Indoor Plant Care
Two recent articles that address indoor plant care are “Garden Q & A - Increase humidity to help houseplants grow” by John Chapman and “Debugging your houseplants” by Rebecca Finneran.
The first one is timely for those who are in winter climes, when the air gets dry, and those who are in arid regions. The discussion is mostly for what are called tropical houseplants, but the tips are applicable for most indoor plants. An important general rule to remember:
Extra watering will not correct the problem of low humidity; overwatering only makes the problem worse. Even though the soil is wet, it won’t solve the problem; if the air is dry, the leaves lose water faster than it can be replaced from the roots. Root rot can occur if the roots are kept too wet; then leaves get even less water from the roots to replace moisture lost to the air.
Having indoor plants also poses a particular problem with infestations of spider mites, aphids and other bugs.
Indoor tropical plants can be treated several different ways. Always be careful the species of plant you are working with will tolerate the method you choose to rid them of pests. According to Ludema, the safest products to use in the home are insecticidal soaps such as Safer products. The soap will ruin the outer skeleton of the insect and often will smother their eggs as well.
While giving these tips on debugging houseplants, Dave Ludema of Ludema’s Greenhouses in Grand Rapids also doesn’t balk at suggesting that truly infested plants just be thrown away altogether and replaced with new and healthy specimens.
[Sources: The East Valley Tribune and The Grand Rapids Press]
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