Soil6 min read
Perlite vs Vermiculite: They Do Opposite Things
Both are white-ish mineral granules sold on the same shelf for the same price, and people treat them as interchangeable. One adds drainage; the other adds water retention.
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The archive
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Everything published so far, newest first.
24 articles · page 3 of 3
Indoor6 min read
Spider Plant Care and How to Turn One Into Twenty
Chlorophytum comosum is the plant most people were handed as a child, and it is still one of the best: fast, tolerant, and it hands you free plants on the end of long arching stems.
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Bonsai7 min read
Ficus Bonsai: The Only Bonsai That Genuinely Thrives Indoors
If you want a bonsai on a shelf rather than a balcony, this is the genus that works. It tolerates dry air, forgives pruning mistakes, heals fast, and does not need a cold winter.
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Pests6 min read
Fungus Gnats: Annoying, Mostly Harmless, Easy to Eliminate
The small black flies drifting out of your pots are not eating your plant. They are a symptom of medium that stays too wet — which is why the fix is a watering fix.
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Succulents7 min read
Christmas Cactus Care: Getting It to Flower on Schedule
Schlumbergera is not a desert plant and treating it like one is why yours has never bloomed. It is a jungle epiphyte, and its flowering is triggered by darkness and cool nights.
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Soil6 min read
The Gravel Layer Myth: Why It Makes Drainage Worse
Putting stones in the bottom of a pot is the most widely repeated piece of plant advice there is. It has been known to be counterproductive since the 1950s, and the physics is not complicated.
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