Chapter 3 - Keeping Plants Healthy

It's always easier (and better) to prevent the disease than to cure the patient. That's just as true for house plants as it is for people. Thousands of words have been written on plant diseases and blights; we can read books on insects and plant insect infestation but the number of house plants that fall prey to these ills is infinitesimal when compared with the tremendous majority that die from neglect or from the gardener's lack of knowledge of the habits of the plants themselves. This chapter has been written to give you a few guideposts on the road to good gardening. If you follow them you have a good chance of succeeding as an indoor gardener. You have a green thumb. Everybody has. We want to help you put it to work successfully.

By far the major cause of failure in the home garden is neglect. Plants need watering, pruning, a time in the sun, proper food and soil, and good living (potting) conditions. They must be provided with an atmosphere in which they can prosper, with a reasonable temperature, proper humidity and enough fresh air. By this we don't mean to say that they must be watched constantly, petted and pampered; or even that all plants need daily attention. There are some species of cactus and succulent and a number of foliage plants that demand no more than an occasional watering. Terrariums, as we will see in the chapter by that title, can sometimes be left for months with absolutely no care. However, most of the plants you are going to want to have in your home are going to have to get some degree of care. It is easy and inexpensive to give, and pays enormous dividend both in the looks and the lasting qualities of the plants in your garden.

The second big reason for plant failure comes from trying to grow plants in an environment unsuited or badly suited to their needs. Some plants such as Lantana or Morning Glory need as much sun as they can get, and demand a south window; others like the African Violet and various species of English Ivy will flourish for season after season in settings which never receive the sun's rays directly, but which merely get reflected light. In the chart that makes up Chapter 16 at the back of the book under the heading Location you will find the location each plant likes best.

Most plants which are grown indoors possess a fantastic degree of adaptability. They must, in order to survive. The modern home is designed to be lived in by humans primarily, and little thought is given by the architects and builders to the needs of growing things. Yet, a cactus from the desert and a fern whose original habitat is in the rain forests of the South American mountains will live and prosper in the same room, if they have been chosen and then cared for with some intelligence and thought.

There are six basic considerations which must be kept in mind in the selection and care of any house plant or group of house plants: Light and Sun, Temperature and Humidity, Ventilation, Watering, Cleaning and Summer Care. Read through the section that follows and keep these points in mind as you care for your plants. What we have to say here is uncomplicated but extremely important. These are general rules that apply to any plant you might grow at home.

Light and Sun

Before you decide on the plants you are going to buy, you should plan the accommodations they are to receive once you get them home. If you live in a house or an apartment with exposures on all sides, it's best to try to plan your arrangement around a south-facing window. A southern exposure gets the most sun, an eastern one next most, then west, with the north-facing windows getting the least. As we have said, not all plants need direct sunlight; some actually are bothered by it but whereas you can always provide shade in a sunny window, it is harder to try to induce the sun to shine into your north windows in the dead of winter. Therefore as a starter use a southern exposure. Of course, a bay window on the south side of the house is the perfect answer to an indoor gardener's dream. Here you get the sun almost all day long.

Plants grown in sunny windows and that includes almost all of the flowering varieties will tend to turn their blossoms and foliage toward the sun. Since you are growing plants at home for the enjoyment of those in the house rather than passers-by who might look in the window, it is wise to turn the pots every day or two so that the flowers won't grow in a completely lopsided manner.

We said earlier that many plants will grow without direct sun. That is true, but no plant will grow without light. Light is one of the essentials to the synthesis or process of plant growth. If you want, you can keep a Snake Plant or a pot of English Ivy in the dim recesses of a back hall for a short time, but even these hardy specimens won't last too long under these conditions. You will note that first their leaves will lose their luster, then the plants themselves will begin to droop and the leaves to drop off, and eventually, no matter how you feed and water them, they will die.

Temperature and Humidity

As we said before, you are going to want to select the plant to fit the environment rather than the other way around. The range of temperature in which various house plants flourish varies a great deal. Some, such as the majority of Begonias, Primroses and Geraniums, will live best in a comparatively cool setting where the temperature ranges between 50° and 60°; while others, such as the increasingly popular African Violet, whose natural habitat is the jungle of East Africa, prosper at room temperature as high as 70° to 80°.

In almost every home the thermostat is arranged so that the furnace is turned down after a certain hour every night, and as a result the temperature plummets. Unless the drop is extreme and the night time temperature desperately cold, this is nothing to worry about. Even during their blooming seasons, plants in their natural habitat are used to a 10° to 15° temperature drop when the sun goes down, and so they do not react violently to a similar situation indoors. If the indoor temperature falls too low say 25° to 30° below the normal daytime heat, then it is best to rig some kind of protection for the buds and the foliage of your plants. A tent made out of newspaper or an old piece of burlap will do the trick and act as a blanket until the morning when the rays of the sun (and the heat from the furnace) will again warm up the room.

