Episode 209: Anthuriums with @your.babylon
Mark Lashmar with Anthurium crystallinum ‘Silver’. Photograph: @your.babylon.
Transcript
Episode 209
[music]
Jane: Greetings earthlings! My name is Jane Perrone and this is On The Ledge podcast. Well, here we are again! Thank you so much for joining me. This week I'm talking to Mark Lashmar aka Your.Babylon about all things Anthurium and I answer a question about what plants can grow in a big, south-facing window.
[music]
Jane: Thank you for all the lovely feedback on last week's show. Lots of you were suggesting ideas for plant databases and things that you use to keep track of your plants. Lots of you, including Al, were suggesting spreadsheets of various kinds and Samantha suggested something called Airtable which I haven't had a chance to fully explore yet, but looks very interesting. If you haven't already found me, I am now on the platform known as TikTok and I'm not going to be doing any dancing! My bronze medal in ballroom and Latin American from when I was about nine probably doesn't set me up for a dancing career on TikTok but do go and check me out there where I'm OnTheLedgePodcast. If you are in the vicinity of Milton Keynes in the UK, I'm doing a special talk at Frost's Garden Centre in a place called Woburn Sands on 10th March. It's going to be very fancy! There's going to be canapes and all sorts and you get a free succulent if you book tickets now. I'll put a link in the show notes to that. I'm going to be talking about houseplant care and if you come and reveal yourself as a listener, I will have some stickers and cards for you, so do book your tickets for that if you are in shooting distance of Milton Keynes. It's on the evening of March 10^th^ 2022.
Thank you to Kyle for leaving a lovely review for the show, which thoroughly brightened my week, and thanks to Michelle who became a Superfan on Patreon and Charlene who became a Ledge-end this week!
[music]
Jane: Now it's time to chat to this week's guest, Mark Lashmar, about the wonderful velvety world of Anthuriums.
Mark: Hi, my name's Mark Lashmar, I'm a houseplant and plant enthusiast. I've been collecting plants and growing plants for probably 15 years plus, but really heavily in the last four years and I'm on Instagram as Your.Babylon.
Jane: Mark, it's great to have you on the show and I really want to pick your brains about the genus Anthurium because I know you've got a lovely collection and I have a total Anthurium count of zero in my house: pause for gasping! So I really want to get into some meat of the Anthurium genus today with you and we'll talk about some other stuff as well because I love your Instagram account. It's a great mix of the fun, the useful, the funny and the generally planty, which is always a great thing. What is it about Anthuriums? I'm seeing Anthuriums everywhere! Try and convince me to get some Anthuriums, Mark!
Mark: When I was younger, I was always into these giant leafy plants that you go and see in big glasshouses. I didn't know what they were, they could have been anything, Philodendron or anything, I just thought they were amazing. So I think I've been brainwashed from a young age to just love this giant, leaf-type thing! I was collecting plants, just regular houseplants, like Epipremnum and Philodendrons and things like that you get from the garden centre. I stumbled across an Anthurium clarinerviumand I instantly resonated with it and it just brought back memories of seeing these amazing species in these botanic glasshouses when I was younger and it went from there. So it went from having a Clarinervium and getting deeper into the Anthuriums and the Aroids, to collecting Anthuriums from around the world and putting them in my cabinet. So, for me, I love the texture of them. When we say Anthuriums, obviously, there's quite a lot of them. I'm talking specifically about the velvet type Anthuriums. They'rethe ones that I really, really like. I love the veining on it, it's not just the front of the leaf it's also the petiole, the back. Sometimes they're frilly, all these types of things, I just think they're stunning.
Jane: For the Anthurium noobs, can you explain, visually, what the difference is between Crystallinum and, say, Veitchii, or one of the other really popular ones? How do you, sort of, rate them in terms of looks-wise and drama, which is what I think these Anthuriums bring?
Mark: Your velvety ones are the Crystallinum, Forgetii, Clarinervium types. They've got floppy, leathery, velvety leaves, they feel really nice and they've got some striking veining patterns. Then you've got some other ones which are like Veitchii, Radicans and Luxurians and I would call them plasticky-leathery. They're not velvety or soft-feeling at all. They have textures like crocodile skin, bobbly, and stuff like that and they have a different leaf shape as well. They can be very elongated, ripply, especially the Veitchii. I've got a really long, narrow form of that and that's got lots of ripples going down it. Now hybridists are also making types that have different leaf colour and veining colour and that's something that's been happening for quite some time but I think that's on the up-trend as well.
