Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care

Plant Friends! We are kicking of Season 3 with your top most requested episode out of any topic, a 101 episode on how to care for the Marantaceae Family, and understanding why on earth they can be so dang tricky to care for! I would say that “why is my calathea or prayer plant browning at the tips” is one of my most frequently DM’d questions on instagram. I think this Marantaceae family has some of the most gorgeously patterned leaves I’ve ever seen and I’m excited to have this episode to help us keep them happy and healthy in our urban jungles! And friends, I have the worlds most perfect guest to walk us through the beauty and complexities of this amazing family of Plants. Marc Hachadourian is the Director of Glasshouse Horticulture and Senior Curator of Orchids at the New York Botanical Garden. I have been hearing about Marc for over a year. His amazing plant brain, friendly personality and passion for plants is kind of legendary and I’m so excited to introduce you all to him. I’m so thankful to the New York Botanical Garden for lending him to us for this episode. If you are a New York based listener, Plant Friends, I can’t stress enough how in love I am with the NYBG. The garden is so easy to get to (just hop on the metro north) and is just filled with acres upon acres of plants. No matter what time of year it is, there is always something to do or see there. Last year I made it to their Orchid Show and their Train show. Marc will tell us a little more about this upcoming Orchid Show: Singapore, which is running from February 23- April 28th. If you are in NY, and probably suffering from season affective disorder, run don't walk to the garden for a planty adventure. In this episode we learn: - What Marc does for the NYBG - What plants fall under the Marantaceae Family - Prayer Plant, Calathea and Stromanthe- their differences and similarities - Why do the leaves fold up and down as in “prayer” - Why the bottoms of many Marantaceae are purple - Why the tips brown and how we help avoid this - Why humidity is so important for the Marantaceae family - Marc answers a collection of listener questions Thank you Marc for joining us to give us so much amazing information about the Marantaceae family. The NYBG Orchid Show: Singapore runs February 23 to April 28th. For more information visit www.nybg.org But the Orchid show is just one of so many amazing installations that are always happening at the NYBG. Go for a visit and you’ll see all sorts of Marantaceae IRL for yourself! Thank you again to Wallygro for sponsoring this episode. And thank you Wallygro for also being a company with a huge sustainability pledge: fun fact, all of the eco planters are made in the USA and are made from 100% recycle plastic milk jugs. Head to >wallygro.com to see the endless options of indoor or outdoor set ups you can install in your own home, and use BLOOM20 at checkout for 20% off. If you want to be featured on the upcoming plant fail lessons episode, see instructions below or listen to last weeks updates and announcements episode. Instructions for participating in the upcoming Listener “Plant Fail Lessons” episode of Bloom and Grow Radio 1) Call (267) 478-2521 (The Bloom and Grow Google Voice Number) 2) Please spell your name and email at the beginning of the message so I can contact you! 3) The google voice only allows for a 3 minute message, so you might want to write out your story, or jot some thoughts down on paper to allow for you to effectively tell your story without getting cut off. If your story requires more than 3 minutes, you can call back and leave back to back messages   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Updates and exciting announcements about Season 3 and an invitation (and instructions) for YOU to be featured in an upcoming episode!  If you want to be featured on the Plant Killer Lessons episode- call  (267) 478-2521 and leave your story! The voicemail allows for 3 minute max, so it will help to write your story out ahead of time. I can't wait to hear from you and learn what you've learned! Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow on the Road on Instagram Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club (for free) https://www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Happy News Years! Today I’m reviewing the lessons I’ve learned in all of the incredible conversations I’ve had over the 49 episodes of Bloom and Grow Radio. Man, I have learned so much! In the episode we discuss what I’ve learned about: Drainage Episode 08: Dirty Talk with Darryl from Houseplant Journal  Succulents Episode 3: How to Not Kill You're your Succulents  Episode 35: How to Grow Desert Plants and Succulents Indoors Artificial and Natural Light  Episode 12: Everything You Need to Know About Indoor Grow lights   Episode 45, 46: Understanding Natural Light Specific Plant Care Episode 33: Monstera 101 Episode 25: Fiddle Leaf Fig 101  Episode 14: Pilea Peperomiodes 101  Episode 29: Indoor Citrus 101  Episode 32: Airplants 101  Episode 44 and 45: Aroids 101 (2 parts) Episode 44 Part 1  Episode 45 Part 2 DIY (which are fun and not hard and scary!) Episode 16: Mounting Epiphytes Episode 19: Terrarium 101 Episode 22: Windowsill Herb Gardening  Episode 42: How to Make a Moss Pole  Episode 36: Growing a Large Urban Jungle in a Small Space  Heart warming and informative episodes that aren’t directly about plant care, but teach important lessons and information Episode 27: Plants in the Classroom  Episode 37: Horticultural Therapy  Episode 43: Your Brain on Plants Plant Side Chats: Life Lessons Learned in the Garden Episode 10: Bloom and Grow at Your Own Rate  Episode 21: The Changing of the Seasons Episode 28: The Tale of the Tomato Episode 40: Pruning (in life, and with plants) Episode 48: You’re Doing Great Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club   Interested in what grow lights and planty products I use? Check out my resources page: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/resources Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Plant Side Chats are a series on the Bloom and Grow Radio podcast where Maria (host) muses on life lessons learned in the garden or from plant parenting.