Diagnosing Houseplant Problems, Plant Terms and a Focus on Fertilizer
In this episode we define some terms that plant geeks toss around, and give you a recipe for figuring out what’s wrong with your houseplants. If you’ve ever wondered why fertilizer is called “plant food” or how lichen can grow on a rock or your roof, this is your podcast!
:28 Plant Noob: Semi-Evergreen? Sub-shrub?
3:39 Eat/Drink/Grow: Diagnosing problems on houseplants.
17:45 Focus on Fertilizer: Why fertilizer shouldn’t be thought of as plant food.
19:24 Love Letters and Questions Nina asked “How the heck does lichen grow/stay alive on stones and dead branches?”
This sweetbay magnolia tree is semi-evergreen. When this photo was taken, in late February, and half of the leaves were still on the tree from the summer of 2020.
The first question to ask yourself when you see a possible problem is “Can I rub it off?” In this case, you can indeed rub these brown lumps off – they are scale, an insect.
This lichen is living happily on cold, hard stone. We talk about why this is possible in answer to a listener’s question.