Spring is still eluding us in the Pacific Northwest, teasing us with a few hours of sunshine and blue skies that rapidly change to more snow. Since Mother Nature isn’t letting us get out in the gardens and flower beds we can give our indoor plants some attention. A little pruning, a new pot to give roots a little more room to spread out and a shot of natural fertilizer will do wonders. I don’t care much for a lot of chemicals so I tend to lean more towards simple, natural things that I usually have around the house anyway. My favorite is black tea, we drink a lot of ice tea year round so this is easy and convenient for me. When potting my plants I like to put used tea bags in the bottom of the pots and I will water the plants with left over tea. It’s also good to break the tea bags open and mix the tea in the soil. Black tea adds nitrogen, which promotes growth and flower production. You can also crush clean, dry egg shells into a powder and add a little to the top of the soil around the plants for a good shot of calcium. Speaking of calcium, when your milk carton is empty, add some water to the milk residue and use this to give your plants nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. This will give your plants bigger leaves and stronger stems. If your plants have yellowing leaves try dissolving a teaspoon of Epsom Salts in a big spray bottle of water and lightly spray your plants once a week. These tips should perk your houseplants right up, let me know if they work for you!
The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land ~ Song of Solomon 2:2
