House Plant Care - Questions and Answers

House Plants - You Have Questions, I Have Answers, But...

Rhapis Excelsa Palm on My Model Home Account

Hi Plant People, hope you all had a nice October. Hard to believe it is already November 2016.

Just realized that since I started working as an interior landscape technician in 1986 and it is now 2016, I have been taking care of, installing, warehousing, replacing, selling or unloading indoor tropical plants and flowers for just about 30 years.

Most of that was direct, day to day care of different types of tropical plants in many different locations, from the west coast to the east coast.

There has been a break here or there for a year or two but for most of the past 30 years I have been involved in all aspects of the interior landscape industry. That's a lot of plants!

On my website, I offer simple, straight forward advice on caring for your indoor plants. As you can tell from the first few paragraphs, I have had lots of experience to work from.

I do offer to answer questions for readers and they sometimes ask things I could not possibly give a definitive answer to because, with indoor plants, you need to be the person standing right there in front of that plant, taking care of it every week, to be able to figure out what is causing any problems it may be having. That is why I ask people to read the pages about lighting, watering and root health before they send a question. Those things are really all you need to know if you started out with a healthy disease and insect free house plant.

HOUSE PLANTS CARE QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS? You can send an indoor plant question but before you do, please read this information on watering your indoor houseplants, how to help keep your house plant's root system healthy and lighting for your houseplants. These are most important for your house plant's health and this is some of the information I will refer you to when you send an email.

So, please read those pages, and if you still have a question, I will try to answer but please remember, I work during the day taking care of plants so sometimes it takes a little while for me to get out the answers to your emails. So please be as patient as you can and thanks for visiting my website, I do appreciate it and I hope it is helpful to some of you...

Laura The Plant Lady

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Dracaena Marginata Plant Care

Plant Care for Dracaena Marginata

Potted Dracaena Marginata Plant

My last post was about the Mother-In-Law Tongue plant, the most searched and researched indoor plant and its care, at least on my website.

This post is about Dracaena marginata, the second most searched for indoor plant. The dracaena marginata is sometimes called Dragon Tree. We just call her Marginata or Marg... 

Marginata is my favorite Dracaena, I just love the thinner, long, delicate and arching leaves of the marginata.

If your Marginata has been growing in really good light in a nursery, the leaves may be thicker and stiff. As it grows in new foliage acclimated to the lower light in your home (or office), the leaves will thin and become more graceful and arching. That is the way I like them best!

Dracaenas in general are really easy to care for once you get them settled in and learn how to water them properly. Many of the plants that we use in our interior landscapes are dracaena varieties. They adapt well to the lower light available in many business offices. 

It might interest you to know, if you don't already, that the plant sold as "Lucky Bamboo" is not bamboo at all, but a dracaena! I guess Lucky Bamboo just sounds better than Lucky Dracaena??!!

Anyway, one question I often get about Marginata is how to prune them. That is very easy as you can just cut back the stalk, or cane, at any point above the soil level and a healthy Marginata growing in sufficient light will produce new heads from just below where you cut the cane. Not immediately, of course, you will have to wait a little while. :)

Read more about Dracaena marginata plant care here...

Read more about how to water your indoor plants to keep them healthy...

Read more about light and your house plants...

 

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Mother-In-Law Tongue Plant Care

Plant Care for Mother-In-Law Tongue

Mother-In-Laws Tongue Plant

The most searched for plant care information on my indoor plant care website is for the Sansevieria plant. You may know it as Mother-in-Law Tongue or Snake Plant as those are common names for sansevieria trifasciata.

The Mother-In-Law Tongue is one of the easiest indoor plants to care for and is quite forgiving if you forget to water it every once in a while.

As with any indoor, potted plant, providing your plant with bright light and proper watering is going to reward you with the best growth. Light is essential for plant growth so always provide the best light you have available for your houseplants.

Although you can place Mother-In-Law Tongue in low light, you are going to have a plant that becomes thin, leggy and weak over time.

One important thing to note when caring for your Mother-In-Law Tongue and other houseplants is that the light your plant receives will be a major factor in the watering of your indoor plant.

Read more about Mother-In-Law Tongue plant care...

Read more about light and your house plants...

Read more about how to water your house plants...

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My Dracaena Plant is Too Tall, Now What?

