by Plant Circle

Common pests: Fungus gnats

Fungus gnats- identification, treatment and prevention! Often confused with fruit flies, fungus gnats are small, flying insects about the same size as their almost equally annoying cousins, that most people who live with houseplants have had to deal with at one time or another. Because adult fungus gnats are attracted to light, you might first notice these pests flying near your windows, making windows a great spot to place your yellow sticky traps. But we’ll get to traps later. First, let’s get into the gnats themselves! Fungus gnats develop through four stages; egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The lifespan of a fungus gnat is not very impressive, as the adults only live from about one to two weeks, and complete a full life cycle, including the egg and larvae stages, in about 18-30 days. However, their ability to reproduce at an astonishing speed, approximately 200 eggs a day, is where the real problems lies. While we can all agree that adult fungus gnats are an absolute nuisance, they are mostly harmless, and the larvae are the ones you actually need to worry about. Why? Well, fungus gnat larvae live in the topsoil of the plants, and primarily feed on fungi, hence the name, and organic matter in the soil. But since they also like to chew on the roots of the plants, they can stunt the growth of your plants, especially young and vulnerable ones.So if you were wondering why your plant suddenly stopped growing, slowed down, or started producing smaller or not fully formed leaves, it might actually be related to those annoying little flies buzzing around your plants and light sources! As with all plant pests and plant problems, there are a lot of tips and tricks out there on how to deal with fungus gnats. Some suggest preventing the flies from laying eggs by sprinkling cinnamon or sand on top of the soil, which in theory could prevent them from reproducing.Temperature also plays a big part when it comes to the ideal living conditions of fungus gnats, as they seem to really thrive at about 21-24c, which is unfortunately a very common temperature in most homes!Various tips and tricks aside, once you recognize that there is a problem with gnats in your home, we believe the most effective way to get rid of them, is by fighting them with either beneficial bugs, or a bacteria in the form of pill. Don’t be discouraged by the the words ‘bugs’ or ‘bacteria’, both options are 100% natural, and actually quite simple. Allow us to explain! Nematodes are predatory bugs, basically microscopic worm like creatures that will attack and feed off the larvae of other insects. Nematodes that are specifically sold to to fight fungus gnats and other pests, can be purchased online in pouches that you keep in the fridge until you’re ready to use them. You simply add them to water before watering your plants. The amount of water you need is determined by the amount of nematodes, and the amount of nematodes is determined by the number of plants you own, and you’ll need approximately 1 million nematodes for every 10 plants… don’t worry, like we said, they’re microscopic, so you won’t have a million visible worms in your home, more like a harmless looking powder that you add to your watering can! The bacterial solution is often referred to as Mosquito Bits in the US and the UK, and it is also known as ‘BTI’, which is short for Bacillus Thuringiensis  Israelensis. It is a naturally occurring bacteria found in soils, which contains spores that produce toxins that specifically target and only affect the larvae of the mosquito, the blackfly and, of course, our nemesis the fungus gnat!In Germany, you can find Bacillus thuringiensis sraelensis in pill form, making it by far one of the easiest solutions out there, as you just dissolve the pill in water according to the instructions, and then use that water to water your plants, and you don’t have to keep this solution refrigerated, or worry about an expiration date, as you do with nematodes. And while nematodes might have a slight advantage in some areas, the bacterial solution should kill all of the larvae just as well! While these two solutions are our main picks for fighting fungus gnats in your home, there are of course other methods of prevention to consider, including but not limited to: Letting your plants dry out between waterings. Fungus gnat larvae prefer wet, peaty substrates, as that type of soil is ideal for growing the fungus and cyanobacteria, that the gnats feed on. Investing in a carnivorous plant, such as a Pinguicula, commonly known as Butterworts, or a Drosera Capensis. The sticky, hairy leaves on carnivorous plants trap the gnats, and the plant then feeds on them. Using yellow sticky papers to capture the adult fungus gnats. This is important, because even though they don’t harm the plants directly, their offspring will, so we recommend using yellow sticky papers in combination with either nematodes or bacteria for optimal results! We hope you found some helpful tips for getting rid of those pesky gnats, and keeping your beloved plants happy and healthy!

