Gardening Talks Ft. magic_of_green

Archana and her lovely Money plant:

“Hello and good afternoon everyone. Welcome to Gardening Talks featuring magic_of_green. In this gardening talk, we bring to you some of the frequently asked questions about Plants. Joining us today, to answer these questions, we have Mrs. Archana Sen Kotwal. Hello Archana, how are you?” Asked Zehra.

“Hello Zehra, I am good. Thank you the Affordable Organic Store for this session.” Said Archana.  

“It’s always a pleasure to talk to you. So, Archana is no stranger to us as she had already gone to a workshop with us and hence needs no introduction. She is popularly known as magic_of_green on her social media handle (Instagram). So, today we have her with us to answer our questions about the Money plant and ZZ plant. Before we take the question, we would like to hear about yourself?” Asked Zehra. 

“Good afternoon everyone. My name is Archana Sen Kotwal. I belong to Kashmir and I am a proud mom of more than 300 plants.” Said Archana. 

1. “How to grow a Money plant at home?” Asked Zehra. 

“As you all know that Money plant is a much-known plant and you can find it in every home at every round the corner. To grow them is also very easy, you need a small part of the plant from its node which has small roots at the bottom. You have to plant the cutting in the soil and leave it for propagation in the pot.” Said Archana. 

2. “How to grow a Money plant in water?” Asked Zehra. 

“I love to do propagation at home. So to grow a money plant in water, first you need to have a small cutting of the plant i.e. done by the step-cutting method from the node of the plant. After putting the node/cutting in the water you will be able to witness the growth of the plant from the leaves as well as from under the water. You have to use a clean glass jar for better visibility of the growing roots and keep in mind to clean the jar in 2-3 days. And that’s how you can grow a healthy money plant in water. And it is an easy process.” Said Archana. 

3. “How to grow a Money plant faster?” Asked Zehra. 

“So money plant can strive anywhere. The important things to keep in mind are:

1. Water them properly
2. The temperature
3. The soil nutrients 

Keeping all these points in the priority you will be able to grow a healthy plant. You need to remove the dry or dead leaves from the plant if found. Always wipe out the dust from the leaves so that they can get proper nutrients. Direct sunlight can hamper the growth of the money plant, so avoid direct sunlight. And with patience, you can find the result of faster growth of the money plant.” Said Archana.

4. “So, according to you in which medium does the money plant grows faster, soil or water?” Asked Zehra. 

“I have seen that plant grow good in the water as in my balcony I have kept few plants in the water and you can witness the growth of the plant every day. But I believe a money plant or any other plant grows well in the soil as it is a good medium for the growth of the plant. In water, the amount of water can play a major role in the growth of the plant. But you can see around me this plant is grown from the soil, yes it does shed lots of leaves but don’t worry. And I would suggest growing the money plant in soil.” Said Archana. 

“I would like to ask,

5. “what is the best source or way of getting our first plant in our house, is it by cutting or buying from a nursery?” Asked Zehra.

“In case you are buying the plat from the nursery, you need to keep in mind to check the plant thoroughly for no pests or infections. Buying the plant is a good option but don’t keep the plant near your other plants just to make your other plants safe from infections, and water the plant thoroughly. You can use Neem oil mixed with water to disinfect the plant from pests. What I do, whenever I go for a walk and see a money plant I can the plant from its node and water it nicely for its propagation. I would suggest growing the plant from the mother money plant as you can grow more than 10 plants from it. So, I also brought my first money plant from a nursery. And later by watching videos and researching about it, I found that there is no need to buy a money plant every single time if you want to grow another one, you can grow it from the mother plant very easily.” Said Archana. 

6. “How to take care of the Money plant?” Asked Zehra. 

“The take care points for a money plant are:

1. The right amount of water. You should use the finger testing method to know whether the plant needs water or not. Keep in mind not to over-water the plant.
2. Protect the plant from harsh weather, like extremely cold temperatures as it could hamper its growth. Sunlight is also important for the plant but not direct sunlight.  
3. In case of low humidity of the soil or over-watering the plant, you will witness the leaves turning yellow and falling out. It does happen in the summer months, so don’t lose hope just water the plant properly.

 Talking about fertilizers, I never used them in my money plant. According to me if the plant can grow naturally without the use of fertilizers then that’s good. Yes, if you find the need to put fertilizers in the plant then you may but be sure to use the right one in the right quantity.” Said Archana.

7. “What if the plant is infected by pests?” Asked Zehra.

“It does happen when the plant may get infected by pests. So, make sure to separate that plant from the other plant so that the pests won’t infect the other healthy growing plants. Many people believe in keeping that plant in direct sunlight so that the pests will die, but that’s not the case. There are many pesticides available to disinfect the plant, you can use Neem oil as a pest remover. Keep in mind to mix the Neem oil in proper proportion in the water and then spray that water on the plant and its leaves.” Said Archana.

“As you said in the last session about plants going to dormancy in winter:

8. “do money plant also goes into dormancy in winter?” Asked Zehra.

“Yes, in winter my money plants start drying and the majority of the leaves started turning yellow. So, yes every plant goes through a dormancy period as they need to regenerate its energy for the year. After the dormancy period, there is instant bloom in the plant’s growth in monsoon. During the dormancy period in winter, don’t disturb them as they are also resting and leave it as it is.” Said Archana.

9. “What is the ZZ plant?” Asked Zehra. 

“The ZZ plant i.e. Zamioculcas zamiifolia. This plant is loved by everyone because it is a very easy-growing and non-demanding plant. This plant has those large thick rhizomes which look like potatoes and in those rhizomes, it stores water to survive for a long time and even in the case of drought. So, the ZZ plant requires low light and less water. The ZZ plant is an easy-growing plant so people can have them at home. Do keep in mind to keep this plant aware from children. You can just grow it by watering it in a week it will grow well. It has bright and shiny foliage, therefore people use it as desk planters for decoration in offices.” Said Archana. 

Thank you so much, Archana!

“It was lovely to have you again for such a wonderful session. Thank you, Archana for your valuable time. Thank you, everyone, for being in this workshop. I hope you have enjoyed the session. Thank you all for joining the workshop.” 

HAPPY GARDENING!