- Bugs.
Give your plant a really thorough checkover and look for all types of
insects. Common ones are Mealy Bugs, Root Mealy Bugs, Scale Insect,
Aphids, Red Spider Mite, White Fly, Vine Weevils, Symphalids and Sciarid
Fly. The first course of action would be to gently remove the insects
with a toothbrush or soft brush, being careful not to let them drop
onto the soil of the plant (as they will just climb right back up) or
into any other part of the house or garden where they might do damage.
Give the plant a good wash. As a last resort and this should really
be stressed, insecticide can be used, follow the instructions very carefully.
-
Repotting. A good routine to get
into is to repot your houseplant immediately. There are many different
sizes of compost bags, one to suit all requirements. Buy a pot one size
larger ( one fingers width all the way round ) when you buy your houseplant.
The old soil can be checked for bugs.
- Health.
Check to make sure the plant is healthy before you buy ie: there are
no yellow leaves, the plant is excessively dry due to lack of water,
(a common problem which might not be showing a problem for the plant
yet but will when you get it home) or infested with bugs.
- Room
to Grow.
Check to see if the plant has room to grow. Repot to one size larger
ie:roughly one fingers width of extra space all around the plant, a
small plant = little finger, large plant = thumb. Do this as a matter
of course and then your plant will be healthy for the following year.
- Tepid
Water.
Whether you repot or not soak your plant with plenty of tepid water
when you first get it home.
- The
best conditions.
We have all been tempted by some particularily tender plants which will
not grow and nearly always die, really it is not your fault. Imagine
a vast nursery greenhouse with a constant warm temperature of 21C and
an automatic water mist every few hours. It is just not possible to
replicate these conditions at home.
- Your
first Houseplant.
Make sure your first houseplant is an easy one to care for, a Chinese
Money plant will stand neglect and quite harsh conditions and it is
a favoured Feng Shui plant, supposedly attracting money to its owner
if placed in the correct position. Good light and little water will
see it survive well.
- Presents.
If you really do not want your Aunties green leafed present or your
plant just gets too big, dont let it die give it to someone who loves
plants.
- Almost
dead.
Be wary of buying half dead but cheap plants in garden centres, sometimes
you have to be a miracle worker to make them survive. However it can
be very rewarding if you have success with bringing a plant back from
the brink.
- Flowers.
Look at the base of the plant to see if there are lots of buds. The
more buds the more flowers.
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