House plants. Photo by Dr. Leynar Leyton, UF/IFAS Ornamental Plant Breeder and Assistant Professor in Environmental Horticulture.
As we approach winter, and temperatures start to drop, you might have brought some plants inside your home. Or maybe you were at the garden center and fell in love with a unique lush plant, but as you get home, you are now wondering how you take care of your newest indoor plant… I believe I might can help! I will try to cover the basics of indoor plant care in this short article, so your plants thrive inside your home. These recommendations work not only for new plants that you bring home, but also, for your current house plants.
–Let’s start with light
One of the most important factors that affect house plants is light. Plants make food out of light through photosynthesis. Without enough light, they cannot produce enough food to survive. Plants can be divided into low, medium, high, and very high light requirements. These four categories are very helpful when you try to decide where to place your plant at home. Now the question is: How do you know the light requirements of your plant? Your first bet will be the plant tag or label. Plant labels usually contain the name of the plant and its light and water requirements (we’ll talk about water requirements in a bit). If they only have a name, a quick google search will help you with the light requirements of your plant.
Generally speaking, and without taking into consideration the layout of your home – think trees, windows treatments, size of your windows, other structures
House Plants under artificial / grow lights. Photo by Dr. Leynar Leyton, UF/IFAS Ornamental Plant Breeder and Assistant Professor in Environmental Horticulture.
nearby, and time of the year – eastern exposed windows will provide the best light conditions for most indoor plants, with direct sunlight from sunrise until approximately midday. Windows with a southern exposure provide a long range of light intensities during the year. For example, during this time of the year (as we approach winter) and during most of the daylight hours in winter, the sun will shine throughout the room. In summer, the sun would be farther north, making the sunlight enter the room only after midday. Western exposed windows have very similar light conditions to southern exposed windows. The windows with the least amount of light year-round would be a northern exposed window, as the United States is in the northern hemisphere and most of the sunlight comes from the south.
Plants will tell you if they don’t have enough light. One of the most noticeable signs is that your plant will not grow, and the internodes (the distance on the stem between leaves) on new growth would be much longer than the internodes on older parts of the plant. Other signs could be that the new fully expanded leaves are smaller – and with a much lighter green color – than the older leaves, as well as dead old leaves. If your plant is not receiving enough light, there is still some things you can do to help. You can move the plant closer to the window or move the plant to a brighter room, either with a better exposure or a room that has artificial lights turned on during the day. Light intensity is important but also the number of hours your plant is exposed to light. This is very important if you decided to invest in artificial lights for your plants. You do not need a very intense light, if you keep it on for a longer period of time – say 16 hours. Whatever you do, keep in mind that too much light can be damaging to plants. You need an adequate amount of light for your plants, not an excessive amount of light. Also, be mindful when moving a plant from low light conditions into high light conditions, for example direct sunlight, as leaves can be burned or look bleached.
Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum showing sign of low light exposure. Photo by Dr. Leynar Leyton, UF/IFAS Ornamental Plant Breeder and Assistant Professor in Environmental Horticulture.
-What about temperature?
The second major factor that affect your house plants is temperature. We feel comfortable in temperatures ranging from 72 to 82 °F. Indoor plants are originally from tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world and can grow well in temperatures ranging from 58 to 86 °F. Based on those temperature ranges, house plants should do pretty good in your home. However, we need to understand the relationship between temperature and light, and how plants produce and use their “food”. When we talked about light, we mentioned that plants made food out of light through photosynthesis. Well, that is only half of the story. Plants use that food in a process called respiration, which produces energy that is used in developing new leaves, growth, and for maintenance of leaves and roots. High temperatures increase respiration, forcing plants to use more food to produce energy, reducing their efficiency. Imagine a plant under not optimal light conditions, struggling to produce some food (mainly carbohydrates, sugars, and starch) during the day. If the plant is in a warmer room of your house, all those few carbohydrates produced will be used quickly. As a result, your plant will not grow, because plants will use those sugars to maintain the current leaves, rather than use that energy in producing new leaves or roots. Another aspect to consider is that plants – like people- might like a specific temperature in the 58 – 86 °F range. Some plants like a warmer environment, and others can withstand “colder” environments. A good rule of thumb is to never allow temperatures drop below 50 °F and keep your thermostat in the 70 – 80 °F during the day, and 65 – 70 °F at night. Be mindful of “away” schedules on your thermostat or plants that are too close to a vent or heater.
-Water
The last factor I want to talk about is water. This is probably the most common and controversial topic in plant care. How often should we water our plants?
Should we bottom water or top water? Is tap water, ok? All these questions might be overwhelming, but I’ll try to go through the basic principles behind those questions so you can make your own watering decisions. Firsts of all, it is important to recognize that each plant will have a specific water requirement. Some plants require more water than others; this information should be in the plant tag when you bought it. Other factors that will affect the amount of water a plant needs are:
-Size of the plant. Bigger plants will require more water because they are bigger.
