Coleus Plants Are Often Given High Regards As Decorative Garden Plants

Belonging to the plant genus Solenostemon, the coleus plant species includes five different types of tropical perennial plants. Owing to their colorful foliage and ornate leaves, many hybrid varieties of coleus are also cultivated which impart these plants their multi-colored look and mixed foliage patterns. The geographical regions that serve as the native growing grounds, the cradles of inception so to say, of these plants are the tropical regions of Africa, Australia, Asia, South and Southeast Asia, the Indonesian Archipelago and the Philippines. Due to its brightly colored leaves, coleus plants are often given high regards as decorative garden plants by plant lovers and gardening enthusiasts. Also, potted coleus plants are often kept in apartments and flats by people to impart some color and natural beauty to these otherwise enclosed habitats, that do not have a garden. Come, let's get to know this beautiful garden plant a little closely.

Scientific Name of Coleus

Although more than one plant species are known commonly as coleus, Coleus Blumei and Coleus X hybridus are the common scientific names that are used to identify species belonging to the coleus group. Other common names by which coleus plants are known are Poor Man's Croton, Flame Nettle, Painted Nettle, Painted Leaf and simply Coleus.

Caring for a Coleus Plant

If you're all upbeat about getting a coleus plant for your apartment, then you must be wondering how to care for a coleus plant, aren't you? Well, rid yourself of all worries as I bring you relevant information regarding all you need to know about coleus care. Coleus plants grow best when placed in bright, open areas that are partially covered and receive indirect sunlight. Although they undergo no damage, if exposed to direct sunlight, the brightly colored leaves of coleus plants often exhibit signs of fading when fully exposed to the sun. One of the best tips to keep your coleus fresh and perennial for several years is to remove the flower spikes, as and when they appear and to keep the plant pinched back. If flowers are allowed to bloom, the leaves lose much of their color.

The ideal soil for growing coleus should be quick draining to avoid excess moisture accumulation at the roots. Excess water at the roots can cause them to decay, making the plant die out sooner than it should. You can get commercial potting soil set into the flower-pot in which you intend to grow the coleus plant. You must always take care to ensure that the soil is evenly moist without inching towards sogginess. The ideal pH of the soil should be either neutral or marginally alkaline. Although these seemingly delicate but otherwise hardy plants are extremely adaptable to a wide range of atmospheric temperatures above 55 °F, they undergo the best rate of growth and exhibit the most strikingly bright hues of color when kept within a temperature range of 70°F to 85°F.

If it's an open garden that you intend to grow your coleus plants in, make sure that you plant them at least a foot apart from each other in the flower bed. Suppose the plants appear to wilt due to the soil getting dried out, this should not be a cause of concern as they recover very quickly once the adequate amount of moisture is restored. Nourishing your coleus plants with a liquid, multipurpose fertilizer once every month along with overseeing the soil moisture levels and keeping the flowers off are sufficient to keep your plants healthy and colorful for many seasons.

Are Coleus Plants Poisonous?

Well, depending upon the sensitivity level of each individual's skin, the coleus leaves may give you a mild version of allergic dermatitis. You may get reddish rashes on the skin if you've been in contact with the leaves for a long time or pretty frequently. The irritation usually lasts for just a few minutes and medical attention may not be needed at all.

That is all you need to know about coleus plants and croton plant care, whether you keep them as houseplants or plant them in elaborate flower beds. Slugs, snails, aphids, mealy bugs and white flies are the most common parasitic bugs that pose threat to the colorful foliage of coleus plants. Look out for random perforations and tears in the leaves to identify bug attacks on your beloved coleus plants and sprinkle appropriate anti-parasite products to keep them at bay. After all, you wouldn't want those little devils to spoil the colorful view, would you?

Take A Look At The Interesting And Amazing Pitcher Plant Information

We all know that animals hunt for prey and feed on them. Even humans consume some animals and plants. But, have you ever heard of plants, that feed on insects. Yes, there are some carnivorous plants too, like, the pitcher plants. These carnivorous plants usually grow on soil, which has very less amounts of nutrients, especially nitrogen. They derive nutrients by trapping and digesting insects and some other arthropods. There are various types of carnivorous plants with different trapping mechanisms and pitcher plant is one among them. In general, carnivorous plants exhibit any of the following five trapping mechanisms. Some of them have pitfall traps, like, in case of pitcher plants, others have sticky mucilage to get the prey stuck on the plant. In case of snap trap plants, leaves act like traps, whereas bladder plants suck in the prey. Another type of carnivorous plant called lobster-pot trap have hair that guide the prey to the plant's digestive organ. This article is about pitcher plants, that have pitcher-like adaptations to catch prey. Let us take a look at some amazing pitcher plant information.

