For someone who likes plants going around the house watering the pots is a
labour of love.

But trying to introduce someone who could well benefit from the peaceful
therapy of house plants, what would be the easiest way to minimize the plant
watering task until they get to love the plants?

Say, choose a specific day of the week and just fill up the plastic saucers
at the base of the plants?

"john ryan" wrote in message
...
For someone who likes plants going around the house watering the pots is a
labour of love.

But trying to introduce someone who could well benefit from the peaceful
therapy of house plants, what would be the easiest way to minimize the
plant watering task until they get to love the plants?

Say, choose a specific day of the week and just fill up the plastic
saucers at the base of the plants?


Does the somebody want you "to introduce someone who could well benefit from
the peaceful
therapy of house plants," ?

Are you not introducing your thoughts/mind onto someone else? If watering is
going to be a chore/bore, forget it.

My wife is an indoor/outdoor gardener of over 50 years. She has never
introduced her love of them into me and never will.

Mike


--

....................................

Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive.

....................................

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-07-11 09:39:56 +0100, "john ryan" said:

For someone who likes plants going around the house watering the pots is
a
labour of love.

But trying to introduce someone who could well benefit from the peaceful
therapy of house plants, what would be the easiest way to minimize the
plant
watering task until they get to love the plants?

Say, choose a specific day of the week and just fill up the plastic
saucers
at the base of the plants?

Chose a specific day to *check* if the plants need water, then water them
in a sink and let them drain. Very few plants indeed like to stand in a
saucer of water. Then check them again 3 or 4 days later. Plants require
different regimes but as a general rule of thumb, less water is better
than more water!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon


sorry you missed the point, its about *minimize*. i would have thought most
plants would suck up all of a saucers worth at least?

On 11/07/2011 09:39, john ryan wrote:
For someone who likes plants going around the house watering the pots is a
labour of love.

But trying to introduce someone who could well benefit from the peaceful
therapy of house plants, what would be the easiest way to minimize the plant
watering task until they get to love the plants?

Choose plants that will stand a fair amount of abuse or neglect?
And are sufficiently interesting/pretty to get some attention.
Zinnia's perhaps fit the bill although they will be short lived if they
do not get enough water and frazzle in the sun or get too much and rot.

Say, choose a specific day of the week and just fill up the plastic saucers
at the base of the plants?

That is a quick way to kill most house plants - they don't enjoy wet
feet much. Far better to water slowly from above until some water just
gets through the compost. Common orchids are relatively tolerant of
being neglected a bit which might be a better bet.

Regards,
Martin Brown

Ye, that works quite well. If the plant is already wet, the water comes through quite quickly.

As someone else has said, choose something that is tolerant of neglect. Peace Lily is very forgiving of both drought - it droops its leaves like a dead octopus but perks up quickly - and sitting in water, although they a re a bit boring.

But as start I think it's hard to beat hippeastrum - it's fairly foolproof to get from bulb to flower, even if you don't get as far as a flower in year 2.

A second though - you could go the other way and try food. Bean sprouts are great fun.