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Gardenia Problem

Gardenias are notoriously difficult to grow in normal indoor conditions. There could be one problem or several that are causing the leaves to drop. Look for signs of insect infestation such as sucking insects - aphids, scale or mealybugs - or spider mites. If it is a sucking insect such as scale, aphids or mealybugs, they can be washed off by hand or if the infestation is extensive, a horticultural oil can be used as a suffocant. You can even use a q-tip dipped in alcohol to wipe away aphids or mealybugs, but rinse with water afterwards.
In the meantime, here are a few care tips: They like bright light. Put in a south or west facing window for the winter, but avoid direct sunlight during summer.Water:Keep soil continuously moist, but reduce watering in the winter. It looks like your plant is in a cache pot. Make sure it is not sitting in water that seeps out of the pot into the cache pot.
Temperature: Above 60Œ_F is preferred. Avoid cold drafts if temperature drops lower.
Soil: Use a nonalkaline soil mix, such as a rhododendron mix. They prefer slightly acidic soil.
Cold temperatures and inconsistent watering will cause bud and leaf drop, as will dry air. Make sure gardenia has high humidity by placing on a tray of pebbles that has water in it but not up to the top of the pebbles.

By | 2016-01-12T00:07:58-08:00 January 12th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Philodendron Problem

Your split leaf Philodendron likes bright indirect light indoors and moderate water. In pots, water only when the soil feels dry down to your first knuckle. The browning/yellowing of the leaves may be due to insufficient light (try putting it by a window that gets indirect light) or a watering problem. Also do not allow the plant to sit in water as this may lead to root rot. Is your plant in a pot within a pot? If so take your plant to a sink and allow the water to drain out thoroughly before returning to the decorative pot. If it is in a pot without drainage holes, suggest you transplant in a container with drainage holes. We do not see any signs of insects, but carefully inspect not only the top of the leaves and stems but also underneath the foliage. Depending on the species and cultivar, the latex from the leaves and the stems/branches can be very irritating to the skin so be sure to wear protective gloves when handling. Also feed with a slow release or organic fertilizer formulated for container house plants. We hope you Swiss cheese philodendron grows lush and full again.

By | 2016-01-10T20:38:56-08:00 January 10th, 2016|House Plants|1 Comment
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Janet Craig Dracaena

Your plants is likely a popular houseplant, D. deremensis 'Janet Craig' that thrives in well-drained soil in bright, indirect light indoors or filtered sunshine outdoors. Prized for its tufts of shiny, deep green foliage atop cane stems. Because of the upright form, the foliage can collect dust so wipe off periodically with a damp cloth. Water when the soil feels dry down to your first knuckle and feed with a slow release fertilizer formulated for container plants. Young plants are a tuft of upright leaves. As the plant grows, it forms a cane-like stem with a cluster of leaves at its top. According to the ASPCA, all dracaenas are toxic to cats: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/dracaena. In case of ingestion, a veterinarian should be consulted immediately because we cannot guarantee identification from a photo or a timely enough reponse. There is a poisonous plant database here: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants. There is also an animal poison control number listed here: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control but there may be a $65 charge.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:28-07:00 January 10th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Kangaroo Fern

Excellent fern for a window with indirect light. In a plastic pot this shouldn't need water more than once a week. Watch out for scale insects, which unfortunately look a lot like the spores that this plant produces. The good news is that they appear more on the stems and never in regular patterns on the leaves, like the spores do.

Keep this plant evenly moist - if it isn't root bound a through, once-a-week soaking should be fine. Like most plants, don't let the pot sit in a saucer of water longer than a couple of hours but don't be stingy with the water because you're afraid of water draining into the saucer. You'll need to have water drain out if the plant is being well watered.

Grow this fern in a bright location - filtered sun, or morning sun is perfect, or a few feet away from a Southern or Western window.

Be sure to repot in a larger container when the plant is root bound - tip it out of the pot and if you see a congestion of roots, it's time to upgrade! Only put soil in the pot - no rocks, shards or other debris, no matter what your mother/neighbor told you ;-)

Fertilize regularly according to directions - only after watering the plant well, however. Never fertilize a thirsty plant.

By | 2016-01-10T01:59:31-08:00 January 10th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Dracaena Problem

There could be one or more of several reasons why the leaves are browning: make sure when watering (about once every 7-10 days) that the soil feels dry down to the first knuckle before watering again and that the water drains out without allowing the plant to sit in water (if there is a pot within in a pot such as yours, suggest you take out and water in the sink allowing it to drain out completely before returning to the cover pot and make sure the plastic pot has drainage holes ); feed with a slow-release or organic fertilizer formulated for container plants; keep away from heating or air conditioning vents; the potting soil should be a well-draining commercial potting soil or cactus potting soil (sterile and well-draining); needs bright, indirect light. Finally, if the leaves continue to brown, suggest you thoroughly wash the accumulated salts from the soil and switch to steam iron water - many houseplants come from the rainforest and are sensitive to the salts in tap water. There could also be some disease issues, but we think it is more of a cultural issue as well as mealybug problem. Here is more info: http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/qa-leaf-spots-on-dracaena/index.html

By | 2016-01-09T03:50:30-08:00 January 9th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Kangaroo Fern

We are not certain, but this might be in the kangaroo fern group. Excellent fern for a window with indirect light. In a plastic pot this shouldn't need water more than once a week. Watch out for scale insects, which unfortunately look a lot like the spores that this plant produces. The good news is that they appear more on the stems and never in regular patterns on the leaves, like the spores do.

