How To Care for Houseplants – Light

Deciding how much light your plant needs can be a very tricky decision to make.  If a plant is receiving too much or too little light, it could die.

In general, foliage plants need less light than flowering plants and most houseplants enjoy plenty of partial sun or bright light rather than direct sunlight.

However, these are only very general rules and they do not apply to every plant.  Therefore, in order to help you make sure that your plant is getting the right amount of light, become familiar with these terms to describe lighting conditions:

• Direct Sun – This type of sun is normally foundin areas with south facing windows.  Sunlight pours in for at least 5 hours a day.  Only a few plants can tolerate this much light, mainly Cacti and certain Succulents.  However, many sun loving plants, if given some shade protections and lots of water, will survive in these locations.
• Partial Sun – this includes locations which have windows facing either east or west, and which thus receive direct sun for less than 5 hours per day.  flowering houseplants especially enjoy these locations, but you must provide adequate shade protection in west facing windows during the summertime.
• Bright Light - These are areas which receive a great deal of light through the reflection of sunlight off of ceilings and walls, but which do not receive any direct sun.  The majority of the foliage plants you will buy enjoy this type of light.
• Filtered Light – This refers to light which shines through either an overhang or trees and bushes outside of the window, or through blinds or curtains inside of the window.  Normally, an area approximately five to ten feet away from a window which receives direct sun for a portion of the day may fit into this category.  While only a few flowering plants can tolerate this fairly low lighting condition, many foliage plants can adapt very easily to this type of atmosphere.
• Shade - This type of light can be found in interior rooms which receive no light from windows.  Most houseplants cannot survive in such conditions without the aid of artifical lighting.

When choosing a lighting condition for your plant, the most important thing to remember is that both the intensity of the light and the length of time the light hits that particular spot in your house are the two factors which will affect your plant the most.

You must also be aware that the growth of your plant will depend on the seasonal increases and decreases in light intensity.  Therefore, during the summer, when the intensity of light and heat is at its strongest, plants will grow faster and will need mroe moisture and fertilizer than during winter months when the light is less intense.

The portion of the country that you live in also affects the amount and intensity of light your plants take in.  If you live in a high elevation, your plants will receive a higher intensity of light than someone who lives at sea level.  Snow, smoke, haze, fog, screens, porches, shrubs growing outside of windows, there are many things that can influence the type of light your plants will get in your home.   Because there are so many different factors which alter the amount and type of light your plants are taking in, it is extremely important to be on the lookout for signs that your plant is receiving too much or too little light.  Too much light will cause a plant to wilt and its beautiful green leaves to fade.  Too little light forces a plant to drop many of its leaves and to grow unusually thin, long leaves.

Another important lighting tip concerns plants which are kept near a window.  Always be sure to turn these plants every now and then or else the plant will begin to grow in the direction of the window, where its source of light is coming from.  Be aware that windows can magnify the heat from the sun, and that plants kept near a sindown during summertime are susceptible to leaf burn.

If the space you choose for your plant does not offer it a sufficient amount of light, you can either boost the amount of light it is receiving through the use of artificial light, a fluorescent light fixture is the most efficient way to do this, or simply give the plant less fertilizer, thus discouraging it from growing at a rate which would require a type of light you cannot offer.

Plant Facts and all Green Growing Things – Part 1

Below are some answers for kids and grown-ups about all green growing things.  Enjoy and learn together!

1.  What Makes Most Plants Green?

Green plants owe their color to a pigment called chlorophyll.  This substance absorbs sunlight.  It converts this light energy into chemical energy, which is stored in the plant and released as oxygen.  It is this process, called photosynthesis, that supplies the atmosphere with most of its oxygen.  Without green plants, there would be no life on Earth.

If you have plants in the house, it is important to make sure they are in a position where they will get sunlight. 

2.  Why Do We Water Plants?

The leafy parts of plants consist largely of water.  Some of this is lost as the plant breathes and some dries out in the sun.  This water has to be replaced by wter drawn up through the plant’s roots.  Minerals the plant needs from the soil are dissolved in the water, so this is how the plant is fed.  These minerals are particularly important to green plants because they are needed for the process of photosynthesis.

3.  Why Do People Use Manure For Plant Food? 

As land is used for raising crops and veggies, minerals in the dirt are used up causing the soil to no longer be nutritious for the growing plants.  These minerals must be replaced.  Gardeners and farmers use animal dung to help replace the nutrients that the plants need to continue to grow. 

The two kinds of fertilizers, mineral and organic are often used to aide in the growth of crops and the food that we need.  Mineral fertilizers are those that are manufactured and then purchased.  Organic fertilizers consist of plant matter and animal dung that builds up over time, and creates this huge heap of manure.  Farmers then carefully spread this organic fertilizer over the soil.  This keeps the dirt full of necessary nutrients for the continued growth of our food supply.  

4.  What is Animal Dung?

Animal dung refers to waste products from digested food that the animal has eaten.  It contains nutrients which are readily taken in to the plant from its roots underground. Animal dung works best when it is spread over the dirt in a “fresh” state, as it’s nutritional value is at its highest level.  If the manure has dried, farmers will often dampen it with water so that it is absorbed into the ground more quickly. 