Pitcher Plant Facts

Now, we know that there are carnivorous plants, that trap insects and digest them. Unlike animals and humans, plants do not have limbs to catch prey. Then, what is the mechanism behind plants trapping insects? The interesting piece of information on the pitcher plant is that these plants have specialized structures that enable them to trap their prey. We have already discussed the different trapping mechanisms in different carnivorous plants. In case of pitcher plant, the trapping mechanism involves pitcher shaped structures formed at the end of the leaves or made of whole leaves.

How do Pitcher Plants Trap Insects?

Most of the pitcher plants have something to lure insects. The lures can be in the form of attractively colored elongated pitchers or nectar. The insects that enter the pitcher find it difficult to get out of the structure, as it has slippery or grooved surfaces. These pitchers contain a liquid called phytotelmata, which drowns the prey and dissolves it gradually. So, the insect that enters the pitcher may directly drown in the liquid or fail to get out of the structure and gradually drowns. This liquid, which is found inside the pitcher may either contain bacteria, that acts on the prey or insect larvae, that feed on the trapped insects. In the latter case, the pitcher plant absorbs the excreta of the larvae, which live harmoniously with the pitcher plant. In some other cases, the liquid contains digesting enzymes, secreted by the plant itself. Once the prey is dissolved the pitcher plant extracts amino acids, peptides, phosphates, ammonium and urea from the solution. Now, you have a basic idea about the course of action of pitcher plant.

Pitcher Plant Classification

Most of the pitcher plants to the families Nepenthaceae and Sarraceniacea. There are two other families, termed Cephalotaceae (with a single species of pitcher plant) and Bromeliaceae (2 to 3 species), with a few pitcher plant species. Pitcher plants belonging to the family Nepenthaceae are mainly tropical and are considered as old world pitcher plants. Those belonging to the family Sarraceniacea can be found across the globe in different climatic conditions. The members of Sarraceniacea are the new world pitcher plants. While the family Nepenthaceae consists of a single genus called Nepenthes with 120 species of pitcher plants, the family Sarraceniacea comprises three genera - Sarracenia, Darlingtonia and Heliamphora. The main difference between the old world and new world pitcher plants lies in the formation and placement of pitcher.

The old world pitcher plants are often found as climbers, with pitchers formed at the tip of tendrils that develop from the midribs of the plant's leaves. While most of them are climbers, there are some, that grow on ground or as epiphytes on trees. Unlike the former category, the new world pitcher plants are mostly ground dwelling with horizontal rhizomes. In case of new world pitcher plants, the pitchers are made of whole leaves. In most cases, the entire leaf rolls to form the pitcher. Even though, all the pitcher plants have pitchers, each type has different interesting features. For example, the pitcher of the cobra pitcher plant resembles the hood of a cobra with an inflated tip and a structure like forked tongue.

Popular Types of Pitcher Plants

Now, you have some basic information on the pitcher plant. Let us take a look at some of the areas where pitcher plants are found along with the pitcher plant scientific names. Among the two largest families of pitcher plants, the most popular species belong to Sarraceniacea, especially the genus Sarracenia. Most of the pitcher plants in this genus are found in the United States and are grown as outdoor plants. The most popular among them are red pitcher plant (Nepenthes ventricosa), pale pitcher plant (Sarracenia alata), yellow trumpet pitcher plant (Sarracenia flava), purple pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea), Sarracenia Dana's Delight, etc. In case of Nepenthaceae family, Nepenthes raja and Nepenthes alata are more commonly grown as houseplants. Red pitcher plants are also considered to be the easiest to grow indoors as long as you maintain proper surroundings and environment conditions and follow pitcher plant care guidelines. These guidelines and other red pitcher plant info can be gained at your local nursery or botanist. Pitcher plant propagation is mainly done through leaf and roost cuttings. Even though, pitcher plant seeds are available, it may take a few years for the plants to grow from seeds.

Now, you have some of the interesting and amazing pitcher plant information. These plants are truly fascinating and if you are interested, you may conduct a deeper study about the various types of pitcher plants and other carnivorous plants.

Pruning Rubber Tree Plant Is One Of The Necessary Care Needed For This Plant

Pruning rubber tree plant is one of the necessary care needed for this plant and the article will guide you with the same...

Pruning is a procedure of removal of unwanted elements of a tree to improve its growth and beauty. Landscaping usually involves pruning of trees, which includes removing dead leaves and the unproductive and unwanted parts of a tree. The reasons for pruning a tree are - maintenance, improvement of tree (fruits, flowers, leaves) and limiting the height / growth of the tree. Pruning of a tree can be done at any time but good results of pruning can be seen if pruning is done in specific season. Every plant has a different pruning period. Pruning does not lead to any harm to the tree but improper pruning may damage the plant health. Winter or spring are usually considered as suitable pruning time. Pruning is done with help of special tools which are used, depending on the size of the tree. These are called pruners.

