My Gardening Notes: houseplant care guide

Showing posts with label houseplant care guide. Show all posts

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

General Houseplant Watering Guide

Low - Allow the soil of your houseplant to dry completely in between watering. Usually it is only necessary to water the houseplant once every 1 to 2 weeks.

Moderate - When the soil is dry to touch, water the plant. Usually this ends up being once a week.

Moderate to Heavy - For houseplants with this requirement, it usually is best to water once every 5 days or so. Keep the soil slightly moist.

Heavy - Keep the plants soil moist at all times. However, be careful not to over water. You do not want the soil soggy, just moist. Usually you will need to water houseplants with this requirement twice a week.

One main key involved with watering any variety of houseplant, is to use non-treated water. If your tap water goes through a water softener, do not use this on your plants. They will overtime die or become unhealthy. Either purchase water or I use our outside water faucet which is not run through the softener.

Below are a list of houseplants and their recommended water levels. Please let me know of other plants to add to the list or if you feel a plant should be in a different category.

Low Water Levels
Aloe Vera
Bromeliads
Cactus
Cast Iron Plants
Jade Plants
Majesty Palms
Neanthe Bella Palms
Orchids
Pilea
Phoenix Palms
Poinsettia
Ponytail Palms
Sago Palms
Spider Plants
ZZ Plants

Moderate Water Levels
Amazon Alocasia, Elephant's Ear
Anthuriums
Asparagus Ferns
Bird of Paradise
Chinese Evergreens
Christmas Cactus
Corn Plants
Dracaena Varieties
English Ivy
Fiddle Leaf Fig
Flamingo Flower
Goldfish Plants
Heart Leaf Philodendron
Lady Palms
Madagascar Dragon Tree
Norfolk Island Pines
Polka Dot Plants
Pothos
Schefflera
Shamrock Plants
Swedish Ivy
Warneckei
Yucca
Zebra Plants

Moderate to Heavy
African Violets
Amaryllis
Dallas Fern
Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane)
Ficus Varieties
Flame Violet
Homalomena
Janet Craig
Kentia / Sentry Palms
Lipstick Plants
Maidenhair Fern
Persian Violets
Piggyback Plants
Prayer Plants
Snake Plants (Mother In Law Tongue)
Snow Bush
Split Leafed Philodendron
Wandering Jews
White Cloud Ficus

Heavy Water Levels
Areca Palms
Arrowhead Vine
Boston Fern
Calathea
Chinese Fan Palms
Croton
Fishtail Palms
Hawaiian Ti
Miniature Rose
Peace Lily (Closet Plants)
Rubber Plants
Staghorn Ferns

Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane) FAQ

Problem
My Dieffenbachia plants are tall and falling over. What’s wrong?

Answer
Typically Dumb Cane will get fuller before taller. Your plants may not be receiving enough light and therefore reaching. Move them closer to a window.

Problem
My Dieffenbachia’s leaves are yellowing.

Answer
Yellowing leaves is a fairly common problem, not only with Dumb Cane plants but many houseplants in general. Yellowing leaves can also signal one many potentials problems. Sometimes the yellowing of the foliage is a signal that the plant is not receiving enough light or water. On the opposite side of things, yellowing leaves could simply mean the plant is shedding older foliage.

Problem
My Dieffenbachia foliage is turning yellow and drooping. What’s wrong?

Answer
The yellowing of the leaves and drooping may mean you are over / under watering your plant. Before making that assumption though, check the undersides of the leaves for some type of pests. Sometime spider mites can cause these symptoms. If you do see tiny red spots or some other sort of houseplant pest, spray the entire plant twice per day with a soapy dishwater detergent.

Problem
Can Dieffenbachia be propagated?

Answer
Yes. if your Dumb Cane plant has fallen over or continues to fall over, you can split it easily. This houseplant easily roots itself by simply placing it in water until iiiDieffenbachia and stuck it in water with rocks on the bottom. The plant then rooted and was ready to go.

Problem
My Dumb Cane plants has grown “pods”. What are they?

