Don't Get Bugged Over Christmas Plants

Welcome back. This is a Christmas topic you may not find discussed anywhere else but here. It can be very important. Insect pests in your Christmas plants. Generally, your houseplants are pestered by only 6 or 7 types of insects. Of this small number, one in particular makes a sudden appearance this time of year - during the Christmas season.

Fungas Gnat

     The fungus gnat (when outside the home they are called mushroom flies) is a soil borne plant pest that can be laying in hiding in your new plant's potting soil just waiting to erupt into a cloud of nuisance. They will come into your home in the potting mix of a new plant. They may come in as eggs waiting between the pot and the soil. They may come in as hatched larva crawling around within the top inch or so of the potting soil. They may be in your potting mix in the pupa stage. They may come in as fully developed flies, as seen here. They may come in as all 4 stages at the same time.
     Because most Christmas plants are grown so quickly and in large  numbers in the greenhouses, they are more susceptible to disease and insect infestation. It is easy for a few (or a lot) of plants to escape the growers' efforts to control problems. The fungus gnat fly will stay close to the plants. The fly itself is not only annoying but will lay more eggs. Herein lies the real danger. They will quickly infest any nearby houseplants. If left undetected and untreated, fungus gnats will soon be in all of your plants. It is the larva living in the top inch or so of the soil that causes the damage to your plants by eating away at the plants' fine root hairs. Slowly but surely your plants will begin to suffer.
     So look for this pest. Check the foliage area for the fly and lightly cultivate/disturb the top inch of soil looking for more flies and larvae. Should you find any, quickly quarantine the infected plant(s) from the rest of your plants.  The fungus gnat looks very similar to a fruit fly but it will be smaller and darker and they fly very fast. Should you find them, you can

• quarantine the plant until after Christmas
• discard the plant
• install yellow sticky traps to catch flies and measure the extent of the problem
• repot the plant with complete new soilless potting mix
• treat the plant with the right insecticide.

     At Plants For All, we are licensed by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment to sell Class 6 and 7 insecticides. We can help. Well, that turned out to be more information than I initially anticipated. If it was too long, let me know. I appreciate all of the feed back.
   

Plants For All retail store at 

  66 Dawson Road in Guelph will now be open Saturdays until Christmas from 11am to 3 pm.


 Exclusive Save 15% Blog Offer - Plants For All is a small independent plant shop and we would like a chance at your tropical plant-buying business. From now through to Christmas, I'll be updating this blog frequently to discuss Christmas plant topics and feature some of our products. When you come into our store, mention this exclusive blog offer and receive 15% off of your entire purchase - now through to Christmas.  We would love to see you.

Here is a quick peek - Christmas at Plants For All. Check out this short video. I will be in the store this Saturday, December 22 from 11am to 3pm. I would love for you to come and visit. Directions are here. 

One Last Thing - I have been venturing more into the Twittersphere lately and I am enjoying the conversations and wide range of topics. Please join me to get the frequent updates and valuable info from like-minded followers. Find me at www.twitter.com/BrianOsmond1

 As always, your comments and criticism will be appreciated.

Have a joyous holiday and Merry Christmas to all.

Brian Osmond  

Plants For All 

Continued - Christmas 2012 at Plants For All

Another day and lots more stuff. How is your preparation for the Christmas season coming along? You still have lots of time - don't you?
Before getting on with it, I was advised of a couple of points to make about the last post -

Anthurium - Christmas Plant?

1. when talking about Poinsettias, I mentioned a few other plants that want to be considered 'Christmas plants'.  I should have added the Anthurium. With their blazing red flowers, they can attract the eye of the Christmas colour conscious consumer. We have Anthuriums in stock in 4" and 6" pot sizes.
2. Under One of Our Favourites section, I was telling you that our Atlantean products, Specialty Fertilizer Concentrate is mixed at the rate of 7 drops per litre of water. I should have mentioned that to make measuring easier and messless (I think I just created a new word) we include a special flip-top cap that can dispense the concentrate one drop at a time. 

