Sheets of newspaper spread behind or under the plant will help and in some situations no harm can come to furnishings. After all, the total quantity of water is no more than a spoonful, yet it is broken up into so fine a spray that a health-giving film of moisture rests on the foliage of the plant. It may be possible with some plants to remove them to kitchen or bathroom for their daily spray or on a still day the operation can be carried out with abandon out of doors.
The thing to remember with plants that like a high degree of humidity is that so long as a certain minimal amount is provided constantly, only an occasional burst of high humidity is required. This will last them for some time.
First, we should look for color. The greatest degree of color, certainly the most obvious color, in a plant is in its flower. So if a plant is grown for its flowers rather than its foliage we know immediately that it must have good light.
There is, so far as I am aware, no exception to this rule. Some plants in their original wild homes grew in dense jungle, shaded and obscure with colourful and dramatic flowers in almost every case it will be -found that the flowers actually appear only when light is good enough, as, for example, when a climber succeeds in twining its way up the trunk of a tree to emerge near the top level of the forest foliage where the light is considerably brighter. Or the flowers may appear only on the plant that grows in or near a clearing or opening. The dramatic Swiss Cheese plant, Monstera deliciosa, is an example.
But one of the best methods of providing additional humidity for individual plants has the added advantage that it also assists in the vexed question of watering.
Our plants come to us growing in flower pots, sometimes terracotta and sometimes of plastic, both having drainage holes in their bases. Normally we stand these pots in a saucer, on a mat or in a decorative container so that moisture from the base holes does not damage the furniture.
The thing to remember with plants that like a high degree of humidity is that so long as a certain minimal amount is provided constantly, only an occasional burst of high humidity is required. This will last them for some time.
First, we should look for color. The greatest degree of color, certainly the most obvious color, in a plant is in its flower. So if a plant is grown for its flowers rather than its foliage we know immediately that it must have good light.
There is, so far as I am aware, no exception to this rule. Some plants in their original wild homes grew in dense jungle, shaded and obscure with colourful and dramatic flowers in almost every case it will be -found that the flowers actually appear only when light is good enough, as, for example, when a climber succeeds in twining its way up the trunk of a tree to emerge near the top level of the forest foliage where the light is considerably brighter. Or the flowers may appear only on the plant that grows in or near a clearing or opening. The dramatic Swiss Cheese plant, Monstera deliciosa, is an example.
But one of the best methods of providing additional humidity for individual plants has the added advantage that it also assists in the vexed question of watering.
Our plants come to us growing in flower pots, sometimes terracotta and sometimes of plastic, both having drainage holes in their bases. Normally we stand these pots in a saucer, on a mat or in a decorative container so that moisture from the base holes does not damage the furniture.
About the Author:
Indoor garden houseplants are very much like humans and pets in their likes and dislikes.
No comments:
Post a Comment