On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 14:16:45 -0500, "madgardener"
wrote:

Go to the drugstore and get a bottle of Castor oil. House plants love it.
They'll be greener with a few drops added to the SOIL every six weeks.

Keep the water you boil eggs in, letting it cool and water your African
violets with it once cooled. They'll thrive on the extra calcium.

Are your ferns anemic? (I know mine are! so this works!) Give them a tonic.
Water them with weak tea once a week. And if you want to keep your ferns a
bright, healthy green, give them a dose of Ammonia--one teaspoon to one
quart of water whenever you water them.

madgardener


Here's a home-brew for African Violets that I've used for many years.
I found a dramatic difference between AFs fed this solution and the
control group, both flowering and overall size.

AFRICAN VIOLET FOOD

1 t. baking powder
1 t. epsom salts
1 t. saltpeter (potassium nitrate)
1 t. clear (soapless!) household ammonia
1 gallon water

Recently, due to the demand for meth-lab supplies, it can be difficult
to buy clear (soapless) household ammonia. Do not use ammonia with
the soap in it. You can substitute 34-0-0 fertilizer for the
saltpeter. Epsom salts provides the magnesium and is good for
evergreens and lawns too.