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PLANT CARE AND TIPS
Healthy living plants make an attractive
and welcoming setting for home or business.
The wide variety of foliage house plants
now makes possible the choice for every
situation. Foliage plants enhance all types
of decor, by accenting the attractive colors
and textures in your home or by breaking
up the cool and clinical lines of so many offices.
RELAX WITH FOLIAGE PLANTS
Foliage house plants are easy to grow and
care for. Their light and temperature needs
cover a range of conditions. When you can
choose plants most suited to the location
each one will have a permanent home;
this makes care very simple. Once a plant
has made the adjustment to your room, to
the light, temperature and humidity, it can
be watered and fed as routinely as
dusting and cleaning; in other words,
whenever necessary.
HELP THE PLANT TO ADJUST
The move from greenhouse or florist's
shop into your home usually means you
plant is now in a dryer atmosphere. In
greenhouses the relative humidity (RH) is
70-90%, while most homes have an average RH
of 35-50% for much of the year. This
change means that water will be lost
rapidly from the plants leaves, and initially
it may not have enough roots to replace the
water that fast. For the first week or two your
plant probably needs water frequently;
if possible, spray the foliage everyday
(excluding african violet and cactus plants)
and keep it out of direct sunlight even if your
new plant is a sunlover. A cool position
(55-60 degrees F, 13-16 degrees C) will
also help your new plant adjust.
sometimes one or two lower mature leaves
turn yellow and drop off; this is normal and
healthy while the plant adjusts. But if leaves
continue to fall, your plant may either be
waterlogged or not getting enough light.
WHERE WILL MY PLANT GROW?
Foliage plants can be grouped according to their
light requirement. One fairly reliable rule
of thumb is based on leaf color: The
darker green the leaf, the darker the
location the plant will tolerate. Veriegated plants
generally display their best leaf coloration in
postions receiving direct sun.
