Tropical Plant Care LHAP 303

Slide 1 Tropical Plant Care Google Slides Presentation By: Crystal Price Slide 2 Today’s Discussion Why maintenance of indoor plants is so important esthetically and for plant health Recommendations on how this can be done How to clean different types of tropical plants How to pinch and prune tropicals How to transplant tropicals Staking methods Fertilizing basics Slide 3 Cleaning Interior Plants Cosmetics in the interior landscape includes a range of practices to keep plants looking good: This includes: Cleaning Staking Trimming Pruning Transplanting Slide 4 Slide 5 Slide 6 Cleaning Remove yellow or browning leaves from the plant and the pot itself Identify the reason for yellowing of defoliation Decaying leaves harbor insects and initiate disease Regular dusting of leaves Dust accumulates on the leaf surface reducing photosynthesis Stomates get clogged with grease and dust Dirty plants don’t do much aesthetically or for air quality Slide 7 How to Clean Different Tropical Plants Use a soft dry cloth on a regular basis If there is a lot of dust build up use a damp cloth and small amount of a mild dish soap Start at the top and work your way down the plant Dust will float down to the uncleaned leaves A vacuum with a soft bristle brush will work as well Feather dusters work great for the light occasional dustings If cleaning an infested plant do not use on other healthy plants Slide 8 Slide 9 Dusting does not work well with hairy plants African Violets for example (do not like wet leaves) Use a soft bristled toothbrush or paintbrush Dust needs to be brushed from between the hairs Plants with many leaves can be treated with regular showers (lukewarm water) One problem with this is spotting left on the leaves from hard water Gently shake the excess water from the leaves or turn a fan on to help dry out the leaves quickly Slide 10 Lime or lemon juice mixed with distilled water. Will remove hard water deposits Slide 11 Plant shines are not recommended for general cleaning! They only mask the dirt & build up on the leaf surface over time Reduce leaf functioning There are cleaners made for tropicals that need serious cleaning Remove grease & hard water marks Leaf Shine Products Slide 12 Slide 13 Pinching For small, succulent plants, pinching is the post common method of shaping Pinching is the removal of tender growth of plant stems using your thumb & forefinger The idea is too interfere with apical dominance Encourage additional buds to increase the number of stems, leaves and flowers the plant will bear Encourages a bushier plant & reduces height & size Slide 14 Slide 15 Trimming Leaves Trimming is an art You want the plant to look as natural as possible Use a sharp knife or very sharp scissors Dull edges will cause tissue damage resulting in brown edges Trimming is most often done with fine delicate leaves such as Dracena With broad leaved plants Better to remove the the entire leaf Trailing plants Cut back to the stem of the next good leaf Slide 16 Pruning Aesthetics Preserve the natural shape Keep the plant size within the overall boundaries of the design Health Allow light to penetrate all sides of the plant Clean out the canopy Good for situations where the plant cannot be rotated Open up the canopy to allow light to understory plantings More for low light situations Slide 17 What to remove Size up the plant before making cuts, what is your purpose of pruning this plant? Diseased wood (sterilize with 10% bleach to prevent spread of disease) Dead wood or leaves Stubs from previous poor pruning Crossing rubbing branches Top heavy branches Weak suckering growth Wood heavily infested with insects Beyond this pruning may be done too: Remove the tips to reduce height Cut leader to encourage branching To encourage better flowering Bougainvillea or Hibiscus Slide 18 When to prune Prune at the end of a dormant period But before the plant puts on new growth Exceptions are dead, infested or damaged leaves Slide 19 Slide 20 Best Trees For Bonsai Slide 21 Bonsai Mater Aaron Hughes Slide 22 Transplanting Most tropical plants prefer to be root bound Extremely root bound may be susceptible to underwatering Transplant for obvious reasons Drying out between maintenance visits Before transplanting take it out of the pot & look for a good root mass Over potting can result in overwatering Other reasons for transplanting could be: Plants that are top heavy (looks out of center with pot) Visible roots through drainage holes Soil appears packed, OM is worn out Slide 23 When to transplant: Just before a period of active growth Root system must be able to produce new growth after transplanting Preparation: Water ahead of time (media is evenly moist & allows for easy division) Tap the sides of the pot to loosen the root ball Hold the plant as you take the soil out from the pot Some plants are very delicate and this must be done carefully to avoid breaking the stem or leaves Examine the root ball for mushy roots from overwatering & circling roots Root pruning can be done to stimulate new growth Slide 24 How to transplant: Plant at original depth Plant in a container that will allow ½ to 1” new soil around the perimeter Rule of thumb is to increase the pot by 1 - 2” max Exceeding this may add more bulk weight and overwatering damage Use a potting media matched to the type of plant Moisten the soil to help reduce transplant shock Slide 25 Slide 26 Slide 27 Place an inch or so of media into the pot and firm gently Place the plant in the center of the pot so the original soil sits 1” below the soil rim Add soil around the root ball in stages, compressing gently after each layer Put little or no soil on top of the old plant A newly repotted plant needs time to re-establish its root system Reduce normal lighting, watering & fertilizing until active growth is present Slide 28 Slide 29 Staking Always place stake in the soil on the opposite side of the leaning stalk 2-3” into the soil Arrange leaves & branches naturally around the stake before tying Use twist ties in 2 - 3 places to tie the plant to the stake Remove stakes when no longer needed or effective WE want to minimize the number of stakes used. Make sure it is the same height or shorter. Slide 30 Slide 31 Slide 32 Fertilization How much fertilizing is based on where the plant is located in terms of how much light it is receiving and it’s health! Some indoor plants will need to be fertilized less often due to low light levels Species dependent When different nutrient requirements are grouped together within a single planting Gear your fertility program towards the lowest N demands Supplemental fertilizers can be applied separately to more N demanding plants Look for symptoms in the plant that may indicate the need for fertilizing The time of year will help you decide how often and how much fertilizer to use Slide 33 Rules for fertilizing indoors Fertilize only on a need basis, not a schedule Freshly potted or purchased plants do not need fertilizer right away Likely some fertilizer in the media Only feed when it is actively growing Do not feed plants infested with insects, disease or in overall poor health Fertilize less or not at all in the winter months Slide 34 Types of fertilizers Water Soluble (granular or liquid) Slow release Osmocote 2-3 months or 14- 16 months release time based on average media temperature Nearly 50 formulas to choose from Nutricote is another option similar to Osmocote Foliar fertilizer sprays Product Examples Organic vs. Synthetic Slide 35 MARPYHL Organic Liquid Marine Phytoplankton Soil Enhancer Espoma Co. Organic Bio-Tone Starter Plus All Natural Plant Food-4 Lb Bag BTS4 Slide 36 Annelida Soil Solutions Red Wiggler Worm Castings, organic & really provides a complete nutritional recipe all from the excrements of these worms Slide 37 Pure Life Soils Another great organic and highly recommended option for adding to tropicals plant soils a few times per year. Slide 38 Best Fertilizers + Fertilizing Schedules Osmocote Fertilizers Slide 39