Dracaena Warneckii Plant

Plant Questions and Answers

Here is a recent email question from Grace, someone looking for some help with her houseplant...

"I got a plant for my moms funeral and now it's very tall and don't know if and how to split it. Any help? I attached a picture of it. Card that came with it says it's a dracaena but couldn't find any helpful information on line."

Hi Grace,

Thanks for the picture. Your plant is a dracaena Warneckii. You can cut back the stem any place that you want to and it should regrow from that point.

Is that what you wanted to know? Your plant looks nice and healthy! Good job.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if I did not tell you what you wanted to know....

Hi again Grace,

Forgot to mention that you can root the piece you cut off in moist sand, then you can plant into its own pot when the roots get a few inches long.

You should remove the leaves (from the cut piece) when you are rooting. The leaves often die anyway, so help your dracaena grow some new roots faster and remove them.

You can cut the dracaena cane into smaller pieces and root them all.  Three to four inches long is a good size. Using a rooting hormone is also helpful�

good luck with your plants and thanks for visiting PlantAndFlowerInfo.com.

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Best Indoor Houseplant For Beginners

Snake Plant - Houseplant

As an interior landscape technician, I get a lot of questions from people during the work day. Some want to know why their plant is not doing well. Others ask what the little bugs on their plant are and how to get rid of them. Some people want to know the best way to prune or propagate their houseplants.

Another common houseplant question is: What is the best houseplant to get if I have never had an indoor plant before?

That is one of the easiest questions to answer as it doesn't require finding out alot of other information. The answer to this question is undoubtably...The Snake Plant!

Snake plants are great indoor plants as they will tolerate an owner that doesn't pay them much attention. They will live in lower light but they will become thin and leggy over time if the light is not sufficient.

However, if you are one of those people that likes to water their plants everyday, you should not get a Snake plant! There are not many indoor plants that will last long with everyday watering!

Snake plants are known as Sansevieria. The long tall foliage looks something like a snake and that is no doubt where the name Snake plants come from. Another name is Mother-In-Law Tongue. Someone will have to explain that one to me.

Anyway, if you are looking for a houseplant that does not need a lot of attention, try a Snake plant. Read about Snake Plant care, Sansevieria houseplants...

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Help-My Indoor Palm Has Problems!

Rhapis Palm with Insect Problem

Indoor Potted Palm Problem

A recent email from Ernestine about a plant problem that needs a solution...

 My Rhapis Palm has mealy bugs as there are white masses on leaves and stems.  I have sprayed with Confidor two or three times, but, the palm still has white areas on leaves and stems.  Could you suggest a better solution for me to attack this pesty little beast!!! Thank you for reading my notation.

Ernstine,

It sure looks like mealy bug but could possibly be some kind of scale. I personally would just wipe this off with a sponge or rag with some water/alcohol mixture or water/soap mixture. Another option is a hard spray from a hose to just rinse them off. This is best done outside, of course and must be repeated.

Mealybugs are hard to get rid of and the only other things I might use would be Safers Insecticidal Soap or 1600 X-clude. Don�t know if they are available where you live but if you do use them, make sure to always read and follow the label directions. 

In my opinion, it is always best to avoid using commercial pesticides and insecticides.

Most insects have an incubation period of 7-10 days so anything you do needs to be repeated every week for a month to 2 months to eradicate new generations as they appear.

Rhapis Palms have a lot of hiding places for bugs so it will be a challenge, but it can be done. I have done it before, you just need to keep treating until you are sure they are gone.

One more thing, removing any badly damaged leaves or fronds is often helpful. This physically removes a big part of your problem. However, with a palm do NOT cut off the newest leaf at the top of any stalk as this will stop further growth from this point.

Also, mealybugs may be present under the pot, in the pot, in or on the topsoil, on walls and carpets or anything nearby, so make sure to vacuum, wipe walls and basically keep the area clean as well as your plant. Read more about Rhapis Palm plant care...

Good luck with your Rhapis palm plant!

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A Most Colorful Houseplant-Croton

Croton Petra - Codiaeum variegatum

Croton houseplants are one of the more colorful indoor tropical plants. It is hard not to notice this bushy, upright plant because of the vividly colored foliage.
The Croton, or Codiaeum variegatum pictum, has leaves splashed with green, orange and red with the veins often yellow, depending on the variety.