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I’m joined again by my new plant friend and horticulturalist and lighting expert, Leslie Halleck, for part two of my quest to understand what “bright indirect light” really is. If you haven’t yet, listen to last weeks episode where Leslie and I dive into the basics of understanding natural light, and hacks and tricks for measuring your personal lighting environment without any type of app or meter. Leslie is a Horticulturalist by education and profession with a passion for plants and gardening. She has worked in many sectors of the gardening industry, from nurseries, to being the Director of Horticulture Research at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden to founding Halleck Horticultural, a consulting service for Green Industry businesses. Her book, Gardening under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers, is published by Timber Press and is the ultimate guide to understanding artificial lighting for indoor growers of any experience level. Today, we dive into learning the basics of how to measure light and how to use simple measurements to better understand exactly what light we are personally working with. Leslie gave me a homework assignment which involved me measuring the light in my apartment with a free app, and we walk through what I learned from it. As you’ll find out, my results were surprising and I learned so much from the experience of actually taking measurements of my surroundings. Leslie and I then challenge you to take your own measurements with a free download we provide so you can have all the aha moments I had throughout this process!   In the episode we learn: What the most important colors of light are for growing plants How to use a free app to get a better understanding of your indoor lighting environment What is the difference between LUX, Footcandles and PAR What micromoles are What DLI (Daily Light Intergral) is The results of my homework and how many “aha” moments I had about the ACTUAL light in my apartment How drastic the difference in light is within only a few feet from your window What area of your apartment is probably low light that you never knew about Whether or not you can put plants in a bathroom with no windows Whether or not you can put plants in an office with no windows Citrus under lights, pests   GET THE FREE DOWNLOAD! Get the free measuring light overview, worksheet and Leslie’s Plant Geek Glossary by subscribing here https://bloomandgrowradio.com/resources   Mentioned in this episode: - Lux Light Meter  - PAR meter - Soltech Solution Aspect Light (link has BAGR 15% off Affiliate Code)  - Leslie’s Book, Gardening Under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers    Follow Leslie Halleck: https://lesliehalleck.com/ @lesliehalleck https://twitter.com/@LeslieHalleck https://www.pinterest.com/lesliehalleck/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgVSrcFLIllF6fDhu1_8XDw https://www.facebook.com/HalleckHorticultural facebook groups: gardening under lights and plant parenting   Follow Bloom and Grow Radio www.bloomandgrowradio.com https://www.pinterest.com/bloomandgrowradio https://www.instagram.com/bloomandgrowradio/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I’m excited to bring you another two part episode on a topic that has plagued me in my first year as a plant parent: understanding natural light, and what the heck “bright indirect light” actually means. When figuring out how to do this episode, I knew I needed a lighting and plant expert who would give me the space to ask the simple questions to understand this complex topic. Enter Leslie Halleck. Leslie is a Horticulturalist by education and profession with a passion for plants and gardening. She has worked in many sectors of the gardening industry, from nurseries, to being the Director of Horticulture Research at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden to founding Halleck Horticultural, a consulting service for Green Industry businesses. Her book, Gardening under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers, is the ultimate guide to understanding artificial lighting for indoor growers of any experience level. Leslie joins me to share her years of experience with houseplants and indoor gardening to ironically not discuss her vast knowledge of indoor grow lights, but to teach us about the basics of measuring our natural indoor light, to better understand out indoor environment, and whether we need to supplement with lights. Today’s episode is titled General Rules, next weeks episode is titled Measuring Tools. General Rules will consist of my lengthy conversation with Leslie about lighting basics, and how we can understand our indoor lighting environments without special or expensive meters. She also just imparts piece after piece or plant parenthood wisdom, and honestly teaches us a lot more than just how to understand light. Next week, in “Measuring Tools”, we will dive into the homework assignment she gave me, which involved me using a light meter on my phone to actually measure my surrounds, which gave me shocking “aha” moments. I