Houseplants 102
Posted in Horticulture on January 29 2015, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Sonia Uyterhoeven is NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.
Last week we discussed some houseplant basics—covering light and water. This week we will look at a few more important factors for successfully growing indoor plants.
Let’s turn the heat down…
As general rule, most houseplants do best when grown at a daytime temperature between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and at a night time temperature that is 10 to 15 degrees cooler at 50 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Many plants require a 10-degree temperature fluctuation to grow and flower successfully.
Your house is full of microclimates. Locations near windows may be sunny during the winter, but they are also cool (usually 10 degrees colder than the center of the room). In the summer, a south-facing window can get too hot for plants. Your alternatives are to open the window to let the air circulate or invest in a sheer curtain to block the intense rays of the summer sun. Investigate your home’s microclimates in order to place your plants in the best spots.
Some plants such as Clivia miniata and Dendrobium nobile need specific care in order to flower properly. They need a resting period in the fall which lasts for approximately 3 months. During this time fertilizing is stopped, watering is reduced and they are placed in a cool (45 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit) location in full sun.
If the orchid—the dendrobium—doesn’t receive this temperature drop, it will often produce baby plants (Keikis) instead of flowering. The bush or Kaffir lily protests by not extending the flower stem upwards and the blooms hide in its foliage. You will also notice that your jade plant (Crassula) also flowers best when it realizes that the seasons are changing.