Jane: Yes, that's the thing, isn't it, once you realise that something can be... I say easily hybridised, but hybridised by people who know what they're doing, then a whole world opens up? Do all Anthuriums need that enclosed, moist air of some kind of glass cabinet, or can any of them survive in average room conditions?
Mark: I have my Anthurium clarinervium in normal room temperature and normal house humidity. They're not in the cabinet at all, they're just dotted throughout the house. I have Crystallinum types dotted around the house. I think everything else I pretty much keep in my cabinet. I can list a couple of them but they're the only ones I've experimented with. I think they can adapt and I think as long as you're watering them, providing them good substrate and feed and light and everything like that, they will adapt. So far, Clarinervium and Crystallinum are the ones that I don't have in any high humidity or special cabinets, or anything like that.
Jane: Those plants are so popular. Is it like other Aroids, where the price is coming down and they're more accessible to the average Joe, Joanna, or indeed, Jane?
Mark: Definitely. Clarinervium have been out for a while, Crystallinum are now hitting regular plant shops and garden centres now, so you start to see baby ones being sold online from online retailers, of Crystallinum types anyway. I think they're easier to look after and they probably grow a bit quicker than some Philodendron types, actually, and I think they're cheaper as well. Maybe because they can be produced on a mass scale but I have seen an uptrend in their availability and people getting into them, online anyway.
Jane: It's interesting, that baby plant trend, isn't it? I was looking around some houseplant shops the other day at things like Anthuriums and also some Alocasias and me, being a miser, I probably would be more likely to buy that baby plant not only because I'm saving money but also because I think that if you're starting off with a really young plant, you've got a better chance of getting it acclimated to your house than buying or importing something from Southeast Asia that's already established and then it gets to your house and has a bit of a protest.
Mark: That has happened to me and I did start with smaller baby plants and seedlings and getting them from friends I've made over Facebook and Instagram that were growing their own seedlings. Then I started getting some from Germany, this is pre-Brexit, but they do grow, they grow large. There was a bit about two months ago where I did a comparison between the cabinet that I built which I wanted just for my Anthuriums and I was, like, this was the Anthurium six months ago and this is them now and they're pushing the doors of my cabinet out because they grow so huge, so you need to think about the fact that they grow quite large!
Jane: I think this is something we're seeing now with people offloading parts of their Aroid collections because they realise that no, they do not stay as a cutting, they grow and romp around and get enormous. I'm definitely seeing a trend towards people selling their Swiss Cheese Plants on Facebook and things. It makes me wonder because I'm thinking A) You haven't done enough research to realise you could just hack that back quite happily and B) What's your motivation here? Is it really too big for your house or are you trying to make some money? I'm really fascinated by this whole moving plants through and buying a plant and then selling it again. That's not something I've ever done but there's a lot of Swiss Cheese Plants for sale right now on various platforms.
Mark: Monsteras and things, I do think people have been buying them to chop and prop and sell up. They do grow quite quickly, don't they? I think Philos and Monsteras and things like that, I think there's a different uptake, that maybe people see them as more valuable and easier to propagate and sell on. Maybe Anthuriums are a bit more little treasures, collectors' pieces? I don't see them traded as much, maybe just some seedlings. That was another fascination for me; I wanted to pollinate them. I wanted to learn how to make my own berries and things like that and the inflorescence, how it changes from female to male, it's amazing.
Jane: They do have that classic spathe and spadix of the Aroid family. I don't think I've ever seen... it's not something people tend to put on Instagram either because their plants are too young, or because they don't think it's as cool as the leaves, but I imagine that, like all the Aroids, those flowers are fascinating. I've been looking at the pollination biology of some of the Aroid species for my book and there's so much we still don't understand about how these things work. It's really fascinating. Have you had success pollinating Anthuriums?
