Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Monday - July 04, 2005
From: Longview, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Caring for non-native Peace Lily
Answered by: Nan Hampton and Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
I have given my closet plant too much miracle gro and the leaves are drooping really bad. What do I need to do?ANSWER:
By Closet Plant I suppose you mean one of the Spathiphyllum spp.. Another common name is Peace Lily. Our area of expertise at the Wildflower Center is native North American plants. The Spathiphyllum species are native to tropical Central America and Asia. We generally don't deal with non-native plants, but we can offer you some advice for your plant that has been over-fertilized. First, you need to leach out the excess fertilizer. You can do this by running water through the pot for 8-10 minutes and letting the water carrying the excess fertilizer drain out. You can also accomplish this by setting the pot in a bucket of water for several minutes. Change the water and resoak. Do this several times. Be sure that you don't put the plant in direct sunlight. You can read more about caring for your Closet Plant.More Non-Natives Questions
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Information on non-native caladiums from Austin
June 21, 2012 - Have you a leaflet on growing caladiums in the Austin area?
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Problem with Chinese Pistache tree
September 01, 2014 - We have a gorgeous Chinese Pistache in our yard, about 25 feet tall. We bought it for its gorgeous fall color. The problem is that it has never turned color for us. All the other pistaches in the neig...
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Planting location of non-native Japanese maple in Toronto
May 22, 2009 - Hi Mr. Smarty,
I am in the region of Toronto, Canada. I just bought from nursery a "Red Select" Janpanese Maple, about 2' tall, still in its 1' pot. I intended to plant it in my front yard ...
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Care of potted non-native geraniums
July 26, 2009 - I live in lower Michigan (Mt. Clemens) and recently purchased 2 small, potted geraniums. They are a beautiful vibrant red in color. As the blooms wilt and turn dark, should I snip that part off the st...
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