# Tired Houseplants Revived



## Plattykins (Apr 3, 2005)

So I was walking around Lowe's after work last evening (Lowe's is a home improvement superstore here) and I came across a cart full of house plants on sale for 50% off. These poor plants looked to be in pretty bad shape. Of course no light was getting to the second and third shelves of the cart and many had not received water in some time, let alone fertilizer. I thought about all I have read here about emersed growth and decided to try to save some of the plants.

I had a few plastic containers the size of hanging file folders that were serving no purpose at the moment and I also had some left over egg crate that I use in my aquariums for various purposes. For a light, I picked up a clamp on work light and a a 50w Sylvannia Spot-Gro bulb. I selected six 3-inch pots from the cart and brought it all home.

Since I have zero space for the containers (too many tanks! ) I cleared off the top shelf of my cookbook bookcase and set up everything there. Cutting the egg crate to size, I placed it inside the containers and set the pots on top, but first, I dipped them in a light solution of dishwashing liquid and water to kill off any little bugs that might have hitchhiked.

I hooked up the light, but deciding not to clamp the light on one of the containers, I borrowed one of my cutting boards and braced it in place with a couple of small bricks I keep around outside. I then put a bit of water in each of the pots, but then filled the containers just above the egg crate with water from one of my tanks. I removed a rectangle piece of glass from a frame I was not using and put that over the top of the two containers.

Unfortunately, it turns out that the Spot-Gro bulb requires a ceramic socket, due to the higher heat, so I will have to change out the standard socket that came with the work light. This means, there is not as much humidity/heat as I would have liked in the containers at the onset. Meanwhile, I am using a 60w bug light, as I prefer the yellow light for these plants over a standard white bulb. I left the lamp shining on the plants for awhile before leaving the lamp off for the night.

While I was fussing over the plants last night, I noticed that they began to revive almost immediately and I figured I would wait until this morning to see what parts of the plants looked like they might survive. Most of the areas of the plants did improve significantly. I trimmed off a few leaves and stems that had pinched themselves off and now I cannot believe the transformation.

I wish I had taken "before" pictures, as the plants looked pitiful when I purchased them. Just the same, I wanted to at least post the after photos (below). Now I want to go back to Lowe's and get more plants, plus get a few cuttings from my tanks started. I have been thinking about doing some emersed growth for some time, but now I definately have the bug.

_Syngonium podophyllum, Pilea cadierei, Jasmin polyanthum_









_Hedera helix, Fatshedera lizei, an unidentified ivy hybrid(?)_









The whole setup


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## New 2 Fish (Dec 31, 2004)

Nice! I like the egg crate watering plan. Sounds like what my houseplants need. I pay a lot of attention to my aquarium plants, but do you think I can remember to water my houseplants? Nah!
Plus, my gf is always moving them to dark places (most of these plants need bright light, which is hard in my house to begin with). Last weekend, she put my asparagus fern outside in freezing temperatures! She doesn't like it when the needles shed. The plant does great outside in the summer, but.. uh... when I bring it in it doesn't get the water or light it needs.....


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## Plattykins (Apr 3, 2005)

Same here, New. I don't think to water my other house plants anywhere near enough, so I think I will put a dish under them an try to keep it filled. Not easy this time of year though. Wintertime means dry air, so any moisture is sucked up fairly quickly. My tanks show it the most, as the levels drop faster than usual. Light is an issue to, as I keep bright light away from computer screens. What I really need is a mini green house... let's see, I do have a spare room... hmmm.  Hope your fern recovers.


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