Mark: Yes. I've got a giant hybrid, a Crystallinum hybrid. One of its leaves is as big as my chest at the moment, but it was also growing flowering inflorescence of spadix. I saved pollen that I took from it, seven months prior, from another flower and I froze it. I've successfully managed to make it happen and it's now making berries and I've been putting that in stories, as an update. You can see how it changes shape. It bulges and it's like a honeycomb texture in the flower and they all split apart. I'm sharing that as I go along, but I will make a more condensed video on it, so I can show people how I went about it. I have done that with Clarinerviums before and that's the only other ones I've managed to do it with, but I'd love to do it with a Veitchii. I've got a couple of those, but none of those have even flowered for me yet.
Jane: I know light is always one of those things that's impossible to explain unless somebody happens to be using a light meter, but how do you try to take care of your Anthuriums? Obviously they need good light. What about things like substrate and watering and feeding? What's your regime?
Mark: I do use mixed substrate. My main substrate that I use for my Anthuriums is a mixture of moss, perlite, orchid barks, maybe some coir chunks and a little bit of charcoal. That's probably my go-to rather than a more soil-based substrate. I do have some in man-made products, like Lechusa Pon, or something like that. I don't know, it's not a stressful routine for them at all. I just make sure that the medium that they're in, if it's a moss-type, that it's ever so slightly damp. Sometimes I even let them dry out a little bit. I do hear people say that they never let them dry out, or they're always too wet, or they like to keep them wet, but I don't. It's not a stressful thing or a routine. It's just, I'm checking the substrate and if it gets slightly on the dry side then I just give it a top up of water. I also feed them at least every month but, actually, I think I feed them every two weeks all the way throughout the year. Lighting, again I don't have a meter at home. I do worry about using the word "indirect" light because it's just one of those things that doesn't really mean too much, or it's not understood. Ones in the cabinet, they do have LED lights in the cabinets and they're on about nine to ten hours a day. The light source is probably about 30 cm away from the tallest one and some of them are quite low down. I do that because I want them to be darker, I want the foliage to look dark. What I've noticed with some of them, especially the Crystallinum and Forgetii types, if they're a bit lower down, away from being so close to the light, they seem to have a lovely, super-dark foliage.
Jane: Tell me about the cabinet. Obviously, this is a phenomenon of the modern Aroid and, to some extent, other houseplant growers. What does the cabinet bring that adds to your collection and what's your basic set up? Do you have all the fans and whatnot going?
Mark: I saw this on somebody else's Instagram. Her name is Robin. I was friends with her on Instagram and she was using a cabinet. There were other people that were using cabinets as well, but as soon as I saw that, I thought: "That's an art piece!" Now I can create this beautiful frame with lighting in it and have beautiful green foliage in there, so that was it for me! So I went and got one of these cabinets and I went through the whole journey of trying to figure out how to use it, what kind of technology you need in it and that was the first cabinet. I built a second cabinet with everything that I've learned and I'll go into detail and set the kind of things I've got in there and as I was doing that, I was sharing that journey and the things that I use and why I used them on my YouTube channel and on Instagram. I think quite a lot of people found that useful and then this whole page came about and this trend came about. I was probably at the beginning of it all, I didn't invent it, obviously, but this thing came about and everyone was getting these cabinets and it doesn't just have to be an IKEA cabinet; it can be any cabinet. So the types of things that I've got in there is, I have two fans, generally, in the size of the cabinet I've got right now, and I have one at the top and one at the bottom. They're all automated, so they come on multiple times throughout the day just to move the air around. Plus, another thing I don't like, if you're going around and misting and spraying in your cabinets, or you've got a humidifier on all the time, I think it's vital to have air flow so that mould doesn't happen and other things. One of them has a heat mat in it because I have seedlings and cuttings and things like that growing on it. There's a light on the top of the cabinet and on the next shelf down and both of my cabinets are split into two equal sizes. I'm trying to think what else I've got in there. I've got a hygrometer... how do you say it?
Jane: However you wish, but I guess hygrometer is probably a good guess.
Mark: Hygrometer, which, actually, I don't even use anymore. I got it just so I could have a look at the trend, the ups and downs and what goes on, especially with the humidity and the temperatures. Really interesting to see what happens. When you've got enough plants in there, they have their own humidity and they create their own little wonderful environment and you can see that on that data.