Answer
The pods are Dieffenbachia’s flower. They look almost like a bean. Dumb Cane’s typically do not flower often. I personally never had mine flower (unfortunately), however readers have shared their experiences. For additional information please see http://plantsarethestrangestpeople.blogspot.com/2008/11/random-plant-event-special.html

Problem
The foliage on my Dumb Cane plant is no longer a beautiful green and it has lost its white centers. What can I do to get the markings back on my Dieffenbachia?

Answer
Typically houseplants will lose some of their color luster because they are not receiving enough light. Try moving the plant to an area closer to a window that receives more light each day.

Looking for more advice and tips on caring for this houseplant? Be sure to read the complete Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane) Plant Care Guide.

Jade Plant Care FAQ

Problem
My jade plant stem seems to be rotting near the base. What should I do?

Answer
If the stem of your Jade plant is blackish in color and squishy to touch, than your plant may have stem rot which is typically caused by over watering. If it is stem root, remove the rotten stems as soon as possible to prevent the rot from spreading to other healthy stems.

Problem
My Jade plant has a white material near the base of some leaves. The white materials is silky like and clinging, similar to a spider web. There are also small white flecks on the leaves too.

Answer
Your plant may be infected with spider mites or mealy bugs. Spray your houseplant with a soapy dishwater mixture twice a day for around a week or two. Another home tip to try is dipping a Q-Tip in Rubbing Alcohol. Clean the foliage off with the Q-Tip. You may need to do this for a week or two so don’t stop if things don’t improve immediately. If the problem doesn’t appear to improve, please visit your local garden center for a stronger solution.

Problem
My healthy Jade plant has suddenly began dropping leaves. What’s wrong?

Answer
There could be a possibility of reasons as to why your Jade plant may have begun dropping foliage. Does the pot have proper drainage preventing the roots from sitting in the water? Is the plant receiving sufficient sunlight? Proper watering? Double check your care instructions and then begin testing, changing one thing at a time to solve the problem.

Problem
Do Jade plants need special fertilizer?

Answer
I simply use Miracle Gro’s Houseplant Food. It’s a concentrate so you just add the instructed amount of drops to the water. I use it once a month.

Problem
The leaves on my Jade plant are brownish and slightly wrinkled. They seem almost skinny. What am I doing wrong?

Answer
You may be under watering the plant. A Jade plants foliage should be plump, so when they begin to wrinkle and shrink, many times the plant is not receiving the proper amount of water.

Extra Tip from an Anonymous Reader
If you leave the fallen leaves of a Jade plant, they will begin to root right they fall.

Be sure to read my full guide to Jade Plant Care.

Houseplants Require Time

Before I had a child, my houseplants always looked beautiful. Now they still look nice, but I am unable to give them the care an attention they deserve. Many people, like myself have many houseplants. All together I have over 20 plants scattered around the house. Everything from philodendrons, Yucca's, Warneckei, Corn Plants, Madagascar Dragon Plants, Bird of Paradise, geraniums and the list continues. When you purchase your first houseplant you think, all I have to do is put it in a good spot and water it. Easy! Then if you're like me, you get another plant, and then another and the addiction begins.

Well now that I have the little one, I am really beginning to realize how much time my houseplants do take. Not only does watering them take a significant amount of time, but then trimming, repotting, and routine care. I had today off of work so when the little one went down for a nap, I told myself this time is for my other babies, my houseplants. My outdoor gardens need work too in order to get ready for winter, however the last couple days in Wisconsin have been totally out of the ordinary with high 80’s and extremely humid, so I'm avoiding the outdoors until tomorrow when it's supposed to be a normal October temperature, around 60.

One of the things I did today was give my heart shaped philodendron not just a haircut, an extreme makeover. On my post for the Heart shaped philodendron you can see my philodendron was huge, covering most of the sunroom walls. Well a lot of that growth was old and thus no new leaves were growing so I had 12 foot vines with 6 feet only having leaves. The plant is over 7 years old, but it was from my grandmother's funeral, so it's very sentimental, thus my lack of ambition to give it the much needed makeover. It is now only about 3 feet tall, with the longest vine only being about 4 feet. Of course all the other vines are in water now in order for them to root. Now new growth can grow from the bottom of the plant again instead of being choked out. My walls just seem so bare now though!

