Joan Wilen and Lydia Wilen
Joan Wilen and Lydia Wilen are folk-remedy experts and home tipsters based in New York City. They have spent decades collecting “cures from the cupboard” and are authors of several books, including Secret Food Cures.
There’s a lot of evidence for houseplants helping to pick up your mood and improve your concentration and focus. Wilting indoor plants are unlikely to provide the needed pick me up though. Not everyone is blessed with a green thumb many of us need a little guidance to provide the best indoor plant care.
In this excerpt from the book Household Magic by Joan and Lydia Wilen the authors share their indoor plant care tips to keep your houseplants green and growing all year round.
A nice addition to any room is a splash of color—courtesy of plants and indoor flowers. These decorative accents can lend a feeling of hominess to your living space. Here are some ideas that will help you make your household greenery thrive. But first, an important warning…
CAUTION: We would be very remiss— especially if there are children and/or pets in the home—if we didn’t make readers aware of the fact that several common house and garden plants are poisonous (and potentially lethal) when ingested. Read on…
All parts of philodendrons, rhododendron, azaleas, laurels, dieffenbachia, elephant ears and buttercups are toxic…as are the seeds and pods of wisteria…the leaves and flowers of lily-of-the-valley…the bulbs of autumn crocus, hyacinths, narcissus and daffodils…the leaves of foxgloves, the berries of jasmine and mistletoe…and the leaves and branches of oleander.
In fact, the beautiful oleander bush that’s grown indoors and outdoors throughout the country is so potent that ingesting a single leaf can kill a child. Even using oleander twigs to spear meat that’s roasted over a campfire can (and has) proven fatal. While this sounds like material for a fictional murder mystery, it shouldn’t be taken lightly in real life.
If you want to check out a plant that you would like to bring into your home—or a plant that’s already there, visit “Avoiding Poisonous plants,” at Yardener.
Or call the US National Poison Hotline at 800-222-1222. When you dial this number, you will automatically be linked to the poison control center in your local area. The operator will look up the plant in question in a comprehensive database and tell you all that you need to know about its toxicity. This service is free, and it’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
A gardener at The New York Botanical Garden told us that April is generally the best month to bring home new houseplants. The reasoning is that the light becomes stronger and the days become longer in the springtime, which means better conditions and fewer problems for plants.
If a friend offers you cuttings of plants that you admire, ask him/her for a raw potato along with the cuttings. Cut off a chunk from one end of the potato, and make holes in it with a chopstick or ballpoint-pen cap. Gently insert the cuttings into the holes. Then put the potato with the cuttings in a bag or box, and they should stay safe and moist during your trip home.
Once the cuttings are home, you should mist them with a solution of 1 ⁄4 teaspoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide to two cups of water. This will serve to help prevent them from getting a fungal spore infection.
If you haven’t had much luck with plants due to your unintentional neglect, start over with those that require very little care. Select from Devil’s ivy, snake plants, corn plants, Chinese evergreens or begonias. And, this time, don’t forget to water them!
Clean Means Sunny
Up to twice as much beneficial sunlight will stream into your home through windows that are clean as opposed to windows that are dirty.
If you have a particularly sunny room, plants such as jade, coleus, cacti and orchids should all thrive there.
NOTE: The secret of growing orchids successfully is to keep them in a room that’s heated to between 75°F and 85°F during the day and 60°F and 65°F at night.
Many orchids will remain bloomless unless they live with the temperature variation of 15°F to 20°F between day and night.
You can grow healthy plants in a room without sunlight streaming in the window—and even without a window—as long as you have the right types of plants. Pothos, ferns, peace lilies and prayer plants do not require a sunbath to be hale and hardy. Just be sure to keep them watered properly or placed in a shady and humid area (such as the bathroom).
◆ Have you ever dissected a disposable diaper? Well, now’s your chance. Cut open a diaper (any brand/absorbency will do), remove the polymer flakes and mix them into the potting soil. Since the flakes absorb 300 times their weight in liquid, they will keep plant soil nice and moist. The polymer also stores nutrients, which will gradually feed the plant.