Sometimes referred to as Joseph's Coat because of its many colors, Croton is a member of the Euphorbia plant family. One of its relatives is the Poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima. Read more about Croton plant...

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Tropical Orchids - House Plants and Care

Orchids - Tropical Houseplants and their Care

Orchid Flowers

Orchids are beautiful and unique flowering plants that you can keep in your home. Often considered difficult to care for, there are varieties that can be grown in the home. They do require good light, some humidity and proper temperatures but most anyone can keep one of these gorgeous tropical house plants with a little care, proper watering and some patience.

There are thousands of types of Orchids but only a few can be kept successfully in the average home. These include Phalaenopsis, Cattleya, Cymbidium and Dendrobium orchids. You will find one or more of these types of Orchid available at most stores that sell indoor plants. 

Phalaenopsis Orchids, or Moth Orchids, are the type generally found in local stores that do not specialize in plants and flowers, such as your neighborhood grocery store. That is because they are one of the easiest to care for Orchids. Read more about Orchids and their care...

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Creative Houseplant Container Ideas

Creative Container Ideas

It can be difficult to find that perfect container for your #indoor plants and even your #outdoor #plants. Some of us like to use the old standards such as terracotta, ceramic and plastic or even those old oak barrel containers.

However, sometimes it is fun to be really creative. I have seen plant enthusiasts use an old porcelain toilet or tub to display their pretty plants and flowers in the front yard. Recycling old items is a great way to avoid waste and creatively contain your houseplants and exterior plants. Just be aware of concerns with water leakage. You may need to line some items to avoid drips, leaks and water damage.

Here are some cute and creative ideas for planting that you may not have thought about before. Take a look at these interesting ideas and pictures for planting succulents and cactus from LagunaDirt.com ...

One of the favorite succulents for use as an indoor houseplant is the Sanseveiria or Snake Plant. Come read more about this fantastic, easy-care indoor plant at PlantAndFlowerInfo.com. There are lots of ideas for caring for your houseplants and keeping them healthy. Personal houseplant care help is also available, if you need some specific advice. Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

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Houseplants and Spring

It is just about a week since the first official day of 

Suzy's www.WorthingCourtBlog.com

spring but, as usual, the weather tends to be quite fickle during March and April. It still feels like winter in so many places. Check out this blog with some cute ideas for bringing some spring into your indoor space. Even when it is still a little chilly outside, you can enjoy your lovely indoor plants. Thanks for the great blog Suzy!

If you need some help with your houseplants or are trying to find one that is just right for a certain spot in your home, come on over to PlantAndFlowerInfo.com for #houseplant ideas that can help brighten up your indoors and for some great houseplant care help and advice. Have a great Spring!

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Water and Light = Houseplant Health

Healthy Houseplant

If you want your houseplants looking great, you need to know that the available light and how you water your  indoor plants relative to that lighting is more important than any other factor.
Forget the fertilizers, the re-potting, pinching and pruning and concentrate on learning how to water your plants properly. This alone, if done right, will make more difference than anything else you can do for your houseplants.
Watering indoor plants correctly can be tricky. Improper watering is the main cause of death with indoor plants. Usually this would be from over-watering but if you are not caring for your plants on a regular schedule, under-watering can be a problem. Advice that give you watering intervals, amount of water, etc. are really not reliable.
Having cared for thousands of plants as a Plant Lady, I know that the only way to determine if a plant needs water is to check the moisture level in the soil at regular intervals. Every plant is different and only you can tell if your plant needs to be watered. I know that you love your plants but too much love (i.e. water) can kill them! Read more about houseplants and light and watering correctly...

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If You Like Your Plant, You Can Keep Your Plant. Period!

Birds Nest fern

Birds Nest Fern The Clean & Easy Fern

Well, its my blog and I can use whatever title I like. I have heard the words, "If you like your plan, you can keep your plan. Period" so many times over the past year, it has kind of stuck in my head and morphed into "if you like your plant, you can keep your plant! Maybe this will get it out of there. (Out of my head that is). By the way, I did not get to keep my plan.(Insurance, that is...but that is another story for another blog)

However, I did get to keep my plants! This post is about Asplenium nidus, or Birds Nest Fern. There are a few types, the two most common being the Japanese and Victoria Birds Nest Fern. The Victoria has thinner, more ruffled fronds than the Japanese. As far as ferns go, this is one of my favorites, along with Button Ferns and Pteris fern.

