Houseplant Handbook. David Squire
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Название: Houseplant Handbook
Автор: David Squire
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Техническая литература
isbn: 9781620082331
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1 A handy “when to water” guide is that water is needed if the surface of compost in a pot has a light color. Conversely, when the compost is dark, it is probably sufficiently moist.
2 Place the clay pot on a flat surface and, without holding onto the pot, tap it with an empty sewing thread spool spiked on a bamboo cane. If this produces a ringing sound, the plant needs water; if the sound is dull and heavy, water is not required. (This technique does not work on plastic pots.)
3 It is possible to use a finger to test the compost’s surface, but this eventually compacts the compost.
4 Moisture-indicating strips—sometimes known as watering signals—can be inserted and left in the compost to indicate the need for water.
5 Moisture meters (devices for assessing the moisture in compost) are accurate but involve inserting a spiked probe into the compost and getting a reading on a dial. Doing this repeatedly damages roots.
Dry compost is light in color.
Tap to check for dryness.
Gently feel the compost for moisture.
Moisture meters are accurate.
Saving a Plant with Exceptionally Dry Compost
Sometimes, compost becomes exceptionally dry, especially if watering is neglected in the summer or during vacations.
If neglect is only superficial, stand the plant on a well-drained surface and water the compost two or three times. At each watering, the compost expands and makes it better able to retain moisture when more water is applied.
If a plant is dramatically wilting, remove dead flowers and leaves and stand the plant in a bowl shallowly filled with water. When water seeps up to the surface of the compost, remove the plant and allow excess moisture to drain.
Place plants that do not like getting their leaves wet in a bowl of water to absorb water from below.
Rescuing a Plant with Wet Compost
In winter, when houseplants are usually not growing rapidly, plants are sometimes excessively watered, resulting in leaves and flowers wilting. If the compost is not totally saturated, there is a good chance of rescuing it.
With the plant still in its pot, support the compost with one hand and invert the plant and pot. Remove the pot. Use an absorbent cloth or disposable paper towel to soak up excess moisture—repeated wrappings are usually needed. Leave the root ball wrapped in absorbent paper until dry, but not bone-dry. If the root-ball is packed with roots that hold it together, omit the wrapping. When the compost is only slightly moist, repot the root-ball into a clean pot.
Wilting can be the result of excessive watering.
Rescuing and Repotting a Plant with Wet Compost
Remove the pot.
Soak up excess moisture.
Wrap and leave to dry out.
Repot into a clean pot when the compost is only slightly moist.
Type of Water
Most houseplant enthusiasts use tap water, which suits the majority of plants. It is clean and readily available, and it is ideal as long as it is not too cold. However, houseplants such as azaleas dislike lime and grow best in slightly acidic soil. If the tap water is alkaline, boil it and allow it to stand until cool before use. Collecting defrosted iced water from a refrigerator and allowing it to reach room temperature is another option.
Rainwater is ideal, but ensure that it is clean and has not fallen on a dirt-contaminated roof or become stagnant in a barrel.
Stand a plant with dry compost in a bowl of water.
Humidity and Misting
The amount of humidity in the air influences the health and growth of plants. Desert cacti and most other succulents survive in areas with little humidity, but plants native to forests usually need a humid atmosphere.
Signs of Excessive Humidity
1 Leaves and flowers that are tightly packed together sometimes become excessively damp.
2 Flower petals and buds eventually become covered in a furry mold.
3 Soft, hairy leaves become damaged before shiny, all-green ones do.
4 Cacti and other succulents develop patches of decay.
5 Plants with leaves that clasp stems become damaged; water becomes trapped at the junctions of leafstalks and leaves.
Signs of an Excessively Dry Atmosphere
1 Tips of leaves become curled, dry, and shriveled.
2 Flowers fade and become discolored, with flower buds eventually falling off.
3 Tips of shoots wilt and, later, shrivel.
4 Surfaces of leaves become dull.
5 The whole plant wilts if the temperature is high, with leaves eventually falling off.
How to Create Humidity around Plants
1 Stand plants in small groups to create a humid mini-environment.
2 Stand pots in trays with a 1in (25mm) layer of pebbles in the base, shallowly filled with water to just below the top of the pebbles. Moist air can then rise around the leaves.
3 Use a mist sprayer/mister, which is inexpensive, to coat the leaves in fine water droplets, but do not spray flowers or plants with hairy leaves.
4 Mist plants in the morning so moisture can evaporate before night. Dampness remaining on the leaves in late evening encourages the presence of diseases at night when the temperature falls.
5 Mist СКАЧАТЬ