A Look Inside

The January thaw has past and now the yard is frozen hard for the remainder of the winter. It is still too early to start the spring seedlings. Instead of looking out longingly at the frozen yard, it is time to look inward. Whoa, not THAT inward...it's time to look at your houseplants!

Winter is hard on houseplants. The air is drying, the sunlight coming in from the windows is weak and it is primary season for spider mites to emerge. This is a great time to give a little 1:1 TLC to every plant and help it (and you) get through the winter. I take each of my houseplants to the kitchen and examine them in good light. Before doing anything to the plant I look for any evidence of spider mites. Spider mites are very, very tiny bugs that suck the juices out of plants, often the plant is beyond repair by the time it is evident they are infected. The most obvious sign of spider mites is the presents of tiny webs that look more like cobwebs than spiderwebs...it's easy to dismiss these as just 'dust'. If you have any sign of webs, assume you have mites. I also look for any sign of mildew or mold, plants have a hard time regulating their water intake and sometimes mold can start to develop.

I get rid of any dead leaves and any dead leaves that may be on the surface, dead leaves are a great place for mites and mold to accumulate. If there is no evidence of mites or mold I give the plant a really good soak in the sink. If it's a plant that can have wet leaves (i.e. not African violets) I give it a good rinse to get any of the dust off the leaves...plants are healthy when they can breathe. For plants that are too big to give them a good rinse in the sink or shower, a damp cotton ball works great to dust off the big leaves. I let the plant and soak in a few inches of water for an hour or too, this lets the plant take what water it needs and won't leave it sitting in a sauce dish of water for days on end.

If there are spider mites present, kill them and quarantine your plant! Insecticidal soap sprays carrying pyrenthin is effective at killing mites but so it's all purpose dish soap. One tablespoon of liquid dish washing soap (I use Dawn) to 1/2 gallon of water does the trick. You could either spray the plant thoroughly for 3 days in a row or you can do a 'dip'. The dip works for some plants but it depends on the size of the plant. Make the same soap mix into a bucket and then submerge the plant's top part into the soapy water and do a gently swishing motion. The movement will dislodge the critters and the soap will kill them. This can also be used for aphid infestations. After the dip, rinse the soap off the plant's leaves and leave it in isolation where it can be checked daily for any signs of insects, usually a week is long enough before returning it back with the other houseplants.

Mildew and mold are usually a sign of over watering. To kill the mold, I lightly spray the plant with Lysol spray, yes, Lysol. I have even used this for my African violets. After the mold has subsided it's time to change watering behavior. Rather than watering from above or letting the plant sit in a saucer of water, bring it to the sink and let it soak for an hour. Always check if the soil is still moist before watering, of course.
The last thing I do with my houseplants is look to see if any of the branches are getting lanky from the lack of sun. Sometimes just the clean out of the dead leaves gets enough sunlight to the middle to prompt new growth. You could also cut back some of the straggly bits to promote more growth in the weeks ahead to help fill in the plant.