Rosemary Cone form - 6" pot

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is another plant that gains popularity at this time of year. It is quite simply my most favourite herb. Besides its many culinary, medicinal and cosmetic uses, Rosemary is a symbol of friendship, loyalty and remembrance. A sprig of Rosemary is often carried by mourners at funerals and the bride at her wedding. Greek scholars wore garlands or sprigs of Rosemary when sitting their exams to improve their memory and concentration.

Rosemary 4" pot

     When my grandchildren were younger, I would add ground dried Rosemary leaves to scrambled eggs to offer them green eggs (refer to Dr.Seuss - Green Eggs and Ham); both delicious and fun.
     Rosemary are very hardy to grow indoors year round or to plant outside in the Spring. It will not tolerate our cold. Treat it to bright light, warm temperatures and not too wet.  
    Rosemary is only available at certain times of the year and we have it now in the 2 sizes pictured here at $4 for the 4" pot and $35 for the big Cone form. Come in for a smell - excellent.

Plants For All retail store at 

  66 Dawson Road in Guelph will now be open Saturdays until Christmas from 11am to 3 pm. 

Exclusive Save 15% Blog Offer - Plants For All is a small independent plant shop and we would like a chance at your tropical plant-buying business. From now through to Christmas, I'll be updating this blog frequently to discuss Christmas plant topics and feature some of our products. When you come into our store, mention this exclusive blog offer and receive 15% off of your entire purchase - now through to Christmas.  We would love to see you.

Spring Leafshine

  One of Our Favourites - whether it's plants going into our office maintenance accounts or a plant going home with you from our retail store, we want that plant to shine. We sell a few different kinds of leafshine; but our favourite to use is Spring Leafshine. We sell one size - the big 600ml aerosol spray can. The propellant is Ozone Safe. Just spray your foliage plants lightly and that's it. No need to wipe off. I can clean a 6' ficus benjamina in less than a minute. Clean the plants in your home now for just $17.25 per can.

Come in for a demonstration and pick up a can of Spring Leafshine. 

One Last Thing - the 2013 Goldbook telephone directory was distributed today. Check out our ad under "Plants-Indoor-Retail & Maintenance" , we're the only ones listed. It is on page 150. The ad includes a handy QR code that you can scan with your smart phone to get quick contact information about Plants For All. You can also jump to the ad on our Goldbook web page here. Please let me know what you think of this QR code feature. Thanks.

Until next time, keep the Christmas Spirit.

Brian Osmond

 

 

 
      

Christmas 2012 at Plants For All

Plants For All store is ready

We are getting geared up in the store for the Christmas season. 
     Linda has done a fantastic job of filling the store with the reds and greens. OK - a lot of green was already here because of all of our tropical plants.  We have a nice selection of poinsettias, tropical plants, bonsai, air plants, baskets, plant foods & fertilizers, leaf shine, insecticides, pots, artificial trees, bushes and stems and on and on.....
     One thing that sets Plants For All retail store apart is the personal attention that you will receive because we are a small independent plant shop and we'll make everyone of your custom plant arrangements uniquely yours..
     I said that we are getting geared up. That's because we won't be done until Christmas. Things are always changing - we keep adding new items. So, do stop in often to see what's going on.

Poinsettia Standard Red

The Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is the king of Christmas plants, and solid red is still by far the favourite colour. Each year some other plant comes onto the scene to try and make a claim at being the Christmas plant - Christmas cactus, cyclamens, assorted ferns, violets; but the Poinsettia is the Christmas plant. Also each year, the topic of Poinsettia toxicity comes to the forefront.  Poinsettia are not poisonous. However, you should discourage your child or pet from eating any of your plants because the plants are fibrous and could easily become a choking hazard. Furthermore, being a Euphorbia, the poinsettia, when a stem or leaf is broken, will 'bleed' a white sap that many people do find irritating. (Check out the 'Plant Toxicity' page at the top of this blog for a bit of common sense on this subject).
    The Poinsettia has an overall rating of 5.1 (out of 10)in the EcoFriendly House Plants book by B.C Wolverton. Ratings are based on a plant's comparative analysis regarding the removal of chemical vapours, ease of growth and maintenance, resistance to insect infestation and transpiration rate.