One of the easiest ferns to care for as a houseplant is the Birds Nest Fern or Asplenium Nidus. It is more likely to let you get away with a few mistakes than many other ferns. An added attraction is the leaflets that often fall from other ferns, creating quite a mess, are not present on Birds Nest Fern. This makes it a clean fern in my book, unlike the messy Boston Fern. With a Boston Fern, you spend more time cleaning up after it than you do taking care of it! Not so the Birds Nest Fern.

Light green fronds surround a fibrous nest, explaining the name Birds Nest Fern. The fronds are long and blade shaped with a dark midrib. Birds Nest Ferns can grow quite large and the plant pictured here was well over 3 feet tall!

Read more about Birds Nest Fern and houseplant care...

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Great Plant for Your Office - Chinese Evergreen

Silver Queen

Question: What type of indoor tropical plant would be suitable to use in an office environment?

The answer to that question is easy. Try an Aglaonema or Chinese Evergreen. They do well under artificial lighting or natural light and can be found in sizes from 8-12 inches tall to a few feet tall. That means you can use an Aglaonema as a table plant or a floor plant.

Chinese Evergreen is one of the most commonly used interior landscape plants. Attractive and easy to care for, it can be maintained at the lower light levels often found in the home or office environment.

The most common varieties are the Aglaonema Emerald Beauty or Maria, the Aglaonema Silver Queen and the Aglaonema Silver Bay. Read more about Chinese Evergreen plants and their care...

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Pothos Plant Care

My Pothos Plant

Pothos - A Plant by Any Other Name...

Hi Plant People! While there really are NOT very many different types of #Pothos #plants, there does seem to be quite a few different names given to this particularly popular #houseplant.

Let's see...I call it a Pothos, its botanical name is #Epipremnum aureum, some call it a #Scindapsus aureus and I know that in some areas of the world, Pothos are called the #Devil's Ivy. I am curious to know why you would call this innocent looking plant Devil's Ivy. Anyone know? My understanding is that this name is most often used in #Britain. Are there any #British folks out there that know how or why the name "Devil's Ivy" originated? Post in comments below, if you do, I really do wonder...

Pearls and Jade

Okay, I know this is a really popular plant because I work in the interior landscape business and this plant, the Pothos plant, is the one I see most often as the personal plants people bring to work to decorate their cubicles, reception desks and offices. 

The varieties of Pothos most common are the Golden Pothos, Marble Queen Pothos (my favorite, a picture of my Marble Queen here in the post) and Jade Pothos. The is also a Neon Pothos, Pearls and Jade Pothos, the Silver Satin and Silver Splash Pothos. These last four are less common.

This is really an easy plant to keep looking good but often they become thin, pale and leggy looking. The trick to keeping your Pothos plants looking great is simply correct watering, lighting and a little bit of pruning now and again.

Read more about how to keep your Pothos houseplants looking great...

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Norfolk Island Pine - Some Like It Cold?

Norfolk Island Pine Care
Araucaria heterophylla

Question from Alex: Hello, I have a small about 7 foot Tall and 5 feet in width Greenhouse. Its place outside next to my camper and we live in southern IL. It does get cold and windy outside here. I was wondering if I should put my Larger Norfolk Pine along with the plants inside the greenhouse? It gets humid in there and never goes under 40 degrees inside. Would that be safe? The greenhouse kept 30 degrees in 17 Degree weather a few days ago. None of my plants froze or anything.

Norfolk Island Pine

Answer:

Hi Alex, Recommended low temps for the Norfolk Island Pine are about 40 to 45 degrees F. You may see some damage or growth problems at lower temps but it should survive okay. If you think it may get colder in your greenhouse, you can help protect your tree by covering with clear plastic to let in light and keep in some warmth. Then place in your greenhouse. That should give it enough protection from the cold weather you have in your state. Hope your Araucaria does well. Thanks!
Read more about houseplant care and Norfolk Island Pine...

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Snake Plant Care - Sansevieria trifasciata

Question: I need to find a houseplant that is nearly impossible to kill! I am away often and forget to water my poor houseplants...I feel so bad when they die. Any suggestions?

Answer:

I don't know of any houseplants that are literally impossible to kill except, perhaps, those that are made out of silk! However, there is some good news in that the Snake Plant comes pretty close to that description. It is on my list of best houseplants for anyone for that very reason.

