Beginner Gardening: What is it?, 1 by plantladylin

plantladylin wrote:
I keep mine on the dry side and only water every week and a half.

You can test to see if your plant needs water by sticking your finger about an inch down into the soil. If it feels damp, it does not need water. If dry, water until the water runs through the bottom of the pot and empty out any remaining water sitting in the saucer.

I also recommend a light, well draining soil. When I buy plants I always repot and with fresh potting soil and I mix a lot of perlite in so it will give it good drainage.


Here's a photo of my Dracaena Janet Craig. It is right next to our aquarium, but I don't know if the location helps with humidity since the tank is enclosed. I use a spray bottle of water and mist mine a couple of times a week if I remember. I have some brown leaf tips that I just noticed when I went to take this photo. Another way of raising the humidity for plants is to have an outer container that doesn't have a drainage hole and put pebbles in the bottom with a little water. Sit the potted plant on top of the pebbles. Just make sure you don't have the water level above the pebbles as you don't want the plant soaking up a lot of water or you will end up with root rot.