Exclusive Save 15% Blog Offer - As I noted above, Plants For All is a small independent plant shop and we would like a chance at your tropical plant-buying business. From now through to Christmas, I'll be updating this blog frequently to discuss Christmas plant topics and feature some of our products. When you come into our store, mention this exclusive blog offer and receive 15% off of your entire purchase - now through to Christmas.  We would love to see you.
   

Specialty Fertilizer Concentrate

One of Our Favourites - The main part of the Plants For All business is our contract maintenance of live tropical plants in offices. What, when and how we feed and fertilize our clients' plants is very, very important. You can download a free pdf of the Nutrient Application that we use by going to www.plantsforall.ca/information-downloads.php   One of Our Favourites is the Atlantean products, Specialty Fertilizer Concentrate. This product contains molasses, calcium, seaweed, phosphorus and vitamin C. We mix just 7 drops per litre of water and water it into our plants. Download the aforementioned pdf for application details. We carry 2 sizes in our store - 300g bottle for $10 and a 1.1kg bottle for $20. Check it out.

That's it for now. As always, I would welcome your feedback and/or questions. Check the Contact Us page at the top of this blog and we would love to see you in the store.

Putting Your Tropical Plants Outside - Part 5 - Trimming & Pruning

     Before getting to the subject of the day, I would like to acknowledge a very favourable comment received after the last post.  Thank you so much.  The feedback is certainly encouraging.  If you would like to comment please do so at the end of this post.

     Most of your indoor tropical plants will benefit from spending the spring, summer and early fall outside, and by now, you may already have set them out. Here are some guidelines and things to consider to ensure their time is beneficial and well spent for both the plants and you.
     
     By this time your plants are well positioned outside. They are being watered and fed and fertilized properly and growing until they are as happy as you think they can be. But what should happen to all of that new growth? Trim and prune.


     Trimming is the minor cutting off of damaged plant material and shaping of the plant's foliage. Pruning is the major cutting of limbs and branches and stems and, failing some catastrophic physical incident, is usually reserved until preparing the plant for coming back inside in the fall.


    I find that trimming a plant is one of the most satisfying of all maintenance that is required to tend your plants. It is also the hardest one for beginners to grasp. You have a hands-on direct influence in the physical strength, appearance and health of your plant. A good trimming job will improve the quality of your plants and increase your own personal satisfaction. A poor trimming job, while it won't enhance either the plant nor your self-esteem, will most likely grow out so you can try again. Go slow and practice.

    Always use sharp scissors or shears, depending upon the thickness of the plant material being trimmed.  I will trim primarily to remove damaged material or to shape the plant. Damaged material may be leaves that have brown edges due to low humidity, leaves that have been torn or eaten by animals/pests and branches that have been broken by wind or birds or you.

     When trimming leaves with damaged edges, I will trim off just the damaged area because if the rest of the leaf is still healthy, it is producing food for the plant.  Trim the leaf to the same shape as a perfect leaf. If your leaf should be pointed, then trim that way. If your leaf should be rounded, then trim that way.  Perfect leaves do not have their ends cut flat, straight across. Don't do it. With a little practice, you can shape the leaves well enough so as to avoid detection by others. Yes, you can. I know. It is very satisfying and your plant will look and be healthier. So trim out all damaged material as it appears.

     Trimming to shape the plant is a lot easier than you may think. I will share my secret with you shortly.  By now, I expect your plants are showing lots of new growth. While we want to encourage new growth, it would be a mistake to let the plant go wild and crazy. Trimming back new growth will keep the inside of your plant fuller and encourage strengthening of the inner trunks and stems.

How to Trim for Shape: I want the plant to grow; but I restrict how much it grows and how fast. Stand back and look at your plant.  Draw an imaginary profile around your plant and in the shape that you want your plant to be.  All plant material that 'pokes' outside of that profile comes off with your sharp scissors or shears. The first couple of times that you trim for shape, you will likely have a few holes where your profile is not filled out. That's OK. Trim for shape at least once a week and more often if you like. Remember just cut off the material that 'pokes' outside of that profile. The plant is going to try to regrow from where you cut it; but be strong and determined. Trimming will encourage new growth from the inner sections of the plant.