Jane: Yes, I think it's one of these things where, presumably, all the work is in the set-up, really. And then how much maintenance are you doing every week, aside from monitoring and watering your plants?
Mark: Well, it's not even weekly. It's not even monthly sometimes! Generally, I would say once a month I go in and I get everything out and I just give it a clean and that's pretty much what I do, other than watering and feeding. It's not a laborious activity for me at all. I actually love it! When you're going outside in your garden, you're going to clean the leaves and things like that, it's a really good time to have a look, a real good look, at all your leaves, to make sure are there any pests? Are there any issues? Is there a surprise? Is there a new leaf coming up? I'll check every week anyway, just because I like to see what's going on and new, but the effort, if we're going to say effort, is cleaning once a month.
Jane: Just going back to Anthuriums, are there any Anthuriums that are still on your wish list that you have not yet acquired?
Mark: Yes, there's a few. They're all from the Americas because there's some well-known growers in America. There's the Red Crystallinum types. A guy called Dr Jeff Block is the hybridiser for those. There's one called Carlablackiae. I really want that one just because it's super-duper dark. I really like the dark ones. I don't know why! I just think when you've got a super-dark leaf and then there's a contrasting silver vein or something like that coming through, it just looks stunning! They're the ones that are on my wish list, that I can't get hold of but I will be getting hold of soon. I'll have to share that with everyone when I can share that with everybody!
Jane: They will be mine! If you were going to suggest one species for people, like me, who've never... I've had Anthurium before but not the foliage Anthuriums, which one would you recommend I start with?
Mark: Can I recommend two actually?
Jane: You may!
Mark: I do think a really good one would be just the regular Anthurium crystallinum. I know there's loads of Clarinerviums out there, but I think you'll get a lot more from a regular Crystallinum. It's not that hard. A second one would be an Anthurium veitchii and only because I think they can cope a little bit better with less watering and feeding and they seem to survive if you forget about them a little bit and don't water them and they've gone too dry. So I think they're a bit more forgiving.
Jane: Okay, well I will bear that in mind if I decide to go down the Anthurium route! As regular listeners will know, it's not my bag really, the Aroids as a whole, but you never know!
[music]
Jane: More from Mark shortly, but now it's time for Question of the Week which comes from Lynette, who discovered On The Ledge in the autumn and has been making their way through the podcast in an orderly fashion and was up to episode 95. Wow, you've still got a long way to go Lynette, lots of episodes still to enjoy! Lynette has a problem which she needs help with and she moved into a new home and the main selling point was apparently the amazing light and giant windows, to which I think, as plant owners, we all want to say, "Woohoo!" However, things went a bit wrong because Lynette imagined rows of lush hanging baskets in the bay window across the kitchen and put lots of plants in that space only to find that those plants got very miserable very quickly. Lynette didn't say exactly what plants have been tried in that zone but has found that they've been needed to be moved further and further back from the window and wants to know if there are other options besides cacti and succulents because Lynette finds herself to be a killer of such things. Lynette writes: "I dream of large hanging baskets with lush tropical foliage, am I doomed? I've learned not to trust labels that say a plant can tolerate high light."
So, Lynette, this is a great question. I think what may have happened here is a bit of shock and awe for your houseplants, as they moved into that big, south-facing bay when you first arrived in the house. Bear in mind that plants very much adapt to the circumstances they are placed in. Now that means that something that can cope with high light will adapt itself in terms of the thickness of the cuticle on the plant, the outer layer and the amount of chlorophyll in the leaves, that will all adapt to the conditions that it's in. So, if you suddenly take that plant that's got used to much lower light conditions than you're about to foist them into, and then put them in that high light situation, they're not ready. I think I've mentioned this metaphor in the past on the show. It's like me spending all winter indoors with no natural light and then going out and sunbathing in Dubai for two weeks with no sunscreen on my body. The plants aren't ready for it! So I think it might not be a case of you choosing the wrong plants for that window but that you didn't acclimatise them to those conditions. It would have been a shock for those plants, moving, anyway, adding to the fact that they've suddenly had a big increase in light, I think they're probably just really unhappy with that setting, for the reasons that it's not what they're used to. So I would always recommend that if you're moving house, gradually move plants closer to a window, let them adjust and then hopefully that means that once summer comes they're more adjusted to those conditions. Even then, in high summer, you may need to move plants away from the window.