– Pot or container. Smaller pots will hold less water (they dry out faster), meaning you’ll have to water them more often.
– Soil texture or type. Some types of soils will retain more water than others.
-Light intensity. Plants under high light intensity will require more water, as water is need it for photosynthesis.
Dracena dying due to root rot. Photo by Dr. Leynar Leyton, UF/IFAS Ornamental Plant Breeder and Assistant Professor in Environmental Horticulture.
Be mindful and do not over water, or let water stand in saucers for days. Too much water, or plants in standing water for long periods of time can produce root rot, a fungal infection in the roots that plants usually cannot recover from. Another problem caused by standing water from irrigation is the accumulation of salts washed off from the soil. Make sure you discard any water that had drained into the saucer and has been in the saucer for more than a day after watering your plants. A good way to learn when to water your plants is to know and understand them: If you check your plants constantly, you’ll learn how long it takes them to use the water in the soil. You can check that by checking the “weight” of your plants. Grab the pot right after you water it and feel how heavy it is. As the days pass, when you grab the pot, you’ll notice that it is lighter. If it is considerable lighter, it’s time to water. With that information, you can make your own watering schedule, or simply check your plants every other day and water when need it. Water quality is also important, especially for green leafy plants. Now, what about tap water? The reason some people don’t recommend using tap water to water your plants is because it contains fluoride and chlorine, and leafy green plants are sensitive to these chemicals. A typical sign of water quality problems is burned tips or edges of leaves. An easy way to deal with this problem is to let your watering water sit for a few days before use it, as fluorine and chlorine will be released from the water to the air. You could also just use filtered or distilled water.
I hope this article helps you a little in the care of your indoor plants. Plants are resilient organisms and if you do make a small mistake, they will probably be ok. Remember that gardening is an art and a science!
When looking for a small tree that provides a visual impact in the landscape, nothing beats a Japanese maple.
In North Florida, we have landscapes with some suitable conditions for growing a Japanese maple but these trees are not for every site. Japanese Maple plants prefer some shade, especially in the afternoon, and protection from winds. If you have a high tree canopy that allows for filtered sun throughout the day, many cultivars will grow well with this light. Soils should be moist but well drained with good organic matter. Areas with higher pH soils such as home foundations or around concrete patios usually show plants with poorer growth and nutrient issues.
This specimen is suited to its spot with acid soil with a high Live oak tree canopy. The fall color is beautiful. Photo by Beth Bolles, UF IFAS Extension Escambia County.
Many people love the leaf color of Japanese maples, either burgundy leaf forms or selections with beautiful fall color. The palmate leaf shape also adds interest, along with varying degrees of coarse to finer textures.
My favorite characteristic of the Japanese maple is the growth form. Trees often have a layered appearance with branches extending outward, making a beautiful small canopy. Many selections have smooth bark but one cultivar, the Pine bark maple, has plated bark that looks like a pine tree.
Pine bark Japanese maple form and fall leaf color. Photo by Beth Bolles, UF IFAS Extension Escambia County.
Interesting bark of the Pine bark maple. Photo by Beth Bolles, UF IFAS Extension Escambia County.
Although the growth rate is slow to moderate, be sure to research the plant size of the cultivar you want. There are small tree forms that will reach an average of 20 feet and plants that only grow about 5 feet in twenty years. Our cool season is the best time to plant a Japanese maple if your landscape is suited for this tree.
Problem areas in the landscape – everyone has them. Whether it’s the spot near a drain that stays wet or the back corner of a bed that sunshine never touches, these areas require specialized plants to avoid the constant frustration of installing unhealthy plants that slowly succumb and must be replaced. The problem area in my landscape was a long narrow bed, sited entirely under an eave with full sun exposure and framed by a concrete sidewalk and a south-facing wall. This bed stays hot, it stays dry, and is nigh as inhospitable to most plants as a desert. Enter a plant specialized to handle situations just like this – Yarrow ‘Moonshine’.
Yarrow (Achillea spp.) is a large genus of plants, occurring all over the globe. To illustrate, Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is native to three different continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), making it one of the most widely distributed plants in the world. And though it was commonly grown and used in antiquity for medical purposes (the genus name Achillea is a reference to Achilles, who supposedly used the plant as a wound treatment for himself and his fellow Greek soldiers), I and most of you are probably more interested in how it looks and performs in the landscape.
‘Moonshine’ Yarrow foliage.