     While you are getting so close and personal and hands-on with your plant, this is a good time to keep a watchful eye for insect problems. The earlier that we can detect an insect issue, the easier it will be to resolve that issue. I will be getting into insect problems in more detail as fall arrives; but if you have an issue to discuss, get in touch with me by commenting at the end of this post or email me at plantsforall@ody.ca 

Topsy-Turvy Update: Remember the tomato plant that we planted in the upside down (Topsy-Turvy) planter at the trailer. Well, it is doing quite well as you can see in this recent update picture.  We have a small cluster of flowers and the plant itself is strong and full. We have pulled off several suckers.  I'll keep you up to date.



 
Foliage for Clean Air Council - Plants For All was one of the original Charter Sponsors of the Foliage for Clean Air Council many years ago and we have been strong advocates of the benefits of using tropical plants to clean the air we breathe inside of our homes and offices. This group has since morphed into several different offshoots; but the message is still the same.  Recently, the work of Dr. Wolverton and his NASA research in this field has gained a higher profile and awareness.  We have had more people coming in to buy plants on his preferred plants list.  Plants For All has a lot of information from Dr. Wolverton's findings and over 30 years of our own experience in the tropical plants in offices business. I have been asked to post on this blog about this subject. So stay tuned for lots of information and comment. I will take a break from this series of posts on  Putting Your Tropical Plants Outside until the fall, when I will address the important topics of insects and preparing your plants to come back inside.

 And one more thing ....

    We have posted a new web page featured plant on our web page at http://www.plantsforall.ca/featured-plant.php . We are offering a beautiful Schefflerra Amate floorplant with a regular price of $50 for just $30 until Monday, August 13, 2012. This is an incredible value. Click on the web page link for more detail.

This is a substantial 4-5 feet tall with 3 plants in a 10" pot. This is one of the plants studied in Dr. Wolverton's research.

Putting Your Tropical Plants Outside - Part 4 - Fertilizing and Feeding

     Most of your indoor tropical plants will benefit from spending the spring, summer and early fall outside, and by now, you may already have set them out. Here are some guidelines and things to consider to ensure their time is beneficial and well spent for both the plants and you.
 

      From discussions in the previous posts, you now know that the interior tropical plants that you have set outside are getting more light and more water and more frequent watering. They want to grow. Essential to good, healthy growth is the application of nutrients. You will want to feed your plants. I differentiate between fertilizing and feeding.

      Fertilizing is the application of a product with significant content of the 3 main nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. To fertilize foliage tropical plants we use and recommend Plant Prod 15-15-18. To fertilize flowering tropical plants we use and recommend Plant Prod 15-30-15.

      Feeding is the application of a product with much lower content of the 3 main nutrients. We use and recommend Atlantean Products Specialty Fertilizer Original Blend. Part of the blend is seaweed that contains 59 trace elements that are beneficial to your plants and not included in the chemical fertilizers. The nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium are present at the rate of 2-1-1.

      When tending the tropical plants indoors, we fertilizer at ¼ the recommended rate, once a month. Every other time that the plant needs watering we feed at the rate of 7 drops per litre of water. It may sound more complicated than it actually is. (In fact, you can download a pdf that I created to more fully explain our application procedures and the products that we use right here and click on the Nutrient Application pdf.)  Note: Do not use both products at the same watering.

      Now, back to your plants that you have put outside. Follow a similar application procedure as for indoors. The difference will be that because you are watering more, the fertilizing and feeding that the plants actually receive will also be more. Set up a fertilizing/feeding cycle – one time you will fertilize and the next three times you will feed. Then start your cycle again and continue. Do not increase the rate of fertilizer nor feed that you mix. If you apply too strong of a fertilizer, you will risk burning and stressing your plant. (You cannot apply too much of the Atlantean Products Specialty Fertilizer Original Blend; however, the plant will only use what it needs and the rest of the nutrients and trace elements will just be wasted.)