by Plant Circle

Common pests: Thrips

Thrips. The word alone sends chills down the spine of any plant parent, an with good reason, because thrips are probably one of the worst pests you can find on your plants! They are hard to get rid of, and they can transmit viruses. And to make things worse, they can be difficult to identify! But fear not, we’ll teach you all about identification, treatment, and prevention! The symptoms of thrips are often confused with either over watering, due to yellow and brown spots on the leaves, or extrafloral nectaries, due to the tiny dots on the leaves. So how can you tell that you’re dealing with thrips and none of the above? The first signs of a pest infection presents itself when a new leaf on the plant doesn’t want to unfurl, the growth of the plant is stunted, tiny dots appear on the leaves, or yellow and brown spots start appearing, looking similar to those of an overwatered plant.As soon as you see any of the aforementioned symptoms, it’s time to inspect the undersides of the leaves closely and carefully for any signs of bugs. Thrips are tiny, slender bugs that are only few mm long, so they can be quite hard to detect! The thrips larvae is white, while adults are black in colour. They suck on plants, which causes plenty of damage in itself, however the worst part may be that they can transfer viruses from plant to plant. How do they do that?Not only do adult thrips have wings and are able to fly, but the fact that most people keep their plants standing close together, and often touching, makes it almost too easy for thrips to cross over to their next victim. So once you spot tiny, slender bugs, no wider than sewing needle, on the underside of the leaf, and those bugs move once you carefully poke them with a fingernail, you know you are dealing with thrips and it’s time to get to work, ASAP! First you’ll want to get rid of as many of them as possible. You can do that by either using a lint roller, as suggested by House Plant Journal, or by placing your plant in the shower and using the water pressure of the shower head to thoroughly clean the leaves. Thrips will not only always lay eggs, which you can’t really remove, but the adults will often hide in the unfurled leaves, or in the cataphyll, which in plant morphology means a reduced, small leaf. As you can imagine, those places are far more difficult to get to, and thats why your fight against trips unfortunately doesn’t end with a shower and a lint roller. To really get rid of thrips, we recommend that you follow the steps outlined below, and repeat them over the next four to six weeks. Now, to be quite frank, it is both easier and faster to get rid of the unwanted pests by using store bought pesticides. However, there are ways to do it at home in a much less invasive way, and we tend to prefers those, so if you do as well, read on! After you have carefully showered, or lint rolled, your plant, spray it with a mixture of Neem oil and castile soap, measuring about 1 tbsp of neem oil and 1 tbsp of castile soap to 1 liter of warm water. Read more about this mixture, and the benefits of using neem oil in this blog post! Apply your mixture to all parts of plants with a spray bottle, particularly focusing on the underside of the leaves. Neem oil has a rather distinct odour, so we suggest you open a window when you use it to immediately air the room! It could also be a good idea to apply the Neem spray while the plant is still in the bathroom, as the mixture will get the plant quite wet. Once the plant is sprayed, it’s time to put it in quarantine! The infected plant should be separated from other plants, ideally standing alone in a room with a window. At this time, you’ll need to check your other plants for pests too. Even if none of them have thrips at first glance, we strongly recommend spraying them too, or maybe even getting some beneficial bugs as a preventative measure against any pests still hanging around your home. Beneficial bugs for treatment of thrips include Amblyseius Californicus which also work well against spider mites, and Chrysoperla Carneo, also known as lacewings. Neem oil leaves a film on the leaves of the plant, so remember to rinse the leaves again a couple of weeks after the treatment, but avoid washing the leaves until you have already the introduced beneficial bugs. Neem oil can kill any insect by smothering or suffocating them, but pests will die from ingesting the treated leaves.The beneficial bugs, however, don’t eat leaves and are therefore not affected by Neem, but if you spray the plant after releasing the predators, you might smother them, so it’s important do do things in the right order! If you’d rather skip the predator bugs altogether, simply spray the plant with the Neem mixture on a weekly basis over the next four to six weeks. You can, of course, also buy a natural pesticide based on Neem oil instead of mixing one yourself, and additionally, you can buy Neem seeds and mix them into your plants potting mix, or add them to your water while watering. Your biggest takeaway from this should be the importance of repeating treatment for several weeks, while isolating the infected plant to make sure the bugs don’t spread to other plants. If you do this, you have a good chance of getting rid of the unwanted squatters on your plants! Bonus tip: if you’re lucky enough to have a balcony, we also recommend planting a variety of flowers on your balcony, in order to attract beneficial insects that are natural predators to thrips. Some good predators include pirate bugs, lacewings, and ladybugs. And last but not least, sticky traps can be helpful in capturing adult specimens. Good luck and may your plants be ever free of pests!