All species of Yarrow share several ornamental traits. The most obvious are their showy flowers, which occur as large, flattened “corymbs” and come in shades of white, pink, red, and yellow. I selected the cultivar ‘Moonshine’ for my landscape as it has brilliant yellow flowers that popped against the brown wall of the house. Equally as pretty and unique is the foliage of Yarrow. Yarrow leaves are finely dissected, appearing fernlike, are strongly scented, and range in color from deep green to silver. Again, I chose ‘Moonshine’ for its silvery foliage, a trait that makes it even more drought resistant than green leaved varieties.
‘Moonshine’ Yarrow inflorescence.
If sited in the right place, most Yarrow species are easy to grow; simply site them in full sun (6+ hours a day) and very well drained soil. While all plants, Yarrow included, need regular water during the establishment phase, supplemental irrigation is not necessary and often leads to the decline and rot of Yarrow clumps, particularly the silver foliaged varieties like ‘Moonrise’ (these should be treated more like succulents and watered only sparingly). Once established, Yarrow plants will eventually grow to 2-3’ in height but can spread underground via rhizomes to form clumps. This spreading trait enables Yarrow to perform admirably as a groundcover in confined spaces like my sidewalk-bound bed.
If you have a dry, sunny problem spot in your landscape and don’t know what to do, installing a cultivar of Yarrow, like ‘Moonshine’, might be just the solution to turn a problem into a garden solution. This drought tolerant, deer tolerant, pollinator friendly species couldn’t be easier to grow and will reward you with summer color for years to come. Plant one today. For more information on Yarrow or any other horticultural question, contact your local UF/IFAS County Extension Office.
Normal fall leaves on deciduous crape myrtle. Credit: Larry Williams
Imagine you’re a leaf on a deciduous tree. In spring, you emerge and are blemish-free. You experience the first rays of light. You’ve never existed before. You begin to photosynthesize. This is what green leaves do. You’re normal.
The first windstorm occurs in April, blowing you into other leaves, branches and stems. You sustain a puncture wound. Trees don’t heal. So, any damage is permanent.
In May, a small population of aphids dine on the tree’s leaves. Ladybugs consume most of the aphids and a blowing rain dislodges the remaining few.
During the extended hot, dry weather of June and July, the tree’s owner is not watering properly and the tree begins dropping leaves. This is a normal process in many tree species during periods with insufficient moisture.
But you stay firmly attached.
The tree’s owner overdoes it in fertilizing his lawn and burns some of the tree’s leaves as a result. Most tree roots are shallow, having access to lawn fertilizer. Your leaf margin becomes brown and crisp as a result.
In August, you’re exposed to direct sunlight all day, partly because of the longer day length and partly because of the loss of other leaves that once shaded you.
In September, the tree’s owner applies weed and feed to his lawn. Tree roots growing in the lawn pull up some of the herbicide.
Tree roots grow two to three times beyond the branches, having access to herbicides applied to adjacent lawn areas. The herbicide injures many of the leaves, including you.
Shorter days and cooler temperatures of fall bring on changes in your physiology. The green pigment chlorophyll that has allowed you to produce sugars through photosynthesis since you first emerged is now breaking down.
As a result, your green color fades and fungal spots, sun scald and the puncture wound from spring become visible.
During October and November, many neighboring leaves turn loose and fall to the ground. This is part of the normal senescence process on deciduous trees.
Before you fall, the tree’s owner notices that you don’t look so good and becomes concerned about your brown spots instead of the uniform green color you had in spring. He has visions of another dead tree and rushes to his County Extension Office carrying you in hand.
A Master Gardener Volunteer explains to the tree’s owner that the spots are a natural part of the senescence process. The leaf is at the end of its life.
The tree’s owner is provided information on proper tree care.
The following spring, the tree produces new, healthy leaves, is provided better care and lives happily ever after!
Extended spring weather with cool nights and frequent rain can be enjoyable for humans, but does strange things to plants, especially if dormant fungi are hanging around. Exobasidium vaccinii is a fungus that is believed to overwinter as spores attached to bark and bud scales. It can cause infection with the opening of buds in spring, creating odd shaped leaves and flowers that are referred to as galls. Infection is dependent on high humidity and moisture during bud break. Gall growth is due to plant cell division resulting from the stimulus of hyphal growth within host tissue. When galls are still soft, the fungus grows between epidermal cells, breaks the cuticle, and sporulates giving the gall a white cast. Either all or part of a leaf may become thickened, fleshy, and covered with a white bloom of spores. At first, diseased leaves are succulent and white, but they later shrink into hard, brown, gall-like bodies. Galls are composed of fungus-infected plant tissue. Older leaves are resistant to infection. Exobasidium vaccinii is most common in azaleas and camellias.
Photo by Sheila Dunning
But, other Exobasidium species are floating out there, and with just the right conditions they can deform other plants. That’s what caused this odd formation on one flower of a gardenia plant. In this case, the spores fused the sepals to the petals of the flower.
