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Indoor plants are sensitive to heat, cold and
humidity so you need to be sensible in this
regard. Don't leave your plant near a cold
draught in winter. If you have a heater on
in the room you may need to provide extra
moisture for your plant. Providing sufficient
moisture is a very important criterion in
growing healthy indoor plants.
If your plants are suffering from yellow leaves
or are losing their leaves then lack of humidity
may be the problem.
The humidity needs to be between 50 and 70
percent for most indoor plants. Plants actually
produce a certain amount of humidity themselves
so grouping them together helps. However
it may be best to set up a tray with pebbles in
the bottom such that water can be poured into
the tray and the pot plants can sit on top of
the pebbles. Spraying your plant with water each
day is helpful too. If your plants have
fuzzy soft leaves then spraying with water
should be omitted.
Water the pot when the top 2 cms (one inch) of
the soil feels dry. Add water until it just
starts to run out through the drainage holes
into the saucer. Don't over-water or let
the plant sit in water or it will rot.
When watering indoor plants use water that is at
room temperature - not cold-tap temperature. Run
your water into a bucket and let it reach room
temperature before using it.
The leaves on your house plants will need to be
refreshed so wipe them with cotton balls soaked
in water or milk. You can keep the leaves shiny
by using caster or mineral oil on them.
Wipe over the leaves with a soaked cotton ball.
Once a year gently tip your pot plant out so
that you can inspect the root system. If
the roots are very crowded you need tore pot the
plant in a bigger pot. Some roots can be
carefully trimmed back in this exercise.
If your indoor plants are suffering from brown
tips on their leaves the cause may just be the
water you are using. Our tap water generally
contains fluoride and chorine. Try leaving
out a bucket of water the night before you
intend watering. Letting the water stand
for a few hours enables the chlorine to
dissipate. This may help the brown tip problem.
The other reasons may be too much water, too
little water or too much fertilizer.
Helpful web
sites:
Detailed indoor plant information
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