4 steps process:

• Use a plant fragment
• Patiently wait for the roots to develop in the water or potting soil.
• Find out the growth of new roots and a new leaf
• Realise a few months later the evolution of what has become, thanks to your green thumb, a magnificent plant.

Good to know: if you are patient, you can also let the seedlings take in a little water, so that the roots can develop visibly, then pot it.

I’m a leaf, but not really . Stay here, don’t move we’ll explain everything to you.

Cladode are 3.0 stems that lost their thickness and roundness. They are now flat and short. Alike leaves, they provide crucial functions for the plant: photosynthesis evapotranspiration respiration etc…

On cacti, these are the leaves that can bear flowers and fruits. The most famous example is the prickly pear on the Opuntia!

Let’s talk nutrition.

As you know, to grow, a plant needs more than just water and sun. Consider it as a human being, no one can survive only with those two elements.

Fertilizer is what we consider as food for the plants, used to foster its growth and development.

When should plants be given fertilizer?

During its growth period from the end of March to the end of September before the vegetative rest period. If the leaves turn yellow or fall off, it may be due to a lack of fertilizer.

Organic elements necessary for fertilizers: NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium).

From now on, read carefully,  it starts to be a little technical. But hang on and everything will go well!

• • Nitrogen: stimulates growth, ensures good growth and quality of foliage
  • Phosphorus: promotes root development and helps flowering
  • Potassium: helps in the circulation of sap and strengthens the plant against attacks of pests or diseases.

In the market you can find 2 types of fertiliser, liquid, or granule. They both have the same function but are simply used in a different way.

Small red spots appearing on the leaves.

As you’ve heard many times, the amount of water you will give to your plants is very important. In general, it is better not to underwater than overwater.

When the roots of a plant absorb more water than the leaves can consume or evacuate  (through transpiration), the pressure rises; until the cells of the leaves burst.

Suddenly, small red spots will appear.

You’ll have to be very careful never to leave water in the cup. When watering make sure that soil is MOIST and not WET.

Did you know that your plant is not immobile?

During the night, the plants’ stems stiffen, and the leaves get closer; to resume the initial position in the early morning. This allows the plant, in its natural habitat, to protect itself against external aggressions.

The petiole is the stem connecting the “main” stem to the leaf. Its function, as for the “main” stem, is to transport nutrients.

How to make a difference?  

The petiole is often smaller than the main stem. OFTEN, not all the time… (yes, necessarily, there is a trap). Alocasia, for example; their tuber (and not bulb!) produce a short stem and very looong petioles. To really differentiate them, you must look at what each produces: the stem produces roots and nodes, while the petiole does not produce any, it only creates leaves.

When a plant does not have a petiole it is called sessility. The Boston fern, for example (#Nephrolepisexaltata), has long stems filled with small leaves, and all are devoid of petioles. 

Welcome to our biology class!!

Photosynthesis is the process by which plant leaves  capture sunlight, absorb water and nutrients from the soil through their roots and CO2 from the air.

They use the sun’s energy to change water and CO2 into glucose while releasing oxygen.

The glucose leaves the leaf and is transported throughout the plant to feed it.

At night, plants breathe like us: they absorb oxygen and release CO2.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to ensure that all the elements are brought together. Do not forget an important part, each plant is different, and therefore every species has different needs

If the brightness is too low, no photosynthesis and no growth for the plant that will eventually die.

Is it dangerous for my health?

NO. Plants consume more CO2 than they emit and produce more oxygen than they consume! The amount of CO2 released is tiny compared to that released by humans. To give you a clearer example, a dozen plants is about a person who breathes in the room.

All this is only valid for green plants, because cacti are the opposite: they release CO2 during the day and produce oxygen at night.

Organ responsible for the Calathea’s leaves movement (and other plants of the same family.)

Some plants have no muscle nor tendon. To allow the leaves to stand up “or to sag” when they become full or drained of water; they have a lever system, called the pulvinus, located in each petiole.

It also allows the plants to protect themselves in their natural habitat.