My grandmother was the queen of growing African Violets. I think that they need a light and gentle touch and that would certainly describe my grandmother’s touch! I am more suited toward the succulent plants because they are more forgiving. I also like that there are so many different kinds of succulents out there. Hens and chicks remain my favorite.

I think that when it comes to houseplants we either ignore them a bit too much or we spend excessively too much time paying attention to them and neither is a good thing to do. The U of M Extension has a great webpage dedicated to the more popular houseplants that we have to help us determine just how much attention (or how little) we should give these plants particularly during the winter months when we tend to focus more on them while our other plants are asleep.

The biggest issue with our houseplants is the availability of water that has not been softened or chlorinated. Houseplants prefer water that is at room temperature and it could include rainwater, reverse osmosis water or distilled water. I have well water that I use and I fill up a gallon jug, letting it sit each week until it is needed.

African violets are particularly fussy when it comes to getting their leaves wet. The use of a turkey baster or something similar works well to keep the water off the leaves. Gardeners can also use a neat trick when it comes to watering African violets or other plants that can’t tolerate having water on their leaves. It’s called wicking.

For this to work on an established potted plant, you will need to repot the plant and place a nylon or polyester string in the pot and thread it through the bottom of the pot where the drain holes are in the pot. Repot the plant with the wick hanging out of the bottom of the plant pot. The wick is then threaded into the cover of another plastic container that has a small hole in the lid. The container will hold the water and fertilizer that is needed for the plant. The wick will draw up the water into the plant and will keep it moist and you will not need to try to water from the top of the plant again. To see specific pictures, please go to https://extension.umn.edu/house-plants/african-violets#watering–111513 for further details.

This can be used for many different kinds of plants and even something similar can be used for those of us who like to have potted plants outside but may be gone for the weekend or on vacation. A larger plastic pot can be used to keep outside potted plants watered as well.

If you want a challenge this winter and have not yet thrown your Poinsettia away, there are some specific instructions to follow if you want to challenge yourself to see if you can get it to return to its Christmas time beauty when you first purchased it. There are month-by-month steps found at the U of M Extension at the following page, which are easy to follow. You might want to add them to your calendar in order to remember what to do when. The page can be found at the following link https://extension.umn.edu/houseplants/poinsettia

If you are thinking ahead about Valentine’s Day, you may want to consider moth orchids for a gift. These are easy to care for and can be moved outside this spring after the danger of frost. The care of these beautiful plants can be found at the following page https://www.orchidweb.com/phalaenopsis-orchid-care

For more information about gardening, you can reach me at dejaegherefarm@gmail.com