Keep this plant evenly moist - if it isn't root bound a through, once-a-week soaking should be fine. Like most plants, don't let the pot sit in a saucer of water longer than a couple of hours but don't be stingy with the water because you're afraid of water draining into the saucer. You'll need to have water drain out if the plant is being well watered.

Grow this fern in a bright location - filtered sun, or morning sun is perfect, or a few feet away from a Southern or Western window.

Be sure to repot in a larger container when the plant is root bound - tip it out of the pot and if you see a congestion of roots, it's time to upgrade! Only put soil in the pot - no rocks, shards or other debris, no matter what your mother/neighbor told you ;-)

Fertilize regularly according to directions - only after watering the plant well, however. Never fertilize a thirsty plant.

By | 2016-01-07T11:02:37-08:00 January 7th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Draceana Care

We assume since you have had your plant for four years that this is a recent problem. We can't see the pot but if it's been in that pot for more than three years it could be too root bound so that the soil no longer holds the water it once did, or the potting media could be so degraded and the drainage holes so clogged with roots that the soil stays wetter than it did before.Try repotting in a slightly larger pot with fresh potting soil. Do not put gravel in the bottom as that doesn't actually improve drainage but causes the bottom inch or two of soil to remain sodden. When you are repotting, trim any rotten roots you see. Also make sure that black strap isn't too tight, constricting the plant.

As a review (since you were growing this plant successfully), Dracaena do best in bright, indirect light. Do not place in hot, direct sun. These plants are prone to root rot if overwatered, especially in lower light. In high light areas be sure you do not let the soil dry out completely. In lower to medium light, you should water Dracaena when soil has dried down 1/2 to 3/4 the depth of the pot. If in very bright light, allow the soil to dry down about 1/2 the depth of the soil depth before watering thoroughly. Make sure drainage occurs from the bottom of the pot with each watering. Use a slow release fertilizer formulated for tropical houseplants according to the fertilizer label recommendations.

By | 2016-01-05T07:58:14-08:00 January 5th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Dracaena Problem

There could be one or more of several reasons why the leaf tips are browning: make sure when watering (about once every 7-10 days) that the soil feels dry down to the first knuckle before watering again and that the water drains out without allowing the plant to sit in water (if there is a saucer under the plant, a pot within in a pot such as yours, or it is in a pot without drainage holes and it is sitting in the water after watering, then this may lead to root or stem rot and leaf edge browning); feed with a slow-release or organic fertilizer formulated for container plants; the potting soil should be a well-draining commercial potting soil or cactus potting soil (sterile and well-draining); needs bright, indirect light. Finally, if the leaves continue to brown at the tips, suggest you switch to steam iron water - many houseplants come from the rainforest and are sensitive to the salts in tap water. There could also be some disease issues, but we think it is more of a cultural issue. Here is more info: http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/qa-leaf-spots-on-dracaena/index.html

By | 2016-01-05T06:09:00-08:00 January 5th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Water Problem For Cordyline

Does the container have drainage holes? If not this may be the problem since most houseplants require excellent drainage and humidity. If the pot does have drainage holes and there is a saucer underneath, do not allow the pot to sit in water as this may lead to root rot as well as salt build-up in the soil. Show a close-up of the damaged leaves to a horticulturist at your local garden center for confirmation of the problem. Most tropical understory plants such as the Cordyline are sensitive to salts in chemical fertilizers and in the tap water causing salt burn on the leaves turning them brown. Suggest you switch to steam iron water available at your grocery store and water the plant thoroughly allowing the salts to leach out and feed with a slow-release or organic fertilizer formulated for container plants. To increase humidity around the plant, set up a saucer, fill with pebbles, fill with water, place a brick in the middle so the plant does not sit in the water. This will increase humidity by about 70% around the plant. We hope your plant recovers.

By | 2016-01-04T11:38:22-08:00 January 4th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Spider Plant Problem

This kind of damage is fairly typical for spider plants. This plant doesn't look that bad actually. It just needs some grooming. Trim off all the brown sections. Cut the leaf tips at an angle so they don't look odd. However, without inspecting the soil and container it is hard to say what the problem is. Are there drainage holes in the bottom of the container? How much sun is it getting? What kind of soil is it planted in? Make sure the container has drainage holes so that the water can drain out completely, otherwise root rot may result. But water it really well when you water it, so that the root ball gets well saturated.

These plants have very thick roots so if they've been in a pot for over a year it's likely that they are too root bound. Tip this plant out of the pot and see if you see a mass of congested roots - if so, repot so that the roots have some soil around them to hold the moisture when you water it.

Place in an area that receives bright, indirect light and water when the soil feels dry down to the first knuckle. And the potting soil medium should be a commercial, sterile mix that is well-draining.

When you repot any plant, don't put any rocks or shards in the bottom of the pots "for drainage" - this is a myth and a practice that's bad for plants.

By | 2016-01-04T01:46:13-08:00 January 4th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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