Sunday, November 15, 2009

House Plants?

on Some of my house plants the tips of the leaves are turning brown .... I keep them watered with chlorine free water and i fertilize them, what is the problem. it is my Corn Stalk plant leaves and my peace liles. They all have plenty of light. I tried higher elevation and keeping them from electronics, but they still turn brown.... What am I doing wrong?

House Plants?
Elevation and proximity to a household electronics never had or will have any effect on a plant.





you say they get plenty of light, how much? Arethe ygetting burned from the sun?





How often do you water them? If you are overwatering them, the roots could be rotting, resulting in dieback. They should only be watered when the soil is dry an inch or tw odown, jsut because the surface is dry doesnt mean under is dry also, check with a tooth pick, skewer, or chopstick.





How often do you fertilize? Over fertilization (too frequently) will burn the roots leading to die back. House plants should be fed every 2-4 weeks.





I would make sure it is not directly in a window recieving more than 6 hrs of direct sunlight, as the lack of vcirculation indoors can lead to burning from the sun. I would also adjust watering as needed. Yopu may want to remove the plants from the pots and examine their roots. If brown or black (they should be white, especially at tips) trim them some as black is rotting. I would also cut back on feeding if feeding more than once every 2-4 weeks
Reply:you need to mist them or spray with aerosol leaf shine.





i recommend misting
Reply:You are watering them TOO much!! Let the soil get completely dry and then drench them, this is the best watering process I have found. It is kind of cruel because you are depriving them of water until the soil is bone dry but it keeps them perked up, starting new shoots, and from developing the brown edges.
Reply:Just because plants are dry on the surface does not necessarily mean they aren't possibly soggy a few inches down. Buy a moisture meter and then you will know for sure. They are cheap and really useful.





Do you use room temperature water? Could you be feeding too much?
Reply:you are watering them too much. Most house plants don't require very much water at all. Let the soil get dry and then water unless they start to look worse. I water my house plants about once a week and fertilize every 2 weeks. You can gently break the leaves that are brown off and the plant will grow better.
Reply:Agreed, you are quite possibly "killing them with kindness" ie: to much water/fertilizer. Try these: purchase both a moisture meter and a soil test kit. Consult the info tabs in the soil if you still have them, or a garden shop for the proper soil PH levels for your plants (I love corn plants, btw). Also, keep the plants pruned. When the foliage starts to die off, trim the dying leaves from the plant so that the water and nutrients are being pulled from the roots and into the live areas, otherwise the plant is wasting energy trying to feed a dying leaf.





And silly as this sounds, talk to your plants. No really, there's a science behind it. The air you exhale contains carbon dioxide which plants need to thrive. They take in the CO2 and in turn give off our much-needed Oxygen. That, and the vibrations from your voice tend to make them happy and keep their energy flowing properly.

Broken Teeth

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