Seasonal & Indoor Plants - February 2010

Please Note: All recommendations are for central Maryland.  Time frames shift two weeks earlier in Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore and two weeks later for Western Maryland.  Check publications for further information.

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• Past tips

Culture

• We have passed through the darkest part of winter, the days are now longer and the sun is brighter. This is all very good for houseplants. Leaf yellowing and leaf drop on some of your houseplants is usually a result of low light conditions combined with over-watering. Most houseplants should be watered only when the top of the growing medium begins to dry out. It is always safer to slightly under-water than to over water houseplants.

Indoor Pests

• A variety of pests may attack houseplants. You may notice honeydew, which is a sticky plant sap product secreted by sucking insects such as aphids, brown soft scale and mealy bugs. Plants commonly affected are ficus, schefflera and jade plants. The honeydew is often first noticed as a sticky floor or carpeting under a plant.
• Mealy bugs, appear as white fluffy masses on infested plants. They can be controlled by swabbing them with rubbing alcohol or taking plants outside and spraying with a labeled houseplant insecticide. However, don’t do this on a very cold day, or your plants will be damaged.
• Mealy bugs and scales often become an overwhelming problem and it is best to discard extremely infested plants before the pests spread to your other plants.
• Several species of soft scale insects appear as brown bumps on leaves and stems and can be controlled with a light horticultural oil labeled for houseplants.
• Raising humidity levels around plants and reducing dust levels can control spider mites. Repeated washing of the leaves with water will help in reducing a spider mite problem.
• Fungus gnats are small, harmless black flies that hover around many houseplants. They breed in and feed in overly wet growing media. Severe infestations result in root rots and size reduction. They can be prevented by being careful not to over-water houseplants. Growing media should be allowed to dry out before watering again.

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2010 Seasonal and Indoor Plant Tips

2009 Seasonal and Indoor Plant Tips