Plant Care

Hints on Plant Adjustment to New Home

The change from greenhouse or florist's shop to your home always means an adjustment for the plant, requiring it to become conditioned to its new environment. Home air is drier (lower relative humidity), there is less light available and the temperature is often more uniform and higher than that in which the plant has been growing. The range of plants available for home decoration includes many that are well able to thrive in these different conditions once they have made the adjustment.

You can help the plant adjust in several ways:

• Be sure the soil does not dry out at least for the first week or two, so moisture is always available for the roots to supply the increased needs of leaves and flowers. Cacti and succulents are an exception, however, and should be left dry if purchased during the fall or winter.

• Move the plant to a cooler place at night to reduce water loss in the warm dry air

• Avoid direct sunlight, even for full sun loving plants; this will keep water losses to a minimum while new roots are developing to sustain the flowers and leaves.

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Your new plant may lose a few mature leaves and even some blossoms in its first week or two in the home. This is part of the conditioning process for some plants, and unless losses continue, don't worry. If the plant continues to drop leaves and flowers, some other factor should be suspected.

Light

It's a simple fact: A plant cannot grow without light. A plant requires light to manufacture food (a process called photosynthesis). Without adequate light food supplies will be insufficient for growth causing plant deterioration and eventual death.

Low Light refers to an area generally more than six feet from windows where there is no direct light. Medium Light is usually three to six feet from windows, or on the sill of a window-facing north. High Light is generally within three feet of windows facing south, east or west.

While sunlight is the cheapest and usually preferred light source, artificial light can be used to maintain and high- light indoors plants, sometimes providing the sole source of illumination.

It is important to note that blooming plants generally require somewhat higher light levels than green plants to prolong bud life.

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Soil

While plants can be grown in a wide variety of soil mixes, the best is a well-balanced potting mix, which retains water and fertilizer for continued plant growth, provides for adequate drainage and, allows oxygen to reach plant roots: Ordinary garden soils generally are not suitable for plant growth as they may become hard and compact quickly.

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 Repotting

A plant should be repotted when it requires re-watering on a daily basis to keep it from wilting or when it becomes too large for its container.

To repot, remove as much soil as possible from the top and bottom. If the plant is pot bound (when roots completely encompass the old soil), the root soil mass should be reduced by cutting away the entangled roots.

Then place some soil in the bottom of the pot and secure it around the root mass, when watering thoroughly.

Never re pot a plant deeper than it was growing in its original container and re- pot into a pot only one size larger than the original container to reduce the chance of over watering.

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Temperature

The rate of plant growth depends heavily on temperature. Most green plants will adapt and grow satisfactorily indoors in normal daytime temperatures of 70-75°F and night temperatures of 65-70°F.

Blooming plants on the other hand react better to lower temperatures. Generally temperatures lower than 65°F will improve both the quality and life of the flowers.

However, widely fluctuating temperatures will result in permanent plant damage. Unusually low temperatures- below 50°F for green plants and 45°F for blooming plants-will result in permanent damage. Do not leave plants in doorways or on windowsills during severe weather months. Likewise, avoid placing plants on television sets and directly in front of heat vents.

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Water

Watering frequency will vary, according to the type and size of both green and blooming plants. However, a rule of thumb to follow when watering your plants is to keep soil moist, not wet, never allowing the soil to completely dry between watering. If the topsoil feels and looks moist, water is generally not needed.

Water plants thoroughly with lukewarm water so that the soil is moistened completely. Drain off excess water and never allow the plant to stand in water. Avoid using water that has been softened or that contains fluoride.

Note: Careless excessive watering has been cited as the primary reason plants die.

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Fertilization

Green plants generally require some, but very little fertilization. Blooming plants require fertilization regularly.

Green plant fertilizers are available in liquid, tablet and powder form. Generally, four to six applications of fertilizer a year are sufficient for most plants.

The two basic types of fertilizers are water soluble and slow release. Water-soluble types, in powder or liquid form, contain all of the elements needed for plant growth and begin to work almost immediately. Slow release fertilizers in granule or stick form may not contain all of the elements necessary for plant growth and can take two or three months to release their nutrients. An occasional fertilization with a water-soluble fertilizer should supply the necessary ingredients.

Whichever fertilizer you use, be careful never to apply more than the recommended rate. In fact a reduced ratio is preferred for indoor plants. Over-fertilization will slow down plant growth and burn leaves.

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Humidity

Plants (other than cacti) grow best when humidity-the amount of moisture in the air-is over 30 percent. Insufficient humidity levels may cause green plant leaf tips to brown and blooming plants to lose their buds.

Room humidifiers work best in maintaining desired humidity levels. Humidity can also be increased by setting plant pots on a surface of pebbles kept moist inside a water-filled metal or plastic tray, (pot bottoms should not sit in the water) or by placing plants in kitchens and bathrooms where high relative humidity is usually available.

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