by Plant Circle

Introducing: Huperzia

An intro to the mysterious and controversial Huperzias, and Oliver’s top tips on how to care for them! If you’re trying to claim the title of the most plant obsessed person you know, nothing beats getting involved with the hot topic that is the Lycopodiaceae family! Even that simple sentence could stir up some serious drama in the taxonomy world, as this family has been highly contentious when it comes to classifications. Most commonly known as Clubmoss, these plants are ironically not moss at all, and in fact have a striking resemblance to fir trees, so some people also call them Ground Pines. We could go on and on covering the intrigue and drama surrounding the more than 400 species in this family, but since this is merely an introduction, we have decided to let you geek out and do some digging yourself… you have to earn the label ‘plant obsessed’ after all! But what we will do is give you the inside scoop on one genus of this family: the Huperzia. Huperzia has many of the same characteristics of other species of Lycopodiaceae: a fir tree-like leaf shape, dichotomous stem branching, and flowers/spores, which are called strobili. Most specimens are found in alpine regions with temperate environments, meaning they thrive in quite a unique ecosystem, that is rarely found in your average apartment! These environments often experience heavy fog, rain, and mist, and this fact is important to consider when trying to grow your Huperzia indoors. High humidity is important, as well as constant moisture in the substrate, which should be representative of those same alpine regions. These environmental needs obviously makes caring for a Huperzia a more difficult task than with other houseplants, so how exactly are you supposed to replicate the natural environment of sub-tropical alpine Asia in your own bedroom? Well, the answer is quite simple, but it does involve a certain level of dedication to the cause! Firstly, research! Understanding this plant is an important part of being able to care for it. Your research will probably lead you down a trail of confusing information, but understanding the mystery of these plants will help you understand the importance of their care. However, if you can’t be bothered spending your free time dredging through the difficult to find, and often conflicting, information about a plant family that has dozens of different names, then just skip it, and listen here: Water your Huperzia regularly. And by regularly we’re actually talking multiple times per week, and in the peak of summer it could even be daily. Ideally you want to make sure there is always moisture in the substrate. The Huperzia should be planted in a coco-chunk-like substrate which doesn’t hold water as well as a soil mix. Learning to feel the subtle weight difference between a watered and unwatered plant is of the utmost importance. Medium to high humidity will protect delicate Huperzia leaves from browning, and seeing as you are going to be watering the plant so regularly, watering the entire plant in the shower would be a great way to keep the leaves from drying out. Additionally, a humidifier, or grouping your Huperzia with other plants, can be helpful. Keep your Huperzia in a bright, well lit area with exposure to a few hours of morning sun, if possible. Midday and afternoon sun will burn your Huperzia dreams to dust, but a little morning sun will give you and your beloved Huperzia some time to relax and daydream about being 1/10th of the way up a beautiful Himalayan Mountain from the comfort of your inner-city dwelling! So, now that you’ve followed these care tips, your Huperzia is lush, and has branched several times, an indicator of age, and has begun to develop spores. At this point you’re probably thinking ‘’wow, lucky me, new plant babies!’… well, think again, budding Huperzia heads! Germination of spores takes between three and eight years, and if you are thinking about propagation, well, that’s just as difficult. In conclusion, the Huperzia is a true plant baby in an almost literal sense, meaning it’s all yours, and you will have trouble sharing it with other plant parents. So instead we recommend that you just cherish it, get to know it, love it, and it will love you back!

