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A Pair of Books for Indoor Gardeners
Weeping Fig trees ( Ficus Benjamina ) are popular indoor plants. Unfortunately, there is seldom more than a paragraph or two about these plants in houseplant books. Therefore, I was pleased to discover Patricia Hamilton's book, The ABC's of Indoor Ficus Trees while searching the internet for information about these indoor trees. This book is one of the Interior Landscape Series of books published by published by Park Place Publications. The ABC's of Indoor Ficus Trees provides the amateur or professional indoor gardener with all the necessary information to grow Ficus Benjamina , Ficus elastica (better known as the India Rubber Tree), Ficus lyrata (Fiddle Leaf fig tree), and Ficus pumila -- the creeping fig plant well. The majority of the text is dedicated to Ficus Benjamina. Here you will find detailed information on soil, watering, fertilizing and even "dressing up" the tree for the holiday seasons. The following quotation explains why so many people buy these trees and then go back to the store with the complaint that all the leaves are falling dying. She states: With less light and water, the plant may shed some leaves. These will always be the older leaves in the center of the foliage ball and the leaves nearest the soil. Larger plants (over 10" pot) have so many leaves, some will be shaded indoors. Simply pick them off as they turn yellow. Small plants may not shed at all. Hard, cupped, field-grown leaves fail unless you place the plant right in a bright South or West window. Another section of this book gives a list of problems to watch for with the cause. The solutions are also listed. I find this particular section a bit awkward since the problems and solutions appear in different listings. It seems like a table listing the problem and then the solution would make it much easier for the reader. This book should be on every indoor gardener's bookshelf and available at every greenhouse or store that sells Ficus plants. It answers all of the questions that customers pose to sales clerks in a concise, easy to understand manner. Palm Trees Joelle Steele is the author of "The ABCs of Indoor Palm Trees," also published by Park Place Publications. The introduction to the book discusses the maintenance of indoor palms including their water and humidity needs, light requirement, temperature, nutrition, pest problems, diseases, and other general maintenance information. Pages 10 and 11 contain an excellent list of common problems and their causes. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article A Pair of Books for Indoor Gardeners in Gardening Techniques is owned by Diana Pederson. Permission to republish A Pair of Books for Indoor Gardeners in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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