How to care for foliage plants? These care tips you need to master
Foliage plants are green plants that many flower enthusiasts love very much, and quite a few enthusiasts even make a special trip to the flower and bird market to buy them and take them home to grow. Although foliage plants are relatively easy plants to keep alive, many enthusiasts still end up killing their foliage plants. The editor will now introduce you to four major care tips for foliage plants.
Spider plant (details)
1. Control light and water
When new leaves are sprouting, control light and water to slow the growth rate of new leaves as much as possible, so that the stems sprout more leaves. The more tightly the new leaves are arranged, the more their growth will curve downward, which helps produce naturally graceful mature leaves.
2. Remove old leaves
Remove the old leaves to encourage the terminal buds to sprout new leaves earlier, and once the new leaves have taken shape, pick off the poorly formed leaves so they are not wasted the same way.
3. Water in moderation
Water in moderation to prevent waterlogging in the pot, otherwise new branches will grow excessively while old leaves wither, causing an obvious imbalance in the number and appearance of new and old leaves. Therefore, the amount of water should be controlled. For foliage plants with strong drought tolerance, wait until the top 2-3 cm of the potting soil has dried before replenishing water in moderation. Water at 10 a.m., and after the new leaves have taken shape, resume normal care.
4. Rotate the pot regularly
Leaves have positive phototropism and light-seeking behavior, and new leaves in particular tend to lean toward the sunlight as they grow, resulting in old leaves being tall at the back and low at the front, and uneven in size. To make the branches and leaves grow evenly and have a graceful posture, the pot must be rotated frequently to change direction. For example, when the leaf slant is relatively large, the north side of the pot should be turned to the south side, with a rotation frequency of 10-15 days.
Winter care tips for potted foliage plants
Winter care tips for potted foliage plantsFoliage plants mostly originate from tropical and subtropical regions, and their growing temperature needs to be maintained at around 25°C. In regions with obvious four-season changes, the arrival of cold winter can cause plants to freeze to death or wither indoors and outdoors due to low temperatures. To help them get through the cold season and maintain their foliage effect the following year, the following issues must be noted:
I. Temperature
Before foliage plants are moved indoors, they should first be exposed outdoors to the low temperatures of early winter, so as to enhance their cold resistance and gradually adapt to the low-temperature environment. When winter arrives, the day-night temperature difference in the room should be as small as possible. The lowest indoor temperature at dawn must not be lower than 5-8°C, and during the day it should reach around 20°C. In addition, temperature differences can also occur within the same room, so plants with weak cold resistance can be placed in high positions. Foliage plants placed on windowsills are easily attacked by cold wind, so thick curtains should be used to block it.
II. Humidity
The leaves of potted foliage plants easily lose water and scorch when indoor air is dry in winter, so water must be sprayed on their leaves 1-2 times a day, trying to create a relatively humid micro-environment. If conditions permit, it is best to frequently sprinkle water around the potted flowers to increase the air humidity in a small area. If there is heating indoors, the air will be especially dry, causing the leaves to scorch yellow. At this time, a full-cover method with plastic bags should be used as soon as possible to seal off and protect the already scorched foliage plants. Of course, water should also be sprayed on the leaves frequently to ensure a certain level of humidity inside the bag.
III. Light
Winter temperatures are relatively low, and the angle of sunlight that can shine indoors is small and the duration is short. Letting foliage plants bask in more sun will not only not harm their leaves, but instead helps improve their cold resistance, which is very beneficial for overwintering. In winter, sunlight shines at a slant, so some sun-loving foliage plants and flowering shrubs should be placed near a south-facing window. Foliage plants that have been placed indoors and in shaded areas for too long must never be suddenly placed under direct outdoor sunlight, otherwise the leaves are prone to sunburn.
IV. Water and fertilizer
Because foliage plants have many and large leaves, water evaporates relatively quickly from their bodies, but due to low winter temperatures, growth basically stops and their root absorption capacity is weak, so their water requirement is greatly reduced. At this time, the frequency of watering the potting soil should be reduced. The standard for winter watering is that after the surface of the potting soil dries, it is advisable to water 3-4 days later. However, in rooms with heating and where a certain temperature can be maintained, watering should still be monitored at all times. Watering must never be excessive, to prevent root rot. Many foliage plants and flowering shrubs should stop being fertilized in winter, to prevent the fertilizer from causing dormant plants to sprout when temperatures temporarily rise, and then when temperatures fall again they cannot age normally, causing them to fail to enter normal dormancy and reducing their cold resistance.
Practical purchasing tips for foliage plants
Many novice flower growers encounter many problems when buying flowers at flower shops or markets, such as being unfamiliar with the standards for selecting plants and easily choosing cases with poor varieties or plants in bad condition. Today we will introduce the purchasing tips for potted foliage plants, so you can select good potted plants.
1. Choose flowers according to the season
Most foliage plants originate from tropical regions, so they all like warm and humid environments. From spring to autumn is the season of their most vigorous growth. In places with lower temperatures, avoid buying tropical plants in winter; even with heating at home, they are very difficult to grow well. In winter, do not buy bare-root lucky bamboo to root in water either; the difficulty of cultivating roots is much higher than in other seasons.
2. Variegated varieties
If you are choosing some variegated foliage plants, then you must choose plants with distinct leaf variegation, so that after buying them home and caring for them, the markings are less likely to fade, and they will also have higher ornamental value when cared for.
3. Selecting large-leaf green plants
Usually, when purchasing large-leaf foliage plants, more attention should be paid to whether there are markings on the leaf surface and leaf back, and whether there are small spots or yellow patches. The leaves at the bottom should be relatively thick and fleshy, ensuring the leaves are undamaged. It is even better if small tender buds or small leaves are growing from the upper part of the stems.
4. Selecting ferns
For ferns, you must choose lush plants, with no obvious dead branches or withered leaves on the branches and leaves, relatively simple lower stems, clear leaf veins, and glossy leaves. Of course, also check whether there are tender buds at the top.
5. Check whether the plant has pests or diseases
The key point in selecting foliage plants is to check whether there are pests and diseases, such as whether there are disease spots on the leaf surface. It is best to carefully check and clear the leaf backs and leaf axils as well, so as to understand their symptoms to the greatest extent.
6. Selecting large potted plants
For foliage plants, you must choose ones with dense leaves and a round, full plant shape. While the leaves are dense, it must also be ensured that the leaves grow closely together; the leaves do not necessarily have to be large. In addition, pay attention to the gloss of the leaf surface. Choosing a plant with bright, deep green leaf color means it is the most robust, and after buying it home you can keep nutrients sufficient.