Transcript The Interior Landscape:

The Interior Landscape:
Houseplants and Plantscaping
Unit 23
Objectives
• List the 4 major concerns in caring for interior
plants
• Select a medium to use for growing various
interior plants
• Describe the best cultural conditions (water, light,
and soil requirements) for 10 selected interior
plants of your choice
• List the 4 methods of watering interior plants
• Plants are a special part of people’s lives
– Food bearing
– Materials for clothing
– Adding beauty
• 1998 - $1.191 billion interior plants sold
• Plantscaping – Method of interior plant use
– Public places and private homes
Caring for interior plants
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The Following questions should be asked.
What is the proper way to water the plant?
How much light does it need?
What is the best temperature for optimum
growth?
• What type of planting medium is needed?
Watering
• Plant’s behavior must be carefully observed
• Signs of improper watering:
• Drooping leaves or leaves that do not seem
as full – lack of water
• Wilting or yellowing of leaves – too much
water
Methods of watering interior
plants
• Drench/Let Dry
– Desired amount of water is added all at once
• Drench/ Let Dry slightly
– Add water and let dry until it is damp to the
touch
• Keep medium constantly moist
– Medium should be damp to the touch all the
time
Lighting
• Interior environments cause excess stress due to
low available light
• Appropriate artificial environments must be
created
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Natural, filtered sunlight
Incandescent, fluorescent
High-intensity discharge lights
All these allow plants to receive enough energy for
photosynthesis
Measuring Light Intensity
• Light meters – measure illumination
– Determine if the location is suitable for the
plant
– Sold at florists, garden centers, dept. stores
Classification of Light Intensity
• Intensity needed is classified into 3 groups
• Direct sun: plant should receive full intensity of
natural sunlight
• Partial sun or weak sun: plant should receive less
than 50% of natural sunlight
• Indirect or filtered light: Plant should receive no
direct sunlight at all
• Basically the more sunlight available, the more
plants that can be grown
Artificial lighting
• Fluorescent light greatly influenced growth
of interior plants
• Enables horticulturists to…
– Root cuttings of interior plants more easily
– Start seeds of new and different interior plants
– Grow tropical plants and cacti with greater ease
Temperature
• Interior plants are exposed to a great range
of temperatures
• Recommended temp. for interior plants is
50-85 degrees – daytime
• At night, temps. Can drop 10-15 deg. w/o
harming the plant
• Plants should be located away from air
conditioners, drafts, and direct air flows
Humidity
• Humidity: percentage of moisture in the air
– Lower in winter – need additional moister in
atmosphere
• Humidity can be increased by…
– Spraying a fine mist of water on the foliage
– Using a watertight tray filled w/ small pea gravel to
hold plants
– Using a humidifier to provide moisture
– Placing plants in the part of the house with highest
humidity
Soil Mixture
• Must be loose and airy and must hold
moisture and nutrients
• Sphagnum Peat Moss
Fertilizers
• 2 kinds of fertilizers: Slow release and soluble
• Slow release: small beads coated w/ plastic
– Dissolve over period of time
– Nutrients are steadily released
– Eliminates risk of fertilizer burn
• Soluble: available in liquid or solid form
– Water must be added to dilute the concentrate or break
down the solid form
Containers
• Plants need oxygen to their roots
• Drainage holes must be available
• Pot should be set in a saucer to catch excess
water
Potting Plants
• A crock may be used as drainage in the
bottom of the pot
– Crock: A broken piece of clay pot
• Add the selected potting mixture to cover
the crock
• Add plant, adjust so it is ½” below top of
pot
– Plant can hold extra water while being watered
Repotting
• Plants should be repotted when they become
potbound
– Remove the plant from original pot
– If roots are growing around root ball and are firm –
repot the plant
• Roots must be separated to allow roots to develop
and make new growth
• Wait until after flowering is completed to repot
General Care
• Leaves should be cleaned occasionally w/ a
fine spray of water
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Wipe leaves on top and underside
Removes dust and insects
Helps maintain humidity
Keeps plant fresh-looking
Controlling Diseases and Pests
• The secret is to recognize and control problems on
the plant
• Aphids are small, green insects w/ piercing mouth
parts – suck plant juices
– Leaves become sticky w/ honeydew causing a black,
sooty mold
• Whitefly small white, winged, sucking insect
– Heavy producers of eggs so infestation occurs fast
Insects (cont’)
• Mealybugs are white, woolly masses like a ball of
cotton
– Concentrate on nodes and underside of leaves
– Give plant a faded yellow appearance
• Mites are small spiderlike insects on underside of
the leaf
– Suck juices causing plant to yellow
– Too small to see w/ naked eye
– Easies way to check for mites is to tap the leaf above a
piece of white paper
Diseases
• Botrytis and mildew are 2 common diseases of
indoor plants
• Botrytis causes leaves to turn black and develop a
gray mold
– Controls include providing good air circulation and
sanitation
• Mildew causes leaves to get heavy white coating
– Good air circulation and fungicide