by Plant Circle

Plant care: Hard water

What hard water really is, how you identify it, and how it affects your plants! Depending on where in the world you are, you’ll have a different quality of tap water, but for the purpose of this blog post, we will be talking about the quality of tap water here in Berlin! And as you may know, the tap water in Berlin has quite a reputation, and unfortunately it’s well deserved! For those of you who don’t know, Berlin’s tap water is notoriously hard… but what does that even mean? Let’s take a closer looks at what the term ‘hard water’ really means in practice for both you and your plants! What is hard water? By definition, this type of water contains an appreciable quantity of dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium, and the easiest way to find out whether your tap water is too hard for your plants, is by observing your plants, specifically the top layer of the soil. Calcium residue is often clearly visible on the top of the potting mix in your potted plants in form of white residue. Another easy, yet slightly more scientific, way of determining the hardness of your water is to measure the pH value of the water using measuring strips. Anything above 8.5 pH value is considered hard. So let’s say that you’ve measured the pH of your water, and you’ve found out that it is indeed above 8.5… how does that actually affect you and your plants? Well, first of all, hard water does not possess any health risks to humans. At worst, you might notice a slightly bitter taste, and it can definitely dry out your skin and hair, as Berliners know well! The bitter taste can impact the flavour of your tea or coffee, and we’re sure we don’t have to mention what the effects of dry skin are! Luckily, both can be remedied quite easily by installing a water filter on your shower and/or on your sink.Here you can easily see the difference between distilled water and hard, Berlin water on a pH strip. Number one is distilled water from a dehumidifier, number two is from a Brita filter, and the third is your standard Berlin tap water! Now, it’s not that we don’t care about the taste of your tea of the lustrousness of your locks, but let’s get back to what having this type of water means to your plants! In general, there isn’t a single plant that actually likes hard water, however some tolerate it better than others. But for the sake of your plants, let’s choose to focus on the plants that don’t tolerate it well, and how you can actually tell just by looking at them! As mentioned earlier in the post, the first thing you’ll see is a calcium carbonate and salt build up on the top layer of your potting mix, which suggests that your tap water is too hard. This alone is problematic, as all of that salt and calcium will start building up around the roots too, and will eventually start to repel water. Doesn’t sound good, does it? So how do you fix that? You start by removing the top layer of the soil, or completely changing the potting mix, and switching to filtered, distilled, osmosis, or rainwater. You can also try to flush it out by giving your plant a shower. This of course works best if your shower has a filter installed on it already! Another common sign that your water is too hard on your plants are brown, crispy, burnt edges of their leaves. This happens very often to plants from the family Marantaceae, like Maranta and Calathea, with the latter being the more sensitive to hard water. Unfortunately a popular portable water filter, like Brita, won’t be enough in this case… these absolute divas will only truly thrive if you water them with distilled or osmosis water! Another group of plants that will suffer terribly when being watered with water that’s too are carnivorous plants. These guys are simply unable to produce the juice they use to trap insects when the water is too hard, which results in them being unable to get their nutrients to survive. Under no circumstances do you want to water them with anything other than distilled water! Besides the aforementioned species, the health of any plant can suffer the consequences of being watered with hard water. If you spot burnt edges or calcium buildup, you’ll know it’s either the result of the water in your home being too hard, or a lack of sufficient humidity in the room, and you can take immediate steps to remedy the situation. With this knowledge, growing happy Calatheas or carnivorous plants shouldn’t be an issue anymore!

by Plant Circle

Plant care: Non deadly issues

Have you ever questioned your inner morals as a human after realising that you would rather spend hours sitting with your houseplants, than visiting the newborn child that your cousin has just brought into the world? Oliver has, but thankfully his questionable morals are your gain, as they led to this post about non deadly issues, aka things that actually won’t kill your plants! Sometimes, to us house plant addicts, the connection with our plants can be similar to the connection with a child. You love them with all your heart, to a point of absurdity, and to a point of over-protectivity. We all need to learn how to sometimes take a step back and, ultimately, realise that what might be a problem for us as humans, is perhaps not actually a problem for our plant friends. In this blog post we will cover some common non deadly issues that most plant parents will encounter during their parenthood, and hopefully reading this will help you to calm down a little in the future, if and when these discoveries take place. The most important thing to remember when coming across new, unexpected life forms in your indoor jungle is this: you have brought nature into an unnatural environment, and that nature will actually benefit from an ecosystem of some sort. Here are some common insects that you might find repulsive, but your plants will welcome with open stems! Soil mites. These tiny white mites can be seen crawling through soil just living their best life. They love your plants just as much as you do, but love composting material even more!These little critters spend their days munching on this decaying plant material, while leaving your plant, and its root system, happy and healthy. Sometimes these mites are confused with spider mites, which are dangerous to the plants health, or fungus gnats, but take some time to observe them, and you will quickly be able to see that these soil mites are exclusively sub-terrestrial. Springtails. Another bug commonly confused with the infamous fungus gnat, is the Springtail. These little white bugs live in the soil, feasting on decaying plant matter, and while they may look threatening, these guys are not there to eat your plant, and while they can occasionally inhibit the hardiness of your plant, they are very rarely the actual cause of your plants problems. Most notably, Springtails can jump several inches into the air when disturbed, causing disgust and disarray from the plant parent, but be grateful for this ability, as it can help you distinguish them from the real pest! Silverfish. Possibly the most difficult insect to decide if you want to allow to continue to co-inhabit your indoor jungle is the Silverfish. While they may look like something from a poorly animated 80s horror film, we should not judge a bug by its apparent creepiness. These truly buggy looking creatures like to feed on dead insects, such as springtails, soil mites, and even fungus gnats and other detrimental pests, as well as fungi, which is almost always found within soil, even if you cannot see it. While silverfish can absolutely cause damage to your books and other material possessions, but as they will not harm you or your plant babies, they still fall under the Non deadly issues category. So what do you say? In my opinion, out of sight, out of mind! Earwig. Another common house guest, that looks like it could kill you with a bite of its scorpion like pincers, is the deceptively harmless Earwig. Even more beneficial than Silverfish, Earwigs will feed on live, plant-feeding insects, acting as a biological control supporting your plant. While they can become pests if their population are allowed to get out of control, this rarely occurs and their population can be kept at a reasonable and manageable level by following a few simple and overall beneficial rules. Managing population levels of houseplant bugs. The thing that all of these animals have in common is their ideal environment. Dark, cool, humid. The exact environment that you will find in the bottom part of the soil of a plant, or under a ceramic pot, especially the highly popular terracotta pots. Using specific potting mixes for different types of plants will manage the humid environment that these bugs love, ensuring that your plant love its soil, and that the bugs don’t get too comfortable in your jungle. Additionally, watering correctly (not over watering, and ensuring that excess water is always removed after watering) will again help your plant and its living pot-mates. Whilst potting substrate and watering are essential for managing the living populations in your plants, it is also highly beneficial for managing some other non deadly, purely cosmetic issues that are found in plants. Oedema. Caused by excess uptake of water by the plants roots, oedema is characterised by a corky, blustery like appearance on the leaf of plants. This can be the result of poor potting mix, excessive watering or prolonged exposure to water, as well as watering with warm water, or during periods of the day where it is too hot. All of these issues are easily solved through your actions! While you might have a few deformed leaves, the plant is still happy and just being a nice friend with a good level of resilience. Stunted growth. Don’t take it personally, but this is a problem with you! Not the plant. Stunted growth and deformed leaves are again an issue with the sub-terrain. Maybe you haven’t ever changed the potting mix, which has now turned rock solid after months of watering and dying out? Or perhaps the plants have grown so well that it’s now time for a bigger pot with more space for the roots? Whatever you might have done, or neglected to do, it’s time to do something about it! Increase the pot size, provide a more penetrable potting medium, and give your baby an upgrade. The roots will always dictate your plants overall health!