This is just one example, where time runs away from you and you are unable to do the things you need to in order to keep your houseplants healthy. So the moral of the story is, that houseplants are fairly low maintenance, but sometimes all of the other things in life can takeover, so be sure to allow yourself adequate time to work on your plants. Giving you not only cleaner air in your home, but the enjoyable atmosphere they provide.

Importance of Proper Houseplant Care

Many times I have had people ask me why their houseplant isn't doing well or even died. I'll ask them how they cared for the houseplant and they'll say something like, I did the same thing as for such and such a plant.

Each houseplant has its own care guidelines. Houseplants come from different environments from locations all over the world. Many people forget that you can't expect a houseplant originating from a desert climate to have the same care instructions as a palm from a tropical environment.

Not only does following each houseplants care guidelines keep the plant alive, it helps bring the plant to its full potential. Some plants will yes, survive and look pretty good by providing it with water and almost the right amount of light. But give that houseplant the care it properly needs and your so-so plant, becomes full, lush and gorgeous.

Houseplants care instructions vary dramatically. Some require little to no water while others it seems like you're watering every other day. Then when trying to meet the lighting requirement, it gets even trickier.

For example, I had a philodendron that was on our old apartments walls. There was only a patio door in that room and the plant was all the way across it, at least 15 feet. The philodendron did great. In our new home, I placed some cuttings I had grown from the main plant on a ledge draping down about 10 feet from the main light source. It looked horrid. I finally moved it closer to the light and it sparked right back up. So lighting can be tough to get right, but always start with the general requirements for that specific plant.

I try to provide information for a variety of plants, and by far I am not even close to being complete. However, if there is a plant you'd like information about that hasn't been included on the site yet, place a comment on this page and I will move it up on the list.

Corn Plant FAQ

Problem
The leaves on my Corn Plant are turning yellow / brown?

Answer
Yellowing and browning of Corn Plants can be for a variety of reasons. If you are overwatering the houseplant the foliage may yellow. Water once every week or two. Allow the soil to slightly dry out in between watering.

In regards to browning, it could be the plant is not receiving enough water or just a normal part of owning a Corn Plant. My Corn Plant will get brown tips and shed some of the lower leaves without any change in care. Seems to be part of its nature. You can also try giving your plant a daily misting. The leaves may brown on the tips if the plant is not receiving enough moisture.

Problem
I broke the top of my Corn plant off. Will new growth start?

Answer
Yes! However, a time frame is unknown. New shoots will either begin from directly below where you cut or from the root.

Problem
There are white spots on my Corn Plant. What are they?

Answer
The white spots could be one of two things. One if you are not using distilled water, the white spots could be from that. If you are using distilled water, then you may have a pest infestation. Spray the plant twice a day with a soapy dishwater mixture for a week. If the spots do not go away, then you may need to go to your local garden center and purchase a more potent pesticide.

Problem
How can I clean / shine my Corn Plants leaves?

Answer (Courtesy of Baton Rouge Gardener DA)
You can use Milk on a soft rag or sponge to clean and polish the leaves about once a month or so.

Problem
 My Corn Plants are top heavy and keep falling over.

Answer
Corn Plants have very shallow roots, therefore easily tip over. Stake them up using a small stick and some string. This will help support your Corn Plant and lessen the strain on the roots.

Problem
Do Corn Plants flower?

Answer
Yes! My Corn Plant, which I’ve had for almost 10 years now has never flowered but various readers have shared information with me. You can cut the flower off if you’d like or let it fall off. Some have said the fragrance can be overwhelming at times. I’ve also been told that the flower can release a sticky substance so you may want to put a towel under the plant until its done flowering.

Problem
Can I split my Corn Plant? How do your propagate?

Answer
I have never tried taking cuttings or propagating my Corn Plant, however one reader has said that she had successfully cut off a branch from her plant and soaked in water until roots began to form. Below are a couple Website links with additional information:
Corn Plant: Dracaena
cane cuttings

Problem
Are Corn Plants poisonous?

Answer
Yes. Corn Plants are poisonous if eaten so keep away from pets and children.

Problem
The yellow / white stripe markings on the foliage are no longer there. Why?

