How to Choose and Care for Houseplants

Another gardening season is over, but we can rely on a wide variety of beautiful houseplants to keep
us going over the long winter. Here are a few tips on selecting houseplants and typical problems and
treatments.
How do I choose the right plants? There are many nurseries and stores
that have indoor houseplants for you to explore for different foliage, color
and size. Your local library is an excellent source for researching the different
plants for your home.
Ask a Master Gardener for assistance! In Grey & Bruce counties email
greycountymg@gmail.com. For other communities in Ontario, click on this
link to find a Master Gardener mgoi.ca/groups.html.
When purchasing a new houseplant, remember that your first task is to select
plants that can best withstand the particular conditions inside your home. It's
easier to purchase a plant requiring the same environmental conditions your
residence has to offer than to alter the environment of your home or office to
suit the plants. Pay particular attention to the plants light requirement. To be assured that the plant you buy is
healthy, check the undersides of the foliage and the axils of leaves for signs of insects or disease. Select plants
which appear to be free of insects and diseases, show healthy foliage. Avoid those having yellow leaves, brown
leaf margins, wilted foliage, spots or blotches or spindly growth.
Light, water, temperature, humidity, ventilation, fertilization, and soil are the chief factors affecting plant
growth. Too much or too little of any one of these factors will prevent a plant from growing properly indoors.
Light is probably the most critical factor for house plant growth. Houseplants can be classified according to
their light intensity requirements. For example high
(meaning direct light), medium (Indirect light) or low (a
few feet back from the light).
"How often should I water my plants?" The plant itself
will tell you. When it's too dry, a plant wilts and turns
gray-green; when too wet, it drops leaves or turns
yellow. Avoid both of these extremes. Plants should not
be watered on a schedule, but watered when they need
it. Factors influencing plant watering include differences in potting media, humidity, temperature, and pot
type. To test a plant for watering, you must feel the soil at the root zone. Because a plant's roots are usually in
the bottom two-thirds of the pot, it doesn't need water until the bottom two-thirds dries out slightly. (If your
finger can't penetrate 5 cm deep, you may need a more porous soil mix or the plant may have become root
bound) Another quick test is to lift the plant to check its weight change, caused by changes in soil moisture.
Water should be at room temperature. Rainwater, distilled water and most tap water is suitable for plants.

Avoid water that is either very hard or very soft and never use chlorinated or chemically softened water. Some
plants require different water practices to assure good health.
How often should I fertilize my plants? The goal in growing indoor plants is maintenance. Large amounts of
fertilizer are therefore unnecessary for most indoor plants. Commercial fertilizers used for indoor plants are
sold in granular, crystalline, liquid, stick and tablet forms. Most common
fertilizers are water-soluble. During the winter months, houseplants don't need
fertilizer because reduced light and temperature result in reduced growth.
Fertilizing at this time could harm some plants. Monthly applications of a dilute
liquid fertilizer in the summer months will keep most plants healthy. Excessive
fertilizer results in the buildup of salts and excessive, leggy growth.
Can plants adapt to indoor temperature changes? Excessively low or high
temperatures may stop growth, cause a spindly appearance, foliage damage, leaf
drop or plant failure. However, most houseplants tolerate normal temperature
fluctuations. In general, foliage houseplants grow best between 20C and 27C during the day and from 15 to
20C at night. Most flowering houseplants prefer the same daytime range but grow best at nighttime
temperatures of 13 to 16C. A good rule of thumb is to keep the night temperature 5 to 10C lower than the
day temperature. Indoor plants, especially flowering varieties, are sensitive to drafts or heat from registers.
Protect them from sudden, brief changes in temperature. Do not locate your houseplants near heat sources.
Temperatures on windowsills in the winter can drop to dangerously cold levels. Curtains or blinds can cut off
the heat from the room and plants on the sill could freeze.

So give a houseplant a try over the winter. You may really enjoy the experience!

Scroll to next page for a few common houseplant pests

and how to deal with them.

Controlling Common Houseplant Pests

Non chemical controls are often adequate to deal with moderate infestations of insects. While houseplants are
not included in the Ontario pesticide ban, we have opted to show only organic control methods. Should you
choose to use chemical pesticides we suggest that they be limited to highly valued specimens; also, read the
labels carefully to ensure the product applies specifically to the pest and follow the directions provided.
Washing and/or pruning can be effective methods of dealing with all the pests noted below.
Washing: Using a soft cloth dipped in a mild detergent solution (1/2 tsp per litre of lukewarm water), wipe
insects off plants with smooth leaves. You can also dislodge pests with a forceful spray of lukewarm water.
Pruning: Cut off the branches where the infestation is worst. This will make it easier to control pests on the rest
of the plant and, if the infestation is isolated, pruning may be all that is required.
PEST

SIGNS OF PROBLEM

TREATMENT

Red Spider Mite

Found on the underside of leaves

Tiny spots turn red in cool temperature
Loss of green in leaf
Yellow mottled look
Leaves curl and turn brown
Webbing at axil of leaves

Mist leaves, especially on the

underside

Mealy Bug

Little, white cotton-wool blob at leaf

joint under leaves near veins
Some invade root ball: adults look like
flattened wood louse with powdery
coating

Dab with cotton dipped in

methylated spirits

Tiny, dark brown blisters or warts on

stems and underside of leaves (eggs)
Tiny, flat, pale yellow adult attaches to
surface and sucks plant fluid leaving
sticky honeydew residue which will
become mouldy

Scrape off scales with fingernail

file or pen knife.

Clouds of tiny flying insects thrive in

warm, dry conditions
Eggs & larvae found on underside of
leaves
Larvae are tiny, white, oval scales which
excrete honeydew and encourage
mould
Severe masses cause plant to lose vigour

Sticky traps are flat cards with

glue on the surface that capture
insects that land on them. Traps
will reduce the number of pests
but are unlikely to eliminate the
problem, and additional
methods may be necessary.

Scale Insect

Whitefly

Do I ever just give up? When a houseplant is heavily infested

and badly damaged, the best course of action is to throw the plant
away. Minimize your losses and avoid exposing other plants to the
same pest problem. If you are reluctant to discard the plant,
prune it practically to the soil. If it resprouts, watch new growth
carefully for signs of infestation.

References:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/houseplant-insect-control/
https://plantsstories.wordpress.com/2009/04/19/updates-pest-control-vitex-trifolia-mulberry-cuttings-red-spider-mites/
https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/mealybugs-houseplants
https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/scale-insects-houseplants

https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/houseplant-pests/whitefly-control/

Prepared by Master Gardeners of Ontario Education Resources and the Grey County Master Gardeners
for use by home gardeners & community groups. For other use, please email greycountymg@gmail.com
January 2017rb&jc