I do think that if you've got a big south-facing window, your best bet, really, is cacti and succulents. That doesn't have to mean that you kill them! Your main concern, when you're dealing with cacti and succulents and thinking about how to look after them, is substrate. If you get that substrate right, you can actually water them pretty generously during the growing season without causing any problems, provided that water can drain out of the bottom freely and that's one of the downsides of hanging plants, that that makes that a bit more of a pain. When you think about repotting cacti and succulents just make sure you add loads of extra drainage material and, hopefully, that will solve your problems with watering as well. Lots of cacti and succulents will do well, anything in the realm of things like Cleistocactus, which is generally known as the Monkey Tail Cactus, I think it used to be Hildewintera before it became Cleistocactus. Also, things like our classic Curio rowleyanus, String of Pearls, Senecio Hippogriff, Othonna capensis, Ruby Necklace, those trailing succulent plants would be great for this setting.
The other thing you could do if you've got some plants that you want to put in that window but you think it might be too bright, is either put some voile/net curtains up or some blinds that you can open and close, so you can adjust the light level and put a barrier between the window and those plants, so you can adjust the light on particularly bright days you can give them a bit of extra shade. Indeed, some of the plants that you've got might actually be okay in that south-facing window if they are gradually exposed to it. It's one of those things where you can't just have an immediate answer and style the whole thing and make it look incredible and then walk away, it's going to be an experimentation process and it may take some time to get it right but that's half the fun, is the experimentation. So my advice would be to continue to experiment, Lynette, and see if you can get things growing well. Thanks for your question, Lynette, and if you've got a question for On The Ledge drop me a line: ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com
[music]
Jane: What else in your collection is really floating your boat right now, Mark? Is there anything that's a new plant or a plant that's really doing well that you're in love with?
Mark: Yes, there's a Philodendron - I don't know whether I'm going to say it right, I'm going to have a go - Philodendron camposportoanum.
Jane: I'm going to trust you on that because I've got no idea either!
Mark: I don't know! Maybe the listeners can correct me, but I'm just seeing it written down. I think it's a Philodendron that was hot many years ago and been completely forgotten about. The amazing thing about it, and the thing I'm enjoying, is the leaf shape. It has these sort of bunny-ear, lobed ear shapes, as the leaf gets larger and matures, but the most amazing thing about it is it has this two-toned leaf colour. So when it's young, it's super-vibrant pea green with sort of a yellowy luminescence in the middle and then as it ages, it sort of darkens.
Jane: I've just looked that up while you've been talking and that has got some really stunning leaves! It seems quite variable. Presumably that foliage, as the plant matures, is going to change, as so many Aroids do, into something else but that sort of burnished leaf is rather lovely.
Mark: Yes. I've got some leaves that are about as big as my head, I'd say, but I've not seen them in the wild, or any images like that, so I don't know. I've just seen some pictures, and things, on the internet and, obviously, I've got two myself.
Jane: Well, it sounds like an interesting one for people to add to their wish list. Tell me a little bit about the world of Instagram and you. I find, as a British plant person, that it's interesting being part of this global community because, as with many things in life, North Americans possibly dominate in terms of numbers and we have a slightly different houseplant culture here, do you find sometimes that there's things that don't translate to non-British growers?
Mark: If we're just talking about Instagram, you can have somebody who's just spun up on Instagram in, say, America or Canada and then they'll just, like, excel phenomenally in their followership and their postings and all these types of things on Instagram, compared to somebody in the UK, but I don't know whether I know what it is. I can see the kind of things that people in the US who are excelling in that world - if that's their game, they want to have big influence and loads of engagement and followers - I can kind of see the things that they're doing to get that. It's a lot of visuals and comedy and stuff like that. Whereas, for me, I think I do sort of blend it with a little bit of comedy, but truly and in my heart I'm all about: "This is how I go about propagating something" and "This is what I found out" because I just love some of the nerdy side of the planty world. I'm still in my greenhouse outside, messing about. That's me, that's my world, anyway, for the story that I share on Instagram.
