hot.
Avoid putting plants in either cold or hot drafts near open windows.
Many plant nurseries and garden centers sell houseplants totally covered in a paper wrapper or plastic sleeve to protect them from knocks and cold winds.
If possible, leave young children and lively dogs at home when shopping for plants!
Protective sleeve
Acclimatizing Plants to Your Home
As soon as possible, get your plants home and remove the wrappings. If left covered, stems and foliage may become distorted. Here are some ideas on how to establish plants indoors.
Check that the compost is lightly moist, but not saturated and waterlogged.
Initially, place your plant in a cool or moderately warm room, out of direct and strong sunlight, and away from cold or hot drafts. After a few days, position it in the location with its desired temperature and light intensity (see conditions recommended for individual plants in Part Two).
If the plant is flowering, avoid bumping it, which may cause buds to fall off.
If you suspect your plant is contaminated with pests and diseases, isolate and treat it with an insecticide or fungicide.
Pots, Saucers, and Cachepots
These are fundamental to growing houseplants. Traditionally, pots were made of clay, and these still are considered ideal for plants, though plastic pots have gained increasing popularity. Both have advantages and disadvantages.
Clay Pots
are heavier than plastic pots, creating a firm base for large plants
have a porous nature that allows damaging salts from fertilizers to escape—a bonus if plants are excessively fed
encourage the compost to remain cool in summer and warm in winter
have a natural color that harmonizes with all plants
absorb moisture readily, so must be immersed in clean water for a few hours before use
usually break when dropped on a hard surface
are more difficult to clean than plastic pots when very dirty
are more expensive than plastic pots
are usually used in conjunction with loam-based composts
Plastic pots and clay pots
Plastic Pots
are light and easy to handle
are not porous, so plants need less frequent watering than when in clay pots
are available in a wide color range
do not break easily when dropped, although cold temperatures make them brittle
are cheaper than clay pots
are usually used in conjunction with soil-less composts, such as those based on peat
Saucers
These are placed under pots to prevent water draining from the compost and trickling onto decorative surfaces. Most are now made of plastic, in a wide range of colors and sizes. Choose a size fractionally larger than the pot’s base.
Saucers
Cachepots
Also known as cover pots and potholders, cachepots are decorative, usually complementing the decor and a plant’s flowers and leaves. Some are plain colors, while others are patterned; most are round, others square. The growing pot is placed inside the cachepot. The rim of the growing pot must be level or slightly below that of the cachepot.
The practical difficulty with cachepots is that it is easy to over-water a plant unwittingly. Water remains in the pot’s base, eventually causing roots to decay. About 10 minutes after watering a plant, remove the plant, together with its growing pot, and tip away water remaining in the cachepot’s base.
Cachepot
Range of Pot Sizes
Pots are measured by the width across the rim, ranging from 2in (5cm) to about 15in (38cm). For home gardeners who buy a plant and discard it when it ages and becomes unsightly, only a few spare pots are needed, but enthusiastic houseplant growers will need a few more so plants can be repotted into larger pots. Ideally, when repotting a plant, especially when small, a pot of only about 1in (25mm) larger than the existing one is about right. However, this would require a wide assortment of pots, so a range of pots, each about 2in (5cm) larger than the next, is usually selected.
Match the cachepot color to the colors of the plant.
Potting Composts
Garden soil is unsuitable for growing plants in pots indoors; it has a variable nature and may contain pests, diseases, and weed seeds. Buy special compost mixtures.
Traditionally, loam-based composts were—and still are—used. These are formed of partially sterilized loam, sharp sand (also known as concreting sand), and peat, with the addition of fertilizers and ground limestone or chalk. Never use soft sand (or builders’ sand), which compacts when wet and does not allow air to penetrate the compost.
Difficulties in obtaining good loam encouraged the creation of composts without loam, known as soil-less composts. They are formed mainly of mixtures based on granulated peat and are uniform, as well as lighter and cleaner to use than loam-based types. Both have advantages and disadvantages.
Understanding the Term “Compost”
The term compost is often confusing and can be interpreted in several ways. Here are a few terms you might encounter.
Potting composts are free from pests and diseases and are specially formulated to encourage the active growth of roots, providing suitable plant foods, air, and moisture. All references in this book to “compost” are solely to potting composts.
Loam-based composts are primarily based on partially sterilized loam.
Soil-less composts, often known as soil-less compost mixes, are mainly formed of granulated peat and, for that reason, are frequently called peat-based composts.
Garden compost is derived from organic waste material from gardens and kitchens that has been placed in a compost heap or bin and allowed to decay. Eventually, this material, when fully decayed and friable, is either dug into soil to improved its structure and fertility, or spread on the surface of bare soil or around (but not touching) established plants to increase soil fertility and inhibit the growth of weeds (known as mulching). The decaying process can take up to a year and is influenced by temperature, bacteria activity, air, and moisture. This material is not a suitable compost in which to grow house plants.
Garden soil (sometimes just referred to as potting soil) is not suitable for house plants as it has a variable nature and may contain an imbalance of clay, silt, and loam as well as being contaminated by pests and diseases. It may also be excessively acidic or alkaline and nutritionally imbalanced.
Loam-Based Composts
are