Photo by Margaret Stewart
While chemical controls are available, they would need to begin before symptoms appear and continue until the gall dried completely. It may be an option for the fastidious weather watcher with a good working knowledge of this disease. But, for the rest of the population, removing and destroying galls before they turn white is the best management practice to avoid having spores form and hang around until next spring. Proper pruning of the plants to improve air circulation will also reduce the chances of favorable conditions, should there be an extended cool, wet season next year.
Florida’s natural areas—a great source of pride and enjoyment to its citizens—provide recreation, protect biodiversity and fresh water supplies, buffer the harmful effects of storms, and significantly contribute to the economic well-being of the state. Unfortunately, many of these natural areas can be adversely affected by invasive plant species. An estimated 25,000 plant species have been brought into Florida for use as agricultural crops or landscape plants. While only a small number of these have become invasive, Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera) is one of them.
As the trees begin to turn various shades of red, many people begin to inquire about the trees. While their autumn coloration is one of the reasons they were introduced to the United States, it took years to realize what a menace the trees become. Triadica sebifera, the Chinese tallow is locally referred to as popcorn tree due to the appearance of the developing seed heads, white three-chambers seeds covered in a fatty wax. It was introduced to Charleston, South Carolina in the late 1700s for oil production and use in making candles. However, the seeds are also tasty snacks for birds and can float long distances in the water, enabling it to spread to every coastal state from North Carolina to Texas, and inland to Arkansas. In Florida it occurs as far south as Tampa, displacing other native plant species in those habitats. Therefore, Chinese tallow was listed as a noxious weed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Noxious Weed List (5b-57.007 FAC) in 1998, which means that possession with the intent to sell, transport, or plant is illegal in the state of Florida.
Fall color of Chinese tallow
Individuals can help mitigate the problem of Chinese tallow trees in Florida’s natural areas by removing them from their property. Mature trees should be felled with a chain saw by the property owner or a professional tree service. The final cut should be made as close to the ground as possible and as level as possible to facilitate application of an herbicide to prevent sprouting. Stumps that are not treated with an herbicide will sprout to form multiple-trunked trees. If it is not objectionable for dead trees to be left standing, certain herbicides can be applied directly to the bark at the base of the tree (basal bark application).
Herbicides that contain the active ingredient triclopyr amine (e.g., Brush-B-Gon, Garlon 3A) can be applied to cut stumps to prevent re-sprouting. The herbicide should be applied as soon as possible after felling the tree and concentrated on the thin layer of living tissue (cambium) that is just inside the bark. Herbicides with the active ingredient triclopyr ester can be used for basal bark applications. Only certain triclopyr amine products may be applied to trees that are growing in standing water. If trees are cut at a time when seeds are attached, make sure that the material is disposed of in such a way the seeds will not be dispersed to new areas where they can germinate and produce new trees.
Space in a landscape left after removal of Chinese tallow can be used to plant a new native or noninvasive tree for shade, or some other landscape purpose. Although Florida is not known for the brilliant fall color enjoyed by other northern and western states, there are a number of trees that provide some fall color for our North Florida landscapes. Red maple, Acer rubrum, provides brilliant red, orange and sometimes yellow leaves. The native Florida maple, Acer floridum, displays a combination of bright yellow and orange color during fall. And there are many Trident and Japanese maples that provide striking fall color. Another excellent native tree is Blackgum, Nyssa sylvatica. This tree is a little slow in its growth rate but can eventually grow to seventy-five feet in height. It provides the earliest show of red to deep purple fall foliage. Others include Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana, Sumac, Rhus spp. and Sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua. In cultivated trees that pose no threat to native ecosystems, Crape myrtle, Lagerstroemia spp. offers varying degrees of orange, red and yellow in its leaves before they fall. There are many cultivars – some that grow several feet to others that reach nearly thirty feet in height. Also, Chinese pistache, Pistacia chinensis, can deliver a brilliant orange display.
There are a number of dependable oaks for fall color, too. Shumard, Southern Red, and Turkey are a few to consider. These oaks have dark green deeply lobed leaves during summer turning vivid red to orange in fall. Turkey oak holds onto its leaves all winter as they turn to brown and are pushed off by new spring growth. Our native Yellow poplar, Liriodendron tulipifera, and hickories, Carya spp., provide bright yellow fall foliage. And it’s difficult to find a more crisp yellow than fallen Ginkgo, Ginkgo biloba, leaves. These trees represent just a few choices for fall color. Including one or several of these trees in your landscape, rather than allowing the popcorn trees to grow, will enhance the season while protecting the ecosystem from invasive plant pests.
For more information on Chinese tallow tree, removal techniques and native alternative trees go to: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag148.
