CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS OF INDOOR HOLIDAY GIFT PLANTS Receiving a plant is a special gift. While it is a challenge to replicate the natural growing conditions of these tropical plants, it is possible to grow them successfully indoors. Whether you are a novice or have a seasoned green-thumb, follow these cultural tips for success:
Common Name
Amaryllis
Christmas Cactus
Elatior or Rieger Begonia
Scientific Name
Hippeastrum
Schlumbergera x buckleyi
Begonia x hiemalis
English Ivy Hedera helix
Light Preference
Watering
Temperature
Bright light, no direct sunlight, except eastern exposure in winter.
65º during When top of day; 50º at soil 1/2" is dry night for best to the touch. growth conditions.
Very bright light conditions with at least two hours of winter sun.
To encourage cactus to set buds in autumn, keep Water night thoroughly temperature when top half consistently of soil feels between 45º completely and 55ºF. dry. After 15 Prevent bud minutes drop, avoid remove all drafts and excess water large from the temperature holding saucer. fluctuations, keep humidity high and water correctly.
Bright, filtered light, with maximum light in winter.
When soil feels dry, water 70º during thoroughly. day; 50º at Discard excess night. water after 15 minutes.
Bright light with one to two hours of sunlight in winter, none in summer.
Keep evenly 65º during moist, not day; 50º at allowing to dry night for best
out to the point growth of wilting. conditions. Water from below, tubers easily become waterlogged. If Bright light all day with one watering from to two hours of full sun. above, keep water out of the center of the plant.
Florist's Cyclamen
Cyclamen persicum
Gardenia
Keep evenly moist, not allowing to dry out to the point Gardenia Bright light with at least four of wilting. augusta, syn. G. hours of sunlight per day. Water with jasminoides distilled water once a month to leach out fertilizer salts.
Jasmine
Kalanchoe
Miniature Rose
Bright light, with some direct sunlight in east or west exposure.
Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
Water thoroughly Give abundant sunlight with when the top at least four hours of direct layer of soil sunlight every day. feels dry to the touch.
Rosa spp.
65º-70ºduring day; below 55ºat night for best growth conditions. Higher temperatures will result in leaf and bud drop. Provide extra humidity.
J. nitidum & J. sambac prefer night Keep moist at temp. above all times, wilts 60º. J. easily. officinale gradiflora blooms best at 55º or lower.
Jasminum-J. nitidum; J. sambac; J. officinale grandiflora; J. polyanthum
Rosa spp.
65º during day; 50º at night for best growth conditions.
Bright sunny window.
65º-70ºduring day; 50º-60ºat night for best growth conditions. Continuous light watering. Do no let dry out, but do not soak, which
will cause root rot.
Norfolk Araucaria Island Pine heterophylla
Ornamental Pepper and Jerusalem Cherry
Bright light, preferably east or west with two hours of direct sun for best color.
Capsicum Minimum of 4 hours direct frutescens; and sun every day, preferably Solanum eastern exposure. pseudocapsicum
When soil feels dry, water thoroughly. Discard excess water after 15 minutes.
Grows best between 60º and 72º F during the day and 50º to 65º F at night.
Water thoroughly when the top layer of soil feels dry. Do not allow plants to wilt.
These South American natives prefers 70º F in the day and between 6065º F at night.
Euphorbia pulcherrima
Water when top layer is dry to touch. Water until A minimum of four hours of water drains direct sunlight a day. from the bottom. Discard excess water after 15 minutes.
65º-70ºduring day; 55º-60ºat night for best growth conditions.
Rosemary
Rosmarinus officinalis
Cool room with good air circulation. Increase humidity with pebble tray, filled with water half way up pebbles.
Warm spring and summer. Cool indoors during winter.
Common Name
Feeding
Poinsettia
Amaryllis
Slow release pellet balanced fertilizer after repotting.
Direct sun for four-five hours.
Transplanting/Propagation Maintenance After foliage yellows completely, store potted bulb in a cool dry place,( 55-65). When signs of life appear
Remove faded flowers, cut do not but off green flower
Special Points Do not let flowers touch cold window glass in
repot in a mix of a rich, stalk or other sterilized houseplant potting foliage. soil, peat moss and sand with plenty of chards for draingage.
winter.
Christmas cactus can be coaxed into bloom if night temperatures Christmas cactus grows best are kept cool ( in clay pots in a soil mix of Removal of 50-55ºF) If one part shredded peat moss, spent flowers night one part sterilized and stem tips temperature is houseplant potting soil, and after flowering 55 to 70ºF, 13 one part sand. Propagate by promotes hours of taking 3-4" stem cuttings in branching and uninterrupted spring or summer. Dip more flowers. darkness must hardened-off cuttings in be given for buds to form. Cover plants with black cloth during the night
Christmas Cactus
Schlumbergera x buckleyi
Elatior or Rieger Begonia
After all blooms have faded, let dry for 10 days. Prune to 3 inches in height. Repot Monthly , water into a pot 1-1 1/2"larger in soluble fertilizer diam. Use a light mix of of 15-30-15. 1part sterilized houseplant soil, 1 part peat moss and 1 part perlite
Avoid drafts, hot or cold. Pinch above leaf node to promote bushier growth.
