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Watering Lucky Bamboo

August 17, 2009 by 1 Comment

Ask The Expert: lucky bamboo i just bought isin a “pot” (more like a glass) about 5-6″ high.  It has rocks init. You can\’t see through the container, so how do I know how much water to keep in the plant. do i just keep it so i can feel it at the top of the rocks ?

Plant Expert Reply:

You will want to keep the water level at least an inch or so above the rocks.  It is acceptable to fill your container half full of water.  You will want to keep this level all of the time. Depending on the hum idity of your room, you may have to add water every couple of days.

Keep in mind, lucky bamboo likes water but doesn’t like the chemicals – chlorine and fluoride.  So you will need to use distilled water or you will need to leave your water in an open container, for a minimu of overnight and up to 24hrs, before you place it in your lucky bamboo container.

To help with humidity, you can mist the air around your lucky bamboo every so often.

Good Luck and Keep me posted.

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Peace Lily Light Requirements

August 13, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Ask the Expert: peace lily
Does my peace lily need to have any sunlight? Right now I do not have it near a window at all.  Anne

Plant Expert Reply:

Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum) prefers bright filtered natural light. However, the peace lily is tolerant of low light levels making it an excellent houseplant. It can be used outdoors in warm humid areas with filtered light or partial shade. Exposure to direct light may cause yellowing leaves with a burnt appearance.

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Peace Lily With Signs Of Root Rot

August 6, 2009 by

Ask the Expert: Will my peace lily come back to life?

Peace lily

Peace lily

Ok so i went on vacation about a month ago and i was gone for 2 weeks. Well my air conditioning went out in my house and my peace lily was dead when i got home. All of the leaves were dried up and black. So i cut them all off and watered the plant and left the plant alone for a month now. It looked like new growth was trying to come through and then they turn black on the tips! So now after reading about root rot i decited to take the plant out of its plastic pot that has holes on the bottom and clean the pot out. At the moment i dont have a different pot to put it in so this one will have to do for now. The roots are blackish brown color i dont know if i did the right thing but i just kinda picked at the roots to see if i could see some better looking roots and there was a few but i had just got done watering the plant and it was soaking wet. I think it was over watered now that i have read the proper way to water. So i filled the bottom of the pot with new soil and put the plant in the pot and filled around the sides. I pulled all the dead dried looking stalkes so that all that was left was green. This is what it looks like now. Do u think it will come back? Can root rot be treated in any way? Amanda

Plant Expert Reply:

I see some potential for recovery. The fact that you have a few areas of green left means the plant is still viable. However, it does sound as if you have a root rot problem.  Black, mushy roots or a pungent odor from the roots all indications of root rot. Foliage that is declining is also a sign of root rot.

Your plant can recover but you will need to take care of a few things first. Remove as many of the damaged roots as possible.  Do this by removing the plant from the pot and cut away the damaged roots.  If your plastic pot doesn’t have drain holes, make a few in the bottom of the pot before you place the plant back in it.  At this point we only want moist but not soggy soil.  In a few weeks the plant should start to show signs of new growth.

Good luck and keep me posted.

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Polka Dot Plant Is A Nice Gift

August 3, 2009 by

Ask the Expert: Hi. I live in Florida and one of would you please answer my question?
Hi. I live in Florida and one of my students gave me this pretty plant with green leaves and pink spots. I would like to know how to take good care of it. Thank you so much. Isabel

Plant Care Expert:

Hypoetes phyllostachya

Hypoetes phyllostachya

I believe your plant is a Polka Dot Plant (Hypoetes phyllostachys). Does your plant look similar to the picture shown?

If so the plant is relatively easy to take care of, just follow a few easy care instructions and your plant should thrive.

First keep the plant moist.  Make sure it is in a container that can drain off excess water. Mist around the plant every other day or keep in a humid environment.

Second,  give it plenty of light but no direct sun.  In thie summer time you can set it outside under shade. This plant likes warm temperatures and during the growing season it likes to be fed every two weeks.  During the winter feed it once a month.

To keep the plant shapely, trim leggy growth.

Although hypoetes is used as a garden plant, it makes a wonderful houseplant.

Good lucky with your plant and keep me posted.

