Dracaena Cane Plants

We get the best Dracaena Cane plants from our growers in Hawaii for placement in your office or facility.  Below are photos of two varieties that we recently installed:

This Dracaena Warneckii is large and full and gorgeous

This Dracaena Lisa is big and beautiful

Are you considering plants for your office?  How about these Draceanas super full and lush or many other varieties and sizes of indoor plants.  Contact Everything Grows for all of your commercial indoor plant needs.

Living Plant Wall

This large living plant wall in the reception area of this office workspace creates a dramatic focal point for employees and visitors alike.  Designed, installed and maintained by Everything Grows.

Finished live plant wall

Installation underway

Are you interested in a living plant wall at your work space? Contact Everything Grows today to have one of our in-house designers visit for a complimentary consultation and design proposal to help make your office come alive with plants!

Open Office too Open?

Open office floor plans have been the big trend for a number of years now, and some companies are finding that after taking down the walls to foster interaction and collaboration, they have done the job too well.

An article in the Wall Street Journal, "Why You Can’t Concentrate at Work" says that "visual noise" is an unforeseen consequence of today's open-plan work spaces that is distracting workers.

From the article: "Visual noise, the activity or movement around the edges of an employee’s field of vision, can erode concentration and disrupt analytical thinking or creativity, research shows. While employers have long tried to quiet disruptive sounds in open work spaces, some are now combating visual noise too. The answer could be as low-tech as strategically placed plants or more drab wall colors." 

Earth Walls with Sansevieria separating a lounge area from a walkway (above)

The article goes on to discuss a number of solutions to the problem, including placing plants to break up large lines of sight to help shield workers from visual distractions.  The plants have the added benefit of keeping the noise down too.

We have seen this first hand at Everything Grows Interior Landscaping with our Silicon Valley customers and have a wide selection of plants and containers to create beautiful natural visual barriers with the added benefits of noise dampening and fresher air.  

Our most popular solution for open work spaces that are too open is our Earth Wall. They come 3 to 4 feet long and stand 4 to 6 feet high depending on the type of plant selected.  They can be moved around, and we even offer casters for concrete floors that make it even easier to re-position the Earth Walls as the office space grows/changes.

Earth Walls are great for separating meeting areas or walkways from work areas. Here are a few examples below:  

Earth Walls with Sansevieria in the background and Agloanemas in the foreground separating a collaboration area from work areas (above)

This display shows three different types of plants in Earth Walls on casters. From left to right: Sansevieria, Neanthe Bella Palm, Agloanema (above)

This downtown San Francisco office used Earth Walls extensively to help break up an overly open work space. Distractions went down and productively went up. (above)

Do you have an overly collaborative or visually distracting open office that could benefit from Earth Walls to get your employees refocused on the task at hand?   Contact Everything Grows today to have one of our in-house designers visit your office for a complimentary consultation and design proposal. Let us help you get more productive!

Aerial Roots

Aerial roots are roots that grow on the above-ground parts of a plant. Aerial roots on woody vines function as anchors, affixing the plant to supporting structures such as trellises, rocks and walls.

Some types of aerial roots also absorb moisture and nutrients, just like underground roots. Plants that live in marshes and bogs have underground roots, but they can’t absorb gasses from the air. These plants produce above ground “breathing roots” to help them with air exchange.

Are you considering beautiful tropical plants for your work space?  Contact Everything Grows today for a free evaluation and proposal by one of our plant experts and designers.  We service the entire San Francisco Bay Area, with our expertly trained plant care technicians taking amazing care of the plants in your facility.

Propagating Pothos

Pothos are one of the most common houseplants. They come in varying colored patterns, are easy to maintain as they are not as fussy about light or water as other plants. They are very versatile as well; they can be cut short, or left to run wild to trail over shelves or even climb your wall like ivy. They are also so popular because they are easy to propagate. 

To propagate begin by snipping off 4 to 6 inch lengths of healthy stem for your pothos cuttings, making sure each cutting has four or more leaves. Remove the leaf that is closest to the cut end. Once you’ve cut your stems, you’re ready to begin rooting.

Place the cut ends in a jar or cup filled with filtered room-temperature water. For an extra boost you can dip the cut end into hormone rooting powder. Simply place the cutting and water in an area that gets plenty of light and wait. A month after the first roots appear you should move the roots into soil. If left too long the roots will have a hard time adjusting to soil.

Are you ready for beautiful tropical plants for your work space?  Contact Everything Grows today for a free evaluation and proposal by one of our plant experts and designers.  We service the entire San Francisco Bay Area, with our expertly trained plant care technicians taking amazing care of the plants in your facility.

