Caring for Plants

I recently moved into my home for the next eight months, my college dorm room! Before I left, my friend considerately gifted me two plants: an African violet and a fairy castle cactus. He also linked me to care websites for both, and the detail of those websites pretty much convinced me that I was going to kill both the plants. Happily, though, both the violet and cactus are in great condition. (Or at least the cactus hasn't changed for the worse.)

Here's how I care for the African violet.

• Rotate a quarter-turn every two days
• Water from the bottom every four days (I basically let the pot sit in water for thirty minutes)
• Water from the top, carefully avoiding the leaves, every month or so
• When I'm not watering the plant, I fill the dish with water and set the pot on some rocks to increase the humidity around the plant. I used rocks that I had; gravel would probably work better.

I also plucked off a leaf, cut its stem at a 45-degree angle (leaving about an inch of stem), and placed it in water. After a few weeks, roots started to grow. I moved the leaf into a pot of soil. It's been over a month, and I'm still waiting for something to sprout.

And the cactus:

• Rotate a quarter-turn every two days.
• Water until the water drains from the bottom of the pot every twelve days.

I've never really been much of a plant person, but I love how these add color to the room!