Potted plants may lend an air of lush comfort to a home, but
keeping them comfortable is a task requiring a little bit of
TLC.
Lack of air flow and low humidity are just two of the
contributing factors that could stifle an indoor jungle, according
to Peter Quintanilla, certified arborist and master gardener at the
University of California Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener
program for Monterey Bay, which serves San Benito County.
Potted plants may lend an air of lush comfort to a home, but keeping them comfortable is a task requiring a little bit of TLC.
Lack of air flow and low humidity are just two of the contributing factors that could stifle an indoor jungle, according to Peter Quintanilla, certified arborist and master gardener at the University of California Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener program for Monterey Bay, which serves San Benito County. Outdoor plants also tend to thrive based on the presence of beneficial organisms in the native soil as well as the presence of “good” bugs who eat plant-killing pests like aphids.
The most common mistake plant owners make, said Quintanilla, is overwatering their beloved buds.
“Most people water them on a schedule, and plants don’t lose water on a schedule,” he said. “They lose water for a lot of different reasons – level of light, heat in the house, all kinds of reasons. When you overwater there’s no oxygen in the soil because there’s too much water in the pot. The plant becomes stressed so it can’t fight off diseases.”
No single rule applies to watering. All plants have their own comfort zones, said Carolyn Craft, a master gardener at the UCCE master gardeners program for Santa Clara County.
Ferns like a little more water than the average leafy greenery, but too much will cause them to develop fungus, while orchids prefer to have water around themselves all the time. They’re happiest, said Craft, in a well-drained pot surrounded by a shallow bowl of rocks and water which will create a permanent cloud of humidity around their blooms.
“God gave us all a tool to use … a finger,” said Craft. “If you stick your finger in the pot and it’s really wet, that’s no good unless you just watered it. A little moist isn’t bad, but you want to keep the soil loose.
“If you let the plant dry out too far, the soil will harden up and you won’t be able to get water to the roots. You’ll just be watering the sides of the pot, so you definitely want to break up the soil in that case.”
Deciding when to repot your plant, just like watering, is a combination of observation and expertise, said Erin Gil, production manager at Grass Farm in Morgan Hill.
“It’s not one steady rule of thumb, like repot all plants on July 1 or anything,” said Gil. “It’s something you sort of have to gauge as it’s happening. Something that’s healthier is going to grow quicker.”
Lack of growth or the presence of disease are both clues that your plant may need a new home, said Quintanilla. The only surefire way to check is to pull the plant out of the pot.
“If you have a lot of roots circling around a root ball, you need to repot,” said Quintanilla. “If you’re going to put the plant back in its original pot, cut some of the roots off so you don’t have so many roots in the soil.”
To repot a plant in a larger container, Craft advises combing the root snarl free with a pair of chopsticks or pencils. A plant that has been left in the pot too long will often have a hardened ball of dead roots at the center of the tangle, the perfect spot for fungus to start.
“The older, yuckier roots you can cut off,” said Craft. “Leave any new white roots and cut just the really brown ones.”
To ensure you don’t cut too much, said Quintanilla, limit your first pruning to no more than 10 to 20 percent of the root structure. For more specific directions, said Gil, talk with a certified nursery operator or call the a master gardener.
Santa Clara County master gardeners can be reached weekdays from 9:30am to 12:30pm at (408) 282-3105. Monterey Bay master gardeners are available Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am to 12pm at (831) 763-8007.
Tip: Fungus Fixer
Watering with chamomile tea can reduce the risk of developing fungus in potted plants.