hope this two part series helps uncover this tricky problem and helps you be more at ease and empowered about your personal indoor environments. In this episode we learn: - How Leslie came to be the lighting expert she is now - Measuring and understanding NATURAL light 101 - The difference between the volume of light vs the brightness of light - What PAR is and why it is important for understand our natural light in our apartments - The most brilliant metaphor for light that will make even the science inept person understand light, photons and photosynthesis - How the direction your window faces affects the amount of light in your apartment, and a good rule of thumb to live by - What the heck “bright indirect light’ actually is! - Practical steps to understanding “bright indirect light” for your specific surrounding - How many feet away from your windowsill does “bright light” turn to “medium light” and then turn to “low light” - Why we overwater our plants (spoiler alert… it’s often because of your lighting conditions) - If sunbeams that move throughout your apartments make a different for your plants - Why experimenting with plant placement and light is crucial Mentioned in this Episode: - Soltech Solutions Light, use bloomandgrow15 for 15% off on any of their lights at www.soltechsolutions.com - Lux Light Meter Pro App - Leslie’s Book, Gardening Under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers Follow Leslie Halleck: https://lesliehalleck.com/ @lesliehalleck on twitter, pinterest, youtube, facebook Follow Bloom and Grow Radio @bloomandgrowradio on Instagram, www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club to join the (free) online garden club! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome back to part 2 of the Aroids 101 series. I hope you enjoyed last weeks Part 1 on the general information and care for the amazing Araceae family. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, I would suggest hitting pause here and listening to that episode first, as it lays the groundwork for the information we dive into today. We are joined again today by Enid, the founder of NSE Tropicals. NSE Tropicals is an online plant shop that has some of the most rare and unusual plants on the Internet. Enid founded NSE Tropicals 18 years ago as a hobby and it has turned into one of the go to resources for rare and exotic plants. She is an avid collector of aroids and other hard to find plants and even served as the President of the International Aroid Society. Today’s episode is all about the different species that make up the Araceae family, and the popular Aroids we know and love. Enid walks us through what we need to know about Philodendrons, Alocasia, Anthuriums, Rhaphidophora, Monstera and more and suggests great plants to start with when dipping our toes into the Aroid pool… not to be confused with the aquatic plants we also discuss! This talk is full of fun facts that I hope help you bloom and grow your indoor jungles. I know I am super inspired to bring some more aroids home after this conversation! Plant Friends… I feel like I owe it to you to just own how much I butcher the Latin language in this episode. Don’t worry… I’m working on finding the perfect guest for Plant Latin episode to be airing in your earbuds soon. In this episode we learn - Specific care instructions for the various genus of aroids: Philodendrons, Alocasia, Anthurium, Rhaphidophora, Monstera, - Why Philodendron Pink Princess is so popular - How Enid keeps tracks of all of the varied species of plants - How these plants get divided and their names get determined - Watering hacks for bulbs - The history of the Alocasia Polly - Enid’s trick to help with proper aeration of soil and healthy root systems - What size pots go best with these plants with large leaves that don’t necessarily have large root systems - How to harvest seeds from your Aroid Inflorescence - What the “toughest” aroids are to try indoors - Aquatic aroid basic recommendations - Enid’s fertilizing practices Mentioned in today’s episode: - Please visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/aroid101_2 for photos of the plants discussed - International Aroid Society www.aroid.org - Article by Episode 07 Guest, Olena Shmahalo on change of taxanomy for Thaumatophyllum Bipinnatifidum Find Enid and NSE tropicals @NSETropicals on Instagram and Facebook and www.nsetropicals.com Find Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio @bloomandgrowradio on instagram and www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the Garden Club for free! www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Thanks again to Modern Sprout for sponsoring today’s episode. To get yourself some of their hydroponic planters with organic non gmo herbs and flowers or one of my beloved growlights, visit modernsprout.com and entire code BLOOM to get 15% off. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today’s episode is the first of a two part series on Aroid 101. Aroids are all over Instagram, with their great variety of sexy, prehistoric looking leaves, and many Aroids make great houseplants because of their low light tolerance and their large and beautiful foliage. I’m excited to welcome Enid, the founder of NSE Tropicals, the online mecca for Aroids and unusual plants, to enlighten us about the wild and wide world of Aroids. You will be shocked at how many common plants fall under this family! NSE Tropicals is an online plant shop that has some of the most rare and unusual plants on the Internet. Enid founded NSE Tropical 18 years ago as a hobby and it has turned into one of the go to resources for rare and exotic plants. She is an avid collector of aroids and other hard to find plants and even served as the President of the International Aroid Society. She gives us so much wonderful information over this two part series. Today’s Part 1 focuses on the general information about the Aroid family, it’s history, what plants fall under the Aroid distinction and general care information and troubleshooting. Part 2 (airing next week) will take a deeper look at the most popular aroid houseplant genera and specific information on our most popular and and drool worthy Aroids. I mispronounce pretty much every plant we discuss, but their proper spelling and photos are in the blog associated with this episode. In this episode we learn: - How Enid became the collector and purveyor of rare plants - How she grows her plants onsite - The top 5 most requested plants at NSE Tropicals - How to pronounce Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma (spoiler alert, Maria’s been pronouncing it incorrectly). - How Enid became the experienced grower she is now - The definition of an aroid - What an inflorescence is - Some plant latin guidance - General thoughts and care tips for aroids - How to prepare aroids for dormancy and which aroids go dormant - The difference in root system across various Aroids - General troubleshooting answers - Why poles or climbing structures are important for Aroids that climb in nature Mentioned in the episode: - Please visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/aroid101_1 for photos of the plants discussed - International Aroid Society www.aroid.org Find Enid and NSE tropicals @NSETropicals on Instagram and Facebook and www.nsetropicals.com  Find Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio @bloomandgrowradio on instagram and www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the Garden Club for free! www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Thank you Modern Sprout for sponsoring today's episode. To learn more about their amazing grow lights and hydroponic planters, visit www.modernsprout.com and use code BLOOM at checkout for 15% off. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Are you getting a Christmas Tree this year? Listen to the episodes mentioned here to 1) Learn best practices for cut christmas trees and how to have a locally sourced tree that you compost after the season #responsibleplantparent 2) have a LIVING, potted indoor christmas tree that you can replant after the holiday season!    Episode 05: Cut Christmas Trees with Mary Jeanne Packer from the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of NY  Episode 06: Living Christmas Tree withs Joe Lampl from Growing a Greener World    Follow Bloom and Grow Radio on Instagram Join the Garden Club (for free): https://bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today’s episode is about exactly what the title says… our brains… on plants. And what happens in our brains, when we become Plant People. When I was starting to move from plant killer to crazy plant lady, I noticed, there were a few months in the beginning of my plant collection where I feel like the love for plants kind of took over my life. I’ve always thought about that particular phase in my life when I felt like I almost couldn’t stop buying more plants. Enter Dr Caitlin Vander Weele, the answer to my plant-iest and expert-iest of dreams. Caitlin is not only an awesome listener of BAGR but a neuroscientist and author with over 10 years of expertise in understanding how emotions and brain chemistry influence decision making. She is also the founder of Interstellate, a movement that blends science and art with visual imagery to promote science education. Plant friends… Caitlin is like…. really really really smart. And she is also a crazy plant lady, and this conversation blew my mind. Two quick notes on today’s conversation: 1) Caitlin and I talk about some grown up topics in this episode- I know lots of you listen with your children (which makes me so happy) but I might give this a listen on your own before you enjoy it with your kids. Let’s say while all my other episodes are pretty much G rated, we will call this one PG-13. 2) We are not licensed psychologists, just two plant friends talking neuroscience. If you think you have a compulsive spending problem, please consult a professional. And now before we dive into that conversation I can’t wait to tell you about today’s sponsor, Modern Sprout.   In this episode we learn: - How Caitlin became a crazy plant lady - Maria gets real with Caitlin and explains the addictive behaviors she experienced when she began her journey into plant parenthood. Caitlin breaks down what exactly was happening in Maria’s brain in those first few months of buying as many plants as possible - What causes our brain to release dopamine  - What a compulsive behavior is - What our brain on dopamine does - What neurotransmitters, synapses and receptors are - The difference between endorphins and dopamine - Why we feel bonded to our plants - How these things are measured in our brains - 4 phases of compulsive behaviors to look out for - How to cope with compulsive urges when growing your urban jungle Thank you Modern Sprout for sponsoring today's episode! Visit https://www.modsprout.com/ to learn more about their lines of hydroponic planters and AMAZING grow lights and use code BLOOM at checkout for 15% off.  Follow Dr Caitlin Vander Weele on Twitter and Instagram and Interstellate @interstellate and www.insterstellate.com Follow Bloom and Grow Radio on Instagram Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Donate to Bloom and Grow Radio to support the show in Year 2! http://bit.ly/2TnMwiy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.