Jane: I think that's what it's all about, isn't it? If you enjoy doing TikTok dances, or whatever, then that's great and I would encourage people to go all-out and enjoy that, but I don't think anyone should be forced to go with what they feel is the trendy way of doing things because, like you, I want the in-depth info. This is why I'm terrible at making stuff on Instagram and TikTok because I want to talk for 10 minutes about a plant, I don't want to give you seven seconds. I can't say anything in seven seconds! Back to your Instagram, what are your plans for this growing season? Have you got any particular projects you're working on?
Mark: I've got a couple of videos and there's one that I'm going to do as well which I'm really worried about doing and I want to do it the best way I can, which is to try and talk about lighting, fake lighting. There's lots of information out there, I want it to be at the right level that can be understood but not get too complex that it could stress somebody. I'm struggling with that one but that's my plan for this year, I want to talk about some lighting.
Jane: I think there are so many pitfalls in the LED plant lighting world. My advice is always buy as expensive as you possibly can because the cheapo ones, possibly, are generally not very good. Generally speaking, you're not getting something that's going to last. I have had lots of experiences of people buying cheapo LED lights that just don't last, that break and that go wrong.
Mark: I look for IP rating, which I think is very important. I don't think it's on everyone's list because a lot of the lights that people use are generally for vivariums, or terrariums, or something like that.
Jane: Explain IP rating?
Mark: Yes, IP rating is, I think it's a UK... I'm hoping it's a worldwide rating? It's a rating to understand the particles and water resistance a product has. I can't remember the numbers it goes up to. I think it's nine, or six, or something like that but, generally, I look for something that's at least IP 65, 66, something like that, which means it's splash and spray-proof and resistant to regular particles. It's all about water protection for me with electronics. Then I always look for something that's full spectrum as well. There's all this blue light and red light and purple light thing. I think people need to understand the benefits of those spectrums, but I just go full spectrum.
Jane: Agreed, yes. I just don't want to have my place a little like...
Mark: I don't want a purple room!
Jane: Yes. Well, it is a real minefield so I'm sure that will be a really, really useful video, so I'm looking forward to that for myself as much as anything else. Anything else that you wanted to share with us, Mark, before I let you go?
Mark: Yes, there's one more thing I could share, which is another thing that I'm working on which is I'm trying to bring to life some information... this could be a video, I don't know what it is, but I'm working with a partner on this one... about using biological pest control. So I think that's been on the up-trend as well, for people that have all these Aroids and plants in the house, so I'm trying to just bring life to some data and use about that. Also, people shouldn't worry too much about that.
Jane: Indeed, yes. I think there's a lot of panicking always going on when somebody sees something moving.
Mark: It's natural.
Jane: But yes, it's great to be able to use biological controls. They're quite expensive, so you want to get them right and choose the right things, right, because I think that's my other worry?
Mark: I've been involved in the panic culture on Instagram going, "Oh no, I've got thrips!" and so I think I've been involved in that negative thought, so that's another reason I'm going to try and do this. That's been my learning curve as well, which is, obviously, I've been stressed about certain things like thrips, but I think I'm over that now and I just didn't manage them and they're just part of life.
Jane: Well, it's been delightful to speak to you, Mark! Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom with us and just finish by telling us where people can find you on their phones?
Mark: Yes, I'm in two spaces really. So I'm mostly on Instagram on the account Your.Babylon and I'm also on YouTube, with some helpful tips and videos, on YourBabylonPlants.
Jane: Perfect! Thank you, Mark.
Mark: Thank you - thanks for having me.
[music]
Jane: Thanks so much to Mark for joining me and you can hear an extra chunk of chat with Mark in An Extra Leaf, where we talk about Oxalis. That episode, An Extra Leaf 85, will be out in the next couple of days for anyone who's a Patreon subscriber at the Ledge-end or Superfan level. Do check out the show notes for some more pictures from Mark and also the details of his social media handles. That's all for this week's show, you've been an attentive and fabulous audience as ever. I will see you next Friday, have a fabulous week and remember to breathe, in... and out! Bye!
