Vacation Care
Invariably, there are times when plants are left unattended for several days. This is not a problem in winter, when most are not very active, but arrangements need to be made to look after them in summer.
Helping plants survive
1 If you are going away for only a few days, place a plastic sheet on the floor in the center of a room and stand your plants on it. Fill their saucers with water.
2 Keep small plants moist by standing them in a shallow tray packed with moist peat.
3 Place a piece of capillary matting on a draining board and trail the other end into a sink full of water. Stand plants directly on it, not in their saucers. This works well for plants growing in peat-based compost in plastic pots, without crocks in their base.
4 Use wicks to keep compost moist in small pots. Push a wick into the compost and trail the other end into a pot filled with water.
5 Shallowly fill a wide basin with clean water and place one or more plants in it. This is ideal for houseplants that like plenty of moisture, such as some ferns.
6 Fill a shallow container with expanded, light-weight clay particles (which resemble small, hard, ceramic, shell-like pebbles with porous cores), add water to just below their surface, and stand plants on top.
Before leaving home
1 Close the door of the room to prevent drafts from drying plants or from pets from knocking them over.
2 Draw the curtains in summer, especially those that face strong, direct sunlight.
3 A week before leaving home, check that plants are not infested with pests and diseases. Spray immediately if they are.
4 Remove faded flowers and those that will be past their prime by the time you return. Remove dead leaves.
Close doors to prevent pets from knocking over plants.
Stand plants on capillary matting.
Use wicks to water plants.
Stand plants in a bowl of water.
Remove faded flowers.
Remove dead leaves.
Houseplant Problems
Few plants can escape from pests and diseases or cultural problems (often known as physiological disorders), such as leaves and flower buds falling off. It is much easier to prevent attack by pests and diseases than to eliminate them from badly affected plants. Here are some prevention tips.
Buy plants from reputable sources.
Inspect plants before buying.
Regularly check for infestations.
Never use garden soil instead of potting compost as it may contain weed seeds, pests, or diseases.
Avoid leaving dead flowers and leaves around plants.
Check root balls for soil pests when plants are being repotted.
Never use infected plants as propagation material.
The chemicals permitted by legislation vary from country to country and state to state, so if prevention fails, check with your local nursery or garden center about the most suitable insecticide to use for your specific problem.
Pests
Aphids: also known as greenfly, aphis, and aphides, they are the main pests of houseplants. These small, usually green, sap-sucking insects infest flowers, shoot tips, and soft leaves, sucking sap and causing mottling and distortion. They also excrete honeydew, which attracts ants and encourages the presence of a fungal disease called sooty mold.
Control: spray with a suitable insecticide as soon as aphids are seen. Repeat every 10–14 days throughout summer.
Cyclamen mites: these infest a wide range of plants, including cyclamen, pelargoniums, saintpaulias (African Violets) and impatiens (Busy Lizzies). They are minute, eight-legged, spider-like creatures that cluster on the undersides of leaves. They suck sap, causing leaves to crinkle and darken. Flowering is shortened and buds become distorted and may fall off.
Control: remove and burn seriously infested leaves and flowers. Spray with an acaricide. Destroy badly infected plants to prevent the mites from spreading.
Mealy bugs: white, waxy, woodlice-like creatures that live in groups and especially infest ferns, palms, azaleas, and hippeastrums. They suck sap, causing distortion, loss of vigor, and yellowing of leaves. They excrete honeydew, which encourages the presence of ants and sooty mold.
Control: wipe off light infestations with cotton swabs dipped into methylated spirits (rubbing alcohol). Spray with a suitable insecticide or burn seriously infected plants.
Red spider mites: also known as greenhouse red spider mites, they are spider-like, minute, usually red, and have eight legs. They suck leaves, causing mottling and, if the infestation is severe, webs. These are unsightly, reduce air circulation around the plant, and make eradication difficult.
Control: mist-spray daily with clean water (but avoid spraying flowers or soft leaves) and spray with a suitable acaricide.
Scale insects: swollen, waxy-brown discs, usually static, under which female scale insects produce their young.
Control: young scale insects can be wiped away with a cotton swab dipped in methylated spirits (rubbing alcohol). Established colonies are difficult to eradicate, and badly contaminated plants are best burned.
Thrips: these tiny, dark brown, fly-like insects jump from one plant to another. They pierce leaves and flowers, sucking sap and causing silvery mottling and streaking. Undersides of leaves develop small globules of a red liquid that eventually turns black.
Control: spray several times with a suitable insecticide or burn seriously infected plants. Keep the compost moist, because dryness intensifies the damage caused by these insects.
Vine weevils: serious pests in the adult form, when young, and as larvae. Adults are beetle-like, with a short snout. They chew all parts of plants. The larvae—fat, legless, and creamy white, with brown heads—inhabit compost and chew roots.
Control: immediately water the compost with suitable insecticide and spray the leaves. Destroy badly infected plants.