hi iam new to plants and have been given these plants from a family members and iam trying to find out what they are and how to look after them if anyone can help i would be greatfull

"dave1972" wrote in message
...

hi iam new to plants and have been given these plants from a family
members and iam trying to find out what they are and how to look after
them if anyone can help i would be greatfull


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dave1972

I reckon they are "dracaena" - see images on google
http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl...=1&sa=N&tab=wi

You should get all the info you need here

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en...=1&sa=N&tab=iw

Chris S

The fourth one is Dracaena marginata or the Madagascar Dragon Tree.
It's not a difficult plant to look after but it does hate to be overwatered and that's usually the easiest way to kill it. I water mine every couple of months and make sure the soil is never soggy. It deals with low light-levels quite well and can be put just about anywhere but it doesn't like to be constantly moved or it goes into a "sulk" its best to find it a home and then leave it in that spot.
My biggest problem with it has been small "mozzie" like flies that can live in the soil when I bought it, but I just repotted it up with decent drainage in standard compost with a 1/4 grit and it is doing fine now and no mozzies!

Kate

Had a little look in my houseplant book and I think the first two pictures are probably Ficus elastica (Rubber Plants)
Rubber plants like bright light, but never hot sun. When your new leaves are emerging, even less light is advisable, as this will promote larger leaves..Rubber plants are very susceptible to changes in environment, such as warm to a cool room..Keep them out of drafts, and away from heat sources.
Keep your plant evenly moist during the growing cycle in spring and summer, but on the dryer side during the rest of the year. They really appreciate having their leaves sponged off with a damp cloth. When you fertilize your rubber plant in the spring and again in early summer, use a weak mixture of a soluble house plant food.
Rubber plants have a tendency to lose their lower leaves, usually from environmental reasons. If this happens very often, new shoots will emerge from the old leaf node. A very light nick, with a sharp,clean knife, right above the old node will often speed the new growth process from that point, but be sure to not cut to deeply.

And the third one is Schefflera arboricola var. The Dwarf Australian Umbrella Tree.
The arboricola can adapt to a wide variety of light levels but prefers higher light if possible. If left alone the plant can stretch and grow "out of shape". It's easy to keep them in shape with occasional selective pruning. Fortunately, just like a Ficus the dwarf Schefflera can also handle some radical pruning and come back strongly. So don't be afraid to prune the plant when needed.

If you see leaves turning black and dropping off it's a good signal that the soil is staying too wet or moist. On the flip side the leaf tips wrinkle if they are too dry.

Schefflera arboricola Trinette, variegated arboricola, arb, dwarf scheff These plants have a pretty extensive root system and can even grow climbing a tree. They also seek water when being grown outside. As with most plants used indoors, arboricola does not like to sit in water.

Avoid letting the plant sit in that saucer after you water it likes to be moist but not wet.

The Schefflera is in the Aralia family and like many of the plants from this family spider mites like this plant. Clean the plant regularly and don't forget the undersides where the mites like to hang out. Check with your local garden center for some of the "safe" preventive measures such as "Safer Soap".

Well that's it for this issue with a quick look at one of the most easy to find indoor plants today.

Remember when caring for your dwarf schefflera

* Don't keep the plant wet
* Place the plant in as bright an area as you can
* Watch out for mites
* Don't be afraid to prune when needed