I know it sounds gross, but one ”animal’s” waste is another plant’s food!

5.  Why Do Some Trees Grow So Tall?

Sunlight is essential to keep plants and trees green and healthy.  The surface of green plants and the leaves of trees have to be exposed to sunlight so that photosynthesis can take place.  Trees which grow in woods or forests make a lot of shade.  Therefore, to obtain the light they need they grow upward towards the sunlight.  New branches and leaves grow on the upper part of the tree where there is maximum light.  House plants tend to lean toward the light for the same reason.

Some of the tallest trees in the world are found in tropical jungles.  This is because these areas have long periods of sunlight and a lot of rain.  This abundance of light and water, which feeds the trees with minerals from the soil, produces very rapid growth throughout the year.

Popular Blossom for Balconies

Petunias On The Balcony

Petunia hybrida 

“Petunias are among the most popular blossom for balconies.  They’re also very attractive as borders and in garden beds.  These easy to care for plants come in lush colors, making a lovely garland for any balcony garden.”

The petunia is a member of the potato family, solanaceae.  Many hybrids are grouped under the name petunia.  There are approximately 30 species, nearly all from Argentina.  Native to the Southern hemisphere, they have adapted to almost every condition.  Petunias grow in many assortments of sizes, colors, shapes and bloosoms.  There are dwarf types 6 – 8 inches tall, and others that grow  over 1 foot in height.

Four Categories of Petunias

1. Double mutifloras have great quantities of double blossoms about 2 inches across. 
2. Double grandifloras have fewer but bigger double blossoms, some more than three inches across.
3. Single multifloras have great numbers of two to three-inch blossoms,
4. Single grandifloras boast huge blossoms, sometimes almost five inches across, some with elaborately ruffled or fringed petals.

The newer multiflora hybrids bloom very profusely and are also disease-resistant.  Their smaller, simpler flowers ae less likely to be torn up by rainstorms than the flamboyant grandifloras.  Double multifloras and double grandifloras are extremely effective trailing from planters or hanging baskets, where their lush, summery beauty can be appreciated at eye level.  Double petunias make beautiful bouquets of short- stemmed cut flowers.

Starting With Seeds

You can easily grow your own seedlings under controlled conditions.  This allows you an early start, guaranteeing a supply of sturdy seedlings ready for transplanting at the proper time.

Starting seeds indoors is not difficult, even for novices.  Eight to ten weeks before the last frost is due, sow the seeds in containers of potting soil covered with moist sphagnum moss.  Use a seed-starting mixture, since common gardensoils just aren’t satisfactory for seedlings in containers.  A good seed starting medium is one composed mainly of vermiculite, covered with sphagnum moss.

Since the seeds are tiny – 300,000 to the ounce – they will fall into crevices in the moss and need not be covered with soil.  The seedlings are healthiest when they can grow to the budding state at a mild temperature of approximately 55 degrees F.  When the seedlings have developed three or four leaves, it is time to transplant them to single 2 - 3 inch pots.

The best way to water seeded pots of flats is from the bottom, or by spraying from above using a very fine, low-pressure spray of tepid water; being careful to avoid overwatering.  You don’t want the plants to swim, or for their fragile stems to bend and break.

A week before planting, it’s a good idea to “harden off” your seedlings by shifting them to a corner of the porch or the patio protected from strong winds, yet open to sunlight and temperature changes.  After 3 to 5 days, set the seedlings, still in pots, in a fully exposed outdoor location.  This gradual change in environment will mean tougher plants, better adapted to their new garden environment  Petunias will self-sow readily, but the seedlings will rarely look anything like the parents.

Care and Feeding

All pentunias flower prolifically and thrive in a sunny location.  They require loamy, well – fertilized soil and plenty of water during the summer.  They respond well to monthly feeding with a complete fertilizer.

Petunias can be attractively planted along the edges of garden walks and walls, where their colorful lushness screens and softens straight lines, and provides a greaceful transition from one area to another.  Many petunias are fragrant, especially druing the evening hours.

Petunias may do poorly during hot weather.  If they look straggly and are not blooming well, cut them back to a few inches and feed them liquid ferilizer, giving them a good soaking with water.  

Tips To Remember

• Double grandifloras can be slow to grow from seed.  You may be better off buying nursery-grown seedlings.  Choose your seedlings while there is a good selection available.
• When growing seedlngs, use fluorescent lights as a light source.  Two 40-watt daylight type bulbs in a reflecting fixture case the equivalent of strong sunlight in a 12 x 40 inch area.  This will give you an advantage at planting time.

Secrets For Success:

Location - Petunias grow best in full sun.  Space 8 – 12 inches apart.  Smaller vareties aer best for beds, larger plants make excellent container choices.

Soil - A rich, loamy, well-drained garden soil is preferred.  Fertilize regularly with a complete fertilizer.

Green Doctor – If petunia flowrs show serious budworm damage, break off and destroy flower clusters with holes in them.  This will destroy the young grub.  New buds will form.  Smog may cause spots on the leavees but the plants will outgrow the damage. 

Enjoy the Petunias in your garden or on the balcony!