Houseplant Jungle Hobart

If you look really closely, you will see these two fern fronds belong to two different plants. The frond on the left is Humata tyermanni - White rabbit’s foot fern. On the right is Davallia fejeensis - Rabbits foot fern. With a general glance it is very hard to tell one from the other. On close inspection and comparison, you will notice some marked differences in their fronds.

1. Humata tyermanni has a distinctly arrow head shaped frond, which narrows gradually to the tip. Its fronds are held rather erect, and the texture feels stiffer and slightly coarse.

2. Davallia fejeensis has a soft, feathery appearance, and the fronds have a drooping style.

It’s too hard to tell the differences just by the look of the rhizomes because the environmental conditions will dictate their thickness and coarseness of the hair.

This Monkey Tail cactus (Cleistocactus winteri) makes for an excellent houseplant. These 4 photos were taken 2 months apart. The rapid increase in growth came from consistent light and water conditions. A big growth spurt was put on when it was repotted into a slightly larger pot, from 70mm to 100mm.

Remember with these plants: less water is best. Only water the plant when the potting mix is completely dry. This can best be judged by using clear pots.

There is a lovely native fern called Kangaroo fern. You might spot the scientific name as Microsorum diversifolium or Zealanda pustulata. You will see it growing in the wild as an epiphyte (on trees) or as a lithophyte (on rocks) in wet, rainforest areas.

It’s a fern and is a great addition to your houseplant collection if you like to water your plants a lot.

One thing to watch out for, though. You might see this yellow spotting on the leaves. This spotting is caused by a virus called fern chlorotic mottle virus (FCMV). It can affect a range of fern species and can result in yellow or chlorotic spots and patches on leaves.

The virus is typlically spread through mechanical means, such as tools or potting mix.

There is no specific cure for this, so if you spot it just cut off the affected leaves and dispose of them in the garbage bin - not the compost bin.

Once you have removed all the affected leaves, isolate the plant and keep a watch for any more leaves that get the spots.

Only when you are happy that no more leaves are spotty, then it’s safe to return it to your collection.

If you see one for sale with these spots, don’t buy it. You are just buying yourself a problem.

Aechmea fasciata in flower - this plant is now 5 years in the pot.

Aechmea fasciata is relatively easy to care for and thrives in almost any indoor environment with minimal care.

It prefers a bright but not direct sun, along with consistently moist, well-drained soil.

It’s important to keep the central cup, formed by the leaves in the centre, filled with a small amount of water.

Ensure the potting mix doesn’t stay soggy.

In Tasmania they do best in a spot protected from frost and out of direct sun. They are great in pots on your deck, and can tolerate wind.

Blooms: Like many bromeliads, it blooms only once in its lifetime, after which the main plant slowly dies, producing pups for propagation. The pups can be transplanted when they are at least 6 inches tall.

If you have ever wanted a scented, flowering indoor plant - then here it is: Disocactus anguliger - Zigzag cactus.

It’s a jungle cactus, growing as an epiphyte in tropical jungles. It makes for an excellent house plant and at maturity it will produce beautifully scented white flowers.

The scent of these flowers is a delicious vanilla with a hint of caramel.

They are easy to grow, and easy to propagate. Just keep in mind they need to have a large amount of leaf and root mass before they will produce flowers.

Check the profile for a link to all the information you need to know about growing this as a houseplant.

Philodendron martianum - Fat Boy - has produced its first inflorescence. Beautifully fat and white.

Summer is here - and so are the thrips. Read all about what they are and how to get rid of them in our latest article - link in bio.

Yay! Come on down to for some excellent food and browse our plants for sale.

Happy plant day😎🌱🌱🌱

Join us at the South Arm Community Market this Sunday, November 3. 9:30am - 1:00 pm.
The jungle is jumping and we are loaded with fabulous houseplants that are ready to take pride of place at your house. We have a great range of tropical potted and hydro houseplants. You can restock your specialty potting mix, grab some gnat traps, clear pots and the best liquid feed ever. If you see something you like in these photos do let us know in advance. We have monsteras, alocasias, philodendrons, hanging plants, gift plants, all sorts of variegated gorgeousness and a whole bunch more. Come along and step into the jungle at the South Arm community market on Sunday 3rd November 9:30 – 1pm. We will have lots of special pots of happiness for you.

Here are the results of a recent experiment: to propagate 3 new plants from 1 Monstera albo BEFORE it is unpotted.

I cut between the nodes in 2 places, and treated the cut points with

I use velcro strips to hold the gaps apart so they wouldn’t rejoin.

A month later two new leaf growth points had been activated. That was my cue that it was time to divide and repot the separate portions.

Tipping out the separate plants showed lots of good root mass for each portion.

Very happy with how easy this was. Now they are all resting quietly in the grow room, and then they will get busy producing more lovely leaves.