Because house plants are almost always kept near the window, you must be careful to see that the frame is tight against the sash, or that the cracks are guarded with weather stripping. Often the wall in which the thermostat is set will be comfortably warm while over by the window the temperature will be several degrees cooler. This situation arises most frequently with casement windows which tend not to shut completely. If there is no convenient method of stopping these local drafts, one solution is to arrange your pots on a table provided with casters that can be moved away from the windows at night, and rolled back in the morning.

On the other side of the coin there is the problem of overheating. Although it is doubtful that many house plants suffer directly from an excess of heat, they are certainly affected by the low humidity that always accompanies it. In the winter, the outdoor humidity is generally lower than it is in summer, and central heating tends to dry the air even more. Next to light and proper soil, there is nothing more important to the well-being of plants than moisture and this goes for the humidity in the air which they absorb through their foliage as well as for the water they take in from the ground through their root structure. There are a number of ways of combating the lack of moisture in the air. If you care to spend the money you can buy a free standing humidifier which has a humidity thermostat and keeps the moisture content of the air around it at a constant point. A much less expensive and almost equally efficient method is to attach evaporating pans to the radiators, keeping them filled with water at all times. If your plants are clustered around a window below which there is a radiator you can set them in a pan kept filled with a one- to two-inch layer of pebbles, and in which the water is kept just below the top of the pebbles. This pan also acts as a drain for any excess water in the pots.

Most plants will also benefit from having their foliage sprayed lightly every now and again. Once or twice a week is sufficient and it accomplishes three separate purposes. 1) It provides moisture to the foliage dried out by low humidity; 2) it cleans the leaves of accumulated dust; and 3) it helps keep the leaves free of insects. There are many makes of bulb sprayers on the market (see Chapter 2), or you can use an old Flit gun or even a perfume atomizer. Don't spray the leaves of the African Violet or any other of the varieties of plants with hairy leaves. It will leave white spots on their foliage, and will tend to hasten decay of the leaves.
Remember, your plants are adaptable. They will prosper with reasonable care.

Ventilation

More than a need for "fresh air" as such, house plants need a daily change of air. In any house, gases, smoke and dust particles will accumulate in the air. Over a period of time they can become quite harmful to any house plant. The big offender in this category is manufactured gas. A pilot light that has blown out, and whose gas exhalation is so slight that normally the odor will go unnoticed until the next time you go to light the stove, is enough to kill almost any plant in a matter of hours. Giving your indoor garden enough ventilation in the warm weather is no problem just open the doors and let the air circulate. In winter it's a different story, however. You should try to see that the plants get a daily change of air but that they are never subjected to a direct draft. Allowing plants to stand in a freezing winter draft for even as short a time as fifteen minutes can sometimes kill the hardiest of individuals.

The roots of your plants also need a kind of ventilation. The surface of the soil should be turned over every now and again to the depth of an inch or so to allow air to get in among the roots and also to allow the plant foods to reach down to where they will do the most good. This is covered in more detail in Chapter 4, About Soil.

Watering

We can't think of a question about house plants that arises more often than, "How frequently should I water my plants?" And unfortunately, there is no set answer to it. We would like to be able to say, "Every day," or "Once a week," but we wouldn't be giving you good advice if we did. Plants should be watered whenever they need it and that depends on a number of factors humidity, heat, drainage, the size of the pot, and the type of plant you are dealing with. Obviously, in a hot, dry room your plants are going to need more frequent and more thorough watering than in a cooler climate in which there is plenty of moisture. Also, those plants whose natural habitat is one in which they get only occasional moisture, like that of the desert cacti, will need less watering than those, such as most ferns or Wax Begonia which are used to a plentiful rainfall. The best rule to follow is that if the surface of the soil in the pot feels dry to the touch, the plant needs water. Remember, over-watering can be as dangerous as under-watering. A plant whose roots are constantly soaked with water will rot and cease growing. Too many people, in their zeal to make sure that their plants are kept moist, get into the habit of giving them a little water every time they think of it, and as a result end up with waterlogged soil in which the plants quickly die. It is better to water less frequently but more completely. Give the plant a good soaking, making sure that all the soil gets the benefit of the watering and not just the top inch or so. As we said earlier, there is no set rule as to how often you should water. But it shouldn't take long for you to find out by observation just how often each of your plants are going to need care. If you can, work up a schedule and keep to it. It's no trouble, and you'll find that it pays tremendous dividends in the life and health of your indoor garden. And don't worry if for any reason you have to let your plants go without water for a day or so. They'll survive it. But like anything else, they will do better with regular rather than sporadic care.

Systems of Watering. As a general rule, most potted plants can and should be watered from above. The main exception to this rule is the African Violet, because, as we pointed out earlier, wetting the leaves can be harmful to the foliage, and it is difficult to give them a good soaking without letting a little water splash on them. In almost all other cases, however, top watering is the most successful practice. Be sure that the pot is never filled with soil higher than an inch from the top. The best way to give the plant the soaking it needs is to fill it to the brim and let the water soak down through the roots until the excess flows out through the drainage hole at the bottom.