◆ When it comes to pots for flowering plants, bigger is not better. For the health of the plant, use a pot that will keep the roots close together rather than spread out.
◆ Instead of lining the bottom of your pots with rocks or pebbles, use polystyrene packing peanuts. They are good at retaining moisture—so you may not have to water plants as often— and they weigh next to nothing. That can make a big difference when you have to lug around a large potted plant.
It’s an especially good idea to use the packing peanuts in hanging plants because of how weightless and absorbent they are.
◆ Line the inside of the pot with a coffee filter or with the leg piece from an old pair of pantyhose. Then add the soil and the plant. The drainage hole will let the water out, and the pantyhose acts as a filter to keep the soil in.
◆ Plants that need lots of light—but do not get enough—usually look weak, gangly and yellowish. If you have sun-worshipping plants like geraniums, jade plants, ficus and cacti, line the windowsill near them with aluminum foil. The foil will enhance the reflection of the sun.
◆ Get a cardboard box big enough to house your plant(s). Cut off the top of the box and one of the sides. Then line the inside of the box with aluminum foil—shiny side out. Put the plant(s) inside the box and then place it near the window.
NOTE: The foil-lined box is better than the foil-lined windowsill because the plants in the box will be surrounded by reflected sunlight and will grow straight up—while the plants near the windowsill will be leaning toward the source of light—the window. If the cardboard box appears unsightly, cover the outside with attractive contact paper (self-adhesive vinyl).
In 1989, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducted extensive (and expensive) research during a two-year study. The scientists found a list of common, attractive and easy-to-grow houseplants that can dramatically reduce toxic chemical levels in the home. One plant will generally remove up to 87% of the toxic organic pollutants in a 100-square-foot area—increase the air-cleaning with even more plants
Putting plants in each room may go a long way in eliminating problems like sore throats, stuffy noses, headaches, nausea, teary eyes and even acne—all of which may be caused by indoor contaminants that come from drapes, carpets, insulation, paint, household cleaning products, paper towels, tissues, plastics…really, almost everything. Take this list with you when you shop for air-cleaning plants…
◆ Golden pothos
◆ Peace lily
◆ Spider plant
◆ Chinese evergreen
◆ Boston fern
◆ Rubber plant
◆ English ivy
◆ Bamboo palm
◆ Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)
CAUTION: The ficus tree or shrub is sensitive to gas leaks. If all of the leaves suddenly fall off your ficus plant, open your windows, then call the gas company to test your gas lines. Do not ignore what may be a warning that could save lives.
Plants should be misted several times a week to make up for the low humidity level in most homes. This is especially important during dry winter months.
Brush the Fuzzies
Do not mist plants that have fuzzy-surfaced leaves, including cacti. Clean the fuzzies with a soft brush instead. A clean, new makeup brush or a baby’s hairbrush both work well.
◆ Overwatering is the leading killer of houseplants. Know when to water a plant by sticking your finger about one inch into the soil.
If the soil feels dry, then it’s time to quench the plant’s thirst.
◆ Water your plants in the morning, when they begin to wake up. It’s when they will best absorb water.
◆ Watering often, but a little at a time, can weaken the roots. Instead, water plants thoroughly once every week—or whenever the soil feels dry to the touch.
◆ Plants prefer lukewarm or room-temperature water because it’s easier for them to absorb. But ice-cold or boiling-hot water—NEVER!
◆ Gelatin is a great source of nitrogen. Dissolve one envelope of unflavored gelatin in one cup of just-boiled water. Then add three cups of tap water and—when it cools to room temperature—use the mixture to give your plants an energy boost once a month.
◆ Water from boiled pasta or potatoes has a high starch content and makes an excellent plant fertilizer. Let the water cool to room temperature before using it.
◆ After you hard-boil an egg, douse your plants with the protein-enriched water. Wait until the water is lukewarm before you use it.
