Monday, January 24, 2011

Greening My Air - My World Tuesday


I haven't had any plants now for some time so I bought a small aloe vera plant last summer. It needed repotting then but I still haven't repotted it! Something I know I need to do so it can really spread out and grow.

The aloe plant is well known as a medicinal plant. I've mostly known of this plant for its gel. When one gets a cut or scrape you can break a stem from this plant and squeeze the gel from the shoot onto your cut. It has many other uses besides applying to cuts and scrapes.  You can read more about it here.

The aloe vera plant originates in northern Africa. When I was in Kenya, East Africa,  I saw these huge aloe plants like these ones in the photos below. I was on my way to Marigat, Kenya.

You can see just how dry the climate is by looking at the plants and the ground.  These aloe plants are outside the aloe farm.
Look at how large some of these aloe plants are!
This is the company that is growing aloe plants and seedlings for sale.  I didn't have time to stop and have a closer look at the business operations.
Another plant I purchased in November (see photo below)  is not doing so well. It is of the Dracaena family. I believe it's path to illness was due to an episode of over watering.  I've cut off all the brown and dead leaves but now the plant has leaves on one side only and is looking rather bare.  I have fertilized it.  I hope it can recover and become more balanced looking over time. Perhaps I need to cut all the leaves back, I'm just not sure. I will have to do some research.


The Draecena plants make up an important group of plants used to decorate the home, keep the air clean and "green" private and public spaces.   Apparently there are approximately 40 or so assorted species of this plant and it comes in various shapes and sizes.


The plant above is one of the popular Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’ is more commonly known as the Corn Plant. It is supposed to do  well in low light conditions and its wide leaves are long and arc gracefully from the stalk.

You can't tell from my little plant above, but years ago I did have a beautiful and healthy Corn Plant. I don't remember what happened to it but I believe the movers packed it up and put it in storage when we had the fire. They literally put it in a box and didn't water it. Needless to say it was not thriving when I got it back and it didn't take long before it expired completely. Though it doesn't need a lot of water, it does need some.

I love the leaves on a larger Corn Plant so I had to buy it when I saw it on the weekend.  I think it is good for cleaning the air in my small apartment. Especially during the winter when the windows are seldom kept open.

Hopefully this plant will be with me for years to come and clean the air that I breathe.
For more insight into what others around the world are doing this Tuesday, click here.

14 comments:

Jan said...

Hi Penny, I have an aloe vera on the deck and in our climate it looks after itself.

I have never had a dracaena, though people do grow them here. Hope you find away to save it. The new one looks great.

Love and Blessings,
Jan

Anonymous said...

I do like aloes and yucca plants.

Joyti said...

Your aloe plant looks so healthy. I've never heard of or seen a Draecena before...

Bossy Betty said...

Lovely (and useful!) plant!

Penelope Notes said...

Interesting that the aloe vera plant originated in North Africa. It seems to pop up like big dusty weeds in the dry ground. I love this plant because of its apparent healing properties and because it needs so little care. The one I have in a planter always rises above the soil. :)

Joyful said...

Hi Jan, I'd love to see a photo of your aloe plant. I bet it is huge with your warmer climate. I find the draceana's so pretty. I found some you tube videos that I think will help me a lot. Love, JS

Joyful said...

ladyfi, me too! :-) I'll be checking in on some of yours.

Joyful said...

Indie.Tea, so nice of you to visit. I dropped in on you today but couldn't leave a comment. I think your blog is so elegant and your food too.

Joyful said...

Bossy Betty, indeed :-) The aloe gel is so nice and refreshing too.

Joyful said...

aka Penelope, I love the aloe myself. I did not know it requires little care to thrive. It doesn't seem to need much water either.

Candice Suter.....Sweetstuff said...

Great looking aloe plants! Yours looks really healthy and happy. There are so many kinds of aloe's. I may have to do a post on them. (Great idea I say to myself! lol)

And I see why they call that dracaena a corn plant. Sure looks like corn.

Thanks for visiting and following my blog. Yours looks great and now I am following you!

Joyful said...

Hey Candy, so glad your comment showed up at last, lol! I'm delighted you are following me. See you around soon on your blog or mine :-)

Joyful said...

Great looking aloe plants! Yours looks really healthy and happy. There are so many kinds of aloe's. I may have to do a post on them. (Great idea I say to myself! lol)

And I see why they call that dracaena a corn plant. Sure looks like corn.

Thanks for visiting and following my blog. Yours looks great and now I am following you!

Joyful said...

Indie.Tea, so nice of you to visit. I dropped in on you today but couldn't leave a comment. I think your blog is so elegant and your food too.

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