      So let me know what is going on with your tropical plants that you have put outside for the summer. Next post, we will continue this series with a discussion about trimming and pruning.

Palm Update

New Growth

In a post dated June 7, I showed you a picture of my Neanthe bella palm that I had planted  outside at the trailer. It was showing signs of sunburn and stress. As we have since discussed, the palm is recovering nicely, as shown in this more recent pic. The overhanging trees have filled in to provide a nice shade canopy to reduce the amount of direct sunlight hitting the palm.  I am encouraged by the new growth.

Angel's Trumpet 

We put 3 Angel's Trumpet plants up at the trailer a couple of weeks ago. This week, one has presented us with the first of many, I hope, magnificent blooms. This bloom is 7 inches wide and 13.5 inches long. The flower closes somewhat during the day and has almost no fragrance. But at night the bloom opens completely and sends out a very strong and very pleasant fragrance. When the breeze blows I can easily enjoy the smell from my seat on the deck. Very special indeed and I'm looking forward to many more.

 And one more thing ....

    We have posted a new web page featured plant on our web page at http://www.plantsforall.ca/featured-plant.php . We are offering all of our artificial ferns at 40% off until Monday, July 23.
 

     Things are quieter during the summer months, so we want to shake things up a bit by offering to you exceptional savings on all of our in-stock artificial ferns. We have Boston Fern bushes in small, medium, large and extra large. We have also included Asparagus (Springerii) Fern Bushes and Spray, Maiden Hair Fern Stems and Leather Fern Stems - all at 40% off.

 

Putting Your Tropical Plants Outside - Part 3 - Change of Watering Part 2 of 2

Most of your indoor tropical plants will benefit from spending the spring, summer and early fall outside, and by now, you may already have set them out. Here are some guidelines and things to consider to ensure their time is beneficial and well spent for both the plants and you.

Previously, we covered how increases in light intensity and duration necessitates changes to frequency and amount to water. There are other factors that will impact your watering regimen for your indoor tropical plants when you have set them outside.

The outside environment is much more variable than the indoor environment. Blowing wind, whether gusting gales or gentle breezes will dry your plants out and the speed by which the plants will dry out is in direct relationship to the strength and duration of those blowing winds.

Changes in outdoor temperatures will change how quickly your plant takes up water. Consistently warm temperatures will cause the plant to use a lot of water. A sudden drop in temperature will cause the plants uptake of water to be reduced. If the temperature drop is severe enough, it may cause the plant to stop taking up water altogether. This will just be temporary until the plant has adapted to its environmental changes; but be aware of these changes and do not water when your plant does not need it.

The dog days of summer are characterized by searing temperatures and often accompanied by low humidity. When humidity is low, much of the plants moisture is lost through its leaves. Be extra vigilant during these times. Low humidity does not directly translate into dry plants. Adding more water to a pot that is already wet will not solve a low humidity condition. Misting or spraying the plant with water and seaweed will certainly help.

While all of these factors will cause your plant to lose or use more water, remember the rain. Depending on where you have positioned your plant it may be exposed to receiving a lot or a little rain water. After a good rain you may be able to avoid watering for a while. Be sure to check.

What can you do?  As discussed in the last post, water the plant when it needs it and give it the amount of water needed to bring it back to its ideal moisture condition. If you need more detail on that discussion, feel free to check back to the last post.

Heed your local weather reports. Be aware of temperatures, humidity, when rain or drought is expected and water your plants accordingly.

Next time we will address some nutritional requirements when putting your indoor tropical plants outside.

  And one more thing ....

We have posted a new web page featured plant on our web page at http://www.plantsforall.ca . We are offering a Kalanchoe blossfeldiana (Flaming Katy)   for $8.85 with a regular price of $12.25, plus a Free extra Bonus.  
 

    

Average temperatures – Bright light

Water thoroughly & let surface dry between waterings

     Go to our web page “Featured Plant” page for a free information pdf download.

