Sunday, August 17

The fig, the blue pot, and the mushroom-head

I have no idea how time just flew past and it's been way more than a year since I last blogged!! >____<

Thank goodness I am not as remiss with my care of the greens.

I was particularly happy to get a little more time today to work on cleaning up and repotting some plants. Let me indulge a little and describe one of my projects for the day, as well as introduce a couple of good purchases I made!

Like many others here in Singapore, Ikea's a pretty good place to kill more time than is necessary. Some days, the visits are more fruitful than others. 

Ikea's Mistletoe Fig from Dec'13
I picked up this mistletoe fig last December when I was desperately looking for a ficus plant but couldn't afford the big ones sold in nurseries. Needless to say, I was pretty happy with this little purchase. And to be honest, pleasantly surprised at how long it's lasted. 

One of the cons of plant shopping in Ikea - there is usually little to no guide as to how we ought to care for our purchase. The fig was simply labelled as a "Christmas plant" when I got it. That meant that for the longest time, I was clueless as to how to care for this plant.

Unfortunately, it took me MONTHS before I finally decided to check exactly what plant it is. Despite its low resolution, it's visible from this picture that the top leaves are spotted, a sure sign of poor health. It's entirely my fault for leaving it out in full direct sun. Apparently, this plant does better in bright but indirect light. I am glad to report, this plant has since been shifted to a more appropriate location.

Anyway, I digress.

As it's fast outgrowing its previous home, I decided to repot it today in a new square pot - a purchase from the Katong Flower Shop. 

This particular nursery offers some good and affordable pots, which are usually hidden towards the back. I paid only $28 for this solid 40x40cm pot and it's gorgeous to boot!!

I was initially debating whether to get one of those self-watering pots from Ikea and totally glad that I took my husband's suggestion to check out the nursery instead. I really love its bright blue pattern and, together with the fig it cradles, adds a nice splash of color to my living room. 

This leads me to another purchase I'm pretty happy with. Those of us who live near or have access to a Daiso (a popular Japanese $2 chain store), may want to go check out the following item - Mushroom-head, a ceramic waterer. 


This little ceramic mushroom helps keep the soil moist - it holds water in its hollow body and releases water from the unglazed tip when the soil is dry. This is particularly handy for plants that need their soil to be moist. It's also handy for when we're away on short trips and have no one else to help water our plants. Sadly, a situation that's resulted in the demise of many of my precious greens... 

Thanks to this purchase, I have one less thing to stress when I need to go away. I've added mushroom-heads in a number of my potted plants in preparation for my short trip away from home. This way, I don't need to worry about them drying while I am away! 

Do keep a lookout for this handy little item next time you're at a Daiso! They also come in different shapes, like frogs and turtles.

*Do note that this may not be good for plants that need the soil to dry in between watering sessions (e.g., cacti). 

2 comments:

  1. I don't think that's a fig

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    1. Hello!! I've been trying to figure it out. The closest I got was a fig. Would you happen to know what plant it is? :)

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