◆ Whenever you steam or cook vegetables, save the excess water as a vitamin-filled treat for your plants. Let the water cool to room temperature before using it.
◆ If your plants aren’t doing well, they may be sensitive to the chlorine gas in your city or town’s water system. Instead, let tap water sit in the watering can overnight (which will allow most of the gas to escape), then use it to water your plants.
Also, when it snows, gather a few handfuls of fresh powder in a bucket, let it melt and warm up to room temperature, then water your plants with the gas-free water.
◆ If you maintain a fish aquarium, save the old water every time you change it, and feed the nutrient-rich water to your plants. They will thank you by thriving.
◆ Alkaline-loving houseplants, especially African violets, always appreciate a dairy boost. Instead of throwing away an empty milk carton, fill it halfway with tap water and water your plants with it.
◆ Dissolve two tablespoons of Epsom salt (available at supermarkets and drugstores) in one gallon of warm water to quench your plant’s thirst. Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) provides the plant with magnesium
Do this once a month, and you’ll see your plant revive and thrive, and it will become more resistant to disease
◆ Used coffee grounds enrich the soil with nitrogen. In addition to being a good chemical-free fertilizer, the grounds will also make the plant undesirable to any cats you have roaming around.
Once a week, scatter one tablespoon of the moist, used coffee grounds onto the potted plant’s soil.
◆ To make a young plant grow into a full-bodied plant (instead of a tall, scrawny plant), pinch off the growing tips of the stems. This will wake up the lower-down dormant buds.
NOTE: You can do the same tip-pinching with vines, but never pinch a palm or any other one-point-of-growth plant.
◆ When a flowering plant starts to wither, gently remove the dead flowers so that the plant doesn’t waste its energy on them.
◆ Water your plant with sodium-free seltzer water or club soda that has gone flat. Make sure the fizzy stuff is at room temperature. This drink will help brighten the color of your plants’ leaves.
◆ To make the leaves of a plant appear their greenest, gently massage each leaf with castor oil or mineral oil.
◆ Use a soft cloth and wipe plant leaves with Cool Whip or milk (make sure it’s at room temperature). Sodium caseinate, the natural protein in dairy, is said to be an effective cleaner for plant-cell walls.
◆ Mix 1⁄8 cup of baking soda into one quart of lukewarm water, and then use it to wash one leaf at a time.
◆ Add a few drops of liquid dish detergent to one quart of lukewarm water, then wash each leaf. Not only will the plant be clean, it will also repel bugs.
◆ If the leaves of your plant are yellowish and yucky instead of bright and beautiful, try giving them an iron boost. Soak a steel-wool pad or some metal nails in a tin can filled with water overnight. Then you can use the heavy-metal water to supplement the plant’s iron deficiency.
Research suggests that playing music for your plants can help them flourish. Not all music, though…according to some experiments, rock music killed the plants, and classical music helped them thrive.
◆ Do not water hanging plants by putting ice cubes in them. It may be easier that way, but your plants will hate you for it. They prefer lukewarm or room-temperature water.
◆ If you place a potted plant inside a hanging basket, put a pair of baby or adult diapers (such as Huggies or Depends) under the pot to absorb the excess water that can leak from the drainage hole.
Once the pot is in the basket, it will look fine, but forget this suggestion if you have a hanging pot without the decorative basket—nobody wants to see a plant wearing a diaper.
◆ To prevent floors and carpets from getting wet each time you water a hanging plant, forget the silly superstition about opening an umbrella indoors…just turn the open umbrella upside down, and place it on the floor under the pot you want to water.
Let it stay there during and after the watering, until all of the excess water has dripped out of the pot’s drainage hole. Then you can empty and rinse out the umbrella, or move it along to the next hanging plant you want to water.
◆ Put a shower cap or plastic bowl cover on the bottom of the pot or basket to catch the excess water. Secure it in place with a tight, thick rubber band around the cap or cover.
To discover more outdoor and indoor plant care tips pick up your own copy of Household Magic from Bottomlineinc.com today.
