Tropical Plant Care LHAP 303

1. Tropical Plant Care

Google Slides Presentation By: Crystal Price

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

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. Lime or lemon juice mixed with distilled water

Lime or lemon juice mixed with distilled water.

• Will remove hard water deposits

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. Best Trees For Bonsai

15. Bonsai Mater Aaron Hughes

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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.

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. MARPYHL Organic Liquid Marine Phytoplankton Soil Enhancer

Espoma Co. Organic Bio-Tone Starter Plus All Natural Plant Food-4 Lb Bag BTS4

25. Annelida Soil Solutions

Red Wiggler Worm Castings, organic & really provides a complete nutritional recipe all from the excrements of these worms

26. Pure Life Soils

Another great organic and highly recommended option for adding to tropicals plant soils a few times per year.

27. Best Fertilizers + Fertilizing Schedules

• Osmocote Fertilizers