As we start the last month of the year, I suspect that only a few hardy people would be out in their gardens. Either those tidying up jobs have been done or they can wait until the New Year. One area that doesn’t get neglected this time of year will be the inside of the house. There’s something very satisfying getting the house all nice and fresh and cosy for when any visitors come knocking over the festive season. So during your preparations it might be worth putting in a bit of time to make those house plants look their best.
LOOKING AFTER HOUSE PLANTS
Houseplants are a very attractive addition to the home. They can make your living space an extension of the great outdoors. Another important functions of indoor houseplants is their ability to absorb pollutants out of the air and purify them, the common spider plant is one of the most effective plants to filter these. I have mentioned before that I now grow very few houseplants. Only the strong survive… (The ones that only require watering twice a year is what I really mean). This is mainly due to the fact that I don’t really feel as though I need to have plants indoors. I only have to look out of the windows to see lush vegetation in the garden, hedgerows and hills. It wasn’t always like that. When I lived in a city on a heavily populated housing estate, the only green I saw, especially in winter was my next door neighbours ten year old Ford Cortina. Because of this my house was full of indoor colour. I had forty-seven different types of plant and they probably took more looking after than a full sized garden.
PLANT CARE
Most plants need to be pampered to survive in a modern house; central heating is one condition that plants don’t generally like. The air around the plants can get very dry and shrivel the plant up. One method I found quite successful if you’re not prepared to spray them with water everyday, or indeed you cant because the pots are near plug sockets, is to put water on the radiator. Now before you run over and pour on a kettle full of water over the front room rad. I mean you can get ceramic containers that can be clipped onto the front of the radiator and the heat gently evaporates the water put in it and makes the room more humid which is the condition the plants will prefer, (You may even find it more pleasant too). It is important to make sure that the leaves of all the plants are clean. The leaves are the breathing apparatus of the plant and they have pores that will block up if not cared for. There are certain plant such as the large leaved rubber plant of cheese plant that can have shining leaves by using water mixed with milk, the fat stays on the leaf after the water has gone, but for most plants just use tepid water applied with some cotton wool is preferred.
Water plants more sparingly at this time of year and cut off any leaves that have died or gone yellow. These will be targets for fungal growth such as botrytis.
CHRISTMAS PLANTS
If you don’t have plants in the house but do intend on buying a few, here is a list of the most popular Christmas plants that will probably be on sale. I’ve mentioned a few details so you can get the best value from them once you bring them home.
Azalea: Water carefully –keep the compost moist at all times, keep cool, a hall or porch is ideal as long as the temperature is constant. Keep in bright, indirect sunlight. Can be put outside when the threat of frost has gone
Christmas cactus: Water sparingly-don’t let the compost dry out. They don’t like it too hot. The plants should flower for about six weeks. Don’t move the plant once the buds have formed as they could drop off with the shock of it all. Will get bigger and better for next year with a bit or care.
Cyclamen: These plants do best if kept cool and kept in porches and conservatories. They tend to wilt in central heating, if they do dry out, stand the pot in tepid water and leave to soak. After the compost has soaked up the water shake off the excess water, hopefully the plant will recover. After flowering allow the corm, (the bulb bit in the middle) to dry out then store until late summer. Repot again in fresh compost and start watering.
LOOKING AFTER HOUSE PLANTS
Houseplants are a very attractive addition to the home. They can make your living space an extension of the great outdoors. Another important functions of indoor houseplants is their ability to absorb pollutants out of the air and purify them, the common spider plant is one of the most effective plants to filter these. I have mentioned before that I now grow very few houseplants. Only the strong survive… (The ones that only require watering twice a year is what I really mean). This is mainly due to the fact that I don’t really feel as though I need to have plants indoors. I only have to look out of the windows to see lush vegetation in the garden, hedgerows and hills. It wasn’t always like that. When I lived in a city on a heavily populated housing estate, the only green I saw, especially in winter was my next door neighbours ten year old Ford Cortina. Because of this my house was full of indoor colour. I had forty-seven different types of plant and they probably took more looking after than a full sized garden.
PLANT CARE
Most plants need to be pampered to survive in a modern house; central heating is one condition that plants don’t generally like. The air around the plants can get very dry and shrivel the plant up. One method I found quite successful if you’re not prepared to spray them with water everyday, or indeed you cant because the pots are near plug sockets, is to put water on the radiator. Now before you run over and pour on a kettle full of water over the front room rad. I mean you can get ceramic containers that can be clipped onto the front of the radiator and the heat gently evaporates the water put in it and makes the room more humid which is the condition the plants will prefer, (You may even find it more pleasant too). It is important to make sure that the leaves of all the plants are clean. The leaves are the breathing apparatus of the plant and they have pores that will block up if not cared for. There are certain plant such as the large leaved rubber plant of cheese plant that can have shining leaves by using water mixed with milk, the fat stays on the leaf after the water has gone, but for most plants just use tepid water applied with some cotton wool is preferred.
Water plants more sparingly at this time of year and cut off any leaves that have died or gone yellow. These will be targets for fungal growth such as botrytis.
CHRISTMAS PLANTS
If you don’t have plants in the house but do intend on buying a few, here is a list of the most popular Christmas plants that will probably be on sale. I’ve mentioned a few details so you can get the best value from them once you bring them home.
Azalea: Water carefully –keep the compost moist at all times, keep cool, a hall or porch is ideal as long as the temperature is constant. Keep in bright, indirect sunlight. Can be put outside when the threat of frost has gone
Christmas cactus: Water sparingly-don’t let the compost dry out. They don’t like it too hot. The plants should flower for about six weeks. Don’t move the plant once the buds have formed as they could drop off with the shock of it all. Will get bigger and better for next year with a bit or care.
Cyclamen: These plants do best if kept cool and kept in porches and conservatories. They tend to wilt in central heating, if they do dry out, stand the pot in tepid water and leave to soak. After the compost has soaked up the water shake off the excess water, hopefully the plant will recover. After flowering allow the corm, (the bulb bit in the middle) to dry out then store until late summer. Repot again in fresh compost and start watering.
Poinsettia: Again don’t overwater; keep at a cool room temperature out of draughts. They should flower for twelve weeks and even more if the leaves are sprayed with water and the pots are put on a pebble tray to increase humidity. Put the plants in bright light to keep the plant colour. The plant can be over wintered by following a strict regime of light and dark for an eight-week period (14 hour darkness then ten hours of daylight) starting next September. The time this will take it would pay you to buy a new one!
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