Rubber Tree Plant
Scientific name of rubber tree plant is Ficus elastica and it is also known as India Rubber Plant. The tree belongs to the fig family. The plant has its origin in tropical countries, like, India, Malaysia and Indonesia. The plant can grow very high, about 50 feet with widespread. These plants require very less care and grow very quickly and hence are popular houseplants. They are a very good choice to get some shady corners in your rooms. These trees grow very high and hence need to be pruned when placed inside house. Let us take a look at pruning rubber tree plant.

Rubber Tree Plant Pruning
As discussed earlier, rubber tree plants grow very tall and hence need to be pruned to fit into indoors. Pruning will help to control the height of the rubber tree plant and make the plant look more beautiful. Rubber tree plants are strong and thus pruning can be done in any season. However late spring or initial summer are considered to be best seasons for pruning rubber tree plant.

Before you start pruning rubber tree plant, take a glance at the tree as you have to prune 1/3 of the tree. Ensure that you use clean, sharp and proper pruners. Wear gloves before you start pruning because the tree has white milky sap that may leak while pruning. Do not cut out too many leaves from the rubber tree plant. While pruning a rubber tree plant, see that you make cuts above the plant nodes. The plant nodes are the ones where leaves are attached to stem or where new branches grow. Rubber tree should be pruned at a height of one foot from the soil surface. New growth will be seen right below the cut you made.

Rubber Tree Plant Care Tips

• Place them in an area with both adequate sunlight and shade.
• Rubber tree plant should be fertilized every 15 days.
• These trees require accurate water and need soil that drains water well.
• The humidity level required for this plant is minimum 50%.
• Clean the leaves regularly with the help of a damp cloth.

Pruning rubber tree plant does not damage the plant, rather it enhances its growth and improves the quality of the tree. You can give the plant a desired shape by removing unwanted leaves, branches, etc. and promote the internal growth of the rubber tree plant. Ensure that you consult an expert to guide you with proper pruning techniques.

Types Of Plants In The Rainforest

Carnivorous Plants in the Rainforest: Plants which obtain nutrients from animal matter are known as carnivorous plants. Venus fly trap and the pitcher plant Nepenthes rafflesiana from south east Asia are the best examples of carnivorous plants. Nepenthes rafflesiana grows as high as 30 feet and has pitchers of about 12 inches in length, They have a cavity filled with either sweet or terrible smelling nectar that attracts insects and they are always overcrowded with digested insects! The biggest flower in the world is seen on the trees of Rafflesia, which grow in the Indonesian rainforests. The most amazing fact about the pitcher plants is that they also eat small mammals and reptiles who try to steal the insects from the pitcher.

Strangler Plants in the Rainforest: Stranglers mostly come from the fig family. They are also called 'killer trees'. The seed starts growing as an epiphyte, high in the trees. Epiphytes are the trees which derive moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and usually grow on another plant. But they are not parasitic on it. The list of epiphytes includes orchids, philodendrons, ferns and bromeliads. The aerial plants have so-called 'air roots' and air is the source of nourishment for them. Poison ivy vines have many small aerial roots. The seeds of these plants are borne and transported by birds and monkeys which eat the fig fruits. The seedlings develop long roots down to the ground and start surrounding the host tree. They grow quickly and the growth eventually suffocates the host, resulting in its death. The host tree leaves a huge upright strangler which has a hollow core. This is the best example of how plants adopt themselves to survive in the given specific environment. The strangler fig uses an adult tree as its host so that it doesn't have to struggle for light and nutrients at ground level.

Lianas in the Rainforest: Ninety per cent of the world's vine species are found in tropical rainforests. Lianas are climbing vines which are present throughout tropical rainforests. The thick, woody stems of lianas are of various lengths (up to 3,000 ft) and shapes. They need sunlight for survival and so they climb towards light after beginning the life on the forest floor. For this they depend on trees for support. They bind themselves to trees with sucker roots or tendrils. They climb while growing, by winding themselves round the supporting tree's trunk. They jump to other trees or start wrapping themselves around other lianas, after arriving at the top of the canopy layer of the rainforest. In this way they create a network of vines which provides the shallow-rooted, top-heavy trees, a very strong support. This helps them to survive against strong winds. Rattan palms, philodendron and Strychnos toxifera are some examples of lianas. The deadly poison strychnine is obtained from Strychnos toxifera. Rattans from Asia have thorny stems and they grow as tall as 650 feet (200 m). Baskets, ropes and wicker furniture is made from them.