I made a sign that hangs outside my mudroom door.


I do have one vine I call my indoor weed because I do not like the long stringiness of it. I give it a haircut a couple times a year. Even though the moisture is about right, that actually is starting to look ill. I had it for two years, so better than most things. And strangely, I have two thriving Christmas cactuses that bloom twice a year. So far, that really is about all I have kept alive of the many attempts and gifts.

Wal Mart had a good selection of house plants. I was looking for a Prayer Plant, but they didn't have any, at least by that name. I'll have to write down the Latin. What I did come home with is a Oyster Plant (Tradescantia spathacea).

I am familiar with Tradescantia, at least the outdoor varieties. I currently have three. I call them Cow Slobber, but most people know them as Spiderworts. I thought it would be fun to have a variety indoors. I'll try to find info about this, if there is anything beyond what the little tag says. Maybe my attempt at another houseplant will be a pleasant surprise.

Not to be mean or rude but I think you would have better luck with houseplants if you would research there needs, a prayer plant is actually difficult to grow.... it isn't for beginners. because its in the calathia group anything calathia is going to need a terrium, or be covered/.
they have a dislike for lack of humidity, need warmth.... lots of water,ect.

I have better luck with potho's, dracenia, some gingers,ect. they are more forgiving of mistakes and can tolerate average homes better then a prayer plant.

No, you're not being rude, I appreciate the comment. Especially about the prayer plant... it is pretty, but I am not ready to even think of making room for a terrarium and we are dry in the winter. I happened to see it here as a random plant and liked how it looks.

One thing I am confused about house plants, hope it's not a stupid question. What exactly does indirect sunlight mean? I know you would not put the plant right in front of a south window, but can it be put basically anywhere but in a dark room and there'd be enough light?

Hi, Kim. Indirect sunlight simply means that the area receives light from the sun but not the direct rays. I call this bright, indirect light. Really, the only exposure that can be harmful to most tropical plants is the afternoon sun from the west. That's especially true in the spring and summer months. Direct, early morning sun in an eastern and southern exposure is great, and very late, direct sun in a western exposure is fine. You just have to watch out for the sun between 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM during the spring and summer. The sun gets further and further down in the southern sky during the fall and winter, and even direct west sun might be OK during those months. I prefer an eastern exposure in late spring till fall and a southern exposure during fall through early spring. A northern exposure supplies very little light, and though tropical plants might live, they probably won't have lush growth or bloom.

Thank you so much for explaining that to me, drdawg. This was very helpful.

Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura) is the one commonly sold at Walmart, HD and Lowes garden centers. I've bought so many prayer plants over the years and they usually don't survive long under my care because I never seem to keep the soil consistently moist. I bought another one recently and put it on my screened porch and I may end up transferring it to my large terrarium before cooler weather sets in ... or it will probably not make it through the winter.

Just to let folks know, the marantas, like calatheas have rhizomes. If my plants get too dry during the winter, the leaves turn brown, curl up and the plant goes dormant. I just make sure that the soil doesn't dry out completely. In the spring, I repot, water and place the plant outdoors in a shady area and it starts growing again. If your leaves dry up, don't immediately assume it's dead, it may just be dormant.

I've been checking the soil of the Oyster Plant and it is still very,very wet. I took the pot out of the plastic cup it came in and noticed standing water in there. I double checked... no one in my family watered this. I haven't. I have the pot outside of the cup to get more air flow to the base The top is still really damp. Is that good for it?

I am tempted to repot the thing, adding some new potting soil. Should I try and remove the original soil from around the roots? I know my Ohio Tradescantia likes moist, but the tag mentions to water the plant when the soil feels dry.

Any suggestions? The leaves look the same as when I got it.
Thank you.

Sounds like repotting would be a good idea. You're right, that water trapped in the outer cup is not good, that's way beyond moist.

I got the Oyster Plant repotted today and found out I had to do another. While I was making a mess, I figured I'd check my indoor weed (philodendron) and oh, there were roots growing out of the inner pot. That explains why all the new growth was brown. After moving that to a new pot, I gave it a haircut.

Sounds very good! Excuse me for not saying "welcome" before! Time on computer this weekend has been kind of rushed, family all home & wanting to take turns.