It’s “Houseplant” Week!

The postponed houseplant workshop at Brooklyn Botanic Garden is on for next Wednesday, December 5 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The workshop features the use of sub-irrigated planters (SIPs), the most foolproof way to maintain plants indoors. Everyone will take home a recycled soda bottle SIP with a starter plant. There are a few seats left but you better hurry. Register here.

To support the event, I will post houseplant information between now and the workshop.

First, the term houseplant. In my view, it is an old-fashioned term. I’ll use it because it is in such widespread use. Think about some of the uses of the word such as “dumb as a houseplant”. Indoor or interior plant is more modern.

I draw the line, however, at “self-watering”. It is bad English and makes no horticultural sense. Only animals with a brain have the ability to start and stop drinking. Plants do not have this ability. The term self-watering instead of sub-irrigation leads all too often to over watering and plant death. 

Comments

[Al Gracian 3]

Hey Bob,

You make an interesting statement about how "The term self-watering instead of sub-irrigation leads all too often to over watering and plant death."

What exactly is meant by that? It would be nice to read a further discussion on the matter. Do you mean that people read "self-watering" and they think that they can neglect their plant? Thus they over-water and kill it? I'm trying to understand the connection.

Thanks.