cheesey plant
 

what are the best conditions for a cheese plant???

what are the best conditions for a cheese plant???


I don't know about the best conditions, but I've got one which is 10 or more
years old, about 8' high with leaves of up to 1 1/2' wide, and the thing is
still growing even though it had its top chopped off last year. I cut this
with a couple of the aerial roots, potted it and this is also growing! I
water once a week, but have never fed them. Conditions: for most of its life
it was in a hallway with a pot that was far too small for it, in fact when I
re-potted it into one more suitable, there was no soil left in the pot, only
roots! The hallway faced north with a glass door, but only when someone was
in the house, otherwise the storm doors were shut, so the plant wasn't
exposed to that much light. I moved last year and it's now at the back of a
south-ish facing living room. It's actually too big for here and I would
like to sell it if possible, but don't know if anyone would buy such a
monster!

"solaara" wrote in message
...

what are the best conditions for a cheese plant???


--
solaara

Mine does well in a north facing living room window. I noticed that if it
was neglected and dried out a bit, a good watering would often stimulate the
growth of a new leaf. I therefore ease off the watering whenever the latest
leaf seems fully grown, for a couple of weeks, then give it a generous
soaking. It gets fed now and again when a new leaf is growing, but I won't
bother now until next year as it has been repotted this year and the new
leaves are dark and glossy. Keep it away from radiators, as contact with
something hot will discolour the leaves. I give mine less water in winter
when there's no active growth. I try to wet the aerial roots when watering
as well as the soil, but I don't know whether this does it any good.

Duncan

the only place I have is a West facing porch, which is ideal in winter but gets very warm in Summer....

If you forget to water it, you will find the ends of the leaves dry out and
the leaf slowly dies. But restart the watering and the plant recovers and
eventually you can remove the leaf and be left with a "perfect" plant.

Be warned though, they can grow tall and they spread out about 3 feet in all
directions, given a chance. This is quite a lot of real estate in a small
room.

Paul DS.

Be warned though, they can grow tall and they spread out about 3 feet in
all
directions, given a chance. This is quite a lot of real estate in a small
room.


Tell me about it!!

datsy wrote:
Be warned though, they can grow tall and they spread out about 3
feet in all
directions, given a chance. This is quite a lot of real estate in
a
small room.


Tell me about it!!

My mother's, watered very lightly but regularly, and never fed, now
has three root systems in three big pots, with ordinary garden soil.
It's hit the top of her conservatory, and is about to invade Poland
and Czechoslovakia. In fact I don't think a conservatory is the best
place, as I believe they are forest undergrowth plants: it's
noticeable that the leaves which receive direct sunlight get browned
off. I'd say give it light but not sunshine -- at least one of us has
already mentioned success with one in quite a shady place.

I can't remember if my mother's has ever flowered, but I have a
feeling it hasn't. I don't know why this would be, but I suspect it
may be because of the variable temperatures often found in
conservatories, and lack of potash in the exhausted soil.

--
Mike.

I can't remember if my mother's has ever flowered, but I have a
feeling it hasn't. I don't know why this would be, but I suspect it
may be because of the variable temperatures often found in
conservatories, and lack of potash in the exhausted soil.


Mine has never flowered - they're even supposed to fruit, given the right
conditions, but I don't know what those would be.

"solaara" wrote in message
...

what are the best conditions for a cheese plant???

solaara

Next to the Branston pickle :~))))

They don't seem to mind shade........
Jenny

I could put a net curtain over the porch door to shade..I'm not too concerned about flowers at the moment, just a healthy plant...solaara