Does not like to be root bound.
Regular cleaning, Feed March When roots show growth pinching & through from bottom of container, checking for September, with transplant to next larger size disease/insects. English Ivy dilute, standard pot.Use soil based potting Trim weak or liquid fertilizer mix. Propagate from stem spindly growth every two cuttings, taken just below in early spring. weeks. leaf node, or by layering. Prune long stems as necessary.
To dislodge and discourage spider mites, place plant under running water once a month.
Florist's
Cyclmen
Fertilize every
Grows easily from seed
When
Cyclamen
two weeks with a water soluble, high phosporous, liquid food after the dormant period (March to May) is over.
under fluorescent lights for 14-16 hours per day. Start seeds in winter for flowering in a year.
dormancy begins, separate the yellow leaves from the tuber. Hold off on watering and re-pot tubers into a mix of equal parts sterilized houseplant potting soil and perlite. Plant with the tuber 1/2" above the soil. Resume normal wateri
Gardenia
To encourage continuous bloom, keep the night temperature below 65 and Transplant when pot bound Feed during the feed with into a soil mixture of two growing season dilute fertilizer parts peat moss, one part (March through with iron every sterilized houseplant potting September) two weeks soil and one part sand or with a dilute during the perlite. To propagate, take 3fertilizer with growing 4" stem cuttings is early iron for acidseason. spring just below the leaf loving plants. Prune/shape node. Dip stem cuttin the plants in early spring to encourage branching and compact growth.
Jasmine
Standard liquid fertilizer once every two weeks during spring/summer.
Soilbased potting mix. Move young plants of J. mesnyi & Grows rapidly, J. polyanthum into pots one prune often as or two sizes larger in needed. summer. J. officinale in eary spring.
grows best under very cool, bright condition with a relative humidity above 50%.Coax Cyclamen into dormancy by holding back on watering after flowering period.
Monitor and treat insect and mite pests as quickly as possible. Avoid leaf and flower bud drop by giving proper light, temperature, and humidity requirements.
When plants reach 8-10" pot size, topdress with fresh potting soil annually.
Kalanchoe
Miniature Rose
After flowering, feed with a water soluble liquid fertilizer for flowering houseplants twice monthly during the growing season (March through September)
65º-70ºduring day; 50º-60ºat night.Provide extra humidity for best growth conditions.
Repot in the early spring, after flowering, into a rich, well-drained, porous soil mix of one part sterilized houseplant potting soil, a handful of small crushed stones, one part coarse builder's sand and one part organic matter. Take 3-4"
Prune and shape Kalanchoe after flowering. To re-bloom for Christmas, begin on September 1 and cover the plant with a black cloth from 6 pm to 7 am every night until October 1. The buds will form under these conditions and flowering will be
Move to the Make pencil sized holes and next size pot drop in specially formulated only, when granular, not powdered, roots fill fertilizer. container.
If re-blooming is not required at holiday time, the Kalanchoe will normally bloom in the spring.
In moderate climates, container plants can remain outdoors all year. In areas of heavy freezng, place in sheltered area. If plant drys out leave standing in water for several hours to recover.
Feed once every two weeks with Norfolk dilute, standard, Island Pine liquid fertilizer only during the growing season
Transplant to next larger size deep pot in a mix of equal parts sterilized houseplant potting soil, peat moss and sand/or perlite, with a tablespoon of bone meal.
Turn slightly every week for symmetrical growth. Supply extra humidity to
Needs as much natural light as possible in the winter months for good
(MarchSeptember) .
Propagate from tip cutting from very top of old plants to develop symmetrical
Indoors both plants should During the be treated as annuals. growing season, Discard once fruiting period Ornamental feed once a is over as plants decline in Pepper and month with a vigor. From January to early Jerusalem water soluble March, they are easily Cherry tomato-type grown from seed Seedlings liquid fertilizer. best grown outdoors over summer, in eastern sun.
Poinsettia
Rosemary
avoid the symmetrical common development. problem of brown needles. Keep pinching back stem tips every few weeks during the growing season to encourage branching and flower production.
Keep Poinsettia in a sunny location to coax bloom. Feed plants Bring outside started from for the summer cuttings, with a Move to the next size pot and pinch back water soluble, only, when roots fill the growing all-purpose container. Use one part tips to promote liquid fertilizer sterilized houseplant potting bushiness. twice a month soil with one part coarse Bring back in during the builder's sand or perlite. before first growing season frost and give (March through 14 hours of September). darkness per night until bracts show color
During growing season, fertilize with 5-10-5, don't overdo. Fertilize every 14th watering.
Repot after the growing season, especially if leaves are yellowing at base, an indication of a root bound plant. Repot to next size only. Prefers lean alkaline soil. Mulch with 2" of sand.
For Topiary and other specimens, pinch tips regularly, to promote bushiness. Rotate once a week for even growth.
Remember to discard when plants go into decline, as they act as annuals indoors.
Darkness must be uninterrupted. Keep night temperatures low and remember to give plant light each day.
A foliar feed of seaweed and fish emulsion will invigorate your specimen.