With those plants which like bottom watering, the procedure is just the reverse. Pour water into the dish in which the pot is standing, and let it soak up through the earth until the soil at the top is damp to the touch. Then you're sure that the soil is wet through. Never let water stand in the dish after the plant has received a thorough watering. This will eventually soak the bottom of the roots and damage the plant. You have to be especially careful of this with any plants which you keep in a jardiniere. An hour or so after watering lift the pot from the container and check to see that there is no excess water left standing.

A variation of the system of bottom watering is wick watering. This compartively new system utilizes a thick braided wick, such as those used in oil lamps, to conduct water to the roots of the pot. You can buy pots specially designed for this purpose in your garden supply store. They consist of a covered saucer, on which the pot stands, which is filled with water. The wick is trained from the saucer through the drainage hole and spread on the bottom of the pot. As the soil dries out, water gradually soaks up through the wick and is distributed to the soil.

AIways use water as room temperature or a little warmer. Cold water often has a tendency to blight many plants and is to be avoided for that reason. If you live in an area where the tap water is considered "hard," it's a good idea to use one of the commercial water softeners. In their natural state, your plants are used to rain water, the "softest" water you can find, and an excess of minerals in the water tends to stain the leaves and in some cases inhibit the growth of your plants.

At the risk of repetition, then, there are three things you should remember when it comes to watering your house plants: 1) Water when the soil feels dry to the touch. 2) When you water, soak the plants well don't use the system of a little often. 3)Use water at room temperature or a little above, not cold.

Keeping Plants Clean

Today in our cities, and even in the suburbs, the dust and grime from the chimneys of industrial plants and automobile exhausts has become one of the first dangers to maintaining a healthy indoor garden. All plants "breathe" through their leaves, and if they are allowed to become covered with dust and dirt, it is not only unsightly but injurious to the plants. Special care should be taken, therefore, to see that the foliage of your plants is kept clean and free of clogging soot.

The best way to clean leaves of plants with shiny smooth leaves, such as Rubber Plant, Philodendron, Sansevieria, etc., is to give them a sponge bath with luke-warm water dosed with a small amount of soap or detergent. Sponge the solution gently on the leaves and then rinse with clear water to make sure that no soapy residue is left, as soap can be kept clean by giving them an occasional brushing

When the leaves are clean, the best way to keep them looking their best is to treat them with one of the commercially available plant polishes such as our own New Era Plant Polish. Far from being harmful, the polish contains an insecticide that protects the plants from invading insects, and will keep the leaves looking their glossiest and best all the time.

Plants with hairy leaves, such as the African Violet, can be kept clean by giving them an occasional brushing with a fine soft brush. Be sure to be gentle with them as rough usage will harm the foliage.

Summer Care

No matter how well you take care of your plants, they will always benefit by a once yearly return to nature. If you have a garden, plan to transfer your plants there for two or three of the summer months. If you can't arrange garden space for the plants, just transferring them to an open porch will be greatly beneficial.
 
If you are able to move your plants into the garden, remember that the conditions they like indoors must be duplicated in the open. Don't therefore put the pot of ferns you have had in a shady corner out in the open under the full sun. Your ferns and ivy should be kept in a shady spot, just as your cacti and succulents can be set out where they receive direct sunlight most of the day.

Although some gardeners recommend that you take the plants out of their pots and plant the ball of earth directly in the garden soil, we feel that the best procedure is to sink the pots into the soil, plunging the pot so that the rim protrudes just above the surface, leaving the plant pot-bound. It is advisable to drop a few clinkers into the trough or hole into which you are going to set your pots, making sure that a concave piece covers the drainage hole; otherwise you may find the hole clogged by a family of hungry earthworms. The clinkers (and/or gravel) also act as a drainage bed. We favor keeping the plants in their pots during the summer in the garden for two reasons: 1) the change of environment is not so sudden as it would be if the plant were transferred to a completely new soil, and 2) the roots are contained. If the plants are allowed to grow free, the roots often spread to the point where, at the end of the summer when it is time for them to return indoors, there is no way to repot them without cutting their roots to a fatal degree. It is at the start of the summer, incidentally, when your plants should be inspected to determine whether they should be repotted. This subject will be covered thoroughly in Chapter 6, which covers potting and repotting.

Don't think that just because your plants are out of the house for the summer that they can be neglected entirely. You must see that, if the rainfall is light, they get enough water, and they should be inspected from time to time to see that they are clear of pets. See Chapter 9 on pests and diseases.

A Few Tips to Remember

Some plants like sun; others like shade. Give them what they want.
All plants need a daily change of air.
Water only when the plant needs it, and then water thoroughly.
Keep your house plants free of dust and grime.

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