“My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant’s point of view.†~H. Fred Dale, author (Photo by Debbie Johnson)

There are people with a green thumb that fill their home with gorgeous houseplants that thrive and radiate vitality.

Then there are people like me who either cause plants to mutate so they’re perfect for the villain in Little Shop of Horrors, or I just murder them. Not premeditated, but no matter what I do they wilt, turn brown and shuffle off this mortal coil.

Turns out, I may just be giving them too much of some things and not enough of others.

David Trinklein, horticulture specialist for University of Missouri Extension, is the guest today. He has tips for turning a black thumb, like mine, into a green one.

Caring for Houseplants