[music]
Jane: The music you heard in this episode was Roll Jordan Roll, by The Joy Drops, The Road We Used To Travel When We Were Kids, by Komiku and Namaste, by Jason Shaw. All tracks are licensed under Creative Commons. Visit the show notes for details.
Subscribe to On The Ledge via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Player FM, Stitcher, Overcast, RadioPublic and YouTube.
I talk to Mark Lashmar aka @your.babylon about his collection of Anthuriums, and I answer a question about plants for a south-facing bay window.
This week’s guest
Mark Lashmar from Essex in the UK is @your.babylon on Instagram and Your Babylon Plants on YouTube.
Patreon subscribers at the Ledge End and SUperfan level can listen to me and Mark discussing Oxalis in exclusive Patreon episode An Extra Leaf 85.
Check out the notes below as you listen…
Mark with his greenhouse cabinets. Photograph: @your.babylon.
Some of the most popular velvet-leaved Anthuriums include A. clarinervium, A. crystallinum, and A. forgetti.
The leaves of other species in the genus such as A. veitchii, A. radicans and A. luxurians have leathery leaves; many are elongated rather than heart-shaped.
Breeders are also developing cultivars with different veining patterns and colours.
Not all Anthuriums need high humidity; Mark grows A. clarinervium and A. crystallinum in normal room temperature and humidity.
Mark uses a mix of substrates for Anthuriums: moss, perlite, orchid bark, coir chunks and charcoal.
Mark offers up some tips for setting up an IKEA greenhouse cabinet here. Other than watering and feeding, his main maintenance for the cabinets is a monthly clean.
Anthuriums still on Mark’s wishlist are the red A. crystallinum types, hybridised by Dr Jeff Block, and A. carlablackiae.
The Philodendron with the tricky name that Mark mentions is Philodendron camposportoanum.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Lynette was delighted to move into a house with a big south-facing bay window, but was dismayed to find that all her plants placed in that space did badly. What went wrong? I suspect the plants had a big shock being moved location and stuck suddenly into high light conditions. The plants will inevitably end up burning when this happens. They may be able to adapt gradually to higher light levels, but this may need to be gradually increased over weeks and months.
Putting up nets or blinds may widen the range of plants that can be grown by controlling light levels, especially in high summer when the sun is at its harshest. Otherwise trailing succulents will do really well here, such as Curio rowleyanus, Othonna capensis ‘Ruby Necklace’, Sedum morganianum (burro’s tail) - pictured left - and Senecio ‘Hippogriff’.
Want to ask me a question? Email ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com. The more information you can include, the better - pictures of your plant, details of your location and how long you have had the plant are always useful to help solve your issue!
HOW TO SUPPORT ON THE LEDGE
Contributions from On The Ledge listeners help to pay for all the things that have made the show possible over the last few years: equipment, travel expenses, editing, admin support and transcription.
Want to make a one-off donation? You can do that through my ko-fi.com page, or via Paypal.
Want to make a regular donation? Join the On The Ledge community on Patreon! Whether you can only spare a dollar or a pound, or want to make a bigger commitment, there’s something for you: see all the tiers and sign up for Patreon here.
The Crazy Plant Person tier just gives you a warm fuzzy feeling of supporting the show you love.
The Ledge End tier gives you access to two extra episodes a month, known as An Extra Leaf, as well as ad-free versions of the main podcast on weeks where there’s a paid advertising spot, and access to occasional patron-only Zoom sessions.
My Superfan tier earns you a personal greeting from me in the mail including a limited edition postcard, as well as ad-free episodes.
If you like the idea of supporting On The Ledge on a regular basis but don't know what Patreon's all about, check out the FAQ here: if you still have questions, leave a comment or email me - ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com. If you're already supporting others via Patreon, just click here to set up your rewards!
If you prefer to support the show in other ways, please do go and rate and review On The Ledge on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen. It's lovely to read your kind comments, and it really helps new listeners to find the show. You can also tweet or post about the show on social media - use #OnTheLedgePodcast so I’ll pick up on it!
CREDITS
This week's show featured the tracks Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops, The Road We Use To Travel When We Were Kids by Komiku, Chiefs by Jahzzar and Namaste by Jason Shaw.