A myth embraced here, a common mistake made there, can make houseplant cultivation a short-lived pastime for the inexperienced.
The No. 1 mistake made by inexperienced plant owners? Over-watering, the experts say, with under-watering coming in as a close second.
"Watering is the death of most houseplants," says Sharon Reed of Cantrell Gardens Nursery in Little Rock. "There's no science to watering; you just have to get a feel for it. If the pot is only a 4-inch pot, you know you need to check that every day."
Robin Connell, president of Plantation Services, warns that pests will be drawn to stressed (dried-out or over-watered) plants. Hot, dry windows tend to draw spider mites. Root rot, a common indoor plant disease caused by over-watering, makes the plant weak and can draw fungus gnats. "When the plant is stressed out ... that's typically when you'll get a pest to pop out and attack," Connell says. "And I don't know where they come from. ... They just magically appear."
Reed agrees. "The bugs seem to find [the stressed plants] and they come in to finish them off."
Too much fertilization, either by rate or frequency, is another mistake, says Janet Carson, associate professor for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and state coordinator for the Arkansas Master Gardener program.
It's another mistake, she says, to think that the easy-care plants can prosper in the dark. "All plants need some light to live," she says. "If you can't read a book in the area, [there's] not enough light to grow a plant."
It's a myth that if a plant pot lacks a drainage hole, the plant owner can compensate by merely placing crushed-up old pots or rocks in the bottom for drainage. This will not help, Carson says.
"All pots need a drainage hole -- or the plants will drown," Carson says. [There's] nowhere for excess water to go.
Carson says houseplants do require less water overall in the winter. But Reed believes it's a misconception that because the plants are "resting" in the winter, they need not be watered as often.
"I tend to have to water more during the winter," she says, adding that her fireplace draws humidity out of the house. She suggests misting the plants with a sprayer during the winter months.
-- Helaine R. Williams
HomeStyle on 08/30/2014