Hello again,
The following post by Melissa Madigan of Skillin's Falmouth is an excellent primer on how to care for your houseplants in the transitional season of fall. This post will be used as the basis for our upcoming Thriving Houseplants class to be held on Saturday, September 22 at all Skillin's locations:
Brunswick 10 AM, Cumberland 10 AM and Falmouth 10 AM and 2 PM. (The Falmouth 10 AM class is sold out)
Contact us at skillins@maine.rr.com about signing up for this class!
Fall
is here and it’s time to bring our houseplants in for the winter, so lets do a
health check on them.
How
are they doing? Is there leaf drop, yellowing of leaves, bugs? How’s the
watering going? Have you treated them with systemic insect control before bringing then back into the
house?
When
caring for our plants thru the fall and winter there are a few things we need
to keep in mind.
When
you place your plant in the home you need to take into consideration the following:
1- window location - N,S,E,W
2- window treatment - curtain,
insulated, sheer, open, shut...
3- is there an overhang? Large trees
near by?
4- plant location in relation to the
window - below the sill, in the window,
beside the window, a few feet away from the window....
5- how much sun is it getting and for
how long?
Signs
of light underexposure:
When
plants look spindly, long and lanky, it is usually an indication that they are
not getting enough light. Try trimming the plant a bit - it will make it become
fuller and place it in an area with more light.
It is good to know your plants temperature requirements - most plants
do not like it below 58ยบ F. Watch for cold drafts from windows and doors, and
keep plants from touching cold windows.
By
the same token do not put them too near a heat source - esp. a wood stove. Do
not allow heat to blow directly on the plant as it will cause plant cell
damage.
TIP: If
your house is usually pretty chilly then
place your plants on a heat mat (like the ones you would use for
starting seeds). Plants whose roots are warm can withstand 10 to 20 degree
cooler air temperatures.
Watering
requirements will probably change as the days get colder, so you should observe
your plants and check for their need of water before giving them a drink, not every plant will react the same way
to the changes in environment and temperature. You may find mold growing on the
sill because the plant may be staying too wet. You may see gnats flying around
because they are attracted to the wet soil. Once you dry out the soil both
those problems should go away.
Your
best bet is to follow the 4 rules of
Watering
Rule
#1 - Water regularly - it is imperative that potting soil not go completely
dry at any point in a plants life cycle. Allowing your soil to get bone dry
increases the odds of soil compaction, thereby reducing the odds of water
retention.To avoid this you should check you plants for water every other day -
you can do this simply by inserting your finger into the pot. The soil should
feel moist (not overly wet) about 2 inches down.
Rule
#2 - Timing is everything! Plants’ watering needs will change with the
seasons so there is no steadfast rule on how often you should be watering.
Seasons will often dictate your approach - plants will need more water in
summer (when it is hot and soil dries out faster) than in fall and winter (when
the days are shorter and cool). What kind of heat and how warm you keep your
house will also affect your watering schedule.
Rule
#3 - Water Deeply - be sure to add enough water so that some water seeps
out of the drainage holes. This will ensure a full watering so that roots in
the bottom of the container can take up water. This is not to say you should
allow your plants to sit in water for more than 30 mins! Toss out the remaining
water in the catch tray.
Rule
#4 - DO NOT OVERWATER! - overwatering plants water logs the soil and
prohibits oxygen from flowing freely to the roots of plants. Plants need oxygen
to survive. In a short period of time water logging leads to decay and rot. Not
good. To ensure that you do not overwater your plants check for dryness first.
You also need to make sure your plant has proper drainage and that water can
flow thru the container.
And
remember plants dry out much more slowly in cooler temperatures.
TIP: if your plants have do a LOT of
growing over the summer and are very rootbound repot it just before you are
going to bring it in for the fall/winter - if there is still room for the roots
keep them as is in their smaller pots (now is not the time to repot) they are
getting ready for winter and are no longer being stimulated by heat and sun to
grow - they are simply just sitting tight to get thru the winter (much like we
do!)
