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Tips to Keep Your Houseplants
Healthy
Courtesy of The American
Phytopathological Society
While houseplants don't get the flu as we know it, the winter months can
make them more susceptible to a variety of diseases. To keep indoor
plants healthy, the following are some tips offered by plant doctors
from The American Phytopathological Society.
Although plants have been grown in homes for thousands of years, it
hasn't been without a few problems, states A. R. Chase, professor
emeritus, Mid-Florida Research and Education Center, University of
Florida. "Plants didn't evolve in our homes which means they don't
naturally adapt to the environmental conditions that occur there,
especially during the winter heating season," she said.
But, Chase states, there are a few simple things that you can do to keep
your houseplants healthy during the winter months.
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Inspect a plant before you buy it. Don't buy plants with leaves that
are dried and brittle, have spots, or are yellowing or wilting. Look
carefully for mites, mealy bugs, scales, and aphids, which can resemble
plant parts. These pests often hide underneath leaves or on the leaf
stems and may move when disturbed.
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Put a new plant in a separate room away from other plants for a while.
This helps to prevent infecting your other plants with anything brought
in on your new plant. If the plant still looks healthy after three or
four weeks in its new home, you can move it.
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Be sure your plant pot has good drainage. Excess water drowns roots and
encourages root rot.
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Make sure your plant gets what it needs. Not all houseplants are alike
and many vary considerably with regard to moisture, temperature, and
fertilization needs.
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Clean the foliage. Dust and dirt can interfere with a plant's natural
processes. Every few weeks, clean your plants by wiping the leaves with
a damp cloth or by putting them in the shower or sink and rinsing with
lukewarm water.
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Avoid temperature extremes. Placing plants near large windows,
radiators, or furnace vents often creates more extreme temperatures than
people realize and plants can tolerate.
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Be careful about moving plants. For example, do not place a plant in a
sunny south window if it has been grown in a less bright location,
otherwise a white to brown burning of the leaves may occur.
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Don't mist your plants; it promotes disease. Use a humidifier or place
pots on a bed of wet gravel if more humidity is needed.
Source:
ST. PAUL, Minn., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ --The American Phytopathological
Society The American Phytopathological Society (APS) is a non-profit,
professional scientific organization dedicated to the study and control
of plant diseases, with 5,000 members worldwide.
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