I wanna go green.

you should check out the park slope forum... someone is selling two plants for $40.

http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=31344

There's also that Greenhouse place on Flatbush near Atlantic.

Subject: Karl knows plants

Most houseplants are actually tropical perennials that are very shade tolerant but also need steady watering and humidity. Before you go out get spendy, look over your light situation (especially in winter).

Southern exposed windows have optimal light for flowering plants.
African violets *, Amaryllis, Amazon Lilly, Christmas Cactus *, Cyclamen (florist variety), Desert Cacti or spiny Euphorbia, Ficus tree (ficus benjamina), Orchids (Oenothera)

Northern light is great for large leafy plants:
Asparagus Fern *, Begonia, any broad-leaf fiberous root type (Angel Wings), Bromeliads, Jacobs Ladder *, Job's Tears *, Maidenhair Fern *, Philodendron (vine), Sansevieria (snake plant), Spider plant *

Eastern and western exposures have the least reliable light. Try these:
A framed photo of a plant or a feng shui book on a chair

Cats present another set of challenges: digging and peeing. Hanging plants are great, just out of reach unless your cat is insane. The asterisks mark plants that do well with hanging, unless you hate macrame things. Keeping a potted well watered but not overwatered tends to deter a cat from digging in a container. They hate wet paws.

Check out Gardel's in FG for plants, I like his stock and he's cool.
Gardel's Garden
97 S Portland Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 243-2725

BBG Garnder's Resource Center has lots of info, especially on orchids.
http://www.bbg.org/lib/grc.html

Subject: The Western World

Brooklynleather, if the setting sun hits your window like the ending of Blade Runner you are in luck, you have 50% of light of a southern exposure. A northern exposure gives you roughly about 20 - 25% of southern light. Getting the max amount of light at days end is not ideal, but workable as long as you have bright ambient light most of the day. Plant lights are ticky but they help.

Pick a plant that would live in a northern window (previously posted list). Buy a plant that is close in size to what you would like so you can figure out where it will go. Winter is a psuedo dormant period for tropical plants. It won't really grow until the warmer summer days. Buffer cold drafts, you might have better luck with hanging plants since heat rises. Rotate every two days for even exposure.

TIP: Visit the tropcial conservatory at the BBG with a light meter. Compare your window to areas in the conservatory. Check light on the ground under trees. Make note of the platings.

Gotta catch a train, good luck.

Subject: Karl Knows Cats

This time lapsed scribbling might explain it better than I can.



When in doubt, blame the cat.

Subject: Karl Knows Rotation

The indoor garden can be an adveture. I have seen jungle like apartment plantings that survive without rotation. They tend to be a bit bald on the back (like a 500 year old Sea Hag). It's true that in nature plants do not move (unless they are in fact level 4 tree people).

Rotation is part of a strategy for indoor low light settings (haunted castles, magic towers, studios, etc.). Since the apartment is an artificial envirnoment, rotation compensates for a few things that are lacking from a nature. ROLL INTITIATIVE (use a 20 sider).

A potted plant is a limited energy creature (level 3 druid). Most nursery stock is bred for show, but may have a compromised immune system (Combliness: 20, Constitution: 12, Strength: 11). It relies on maximizing the use of light on newer, more efficient leaves to manufacture its food. Rotation gives leaves more exposure to light than it would in nature .

Plants actually benefit from disturbance. Speaking to them is questionable. Rotating a plant and simple leaf pruning lessen the chance of collective soil fungi by giving it air circulation when moved. If fugnus develops in the soil from poor circulation and overwatering, the plant will spend more energy treating its disease and less energy on photosynthesis.

White flies and spider mites are the bain of the indoor garden. Just like the Cobol (tiny dog people with bow skills) they are very small but attack in mass and are difficult to treat lessening a plant's number of hit points (HP: 8 out of 24). A simple disturbance discourages collective pests, or might help you discover them when you move them. So go ahead and shake it too. ROLL ATTACK (use 8 sider).

For hanging plants, you want to keep the weight and pot size down by root pruning. It might become a pendulous threat over time (like a weighty Maga hanging over your boat). For non hangng plants you could always go for the larger pot. You don't have to be a level 8 warrior to move 30 pounds.

Horticultural aesthetics are personal. I have seen six year old banana trees in apartments, diminutive but healthy. But I question how long it would live leaning to one side in a hallway window at the top of the stairs.

Subject: Re: Karl knows plants

laura wrote: maybe some people need to clean the litter box more often? Or maybe we're talking about cats that also go outside (not recommended if you want safe healthy cats).

I blame that smelly cat for its soil destroying behavior, and I rue the day I tried to make it my familiar to do my bidding. I've said too much. I must go now.