Answer
Sometimes when plants receive too much or too little light, their markings will disappear. Adjust your light slightly to see if changes. Many times, the plant is not receiving enough light.

Read the complete Corn Plant Care post for detailed information on how to care for this houseplant.

20 Common House Plants

Indoor house plants not only add beauty but can also help improve the air quality in your home. There is an endless supply of indoor house plants that you can purchase at almost any home and garden store. Listed below is my list of 20 common house plants in which many are fairly easy to care for. If you need to learn more about these common house plants, simply follow the links to their own plant care page.

Common House Plants

African Violet
Aloe Vera
Chinese Evergreens
Christmas Cactus
Corn Plants (Dracaena)
Crotons
Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane)
Heart Leafed Philodendron
Jade Plants
Madagascar Dragon Tree
Majesty Palms
Orchids
Peace Lily
Ponytail Palms
Rubber Plants
Sago Palms
Snake Plants
Spider Plants
Yuccas
Zebra Plants

Monday, February 23, 2015

General Houseplant Lighting Guide

Low - At least 5 feet from a window. Corners, hallways, shelves. Houseplants that require low light levels and are too close to a light source, may have their foliage burnt.

Moderate - Keep houseplants between 5 and 8 feet from a window that receives some sun.

Moderate to Bright - Keep within 3 to 5 feet from a window receiving 4 to 5 hours of sunlight. East and West windows are good choices for houseplants with this lighting requirement.

Bright Light - Keep houseplants within 2 to 3 feet of a south facing window. These houseplants must receive at least 5 hours of direct sunlight in order to remain healthy.

Below are a list of plants and their recommended light requirements. Please let me know what other plants to add to the list.

Low Light Houseplants
Cast Iron Plants
Chinese Evergreens
Corn Plants
Homalomena
Pothos
Prayer Plants
Rubber Plants
Shamrock Plants

Moderate Light Houseplants
Calathea
Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane)
Dracaena Varieties
Ficus
Fiddle Leaf Fig Plants
Heart Leaf Philodendrons
Kentia / Sentry Palms
Lady Palms
Madagascar Dragon Tree
Polka Dot Plants
Spider Plants
Split Leafed Philodendrons
Swedish Ivy
Majesty Palms
Philodendrons
Pilea
Snow Bush
Warneckei
White Cloud Ficus

Moderate to Bright Light Houseplants
African Violets
Anthuriums
Areca Palms
Arrowhead Vine
Boston Fern
Bromeliad
Cactus
Chinese Fan Palms
Christmas Cactus
Dallas Ferns
Fishtail Palms
Flamingo Flower
Goldfish Plants
Janet Craig
Lipstick Plants
Maidenhair Ferns
Neanthe Bella Palms
Norfolk Island Pines
Orchids
Peace Lily (Closet Plant)
Persian Violets
Piggyback Plants
Phoenix Palms
Sago Palms
Poinsettia
Snake Plants (Mother in Laws Tongue)
Wandering Jews
ZZ Plants

Bright Light Houseplants
Aloe Vera Plants
Amaryllis
Amazon Alocasia, Elephant's Ear
Asparagus Ferns
Bird of Paradise
Croton
English Ivy
Flame Violet
Hawaiian Ti
Jade Plants
Miniature Rose
Ponytail Palms
Schefflera
Staghorn Ferns
Yuccas
Zebra Plants

Easy To Grow Houseplants

Some houseplants can require a lot of tender loving care, however there are a nice selection of beautiful easy to grow houseplants. Plus some of these don't even mind a little neglect once in awhile. Below is my top 10 easy to grow houseplants:

1. Philodendrons - Prefers moderate light, so you don't need to have it close to a window, plus only requires moderate to low water levels.

2. Snake Plants (Mother-in-law's Tongue) - My experience with this plant is that it will grow in almost any condition. In general, Snake plants require moderate to bright light, with moderate to low watering levels. I had my Snake plant in a room with one window that the shades barely ever got opened plus it was forgotten to water it often as well. Needless to say, it is still alive and very much well. Of course it is still not in the dark room, but it survived the 6 months there with no effect whatsoever.

3. Spider Plants - These are another one of the ultimate easy to grow houseplants. These plants seem to survive anything. Spider plants require moderate light and low to moderate water levels. Plus they grow additional Spider plants, so if you keep re-potting the offsets, you never run out.

