Houseplant Cleaning and Care

Add houseplants to your list of cleaning chores this month. 

Cleaning dust from the leaves of houseplants not only makes them look good but allows more light to reach the leaves and that means healthier plants.

Use a damp sponge or cloth to wipe dust off smooth leaves.  Use a cosmetic or other soft brush to remove dust from fuzzy leaved plants like African violets.  Or use a blow dryer set on cool and the very lowest power setting.

Remove any dying, discolored or dead leaves.   Move plants to a sunnier spot and adjust watering as needed to eliminate future problems.  Not only will the groomed plant look better but you will be better able to monitor its health.

Trim brown tips off the edges of spider plants, dracaenas, and Ti plants for a tidier appearance.  Use sharp scissors to create a new green tip that mimics its natural appearance.

And turn plants regularly so all sides have equal exposure to the light, encouraging even growth on all sides.

A bit more information:  Add an artificial light to plants with stunted or poor growth.  The combination of natural and a cool fluorescent light will provide the wide spectrum of light African violets and other flowering houseplants need to bloom.  Check out all the new spot and clip-on light fixtures that are now available.  They’re easy to use and they look good.  And best of all your plants will grow fuller with full- size leaves. 

Tags

dracaena houseplants maintenance corn-plant spider-plant

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