      Check it out on the "Featured Plant" page of our web site. That offer expires Wednesday, July 4, 2012.

Putting Your Tropical Plants Outside -Part 2 - Change of Watering Part 1 of 2

     Most of your indoor tropical plants will benefit from spending the spring, summer and early fall outside, and by now, you may already have set them out. Here are some guidelines and things to consider to ensure their time is beneficial and well spent for both the plants and you. 

Sun-burned Neanthe bella palm

     Just a short add to the last post about 'Light'.  Here is a picture of a Neanthe bella palm taken a week after I had planted it out at the trailer. The weather that week was sunny and hot and the leaves of the tree beside the palm had not yet filled out to provide sufficient shade. The result (as we discussed) was burned leaves. I cut off the damaged leaf material and expect a full recovery, of the palm that is.

      Proper watering of your indoor tropical plants can be a bit haphazard at best. There, I said it.

      So, when you move your plants outside, be prepared for a completely revised watering regimen. Things have changed for your plant. The environment has become more variable and often more demanding. However, when you and your plant adapt to these changes the benefits will be substantial.

      I am frequently asked how often to water the plants and how much water to give them. The correct answers to these questions are to water the plant when it needs it and give it the amount of water needed to bring it back to its ideal moisture condition.

     While these may not be the specific answers people want to hear, they are the right answers and you can apply these same answers to watering your tropical plants when you move them outdoors.

      When your plants move outside, the most significant change will be the increase in both the intensity and duration of natural light. This will have the biggest affect on how your watering regimen will have to change. With the increase in light your plants will want to grow more and faster. They will use up the water reserve in the potting mix sooner and more completely. That reserve will need to be replenished more often.

      Whether indoors or out, it is important not to let your plant become completely dry. Doing so will interrupt the continuous flow of nutrients and moisture in through the roots and on up to the plant. This will cause air to be taken into the roots, which will in turn impede the uptake of nutrients and moisture when you finally do get around to watering the plant again. All of this on again – off again attention is very stressful on the plants mechanical systems. Yes, your plants can become stressed and no, they do not handle it well.

      Learn and know the ideal moisture condition for each variety of plant you have. Ask the experts where you bought them. If that may be an oxymoron, drop me an email at plantsforall@ody.ca or call us at 519-767-2161 or comment at the end of this post. We would be glad to hear from you.

      Water your plant to its ideal moisture condition. Initially, check your plant every 2 days to see if it is still in its ideal moisture condition. It probably will not be. Add enough water to bring it back to its ideal moisture condition. Check your plant every couple of days and you will soon learn how your plant is reacting to outdoors and adjusting its water usage.

      I have a few more factors that will have a bearing on your plants' water usage outdoors, and we will get into that next time.

  And one more thing ....

We have posted a new web page featured plant on our web page at http://www.plantsforall.ca . We are offering a Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea musipula)   for $9.90 with a regular price of $11.25.  
 

Venus Fly Trap

     Many plants are available only on a cyclical basis – for the Venus Fly Trap, its time is now & once they're gone they won't be available until next year. This plant gets its nutrients from absorbing animal life in its pads.

     Go to our web page “Featured Plant” page for a free information pdf download.

      Check it out on the "Featured Plant" page of our web site. That offer expires Monday, June 18, 2012.

Putting Your Tropical Plants Outside -Part 1 - Change of light

     Most of your indoor tropical plants will benefit from spending the spring, summer and early fall outside, and by now, you may already have set them out. Here are some guidelines and things to consider to ensure their time is beneficial and well spent for both the plants and you.

      Most tropical plants enjoy some sunshine but should not have extended periods of direct, intense sunshine. Plants moving from your lower light, indoor environment to the great outdoors will adapt to the increase in light intensity of being outside. Without your guiding hand, they may adapt by dying. Even outdoor shade areas probably have higher light intensity than most of the areas in your home where your plants reside.

      Plants grown in lower light will have thinner leaves. They may be very healthy and happy because they have adapted to your indoor lower light. Now, when you move that plant outside and it is exposed to more light, both in intensity and duration, there is a possibility that these thin leaves will burn. They cannot process the increase, sometimes quite dramatic, in light energy.

