Winter is finally here, and with it comes moving a lot of plants indoors.
At Stockslagers, we have a wide variety of indoor plants to make your home healthier and happier. Whether you’re a first time plant owner or a seasoned pro, learning to care for your plants correctly is the number one step to being successful.
When you bring home any houseplant — whether it be the Ponytail Palm or the Chinese Evergreen, there may be some challenges along the way. Let’s dive into some of these problems, and how we can fix them.
1. Know how to spot fungus problems.
How can you tell if your plant is suffering from fungus? Usually odd spots or discolored fuzziness are sure signs that fungus is growing along with your plant.
Why is fungus a problem for plants? It can lead to rot and suffocation. Fungus also prevents sunlight from triggering photosynthesis, which leads to stunted growth.
Step One: Make your own baking soda spray to easily remove the fungus from growing on your plant. You’ll need to add 1 tsp of baking soda into a quart of water, and add in a few drops of soap to help it stick to the leaves and stems.
Step Two: Make sure you have enough airflow around your plant. Pick up all the dead leaves at the base of the plant, and maybe even set up a fan to gently blow around your plants!
Step three: be careful to not overwater, and make sure the pot has proper drainage.
2. Be proactive about pests.
Little pests can often infest your plants. With this, they steal the nutrients from the plant and stop the growth. For a quick fix, use soapy water to stop them, or simply set out a dish of beer (yes, the kind you drink) to attract the pests to that instead of the plant.
3. Avoid Improper Watering
Sometimes having a plant means over or underwatering on accident. For over watering, move the plant to a sunny window to dry up the water in order to help the plant recover. Make sure you have enough drainage in your pot, as that can retain unwanted water and cause the plant to be too saturated.
For under watered plants, place the plant out of direct sunlight. Too much sunlight can cause the plant to dry out even more, and ultimately die. Make sure to check the proper amount of sunlight your plant needs to thrive. To revive the dried out plant, place it into a sink full of water and do not remove until the soil looks fully saturated and fluffy. Remember to place it back into the sunlight for the appropriate amount of time for your plant.
4. Not Enough or Too Much Light
Having too much or too little light is a common problem. The best way to fix this is to do your research: figure out the appropriate amount of light (and how long the plant needs to be in that light) to ensure that water retention is where it needs to be.
5. Pull plants away from windows in winter.
In order to keep the temperature of the plants consistent, ensure that the leaves do not touch the window, or that they are too close to drafty windows. In order for the plants to get proper sunlight near windows, ensure that the windows are properly insulated. Check often to see if the plant needs to be watered, as the temperature changes can vary the amount of water needed.
Healthy houseplants in Dayton Ohio
Stop by Stockslagers Greenhouse and Garden Center in New Lebanon, near Dayton Ohio, to browse our beautiful selection of houseplants! From ZZ plants, to succulents, cacti, palms, and more.
Still have a persistent houseplant problem you can’t quite seem to solve? Stop by Stockslagers and talk to one of our gardening experts who can help you out.