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Peace Lily In Shock: What To Do

July 31, 2009 by 13 Comments

Ask the Expert: Have I damaged my Peace Lily after transplanting?
I purchased 2-3 small Peace lilies about 7 years ago for my boss. She is not a plant person, so it became my responsibility to keep it alive. It has been transplanted once from the pot it was originally in to a slightly larger pot and it has thrived increasing to 5 plants.

Lately it has been droopy and in need of water every other day. It has remained in the office in a relatively climate controlled environment until yesterday. I am in Florida and unfortunately my vehicles air conditioning went out. By the time I drove the 2 miles to home, the plant was all wilted and dying looking. I placed it in the shade as my houses a/c was not on and the inside temperature was almost as uncomfortable as my trucks.

I kept in in the shade and the ambient temp dropped due to an approaching storm. It was in the low 80’s to upper 70’s. I gently removed the plant from the pot and soaked it in water to try to loosen the dirt around the roots. My intention was to put it in 2 pots. I was afraid to cut or try to finger separating wasn’t working on the roots.

Carefully I put soil in the new pot and added a little water. I kept this up in layers and added the ‘mother’ plant in to the center. I added potting soil around it and added water to moisten it. I left is under my oak tree overnight in the shade and it appeared to be slightly recovering until the drive to work this morning. One of the plants in the mother plant has dark wilted green leaves and is majorly droopy. The rest of the plant is a little ‘depressed looking’ with slightly wilted leaves.

I have one of those watering globes and added it in once the plant was placed back in it’s home in the office.

Will my plant recover or have I done permanent damage to it? It really doesn’t appear to be loving life right now. Thoughts/help is greatly appreciated. Cheryl

Plant Expert Reply:

The short answer is to give the plant time, and it will be fine.

The long answer is:

When a peace lily or any other plant is in stress don’t add any more stress to it.  After [Read more…]

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Azalea Issues Leading to Browning

July 23, 2009 by

Ask the Expert: how to revive an azalea
my grandpa has three azalea bushes on the front of his house. they are kinda small. but one of the end ones isn’t doing too great. half of it basically looks dead and the other half isn’t spectacular but it looks a good bit better than the other half. the leaves and stems are turning brown as if they’re drying out but they have had plenty of water due to rainfall. he has treated it with some sort of triple threat funguside called fertiloan that is supposed fight fungus and mites but it still does not look good. any suggestions on what type of treatment it might need? Tim

Plant Expert Reply:
First, you might as well prune out the brown branches that are dead. This will do 2 things: 1) removes any disease tissue that might have twig blight, 2) should stimulate the plant to produce new growth. Don’t burn the branches instead place them in a garbage bag for pick up.

Second, make sure the azaleas are not getting too much water. Over-watering can present the same signs as under-watering and Azalea do not like wet feet. They are very susceptible to root rot. If your Azalea are newly planted, check the planting depth. The original top of the rootball should be slightly higher than ground level.

Planting An Azalea

Planting An Azalea

This drawing is my attempt at demonstrating the correct root-ball placement when planting an azalea. You want the root-ball positioned so that the top is slightly higher than ground level. You will take the soil you dug out of the hole and used it to close the gap but you won’t need to place it on top of the root-ball. You can cover the top of the ground and root-ball top with mulch. If the Azaleas are planted too deep, they will not properly drain and the plant could have problems just like the ones you are describing.

If water isn’t the issue, give the triple action time to work. It won’t correct the damage already done, but it will keep it from progressing. Spider mites and fungus can also cause Azaleas to turn brown. Triple Action has the right mixture to take care of both problems.

If you haven’t fertilized the azaleas, give them a dose of fertilizer specifically blended for azaleas. Your local garden center should have one. At our garden center we carry a Fertilome Azalea fertilizer and a Hi-yield Fertilizer that work well. Azaleas need a slow-release fertilizer once a month April thru August.

Good luck and keep me posted.