      You can avoid this trauma, by positioning the plant in a spot that only allows 2 hours maximum of sunlight a day. The rest of the day your plant can be in the shade of another plant or tree or roof or building or statuary. You do not need to keep moving your plant every 2 hours; but rather give some creative thought to your initial plant placement. Where does the sun shine on your balcony, porch deck or garden and at what times of the day?

      An increase in light will almost certainly affect how much water your plant will need. We will get into more about that next time in Part 2 of this series Putting Your Tropical Plants Outside.

*This will Help *

 Ants - no they won't help; but we have something that will. Safer's Attack Ant Killer. We have been using this product for a few years to control ants near our trailer and it is amazing. Safer's Attack Ant Killer is a Class 6 Pesticide using Borax as the active ingredient. It is safe to use both indoors and outdoors. The bottle we have is a large 240ml and we sell it at $5.79. We have used the same bottle for 3 years at the trailer and it is still at least half full. It is a great value, it's safe to use and it works.

6" pot Aloe vera (Medical Aloe)

  And one more thing ....

We have posted a new web page featured plant on our web page at http://www.plantsforall.ca . We are offering a 6" pot  Aloe vera (Medicinal Aloe Plant)  for $15.25 with a regular price of $19. Check it out on the "Featured Plant" page of our web site. That offer expires Monday, June 4, 2012.

Add Intention to Your Gifts

Welcome back. With Mother's Day just around the corner, then Father's Day and then my wife's birthday and on and on .... there always seems to be pressures to get the right gift for every occasion.
Sure, we are a plant retail store and sell all of the required accessories. However,  I am not about to try to persuade you that you must get this, and that and those for that special someone.  There are lots of excellent choices including something that you make and even, or I should say especially, your time.

Whatever you give, you can multiply the true value of that gift by giving the gift with intention. Think about your gift and think about the person who will receive the gift. How will your gift enrich their personal well being?

We belonged to the local chapter of the Taoist Tai Chi Society for a year. We enjoyed it very much and intend to rejoin when grand-parenting joys and duties are not as pressing. Going through the exercise routines is pretty straightforward; but the real benefit comes when you do each move with intention. Put yourself fully into each move with the intention that you are helping your mind and body. The results are multiplied. Likewise, add intention to your gifts.

For many years we have been helping clients apply the Chinese art or practice of Feng Shui to their situations with the proper selection and use of plants in their homes and offices. Many times the right plant in the right place is the 'cure' needed to help balance the chi or energy of their space.  However, to make any cure work at its best, the person applying the cure should do so with intention, believing that applying the cure will improve the situation. It does work and it does make a difference. Likewise, add intention to your gifts.

So, next time you are giving a gift, add intention to your gift. Both the recipient and you will feel and enjoy the extra value.

On a completely different subject, I have been having a bit of fun lately learning how to Tweet. So if you're into Tweeting, or want to be, follow me and let's start a conversation. My personal Twitter address is @BrianOsmond1 and I have just started a business account @PlantsForAll1.  I had to put the 1 after @PlantsForAll because a US garden centre chain 'took' @PlantsForAll; but that's another story for another day.

And one more thing ....

AP8 - Areca Palm Tree

We have posted a new web page featured plant on our web page at http://www.plantsforall.ca . We are offering an 8 feet tall Areca Palm Tree for $190 with a regular price of $225. Check it out on the "Featured Plant" page of our web site. That offer expires Tuesday, May 22.

Until I talk to you again. Enjoy life.


Brian Osmond
Plants For All

Hands-On Plant Care

Each week I personally tend to over 3000 plants in clients' offices. These are all live, indoor, tropical plants and since I have been doing this for more than 25 years, I have come to know them all very well.

An important objective is to keep the plants happy and healthy.

 Sure there are a lot of factors involved including proper feeding, fertilizing, environmental changes, temperature regulation, watering, adequate lighting, pest control, physical damage remediation, client abuse and so on. 

However, one of my best tools is touch.