Sensitive Plants: Mimosa Pudica

The Mimosa Pudica is known as a "sensitive plant" because, if you touch it even lightly or drop it or disturb it, within seconds it folds its tiny leaves into what looks like a frightened or defensive curl.

Having this knowledge in mind, Monica Gagliano, associate professor of biology at the University of Western Australia decided to do some research. She wanted to understand what made these plants tick, why, and when they would "act defensive". Did they have memories?

She decided to test this idea, that she would drop them, as if they were on a thrill ride in an amusement park for plants. The mimosa plants reacted. Their leaves shut tight. But as Gagliano repeated the stimulus—seven sets of 60 drops each, all in one day—the plants’ response changed. 

Soon, when they were dropped, they didn’t react at all. It wasn’t that they were worn out: When she shook them, they still shut their leaves tight. It was as if they knew that being dropped was nothing to freak out about.

Three days later, Gagliano came back to the lab and tested the same plants again. Down they went, and … nothing. The plants were just as stoic as before.

She waited a month and dropped them again. Their leaves stayed open. According to the rules that scientists routinely apply to animals, the mimosa plants had demonstrated that they could learn.

In the study of the plant kingdom, a slow revolution is underway. Scientists are beginning to understand that plants have abilities, previously unnoticed and un-imagined, that we’ve only ever associated with animals. In their own ways, plants can see, smell, feel, hear, and know where they are in the world.

Interested in beautiful tropical plants that might be more intelligent than some of your coworkers?  Contact Everything Grows today for a free evaluation and proposal by one of our plant experts and designers.  We service the entire San Francisco Bay Area, with our expertly trained plant care technicians taking amazing care of the plants in your facility.

How Often Should I Water My Plants?

This is a very loaded question. Every plant is different, needs different lighting, and has a different environment. Hopefully, we can offer some advice to get everyone to have a “green” thumb. 

When it comes to plants, regardless of their species, there are many things to consider about there environment. Here are a few for you to consider you may not have before: 

Light: Plants sustain themselves using light but, in a process known as photosynthesis. This process also uses light. So more light needs more water usage; less light needs less water usage. Light may also dry up your soil and sunburn if your leaves if there is not enough water. Day length and daily weather patterns affect how much light reaches your plant.

Temperature: When it is hotter, evaporation of water and other chemical reactions move faster.  So higher temperature mean more water usage/loss by evaporation - this happens at the soil surface and also from leaves, which is given a special term: transpiration.

Humidity: This affects the rate of evaporation and transpiration.  More humidity mean  less evaporation.  Transpiration may still occur because plants are keeping their pores ("stomata") open for other survival reasons (like gas exchange).

Soil and container: the composition of soil and the physical structure of the container both have profound effects on the water available to the plant.  House plant soil is typically a mixture of peat (holds water), sharp sand (drains water), per-lite (drains water), vermiculite (holds water and drains water).  Mixing these in different ratios allows you to optimize the overall soil moisture for each type of plant.  Some moisture-loving plants will have mostly peat while cacti grow best in mostly sand.  Adding to these factors, the container material and drainage characteristics greatly affect soil moisture: plastic nursery pots hold moisture better than clay pots; a drainage hole allows excess water to leave the container when there is a sudden increase.  Although this may be obvious - the more soil there is, the more water it can hold.  So the overall pot size affects the watering frequency.  Lastly, over time, your soil will become compacted as roots repeatedly absorb moisture.  Compacted soil has poor water retention ability so it is important to gently loosen it occasionally to restore optimal soil structure.

Essentially there are many things that affect plants besides the type of plants and the amount of water they need. For a beginner who doesn’t quite know how to take all of these into consideration yet; an easy way may be to use a wooden chop stick the next time you order Chinese food. Why? The wooden stick can tell you how much wet soil is throughout the pot once it is placed through all the soil. There are a few rules of thumb such as; more than two inches of soil do not water. Or attempt to let your plants soil dry out to avoid root rot.

Of course, this will take time and practice to learn. In the end why not let Everything Grows take care of the plants in your office space? We offer guaranteed reliable maintenance to ensure your plants are always happy, healthy, and looking great! No plants in your work space?  Have our designer help with optimal plant selection for your workspace.

Spotlight: Bird's Nest Fern

Origin: Southeast Asia and Tropical Australia

Bird's Nest Fern

Height:Up to 2 ft (60 cm) in a container indoors

Light: Moderate to bright light. No direct sun, which can scorch the fronds. Give the pot a quarter turn each week for even growth.

