Tips to Consider When Shopping Healthy • Match to the environment you have • Check roots – tug test – circling roots • Check for insects – Spider mites on palms, ivies, calatheas By Lisa Johnson • Do not expose to temperatures below 50ºF Dane County UWEX – Have plants wrapped, warm up car if very cold Horticulture Educator

Watering When you get your home • Do those water globes work?? • Globes keep moisture constant; may not • Acclimation process be good for all plants. – 8 weeks (2 months) • How long? Varies widely--may last a – Hibiscus, gardenias: loss of buds and week or a few days in depending on how – Vanishing variegation root-bound, type of plant & media. – Yellowing and loss • The stem can easily clog with debris; – Brown crispy margins insides can grow mold and algae over – Scorching time. Use a pipe cleaner to clear. • Make a hole in the soil with a pencil or • Cleaning knife before inserting the globe to help – Remove pesticide and other residues, plus prevent clogs. dust • Full water globes are top heavy.

Watering Soil and Re-potting • Overwatering is the number one killer • Use potting soil (it may actually of houseplants! be a soil-less mix). • Watering tips – Water by WEIGHT • Houseplants, especially starter plants may – Water thoroughly, allowing plants to be pot bound when you buy them. dry sufficiently between waterings • The new pot should not be more than two – Do not allow plants to sit in water a inches in diameter larger than the old pot. long time – Use appropriate potting media • Leave 1/2” to 1” for water collection, ie. – Fluoride, chlorine in water don’t fill the pot to the top with soil. – Using rainwater is not typically • Plant at the same level as the old pot. recommended for indoor-only • Some plants ‘like’ to be pot bound. plants, but can be used for out-door summering plants – Christmas cactus, aloe, jade, cacti, etc.

1 Re-potting Fertilizer

• Especially if using soilless media, fertilizer is important. • Fertilize once or twice a month (dilute). • Avoid over-fertilizing--soluble salt buildup. • Blooming houseplants may need a ‘bloom- builder’ fertilizer • In general, do not fertilize December- February IF using natural light.

Houseplant Maintenance When Bringing Houseplants Indoors in Autumn  Dust on the leaves results in 25% reduction in light • Hose off, interception then after • Dusting also helps in the plant is insect control dry, spray • Wipe the leaves gently with with a soft cloth insecticidal • ‘Bathe’ hairy-leaved soap if plants rather than tolerated on dusting that plant species • Leaf shine products?

Houseplant Insect Pests Mealy bugs • Mealybugs can infest all • Mealybugs plant parts, including the roots. • Aphids • They produce a waxy • Thrips coating on their bodies and • Spider mites their egg masses that resist insecticides. Mealybugs. • Whiteflies • If the infestation is light, • Scales use Q-tips™ dipped in rubbing alcohol, or use • Fungus gnats sprays with bifenthrin, • Springtails permethrin or resmethrin.

2 Thrips Aphids • Thrips are 1∕16” long and • Aphids are soft- fast. They hide in bodied, sucking & leaf buds, and are insects that feed on hard to find. plant sap • Thrips cause feeding • They can be damage and vector plant controlled on viruses. houseplants with • Washing, bifenthrin, insecticidal soap & permethrin, resmethrin, forceful water pyrethrins, insecticidal sprays or soap, neem oil, plant oil products with extracts (at least two bifenthrin, applications sprayed permethrin or once every 5 days are resmethrin usually necessary).

Spider mites White Flies • Spider mites are oval • Whiteflies have and yellowish. They are piercing/sucking very tiny, only 1/50th” mouthparts. long, salt-grain size. • They feed & lay eggs • They feed under leaves, on the underside of sucking plant sap, leaves. An adult whitefly. causing stippling or • Washing, bifenthrin, bronzing of leaves. permethrin, at least • Populations increase three applications rapidly. sprayed once every 5 • Discard the plant or use days. products with bifenthrin • Neem oil. or insecticidal soap.

Scales Fungus gnats • Often mistaken for • Often on ferns, orchids, fruit flies, but live in schefflera, zebra plant, soil and eat organic weeping fig and ivy matter • Have hard shells that • Unless large repel insecticides populations build up, • Found under leaves on they do very little leaf veins and petioles damage to plants • Wash plants, scrape off • Can use the ‘ scales or use sprays with slice’ method to get rid bifenthrin, permethrin or of them resmethrin. • Also can let soil dry out more between waterings

3 African Violet Springtails Saintpaulia ionantha • Springtails are scavengers Gesneriaceae that eat decaying organic • The African violet was first matter in soil. Rarely discovered in East in damage plants 1892 by Baron Walter von St. • Named for forked Paul. ‘furcula’ that allows them • Best under grow lights to jump • East window • Like damp places • Highly organic soil • Let soil dry as much as • Propagate by leaf cuttings in possible between spring waterings to get rid of • Mealy bugs, powdery mildew, springtails. cyclamen mite and stem or Springtails. crown rot can be problems.

Aloe Chinese Evergreen Aloe vera Aglaonema commutatum Liliaceae (Asphodelaceae)

• From Africa • From tropical Asia • Maritime sands and and Africa rocks • Low light, low • Medium to high light humidity ok • Ave. house humidity • Propagate by • Few problems division • Do NOT overwater • Good for air cleaning or over fertilize

Dieffenbachia, Dumb Cane Striped Dracaena Dieffenbachia spp. Dracaena deremensis ‘Warneckii’ Araceae Dracaena deremensis ‘Lemon-Lime’ • From Mexico, Columbia, Agavaceae Brazil, Puerto Rico • From tropical Africa • Calcium oxalate – caution • Leaves narrower • Medium light , low than D. fragrans, humidity ok pointy • Too much fertilizer causes marginal leaf burn • Good for air cleaning • Air layering propagation • Same cultural care as technique is helpful for D. fragrans leggy plants

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4 English Ivy Weeping fig Hedera helix Ficus benjamina Araliaceae Moraceae • From India, Southeast • From Eurasia Asia, northern tropical • Is poisonous Australia • Stem cuttings • Likes high humidity • Bright to medium light • Do not overwater • Spider mites a big pest • Bright to medium light, but not south • Invasiveness on West Coast of U.S. • Does not like drafts • Scale, mealybugs, spider mites

Jade Plant Peace Lily Crassula argentea Spathiphyllum wallisii Crassulaceae Araceae • From Africa • From Central • Do NOT overwater America, Indonesia, • Bright to medium light and the Philippines • Leaf or stem cuttings • Low to medium light • Low humidity ok • Shiny foliage • Scale, mealybug • Best for air cleaning • Don’t fertilize Oct-Feb., • Division sparingly at other times • Prefer high humidity • Flowering, maturity and for best flower tight roots production

Philodendron Pothos, Devil’s ivy scandens oxycardium Epipremnum aureum Araceae Araceae • From Mexico • From southeast Asia • Low light to medium • Low to medium light light • Poisonous • Poisonous–calcium • Stem cuttings oxalate crystals • Undemanding • Stem cuttings • Few problems • Few problems • Keep on the dry side

5 Sansevieria, Mother-in-law’s tongue Spider plant Sansevieria trifasciata Chlorophytum commosum Agavaceae Liliaceae

• From Indonesia, • From coastal South India, tropical Africa Africa • Do not overwater • Medium to bright to • Divisions low light • Few problems • Division, offshoots • Top heavy • Watering • Undemanding • Fertilizer cautions

ZZ Plant Zamioculcas zamiifolia Araceae • Monotypic genus • Tropical perennial native to eastern Africa, to northeastern • Takes low light • Keep somewhat dry • No insects or diseases • Shiny leaves

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