HOUSEPLANTS 101 For Beginners
By Bob Chapman
Listen-up class! We are so pleased to see so many of you here today, especially those that have brown or black thumbs. Today we are going to cover simple tricks for caring for houseplants. The class will include tips and helps about watering, feeding, placement of plants in the home, warmth needed for houseplants, transplanting and soil used, a little bit about pests and diseases and maybe the last rites for those plants brought in today.
Watering your houseplants.
The vast majority of problems with keeping houseplants alive and healthy are directly related to correctly watering your precious ones. We tend to bring a new plant home, place it in a nice spot in the home and then forget to water it! (Some of us tend to go the opposite way and overwater our plants.)
Here's a simple way to determine if a plant needs watering: Use the "finger" test. Stick your finger into the top inch or so of the soil in the pot. Then pull it out and inspect it. If soil particles are seen clinging to the finger, the soil is wet enough for the plant to grow. If your finger is dry when removed from the soil then water it, adding enough water to wet the soil clear to the bottom of the pot. The interval between adding water to your plant varies with the kind of plant, with the season and the heating and cooling used in your home. This is why homeowners are seldom successful watering houseplants on a calendar basis.
Fertilizing houseplants.
Houseplants love a complete water-soluble fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro All-Purpose Plant Food or Schultz's Instant Soluble Plant Food. Schultz's says on their container: "Just add ΒΌ teaspoon per gallon of water every time you water every thing you grow." This applies to our houseplants as well. How simple can you get? You feed your precious houseplants every time you water them!
Placing houseplants to get the best light for that species.
Some houseplants will tolerate dark corners, getting little light needed for proper growth. Most, however, prefer a moderate light, thinking that they are back growing in the jungle where they came from. Some will tend to "lean" or bend towards the light source. Simply turn the plant occasionally and it will tend to straighten out, and then slowly bend again towards the light. The tag that came with the plant will tell you what light conditions (bright, moderate or low level light conditions) are best bets for that plant. Most modern homes have enough light to support most houseplants.
Keeping our houseplants comfy.
Many modern homes have central forced air heating and air conditioning providing the right conditions for most houseplants. These modern amenities (heating and air conditioning) can affect the leaves, causing more moisture lost through the pores of the leaf (called transpiration) and the soil, drying it out faster than otherwise found and perhaps causing more frequent waterings. Some finicky, or specialty plants will require special conditions for proper growth. We're not talking about these specialty plants here.
Pests and disease affecting houseplants.
Fortunately for the novice, there are only a few insects that bother our houseplants. If you happen to see the little monsters that tend to suck the vital juices from our houseplants spray them with insecticidal soap or an insecticide labeled for use on houseplants.
Occasionally, a disease will attack the leaves or flowers, usually distorting them. Most of the disease infecting the upper portions of houseplants can be controlled using a fungicide containing chlorothalonil.
Rarely, a fungal organism will attack the roots and /or crown, causing rotting to take place. These fungal organisms are spread by spores blowing through the air. Usually it's best to destroy the plant, replacing it with a new one. Discard the soil and the pot that held the infected plant.
Transplanting an overgrown houseplant.
Many of our houseplants will outgrow their container and will need moving (transplanting) to a new, larger container. This transplanting is a sign of success. You have given the plant the TLC needed for optimum growth and now you have the pleasure of planting it in a new, larger container. Visit our nursery and purchase a new container (one about two inches larger diameter than the old one) and a bag of OSH Potting Soil for this task.
Water the plant about an hour before starting the process. Now tip the plant out of the pot. If it does not come out easily, rap the edge of the pot on the edge of the counter and the plant should slide out. If that doesn't work consider sliding a kitchen knife around the inside of the pot, thus severing the soil and roots from the pot. It will now slide out easily. Now, using a very sharp knife or razor blade, cut a quarter-inch to a half-inch deep slit into the soil in four equal places around the outside of the rootball. This will cut off the encircling roots and will stimulate new root growth into the potting soil.
Place a small amount of potting soil in the bottom of the pot and gently place the plant into the pot. You'll want the top of the root ball to be about three-quarters inch below the rim. Add or remove soil until the root ball is the right height. Now place new soil into the pot, tamping it firmly with your thumbs or the handle of a kitchen knife as you add the soil. After all the soil is added, water the plant thoroughly. Place the newly transplanted plant in its proper location and watch it grow and beautify your home as it grows older.
If you took notes you will have a basic understanding of good houseplant care!