Sansevieria is also known by some as Snake Plant or Mother-in-Laws-Tongue. While no houseplant is totally indestructible, the Snake Plant is very forgiving if you are not good about remembering to water your houseplants.

You will need to make sure that your Snake Plant is not exposed to temperatures below 50�F as they will be damaged by cold temps.
Read more about Snake Plant and proper plant care...

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Colorful Flowering Houseplants Bromeliads

Bromeliad Guzmania

Bromeliads are indoor flowering house plants that add great color and texture to your indoor garden. Two favorites are the Aechmea Fasciata and the Vriesea.
However, the Guzmania is by far the more common and they are grown in many colors. Bromeliads used for their colorful flower should be in a good bloom stage when you purchase them as they require special conditions to reach this stage.
You can have fun with these tropical plants and propagate by removing and planting the "pups" or shoots that grow from the base of a mature specimen. It generally takes about 1-1/2 to 2 years for these plants to reach maturity and produce a bloom.

Vriesea ospinae

Interior landscapers use these plants as a way to add contrast, color and texture to an interior design. Their secret to keeping them looking great, other than  proper watering and good lighting, is that they are replaced on a regular schedule. This is usually every 8 to 12 weeks, depending on the bromeliad variety, the growing environment and the bloom stage when installed.
Read more about bromeliads and houseplant care...

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Aechmea Fasciata Bromeliad Mother and Children

Question from Penny:

  I have an Aechmea Fasciata. Arrived August as a single plant, has now thrown 3 offspring still in the same pot...help! I keep her in the conservatory, feed a little, water with rain water down the leaves and spray.

Answer: 

Your Aechmea has had triplets! Congratulations...you can leave them be until the "mother" plant starts to die. Then you pull the whole thing out of the grow pot, remove your babies and some roots with a sharp knife and replant in their own grow pots. Go with a small size grow pot (4 - 6" diameter) for each new plant. Water well, then it would be best to place them in a shaded spot for a little while as they recover from surgery. Then return to their usual spot and continue normal care. The last time I did this it took something in between 1-2 years for the new plant(s) to produce a flower. That was in a greenhouse. It may take less or more time depending on where you keep your bromeliad, but I would say you would be closer to the 2 years before it matures. Hope this helps, thanks! To read more about Aechmea fasciata plants and care, click here...>

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Dracaena Marginata HouseplantsPruning and Rooting

My Little Dracaena Marginata

Question from Gilbert:

  I have a marginata house plant, It's about 2 1/2 feet tall, my question is: can I cut it in half and if I do will It continue to grow or will it die? And can I replant the top half? Also, will the trunk grow in diameter? 

Answer:

Yes you can cut back the trunk of your Dracaena Marginata. It will put out at least one new shoot, if not three to four or more new shoots. It will not die as long as you are taking good care of it.

You can re-plant the cut-off top, but Dracaena can be a little harder to root than say, a Pothos plant that you can just leave in water and it will grow forever.

You can air-layer your plant.

Another option is to root in moist sand. You can lay the piece of Marginata trunk down on its side in moist sand and it should eventually root, although it may take some time. This has worked for me before. If you want to root it in its upright position, try some rooting hormone. It is a little more difficult to keep the piece standing upright but it can be done. Just use your imagination. Don't let the roots get too long before planting permanently.

Yes, the trunk of your Dracaena plant will grow in diameter. I recently saw some Dracaenas in Hawaii with trunks as big as the foot of an elephant! They were, of course, growing outside and were quite old. Thanks for your question, hope this is helpful! Read more about Dracaena Marginata....

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Houseplants, A Pretty Flowering Indoor Plant and It Is Easy Care

Question: What kind of houseplant is easy to care for and flowers too?

Answer:

One easy houseplant that many are familiar with is the Peace Lily or Spathiphyllum. These are nice plants but they produce a white flower and it is not very colorful. If you are looking for a plant that will add some color to your interior decor, try an Anthurium Andreanum. These nice little plants can double as flowering plants and foliage plants. The Anthurium can be found with a red flower, pink flower, orange flower or even white if that is what you like. They require more moisture and humidity than some plants but are generally fairly easy care. Anthuriums are pretty, flowering indoor plants, read more about Anthuriums...

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