Water: Keep soil evenly moist. Water the potting mix, not the center of the rosette, otherwise it can easily rot. Water less in winter. Yellow fronds are often a sign of overwatering.

Humidity: Moderate. If the relative humidity drops below 50%, use a humidity tray or room humidifier to add moisture to the air around the fern. Brown leaf tips are a sign of dry air.
Temperature: Slightly cool to average room temps (60-75°F/16-24°C) suit this tropical fern just fine.
 
Soil: Peat moss based, such as African violet potting mix.
 

Japanese Bird's Nest Fern

Fertilizer: Feed every 2 weeks in spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted by half.

Propagation: This fern is propagated by spores, which is difficult to do for the home grower.

As Bird Nest Fern ages, the oldest, outer fronds will turn brown. This is normal. You can cut them off at the base to keep the plant looking neat. Those upright fronds tend to be dust-catchers. Keep the broad, shiny fronds dust-free by spraying with water and gently wiping them with a damp cloth. Never use leafshine products on ferns because it can severely damage their delicate fronds.
 
Repot young plants in spring, every couple years or when the roots fill the pot. If you find that the roots are attached to the pot, run a knife around the inside to loosen them before you can remove the rootball. You may need to break the pot to remove it. It's a good idea to use a container with drainage holes to avoid soggy soil. Take care not to pack down the potting mix; this fern likes a loose mixture. 

This fern's problems are few. Watch for scale insects, that look like small, brown discs on fronds. If you find an invasion of these pests, spray with soapy water followed by clean water. Don't use insecticides on ferns because they are easily damaged by chemicals.

Interested in placing the Bird's Nest fern or other plants in your work space? Contact Everything Grows today if you would like to add grade A commercial quality living indoor plants and custom containers to your workspace.  We service the entire San Francisco Bay Area, with our expertly trained plant care technicians taking amazing care of the plants in your facility.

New Office Plants in San Francisco

Everything Grows placed new plants and containers in a beautiful San Francisco office space that complimented their decor perfectly.  We have many custom container colors available, so we were able to match the container color with the orange in the customers logo to nicely tie in the design.

Here are some photos of the installation:

Are you looking to put the finishing touch on your office decor? Contact Everything Grows today if you would like to add grade A commercial quality living indoor plants and custom containers to your workspace.  We service the entire San Francisco Bay Area, with our expertly trained plant care technicians taking amazing care of the plants in your facility.

Japanese Garden Trucks

We came across this interesting article on an annual competition in Japan to build gardens in the back of small work trucks.  Below are a few photos of beautiful gardens:

While we do not do garden trucks, we do a great job with indoor tropical plants. Contact Everything Grows today if you would like to add grade A commercial quality living indoor plants to your workspace.  We service the entire San Francisco Bay Area, with our expertly trained plant care technicians taking amazing care of the plants in your facility.

A Clean Plant is a Happy Plant

One of the amazing services Everything Grows provides is our plant cleaning. By cleaning your plant with every visit we are able to prevent layers of dust from building up on your indoor plants. Dust blocks your plants leaves from getting the sunlight they need, this means your plants ability to photosynthesize is reduced. Photosynthesizing is how your plant is able to feed itself naturally. It also helps to prevent disease, pest infestations, and stress.

Remember to do this with your own plants as well. You can wipe the individual leaves, brush off the dust, and clean your plant's pot to keep them happy and looking nursery fresh year round! 

Contact Everything Grows today if you would like to add grade A commercial quality living plants to your workspace.  We service the entire San Francisco Bay Area, with our expertly trained plant care technicians taking amazing care of the plants in your facility.

Double Duty

The air you breathe indoors may not be as healthy as you think. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, organic chemicals commonly found in your home or office such as paints, disinfectants, cosmetics and fuels emit chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These VOCs are the leading cause of sick building syndrome, a health threat that leads to headaches, skin irritations, hypersensitivity and more.

Based on two scientific studies, one by NASA, and a follow up by Dr. B.C. Wolverton, there are certain plants that remove thousands of micro-grams of these VOC's a day.

Some of them include plants Everything Grows offers such as the Dracaena Marginata, the Dracaena Janet Craigi, the Dracaena Warneckii, and the Bamboo Palm.  See our plant catalog to see what these plants look like.

The next time you're thinking about buying plants for the office or for home remember they are on double duty, not only do they look good, but, they are good for your health as well!

Contact Everything Grows today if you are ready for the health benefits that beautiful plants can bring into your workspace. We service the entire San Francisco Bay Area, with our expertly trained plant care technicians taking Amazing care of the plants in your facility.