 I feel my plants on a regular basis as part of my maintenance routine, or visitation, depending on your perspective. The instant I feel the leaves, I absorb an abundance of information about the well being of that plant. The plant 'tells' me about its environmental ups and downs since my last visit, often with great accuracy.


Many times I can tell if the conditions are right, or wrong, for the plant to be attacked by an insect infestation, just by touch. I can then take steps to change the conditions before a problem arises or becomes worse.


Before you think me mad, consider this - you can do it too.  Make touch one of the tools in your plant care and maintenance procedural toolbox. Be gentle. Be firm. Make a mental note of changes to how the plant feels from week to week, season to season. I only get to see each of my plants for about a minute, once a week.  You have the luxury of seeing and touching your plants several times each day.

You will soon become aware of subtle changes to your plants, your friends. You will get to know them better and want to know them better. Be careful touching your cacti; but there are ways to do this too.


Touch your plants - enjoy your plants.

One more thing:

Dracaena marginata staggered

We have a new plant as our in-store featured plant starting today. We have picked the Dracaena marginata staggered, a beautiful floor plant in a 10" grower's pot with 4 or 5 plants per pot.  Overall height is 5-6 feet. We normally sell this plant at $75 and as our in-store featured plant, we have priced it at $45 until Monday, May 7th. Check our website at http://www.plantsforall.ca for more info.


Have a great day!
Brian Osmond

Artificial Plants Have Their Place

Several months ago, Linda was interviewed by the local newspaper for her thoughts on displaying artificial plants outdoors. Over the last few years more people have been creating outdoor plant installations with artificial plants. After the expected first-installation eyesores, people are now applying live-plant landscaping techniques to the artificials.
Driving around our town there are some disturbing plantings of artificial palm trees 'growing' in the winter. (Guelph's latitude is about 45 degrees North and certainly not conducive to growing palm trees, outdoors, even at the best of times.)

People 'plant' the artificials to: 

• reduce maintenance  time and cost
• conserve water
• always have beautiful plants as good as the Jones'
• eliminate bringing in a 'plant sitter' while going on vacation.

Yes, artificial plants have their place in the great outdoors and they can beautify your yard or deck or porch or patio or walkway for many years; but please apply a little good sense.

• display plants that could possibly grow naturally outdoors in our climate
• display flowering plants only in their natural flowering season
• clean and bring your plants indoors for storage when the natural season is done
• purchase plants that are weather resistant and UV protected (they all aren't).

If you think you might want to outdoor landscape with artificial plants, we can help.We carry hundreds of artificial bushes, plants and trees suitable for both indoor and outdoor display. As well, we do represent an extensive line of Inside/Outside plants that are weather resistant and UV protected.
Contact us at plantsforall@ody.ca or call 519-767-2161 or stop into the Plants For All shop at 66 Dawson Road in Guelph. (We would love to see you.)

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One more thing :  This weeks featured plant is an artificial Pink Geranium Hanging Vine that is weather resistant and UV protected. Regular price is $48 and it is featured at $35 only until Monday, April 23.  Check it out in the Featured Plant page of our website at www.plantsforall.ca

Change is Good!

I hope you didn't put your winter coat away just yet. Last week, in Southern Ontario, we were enjoying a very early Spring with even a couple of days of Summer included. This week the temperature has dropped dramatically and even though it disappointed a lot of people; you can't be terribly surprised - it's still just March.  Last week I was setting my Shamrock plant out on the balcony for the warm days and bringing it in at night. Well, of course, it's not going back outside again until the warm weather returns.

8" Pothos hanging basket

Pop over to our web page www.plantsforall.ca to check out this week's Featured Plant.  We have put the popular Pothos hanging basket on sale for just $13.50 until April 9. Our regular low price is $18 and that's for a big 8" diameter pot. It has often been said to me that this is a plant that anybody can grow. That may be true.

Linda has changed up the display window at the store to better reflect the feelings of Easter and Spring.  It looks great!  Come see it, and us, at Plants For All  66 Dawson Road, Guelph.

Get out there and have a great week.

Brian Osmond
Plants For All