The Small Town Gardener

House plants: start strong, stay strong

Marianne Willburn

(1/2019) A very good friend of mine wants absolutely nothing to do with houseplants.

This would not be an unusual sentence in the slightest if it weren’t for the fact that she grows thousands of plants professionally and could bring Lazarus back from the dead if Lazarus happened to be a scruffy geranium.

I have no desire to change her mind. I do grow a lot of houseplants during the winter, but mostly due to the fact that I don’t have the greenhouses she does (or the propane bills). During the warm growing season there are one or two that remain inside (it would be odd to lose all green in the house), but everything else is kicked out the door just as soon as the night time temperatures allow it.

Taking care of houseplants requires effort. But more importantly, it requires sustained effort – and this is the reason that many people fail. Either they forget, or that effort ranks low on an already too long to-do list.

So, for those of us who are creating an indoor jungle more out of necessity than in order to create premium content on six social media channels, I’d like to share a few of the things I do to make the whole process easier.

Spend money on saucers and waterproof cork mats or pot feet.

Water-collecting saucers are a no-brainer, but I also like to use cork mats to ensure that any moisture either percolating through the saucer (glazed or unglazed ceramic), or condensing because of temperature differences on surfaces, is absorbed and caught. Sometimes just putting an air cushion between the saucer and the surface with pot feet is enough to save my surfaces.

Don’t bring the plant in unless you are 99.5% sure it is pest free.

That ship has sailed this season, but it will sail again next October. The best pest prevention is not knowingly bringing pests into the house in the first place. You can never be 100% sure – and the chances are there are some pests present that you can’t see – but why start off with an infestation when you could start with just a minor issue?

Arrange plants together for increased humidity and ease of care.

Indoor plants growing together in pots often do better than those grown on their own – as do air plants clustered together. Humidity is naturally increased and you get to water one container – not several.

Put plants that you particularly love in high traffic areas.

Relegating your beloved fiddle-leafed fig to a corner of your bedroom means you don’t see it, enjoy it and take care of it as much as you would if you sat next to it on a couch in the living room. Consider the preciousness of your plants as you arrange them indoors.

Cover bare soil with some type of ‘indoor mulch’

Gravel, grit or perlite spread thickly (1 inch) on the soil surface keeps down fungus gnats and other pests and helps the plant to retain moisture between waterings. Using hardwood or organic mulch will help with moisture retention, but will not keep down gnats.

Give yourself a routine.

Twice a week is usually best for checking your plants and watering if necessary. Monday and Thursday nights, or Saturday and Tuesday mornings…etc. Decide what works for you and force yourself to follow that schedule until a habit is created.

When watering, give the plant a once over.

Look carefully for signs of spider mite, aphids, mealy bug, etc. and get on top of them before they fully infest the plant. Without natural predators, many of these pests can become a big problem quickly.

Make plant care convenient and you’ll do it more often

• Leave watering cans under more than one sink for multi-floored houses.
• Take fertilizer out of its bulky packaging and put it into lidded jars with scoops – store with your watering cans.
• Feed your plants with a half or quarter strength fertilizer every time you water rather than keeping track of ‘Do I feed this week or not?"

Once a plant has been neglected, it quickly loses its appeal. And if you thought you had little motivation to take care of healthy plants, try coming up with even more enthusiasm to treat a browning schefflera with scale issues. Better to create some new habits so you can spend winter with plants that enhance your indoor spaces not deplete them.

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