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Transplanting A Healthly Anthurium

July 23, 2009 by

Ask the Expert: Transplanting a healthy anthurium
I was given what appears to be a healthy anthurium plant. It has 6 healthy leaves and is growing another. However, the literature I have read implies that the best growing medium should be more course than the medium in which it is presently growing. The medium appears to be very fine, almost a fine muck. Would it be wise to remove the medium and repot it into a more aereated medium with larger bark particles and less fine peat moss? Thank you for any assistance in this matter. NicNat

Plant Expert Reply:
I’m a live and let live kind of person. If someone or something is happy and healthy with its living conditions, I usually leave it alone. If you decide to transplant plant the Anthurium, you will want to use a humus-rich soil. So what constitutes a humus-rich soil? Soil that has a strong base of organic material (partially decayed plants and animals) and particles that allow for good drainage (course sand, perlite, vermiculite etc) makes for a suitable humus-rich soil. This soil does not have to be extremely course in texture. Your “fine muck”, as long as it drains well, could be a humus-rich soil and the reason the plant is thriving.

When transplanting the Anthurium don’t try to remove the existing soil from the roots. Simply shaking any loose soil from the plants and place in the new pot with humus-rich soil. Be sure to keep the plant level the same as it was in the old pot.

Good luck with your Anthurium and keep me posted.

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Peace Lilies & Watering Gadgets

July 20, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Ask the Expert: Peace Lily pot
I recently bought a mature Peace Lily and repotted it into a “self-watering” pot, which is filled from the bottom & you can see how much water is in there.  I’m wondering if this type of pot is okay for Peace Lilies, or is it better to water them from the top?  Also, should the reservoir be kept full, or allowed to dry up?  Is it possible to over-water with this type of pot?  What about those “Aqua Bulb” things shown on TV lately (you fill the bulb with water, stick it in the soil, and supposedly they release the right amount of water to the plant based on how much oxygen the soil releases)– do they work, and do you recommend them? Dawn

Plant Expert Reply:

I’m an old-fashioned kind of plant watering gal.  For me the best peace lily method is the tried and true watering from the top.  See peace lilies want a evenly moist soil that does not dry out but doesn’t leave them soggy either.

I haven’t had any experience with self watering pots.  So they could be the next best thing to sliced white bread.  However for most plants if the roots stay soggy, the plant could develop root rot.  Depending on the design of the self-watering container this could or could not be a problem.  If I was going to use a self-watering pot, I would make sure that the soil was moist from the top to the bottom to begin with and then monitor the soil moist for a couple weeks to see how effect these containers are.

I am familiar with the “Aqua Bulb” principle.  We sell a decorative blown glass watering bulb at our garden center.  I find these mostly useful as a vacation watering method.  They slowly drip water as the soil becomes dry, so I don’t worry about over watering. On the other hand with these you could be under watering the plant.  Again if you use them make sure the soil is moist from top to bottom before you use these as your watering devise. You will still need to monitor your peace lily occasionally to make sure the soil is properly hydrated.

The key to any of these methods is monitor your soil moisture and adjusting accordingly.

Good luck and keep me posted.

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Removing Spent Peace Lily Bloom

July 17, 2009 by

Ask the Expert: I recently acquired a peace lily from my brother’s funeral. I would like to know how to prone the plant once a flower blossom dies. I want to keep the plant looking nice. Your care instructions doesn’t say where to cut the flower off at. Or do I just leave it alone and let the stem die too and then pull stem and all out at once. Thank you.    Grace

Plant Expert Reply:

You can leave the stalk and let it die-back on its own, but that makes the plant unsightly.  Follow the stalk to the base of the plant and snip it off.  Removing the spent flowers will keep the plant attractive.  To keep the plant healthy remove the florists wrapping and make sure it is a pot that will allow the plant to drain.  Then keep the plant moist but not soggy.

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Blooming Azalea As A Houseplant

July 13, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Ask the Expert: Azalea (indoor plant)
Is there any way I can keep it indoors so that it will bloom again next year.  ? Terry

Plant Expert Reply:

Normally the best place for an Azalea is outside in a shrub bed.  However, potted azaleas that come from a florist have been breed and forced to bloom for indoor conditions.  If you are going to use this type of azalea as a houseplant, keep the azalea in a room with a good light source.  Keep it moist during the summer months and fertilize once a week with a water-soluble fertilizer.  In the fall begin to hold back water slightly and keep it in a cool spot in the house.  When you see the bloom buds start to open move to a warmer location.  Keep in mind these plants do not really tolerate warm temperatures for any length of time.  You may need to move the plants occasionally to keep the temperature to the plants liking.

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