremnum Aureum

Pothos is a crawler, vine type, indoor house plant, prefer semi shaded location, require lots of water, love humid places. Due to it characteristic many plant lover like to put it at home as ornamental foliage.

Before purchasing the plant

Do consider if your house have the proper space to grow. Epipremnum Aureum is a very strong plant, it will survive in many places but still there are places this plant will wilt. Pothos, an indoor plant require lesser amount of sunlight compare to outdoor plants. Best place to place the Pothos will be at the balcony or windows that have direct sunlight for around 2 - 3 hours daily, normally is a east or west facing window (depending on location, country), these facing provide good light source for the plant to photosynthesis. Too much sunlight is also bad for them. I have seen many people place their Pothos in the bathroom and kitchen. These 2 places are highly humid place, placing your Pothos at these place can provide the house with a comfortable and natural atmosphere.

Note: Pothos are poisonous, this help to keep the pest away, there is still small chances that it will be infested. It is harmful to your pet if ingest. If you have house pet, do take note about it.

Purchasing the plant

I personally had not tried growing from seeds ( if there is i don't know)
My Pothos was purchased from the nearby nursery and is quite commonly sold in Singapore. A small pot normally comes with 2-3 set of vines and the plant are very packed thus giving it a nice finishes.

But before you buy any, check if the plant is healthy, look for the colors of the leaves, firmness of the vines, disease (normally will not have). These are the advice I get from other website.

Every pot of Pothos brought from the nursery can be re potted into 2 to 3 pot or more of Pothos. re potting help the Pothos with better growth space.

There are also many other ways to plant Pothos.
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