Houseplants on the TODAY Show and Repotting Sansevieria
One doesn't have to wait until spring to see beautiful lush, green plants. There are so many lovely houseplants that are easy to care for and enjoy indoors right now.
I hope you saw my latest segment on NBC's TODAY Show. If not, just click on this highlighted link. During yesterday's appearance, I shared tips on caring for a variety of houseplants - ferns, echeverias, cacti, begonias, philodendrons, money plants, and sansevieria. Sansevieria is a genus of about 70-species of flowering plants native to Africa, Madagascar and southern Asia. You may know it as one of its common names, such as mother-in-law's tongue, devil's tongue, jinn's tongue, bow string hemp, snake plant and snake tongue. I have many of them in my greenhouse.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
-
- I was up bright an early for my regular appearance on the TODAY Show. Here I am on set just before it started.
-
- If you’ve never seen what happens during a television segment, here I am in front of the cameras – numerous lights are above and several camera operators, a stage manager, and other crew members are in front of me. It takes a lot of people and a lot of work to put these shows together.
-
- During the segment, I talked about the stiff leafed Sansevieria plant. While working in my tropical greenhouse back at my farm last weekend, I noticed that these beautiful sansevieria plants were overcrowded in their pots and needed to be divided and repotted.
-
- I removed a lot of the shoots from the parent plants and placed them all in a bag for repotting. I am so happy these specimens are doing extremely well.
-
- Look closely at the plant’s leaves – they are accented with darker green bars going vertically on each leaf.
-
- And here are the parent plants now – so much better. Sansevierias are very “succulent“ and “heavy plants” and hold lots of water in their leaves. The pebbles give quick anchorage to the roots.
-
- For repotting, Brian uses an appropriate soil medium. The right soil mix will help to promote faster root growth.
-
- Brian first covers the bottom of the pot with the soil mixture.
-
- This is the shallow root system of the Sansevieria. The roots often don’t grow more than a few inches.
-
- Here is a closer look at the bottom. The root system is a mix of thick underground “stems” called rhizomes and smaller twig-like roots. When healthy, they should feel firm to the touch and are light orange in color. They are rapid growers once established.
-
- Brian selects about three shoots for each pot.
-
- And then places the sansevieria firmly in place. Several can fit into one pot – they actually don’t mind being a little crowded. Do you know… these plants absorb toxins, such as nitrogen oxides – they work great for improving indoor air quality? In fact, it is one of the best air purifying plants to keep.
-
- The sansevieria plant features upright leaves that range from one to eight feet tall depending on variety. These plants are among the most hardy of all houseplants because they can withstand virtually any conditions.
-
- Brian tamps the soil down around each plant to prevent any air holes. Although they are very forgiving, Sansevieria plants prefers indirect but steady light with some direct sun. They can adapt to full sun conditions, and will also survive quite dim situations.
-
- Once the plants are repotted in the gallon pots, Brian places them in one area. We always save our plastic pots for this purpose – they’re very handy to keep.
-
- Next, Brian fertilizes all the newly potted plants. Remember what I always say, “if you eat, so should your plants.”
-
- We use Osmocote – small, round coated prills filled with nutrients.
-
- The beige shell on each prill coats a core of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Brian sprinkles them around the entire base of the plant.
-
- And then he gives all of them a good drink. For regular care, the soil should be almost completely dry before thoroughly watering. Plants can be watered about once every two to six weeks, depending on the temperature, light levels, and humidity.
-
- Here are the newly potted Sansevieria plants – they’ll be very happy. What indoor plant care tasks are you doing this weekend? Let me know your own tips and tricks in the comments below.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