4. Aloe Vera Plants - Prefers moderate to low light levels. The big plus to Aloe Vera plants is that you only have to water it about once every two weeks.

5. Christmas Cactus - Requires moderate to bright light, so you can have it right in the window or further away. Plus, just like the Aloe Vera plants you only need to water it once or twice every two weeks. I only water my Christmas Cactus once every two weeks.

6. Dragon Dracaena - Some people say that Dracaena's are hard to care for, yet I disagree. I actually have quite a few varieties. I have two groupings of Madagascar Dragon Trees plus one Corn Plant. Houseplants within the Dracaena family tend to prefer moderate to bright lighting as well as moderate water levels. I feel they are a very durable plant that can add a lot of drama to your room.

7. Cast Iron Plants - These plants require moderate to low light levels. So depending on your space, it should grow almost anywhere. They also prefer moderate watering so once a week is sufficient.

8. Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane) - These plants are said to be able to be grown by anyone; however this is one plant I struggle with. Mine looks good, but it seems I have to water it extremely often, a couple times a week. But my mom barely does anything to hers and it looks just like mine.

9. Peace Lily - These plants are so easy to care for, they'll tell you when they need water by drooping for you. Peace Lily's also only require moderate to low light levels.

10. Ponytail Palms - Put this palm in the window and water once every week to two weeks and you're good to go.

Poisonous Houseplants

Below is a list of poisonous houseplants. Not only are these houseplants poisonous to animals such as cats and dogs, but also humans, so please keep your young children away from them. Many are poisonous only if ingested. Please, if you are worried your child or pets has been poisoned due to a houseplant, contact your local poison center immediately.

Aloe Vera
Amaryllis
Angels Wings
Anthurium
Asparagus Ferns
Bird of Paradise
Chinese Evergreen
Corn Plant
Croton
Crown of Thorns
Devil's Ivy
Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane)
Dracaena Palms
Amazon Alocasia, Elephant Ear
English Ivy
Fiddle Leaf Fig
Fishtail Palm
Gold Dust Dracaena
Heart leaf Philodendron
Janet Craig Dracaena
Peace Lily
Poinsettias
Pothos
Ribbon Plant
Rubber Plant
Sago Palm
Schefflera
Snake Plants - Mother-in Law's Tongue
Split Leaf Philodendron
ZZ Plants

Please comment to add to this list. I will continue to add to it as I find more information.

Sources:
http://www.blankees.com/house/plants/poisonous.htm
http://www.denverplants.com/foliage/html/Poisonous_Plants.htm
http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/hotissues/SafeandPoisonousHouseplants.html
http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/
http://www.cathealth.com/toxPlant.htm
http://uuhsc.utah.edu/pated/handouts/handout.cfm?id=2167
http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/ce/king/PoisPlant/Tox-SCI.htm
http://www.dog-health-guide.org/dogpoisonousplants.html

Houseplants Help Get You Through The Winter

I was going through various news today and found this great article on how houseplants can help get people through the bleak of winter. http://www.mlive.com/. Basically the article first describes how houseplants can help add color to a usually bleak and dull looking time of the year. They also help with the quality of air when our homes are closed up.

The article also goes on to give some houseplants that would make good candidates for adding color as well as some holiday overwintering tips. Overall it was a good article. Go check it out!!

Houseplant FAQ Guides

With the large assortment of comments, I began creating pages that try and answer many of the common questions and problems people have with their houseplants. Browse through the pages below to read common question and answers to a variety of houseplants. These pages will continually be edited if new problems or tips are being posted often. New FAQs will be posted in the coming months as they are created.

African Violets FAQ
Aloe Vera Plant FAQ
Areca Palms FAQ
Bird of Paradise FAQ
Corn Plant FAQ
Croton Plant FAQ
Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane) FAQ
Heart Shaped Philodendron FAQ
Jade Plant Care FAQ
Kentia Palm Care FAQ

Favorite Houseplant Care Books

Below is a list of some of my favorite houseplant care books. They have provided me with a lot of useful houseplant care information, thus helping greatly in my success of growing houseplants. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.