What plant is on your mind?

An area of The Sill dedicated to conversations about plants and gardening in the form of posted messages and threads.

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What plant is on your mind?

An area of The Sill dedicated to conversations about plants and gardening in the form of posted messages and threads.

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  • Aloe vera question -
    I have a giant Aloe vera at home (pictured). Unfortunately it looks like one of the more mature leaves has indented, and is getting worse each day. Should I proactively remove it or let it be? It's a more mature leaf, but not the oldest / at the bottom. 
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      Pei I don't think you need to remove it. Your cat was probably curious about it and a little rough 😁It looks SUPER happy!
      • 2
      PlntNrd Amazing! How much light does it get and what’s the quality of that light? Direct sun, partial shade, etc. How often do you water? Aloes need a ton of full sun. If they do not get enough, they’re leaves can become weak and then, due to the weight, they can bend, fold, or crease in areas. Another possibility is too much water, again making the leaves soft in spots allowing the bending. Yet another possibility, is it possible that someone or something might have bumped against it and damaged that area causing a slight break inside of the leaf, which then causes the whole leaf to bend? Once they bend or fold, they can not return to the way the leaf looked previously. If it’s bothering you, you could either cut at the bend or remove the leaf.
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      Erin For scale (also- isn't she a beauty?!)
      X
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  • Cactus looking funny
    My cactus is showing a change of color (just a little darker) at the bottom third — there is a marked line of change, as well. In addition, it seems to pinch in at the point where this color change begins — almost forming a pseudo-hourglass shape. Could be nothing, but I’m not sure. Any thoughts or suggestions? 
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      jenna Looking closely, there are some white spots on that darker area. Your cactus looks overall happy, but maybe give spritz of a fungal spray just incase. It also I think could be due for a bigger home. :)
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      PlntNrd How much light is it getting? It looks like it might be getting more than it was before (dark green area) and it’s slightly bleaching it.
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      Elana The pot looks pretty small compared to the size of the plant!
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  • What type of plant is this?
    I got it in a batch of small assorted plants about a year ago, it has almost tripled in size and seemingly can't be killed. Any idea what it is? Thanks!
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      Erin It looks so happy!
      • 3
      jenna It’s called a Pilea Mollis, nicknamed “Moon Valley” or “Friendship plant”. It’s looks so happy! Yayyyyyyyyyy!
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  • Schefflera Arboricola Training into Tree
    I have 3 schefflera arboricolas that are pretty young and I want to raise them into trees instead of wide bushy shrubs.

    I know this will take years, but I am looking for advice on what I need to do to achieve this. I believe a crucial part is ensuring not to prune the tops so they continue to grow straight up instead of branching, but what else?
    • Should I occasionally be removing lower stems, or not yet?
    • Should I be doing something specific to increase the strength of their trunks?
    • Do I need to try staking them early or wait until necessary?
    • Are there specific fertilization practices I should be using other than the usual?
    I attached a photo of one, but the other 2 are very similar as they were all purchased at the same time from the same vendor.

    Thanks for any help people can provide!
  • Need Help ID’ing this plant!
    My wife and I would like to know what kind of plant this is. Please help! Thanks. 
      • 1
      Pei one of my favorite low-light plants!!!
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      Erin What a beauty!
      • 4
      Paris Lalicata Aglaonema Silver Bay, they’re commonly known as a Chinese evergreen! Tolerates low to medium indirect light, allow soil to dry out between waterings, and can survive low humidity conditions. This plant can be toxic if ingested by cats or humans so just be careful!
  • Problem child pothos
    New-is plant parent here. Feeling encouraged that the rest of my babies are doing well, with the exception of this droopy, sad-looking pothos.

    I have a hunch that I was overwatering a bit (had to trim quite a few yellowed or wilted leaves), but also wondering if this needs a bigger pot?

    Incidentally, this guy also sits closest to my window and radiator, so it's likely a product of the cold weather of late. I've turned the pot and moved it a couple inches away from the window, so hoping that helps, too.

    Any tips would be much appreciated!!
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      Paris Lalicata I also always suggest investing in a soil probe that measures moisture to assist with watering if you ever have a hard time!
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      Paris Lalicata Hello Annie! The symptoms of your plant indicate underwatering. I suggest watering the plant once the soil has completely dried out, but not bone dry. Considering your conditions it may need more frequent waterings.
      The cause of the previous yellow leaves could've simply been caused by the plant acclimating to its new environment!
      Also, that seems like a perfect sized pot for the plant :)
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  • Monstera location
    Hi! I just got a baby monstera from the sill. I’m super excited. Can anyone tell me if this is enough light for it? It’s a large northish facing window.

