Jim Karpen Tips

May 2001

It's not always pleasant to be reminded of one's ineptitude, but that's what happened when I went to PlantCare.com. For most of my life I simply assumed that plant care consisted of watering it occasionally. I always wondered why my plants didn't do very well. In fact, they've all died.

So I asked a friend whose environment is always filled with plants what I was doing wrong. He said, "Plants are like children. You've got to take care of them and feed them and tend to their needs." Oh.

But I didn't really get it until I looked at a plant--a Golden Chain Orchid--on PlantCare.com, a plant that I had selected because it was in the "beginner" category in regard to care. "Soil: use medium shredded fir bark or small to medium lava rock." "Fertilizer: use a fertilizer specifically designed for orchids ever two to three weeks." "Propagation: Division in the spring. After dividing plant, pot in the plant's regular potting mix." "Tips: mist occasionally with warm water (lime free to avoid leaf staining)."

I don't think I'll ever make the grade. Some plants in the "advanced" category have up to 18 different aspects of care to tend to. Still, I'm excited about this site. It lists 1,300 species of house and greenhouse plants and gives you a variety of ways to access the information. You can search by either the plant's Latin name or common name.

Also very useful is the excellent way in which they let you search by plant type. Step one lets you pick from a list of 19 types, such as annuals, bamboo, cacti, ferns, herbs, palms, and perennials. Step two (on the same screen) lets you select a range of additional features and conditions: Environment, Flowering, Foliage, Light, Humidity, Temperature, Care Required, and Fragrant.

The types of plants include "purifiers"--plants that purify the air. I thought that looked interesting, so I selected that category. Then I selected "home" for the Environment. Naturally, for Care Required I selected "beginner." The resulting search returned a list of over 40. So I qualified it further: I stipulated flowering and fragrant. Which resulted in the above-mentioned Gold Chain Orchid.

The site is devoted exclusively to indoor plants, so the information applies regardless of where you live. It also includes a section on common pests that helps you identify them and tells you what to do to get rid of them. There is a page of links to other plant sites, including seed companies. The site also has a chat area and a fairly active message board, giving you the opportunity to ask questions.

© 2001 by Jim Karpen, Ph.D. (#266)