Taking care of indoor plants

By Stuart Sutphin
Special to the Register & Bee
Published: July 16, 2008

Several people have called with questions about their indoor plants. Therefore, this article will offer some common suggestions on caring for these plants.

First, get to know your plants. If there are tags with information attached to the plants, take time to read them and do not throw them away. These tags will describe the growth habit of the plants and will usually give at least some basic care instructions. If you are giving an indoor plant to someone, either leave the tag on it or provide written instructions on how to care for it. If someone gives you a plant, try to find out where it came from and ask for instructions.

For most indoor plants, providing the proper level of care is pretty basic. Regular water, occasional fertilizer and the right amount of light are all that is needed. The right amount of each — and how often it is needed — may take some experimentation.

Water is perhaps the easiest to figure out. Check the soil often by sticking a finger in up to the second knuckle. If the soil is moist, the plant can probably go another day or two without water. Of course, it helps to know the plant and what it requires. Cacti and many other succulent plants store water internally and would prefer their roots to be fairly dry most of the time. Peace lilies like the soil around their roots to be kept moist but not wet. Still others like to have plenty of moisture.

In general, too much water is much worse than too little. If the plants are just beginning to look dry, a little water will usually bring them right back to a healthy glow. If there is too much water, the plants can drown. Too much water around the roots for too long can help to get root rot fungi established, which will eventually kill the plant.

Insect problems can also get started in wet potting soil. Very small insects called springtails have shown up in several locations around Danville this summer, and most of these household infestations started with indoor plants that were overwatered. Fungus gnats are always common household pests where the potting soils are kept too moist. These insects do not damage the plants, nor do they bite or cause any other damage, but they will appear in large numbers inside the house, where they can be quite a nuisance. All of these insects feed on fungus found in wet potting soil.

Finding the right light is easy but requires that the plant caregiver pay close attention. Start by putting a new plant in a location that receives an average amount of light. If the stems begin to grow long like they are reaching for something (they are becoming leggy), they are stretching out trying to find a brighter source of light. On the other hand, if the leaves start to look like they have been too close to a fire then they are probably getting too much light and should be moved to a little darker location. Simply keep moving the plants around until they seem to be happy where they are.

Plant food needs are a little more difficult to determine, and this is where knowledge of that particular plant’s needs is important. Regular feeding can usually mean every 2 to 4 weeks during the warm and sunny months, but it should be stopped during the colder months when there is less sunlight. Most house plants go through a resting period at some time during the year, similar to when we need a nap. Feeding at the wrong time may interfere with this resting period and have an impact on the plant’s health.

Most indoor plant foods will have detailed instructions that cover when to feed, how often to feed and how much to use. Following these instructions is usually the safest course to take, especially if the food being used was formulated for a specific type of plant such as a violet or an orchid.

One more tip: Whenever a new plant is brought into the house, it should be quarantined for a couple weeks or longer before being placed with the other plants. This will allow time for insect or disease problems to show up without endangering the rest of the plants.

• Stuart K. Sutphin is a horticulture extension agent with the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Call him at (434) 799-6558.