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      Stephiem3 Thanks everyone! I didn’t realize that the heater/ac vent blows right along that whole window so I moved the plant until I can get a huge ladder to adjust it 🙄
      Hopefully it’ll be happy :)
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      Erin Great view!
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      Sam Second Pei! it would help a lot to give it more height so it will be level with the window. maybe a stack of cute books?
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  • Plant Fact of the Week - January 8th, 2019
    It's always a good day for science when we discover something that makes us reevaluate our role in the universe.  Something that reminds us that there is a larger world out there than our cities and towns. Something like based on new fossil evidence from the Middle East, seed-bearing plants have evolved much earlier than previously thought!  Previously, we had thought that dinosaurs roamed the earth before seed-bearing plants, but with this new find, it appears to be the other way around. The find also mounts more evidence to the theory that the tropics are a hotbed of evolution, even though the climate is stable.  This leaves much to think about. If seed-bearing plants existed before dinosaurs, it would make sense that the seeds were a source of food for many- even today, seeds and nuts count for some of the highest caloric intake a herbivore can get. This high energy diet would support the large sizes that dinosaurs became during their reign on earth.  Bear in mind that seed-bearing does not necessarily mean flower-producing! Flowering plants still came after dinosaurs were around. The seed-bearing plants that evolved with/alongside dinosaurs are the Gymnosperms, more commonly known as conifers, cycads, ginkgo, and the like.
    More info here from Science
  • Christmas Trees?
    Any tips on how to keep them fresh? Of course, I water mine, but it still dries out pretty quickly. Do you have this experience too? Is it something to do with heat/humidity of the space? 


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      Christina Sotto OMG! I got my tree the first week of December and it's already dry too! I hear you have to cut the bottom off because the tree forms a sap around the base when it's initially cut that prevents it from absorbing water. I'd love to know if anyone has any tips as well!
  • saw these little monsters in LA
    Any ideas on species? I've never seen anything like them before! 
  • Is this even real???
  • Plant Swap Party in LA
    I just saw this event (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sip-swap-plant-propagation-party-tickets-88930691091) on The Sill's Eventbrite page. Is anyone going? 
  • Unhappy Monstera
    I've had this plant for a couple of months now and was excited to see a new leaf unfurling...but it just stopped unfurling and is turning black. A lower leaf is turning dark up the center of the leaf. I'm not able to find what is causing this online..is it too much water...not enough...something else? 
      • 0
      Nate Thanks, Paris and Pei! I am still working on this guy. Repotted in a smaller pot and after a few weeks it still isn't happy. I noticed that the watering I initially gave it has kept the soil very moist. I repotted it again tonight in dry potting mix and just a splash of water. I also put it in a grow bag vs. plastic pot, thinking maybe it would help with ventilation. Hoping this does the trick!
      • 2
      Paris Lalicata Hi Nate! It looks like it could be a moisture stress issue of either over or under watering. I would make sure the plant is exposed to as much bright indirect light as possible, and ensure the soil has dried out completely between waterings. Any damage on the leaves won't be able to bounce back, but they may not cause the rest of the leaves to decline! I would just monitor the new growth until it unfurls and matures, where then you can prune any damage leaf edges. The larger leaf I would just monitor as well but if you start to notice abut 50% of the leaf declining then it'd be wiser to remove the leaf, and allow the stem to die back gradually so the plant can take any available nutrients from within!
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      Pei Hi [295355,Nate], how much sun and water does it get? In general, if a plant is not getting enough light, it will not put out new growths (or will put out small new growths). but in your case, it's the new leave won't unfurl.
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  • YELLOW ZZPLANT
    my plant has singular leaves growing from the soil and they have since turned Yellow. one of them have white holes in them like it’s burned by a cig.What does the yellow signal ? 

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      Paris Lalicata Hi [307454,christelle] ! A common way ZZ plants are propagated are by their leaves, and the happy healthy growth that you notice have actually sprouted from the rhizomes beneath the soil that the larger leaves at the base created! Once those rhizomes are formed and new growth has developed the leaves at the base will eventually yellow and die off (which is what you see here). These can gently be plucked off, or you can wait for them to fall off on their own!
  • What Am I?
    Hi beauties!

    I picked up this little cutie at a second-hand store this morning and I'll be honest, I know nothing about it 💁‍♀️🤷‍♀️ but she's cute so i had tp have her!

    Can anyone tell me what kind of plant it is, and maybe a few tips on how to care for it?

    Thank you, thank you!
      • 1
      Maranda [286271,Paris Lalicata] [278958,Pei] you two are a god send! Thank you so much 💖🌿
      • 2
      Pei OMG they are so cuteeee! And I agree with Paris, it's an assorted succulents. The general rule of thumbs with succulents are lots of light (direct if possible) and water only if you see wrinkled leaves.
      • 2
      Paris Lalicata It actually looks like you may have an assortment of succulents in this container! The one in the middle appears to be a species of Sempervivum. The ones trailing off the sides look like it may be a species of Kalanchoe succulent as it matures and if it produces offsets on the edges of the leaves. And if I'm not mistaken it looks like there is another different looking succulent behind the Sempervivum which may be a Jade? Would need a closer look to be sure! Care for all of them however is the same- bright indirect light to full sun and only water once the soil has dried out completely!
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