Alexander the Great popularized the medicinal properties of aloe when he heard how the sap from it’s leaves could help heal battle wounds.

“Aloe” creates a protective barrier on the skin that keeps it moist and promotes healing.  It also stimulates the Langerhans cells, which can reduce inflammation.

Now is a good time to think about growing your own indoor potted aloe plant.  It’s so easy, they are just beautiful and a very healthy plant to have around the house.

Select a small size clay flowerpot and saucer.  Make sure you place them in a sunny location or window.  The potted aloe plant loves indirect sunlight but too much direct sunlight can brown it’s leaves.  It’s best to rotate the pot once or twice a week so that all sides receive equal light.  Don’t overwater but keep the moisture moist.

To use for burns or cuts:  Slit open a stalk, squeeze out some gel like substance and dab on the skin.  Keep the remaining stalk in the refrigerator for up to 60 days.

Read More: How to grow a pineapple bush.

Keeping Potted Herbs Happy

As the world becomes more health-conscious, people are looking to become more pro-active when it comes to cooking at home and growing their own potted herbs.  By using fresh grown herbs in your food preparation you will use less oil, fat, butter and cream.

Potted grown herbs have a powerful taste and delicious smells that add so much to food.  Don’t forget you can use any home-grown potted herbs in all kinds of things from soap to candle making.  Fresh or dried they are simply wonderful and if you haven’t tried to grow your own you are wasting your money.  Grocery store herbs are very expensive and unnecessary.

Get some of our small terracotta clay flowerpots and saucers.  Decide on the size dependent on where you will grow them.  A kitchen window, a center island, back porch or patio area are all good places if you have easy access to them.  Clay flowerpots are good because terracotta is considered low fired and breathable which is super healthy for your herbs root systems.  Just make sure you have easy access or we all know what will happen.  You won’t use them!!!

Treat your fresh herb just like fresh flowers.  When you trim your potted plants, place them in a glass of water and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.  Try drying some for adding to soups and casseroles by placing them on a paper towel and microwave for 30 sec intervals.  Turn as needed till brittle.

Winters cold is not the easiest condition for potted succulents, plants, bushes, and trees to stand up to. Most succulents are hard enough to keep healthy under normal weather conditions but winter brings a whole new set of issues.

It at all possible it is a best practice to bring your containers of succulents indoors or at least into a garage or garden shed.  This isn’t a necessity but a helpful step to assure the potted succulents have the best chance of surviving the cold.  If it’s not possible you can take added steps to mulch the potting mix, wrap the whole planter in bubble wrap or burlap or just let them tough out Winter and re-evaluate next Spring.

If you can bring all potted succulents indoors give them one good watering before you do. That way they will be nice a moist and you won’t have to start with the watering process right away. This means you need garden saucers for each planter or you will have to move the pots to the sink to water them.  Like most houseplants, succulents need well, draining flowerpots or garden bowls.

Now check the potting mix in each planter.  If it’s compact and hard it’s best to replace it or at the very least work it to soften it up.  All root systems like a loose potting mix to grow and expand in.  Clean up the planters so that you don’t bring any bugs indoors.  Remove old leaves, twigs and other debris that may be on, in or around the pot.

Lastly, trim the succulent up if necessary.  Any old spent leaves or climbing string of pears can be clipped off and cut shorter.  Since succulents don’t grow fast you don’t need to go overboard here.  The idea is to just give it a manicured look not so much a hair cut and a shave look!  LOL

Place your garden pots in a sunny window, don’t over water, make sure it’s not too warm in the house and your outdoor potted succulents will give you a steady stream of beauty all thru the cold winter months until you move them outside again come Spring.

We have all heard how healthy it is to have indoor potted houseplants because of their ability to purify the indoor air.  The color and beauty of a living plant brought indoors can’t be stressed enough.  It brings life, smell, and color to your surrounds in a healthy, natural way.

Today we are talking about that potted fern you have that is looking a bit worn and weathered.  You have always loved the look of a fern and the feeling of being in the tropics when you look at it.  Well, maybe you don’t live in the tropics but want to grow a potted fern indoors.  Here are a few tips to help with new growth.

All indoor potted ferns need light.  They don’t like direct sunlight but a north facing window is good.  Don’t place the planter in a dark corner or you will have issues but make sure in the winter months that they get as much sunlight as possible.

Water the pot once the top inch of soil is dry.  If you have them placed in a humid environment like a bathroom window they will do much better but a light misting will really help a lot if necessary.  The best fertilizer to use is a liquid formula.  Apply at the base only so you don’t harm the fronds.

When it comes to re-potting your indoor fern you will only have to do it if you want it to grow bigger.  Otherwise, keep it in the same container and trim off the old, large and spent frons.  You can always divide it into 2 garden containers and keep it growing.

Worth mentioning are other things to keep your eyes on.  Pest & Disease can sometimes happen. If you experience either of these just google how to handle it and move it. It’s not the end of the fern by any means but it must be attended to.

Air Plants – Have you heard of them?

We are certain that you have seen these funny looking plants at the grocery store or garden center that look like they are flying on the air.  Well, if you are wondering what those actually are then let us explain.
Air plants are plants that can grow without potting soil.  The are tropical and won’t survive in freezing temperatures, so you will usually see them as potted houseplants.

An air plant will anchor its’ roots onto a tree or shrub without harming them.  They absorb moisture and nutrients from the air through their leaves.  This makes them easy to grow indoors.  You can grow them in a terrarium, on wire frames, or small tiny mini pots.  There flexibility makes them a fun and creative way to add a touch of green to any room.

Potted air plants come in a large variety of leaf shapes and styles.  They are very forgiving of neglect so kids and college students tend to love them even more.  Air plants love sunlight but can survive in fluorescent light also.  There are a couple of ways to water a potted air plant but we think the easiest is to mist them several times a week.

Air plants require easy maintenance.  Remove discolored leaves at the base, no fertilizing is necessary and all you need to do is mist occasionally.  How much easier can it get?