CHOOSING INDOOR PLANTS

Where To Select Indoor Plants

Plants bought from a nursery or florist are generally healthier and have been properly cared for than many plants purchased from a supermarket or department store. Often, damage results from transportation, storage and growing conditions. Also, it is difficult to tell whether the plant has received adequate light, water and fertilizer after it has been sitting on a supermarket shelf.

Discuss your requirements with the staff at Pasquesi Home & Gardens. They can give valuable information about the selection and care of indoor house plants - advice that is difficult to obtain from super-stores.

Do Your Homework

Before selecting indoor plants, it is important to study the light, space, temperature and humidity conditions provided at home. Is the room brightly lit with natural light? How warm is it during the day? Are plants to be potted in floor containers in a corner, or in hanging baskets?

Plants thrive when conditions resemble their native settings. Some plants can tolerate and adapt to extreme light and temperature variations, requiring minimal care. Others are demanding, requiring systematic care and maintenance. Although indoor conditions can be arranged to replicate the plant's natural habitat, it is much easier and wiser to evaluate the home's existing environment and choose the plants that will grow well in those conditions.

How To Select Indoor Plants

Before choosing an indoor plant, walk through the aisles at Pasquesi Home & Gardens, browse through books and magazines. There is a large variety of plants - all suited to different conditions and requiring different levels of care. Visualize the color, foliage and texture of plants that would best suit your home's setting.

Look closely at the plants on display. Leaves should be full and bushy, free from dust, pests and disease. The gaps between the leaves should be minimal. Large spaces between new leaves often suggest the plant has been overfertilized to induce growth, or has received inadequate light. A plant with signs of disease or pests should be avoided.

Flowering plants should have buds that are beginning to bloom. It is best to buy a plant that is almost in flower rather than one that is fully in bloom. Plants in full bloom may have expended most of their energy and beauty and may wilt once it is home. If in doubt, the plant tag or a staff member will provide information on the plant's ability to rebloom.

Bringing Plants Home

Plants must have a well-drained growing medium, adequate water, light and nourishment in order to survive. The variation of these factors will depend on each individual plant's needs and will dictate the plant's health and longevity.

An indoor plant needs light in order to photosynthesize. The leaves manufacture the plant's food and energy through this process by absorbing light over the thin surface area. Light conditions are discussed in further detail in the information sheet Lighting Requirements For Indoor Plants.

A well-drained, nourishing potting mix and regular fertilizer is essential for root growth and development. Roots anchor the plant and help absorb the water and minerals that feed the plant. It is important that during transportation or repotting, gardeners take care not to damage the root tips or the tiny hairs on young roots - this is where most of the water absorption occurs. Tender root tissues are easily destroyed causing the plant to wilt. Under proper conditions, a plant usually will spring back to its healthy self after a few days, once the root tips have regrown.

Water is an essential ingredient to a successful indoor garden. Water is absorbed through the roots via the potting medium, feeding the stem which physically supports the plant and ensures it stands firm and upright. Water is absorbed through the leaves in the form of vapor, also. Humid conditions, often achieved by a humidifier, are critical to many plants, especially plants from tropical regions.

Be careful not to overwater plants. They will drown! It is important to achieve a balance between not too much and not too little water. Watering advice is discussed in the information sheet Watering Indoor Plants.

Acclimatizing Indoor Plants

Plants can suffer mild cases of shock when introduced to new surroundings. Plants need to adjust to the new light, temperature and humidity conditions when first brought home. During the acclimatization process, the plant's leaves may discolor and its flowers may drop. A plant that has been grown under strong light conditions will need to acclimatize to its new lower-light environment over a period of several weeks.

Gently introduce a plant to its new surroundings by placing it in interim locations for a few days per week for several weeks, slowly extending the periods of new exposure. This also should be done if moving indoor plants outside in the summer.

Ensure plants are kept moist - do not allow the potting mix to dry out between waterings. Excess water must be removed from the container or saucer.

Gardeners should keep plants in their selected sites once they have acclimatized to their new surroundings.

Recommended Reading:

House Plant Encyclopedia
by Maya Anyas and Joan Campbell (Firefly Books)

Taylor's Guide to Houseplants
by Norman Taylor (Houghton Mifflin Publishers)

A New Look at Houseplants
by Brooklyn Botanic Garden Records (Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Inc.)

Also, Pasquesi Home & Gardens is a complete resource for gardening, home and pet supplies. There are hundreds of beautiful accents for the home and out-of-doors, and Pasquesi Home & Gardens has an unrivaled collection of containers for indoors and outdoors in many different styles, materials and shapes. Both stores carry a wide range of quality garden tools and outdoor furniture.