You gave the "Q"....I give the "A" or at least I try.

I asked on a previous post for some questions from you guys....and I got a few...Now it is time for me to attempt to answer some. I do hope my answers will be the ones that work!

Anonymous asked:

"I heard that plants can clean the air in my house. Is this true?"

Hi anonymous! Yes! At least that is what the NASA scientists think! I remember my grandmother having a fit when she walked into my son's nursery...there were 4 plants in there. She was frantic that I was robbing him of valuable oxygen! This is NOT true...it is an old wives tale.

Here is a list of the house plants considered to be the best air cleaners:

Bamboo Palm

Chinese Evergreen (algonema)

English Ivy (hedra series)

Gerbera Daisy

Dracena (all types)

Mother in laws tongue (snake plant)

Chrysanthemum

Peace Lily

Spider Plant

Keep in mind that the more the merrier when we talk about the air cleaning capabilities of a house plant. One plant will not have the "horsepower" to clean an entire house...or in some cases even an entire room.

Hope I helped!

Vilma from Australia wanted to have some information about her Peace Lily...Hers is not doing well at all and she was wondering what she could do to fix it!
Vilma: I have not had one live for more than 4 years, so I may not be the best one to ask. You mentioned that you keep it in your bathroom. Could it be covered in hairspray and dust? I know this is a big issue for many of the plants I keep in mine. The hairspray makes a sticky film for the dust to land on, and the plant can't breathe. Or....could it have spider mites? Look for tiny webs at the base of the leaf. If you do...wash them off, and increase the humidity around the base of the plant...adding a tray of gravel filled with water (so the plant can't drown in the water) will add a little humidity to the plant and the bugs won't like that.

Or....This plant will enjoy a little more light than the tags often say. Is it near a window? If it is getting enough light, check to see that it is not getting a cold draft. This could cause issues...

Root rot is caused by too much moisture in the pot....check to see if you are maybe drowning it ...does your pot have sufficient drainage? You may need to change the soil and start over if the roots are rotting...this may not even help if the rot is too bad...Or...one more thing to check for is a disease called Blight.

"The early stages of blight are easily missed, and not all plants are affected at once. Symptoms include the appearance of dark blotches on leaf tips and plant stems. White mould will appear under the leaves in humid conditions and the whole plant may quickly collapse. Infected tubers develop grey or dark patches that are reddish brown beneath the skin, and quickly decay to a foul-smelling mush caused by the infestation of secondary soft bacterial rots. Seemingly healthy tubers may rot later when in store."

This is the problem my spathiphyllum had in the past. If you need more information on this disease please look here. (where I found this quote)

Thanks for the question...I do hope I helped you!

A LONG time ago our Artist1111 left this question for me...

"Is there any flower that you have trouble with? I think I might try to start some from seeds in Jan. like you. I don't have a greenhouse, and I just have 5 windows in my house. What about a grow light?Kathy "

Yes I have issues with several plants as a matter of fact...but that is not the issue today...(it will make me cranky) If you want to use grow lights, make sure you get the good ones. Your local hardware store may sell them. If not ...look online and choose a good quality one that will give your plants enough light. In the past I have tried to use them in rooms with very little light, and my plants were not very happy, and were very weak in the stem. They fell easily and were more prone to disease and bugs. I also could not afford a good quality light either. College grants were not very generous for things as such!

Thanks girl...hope I helped....even if it is a little bit late!

Kathy also asked:

"It is so pretty. Tootsie can you do a post on grass. I am having a time with my grass. There is so may different kinds of grass in my yard, I don't want to dig up the entire yard and re seed. What can I do to make my grass like yours. Kathy "

My blog post for one day this week is all about the lawn. I do hope you will tune in for it. (hey Kathy...better timing this time hey? lol)