When
overwatered, plants will look like this:
Leaves will loose their glossy sheen
or become light green or yellow in color
The plant may wilt and the soil may
have a foul odor. Root rot, mold on soil and
leaf drop are indicators of overwatering.
The
solution is to:
Discard any mushy roots or wilted
leaves and repot the plant using fresh potting soil. Remove any excess water in
the pot’s saucer. If the plant is very large, use a turkey baster to remove the
water.
When
under watered, plants will look like this:
Leaves tend to be small and pale in
color, fall off or are wilted. The entire plant may be stunted. Sides of leaves
or tips may dry and get brittle. Check to see if it is pot bound. (when removed
from the pot you see lots of roots and little soil)
The
solution is to:
Submerge the complete plant in
lukewarm water and let it absorb water, usually for 15-30 minutes. Or water
diligently so that the soil in the pot becomes moist throughout the pot.
Repotting
Signs
a plant needs repotting:
1- dries out fast
2- all the water runs thru it when
watering
3- new growth is small
BUT
- you should always take the plant out of its pot and give a visual on the
roots as the following could also cause the above:
1- the plant got too dry and the
soil pulled away from the side of the pot
2- the plant hasn’t had a deep drink
or thorough watering in a long time
Rules of Repotting
Pot
size:
Never
put a plant in too large a container! The new pot should have a diameter and
depth no more than 2 inches greater than the old pot. In an oversize pot, the
ratio of soil to roots will be too great for the roots to absorb overabundant
moister held in the soil (this is also known as pot shock). The resultant root
rot can be a serious threat to the health of the plant. If you want to move a
newly purchased plant to a different
container, choose a pot of the same size or only slightly larger.
Cleaning:
Always
plant into clean containers. You can wash previously used pots in soapy water
with a bit of bleach added; soak them for an hour do so, scrub, and rinse well
to remove any soap film. You may need to work on clay pots with a
stiff-bristled brush or plastic scrubber to remove built-up salt residues from
fertilizers and minerals in water.
Drainage:
Containers
with a drain hole in the bottom are generally the best to use, because good
drainage forestalls root rot. It’s not necessary to place a broken shard in the
bottom of the pot, but if it’s your habit to do so, there’s no harm in it. It
is harmful however, to line the bottom of your pots with a layer of gravel.
This takes up precious root space and in fact slows down drainage by forcing
the soil to hold water longer.
Moisture:
Water
the root ball and the soil mix at least an hour before you begin. While they
drain, soak any clay pots you’ll be using in a tub of water. Dry porous
containers draw moisture away from the soil at an unpredictable rate;
presoaking them retards this water loss. Moisten your new soil mix if it’s too
dry.
Feeding
Feeding
your plants - generally you will back off feeding your houseplants in the late
fall and winter as most plants enter their dormant period at this time. There
are however a few exceptions to that rule. Plants like the Christmas cactus,
Poinsettia, Cyclamen, and Primrose to name a few will be entering their bloom
period and will need plenty of food to maintain their blooms.
Nitrogen - as a rule, leafy green
growth is supported by nitrogen (N). All plants need this. Nitrogen should be
added to plant pots every six to eight weeks. This can be done in a number do
ways: Bat Guano - this potent fertilizer also has a fair amount of phosphorus
making it a good choice for fruiting plants.
Fish meal - is made up of ground-up fish and
smells fishy! It will release slowly into you plants and is great for potted
houseplants, herbs and veggies!
Phosphorus (P) - promotes healthy
fruiting and flowering plants. Some good sources of Phosphorus: Bone Meal or
Fish Bone Meal - a by-product from a slaughterhouse or fish bones. Bones have a
high calcium content, and some nitrogen as well.
Potassium (K) - encourages strong
plant growth. When plants lack potassium, photosynthesis slows down and may
weaken the stems. An easy source of potassium is kelp meal (dried and ground up
seaweed - can be found in fertilizer such as Neputne’s Fish and Seaweed
Emulsion.
Thanks to Melissa Madigan!
Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
September 11, 2012