by Plant Circle

Plant care: Potting mix

Many longtime plant parents started out thinking that dirt is dirt, and plants will grow in anything. No? Was that just us? Well, luckily thanks to information being more widely available, we now know that plants in fact need high quality potting mixes to really thrive, and to make understanding the ingredients and compositions easier for you, we've gathered them here! Having a good quality potting mix tailored to the needs of the plant is every bit as important as providing your plant with water or sufficient light. In fact, most common plant related issues, like overwatering and root rot, come from using an average quality potting mix... or worse.Let's start by getting into the two most frequently used terms when it comes to this topic: 'potting soil' and 'potting mix'. Though these terms are used interchangeably, there is a difference. Potting soil may contain soil, while potting mix is strictly a soilless medium. Technically, potting soil is nothing but dirt that no longer has the adequate elements necessary to support the growth of potted plants, or indoor plants. Potting mix, however, is sterile, which makes it safer for plants because it's guaranteed to not contain pathogens such as fungus or other diseases. Why is having a good quality potting mix so important? The main reason is that potting mixes are designed to not get too compacted, something that can suffocate the roots of a plant, or impede the flow of water and nutrients, and in the worst cases, cause root rot. A high quality potting mix will be lightweight and fluffy, with the ability to hold moisture. For the roots to grow deeply, good aeration is necessary and recommended. Aeration requires puncturing the soil with tiny holes in order for the water, air, and nutrients to penetrate the roots. To achieve that effect without the physical labour, you simply add bark to the potting mix, which creates little air pockets! Now that we've established the importance of a good potting mix, and what it does for the health of your plant, let's get into the the most common components that can be added to your potting mix! Perlite. Perlite is the name of a naturally occurring mineral. In nature, it exists as a type of volcanic glass, created when the volcanic obsidian glass gets saturated with water over a long period of time. And since fertile, volcanic areas have been settled due to fertile soils since biblical times, humans have been aware of perlite at least since Third Century BC. Other uses of perlite include masonry construction, cement, gypsum plasters, and loose-fill insulation. Horticultural perlite is made by exposing perlite to heat, which causes the trace water contained in the perlite to expand, 'popping' the perlite like popcorn and expanding it to 13 times its former size, resulting in an incredibly lightweight material! Since it is a naturally occurring, mined mineral, perlite is a nonrenewable resource. Perlite is an excellent potting mix additive, and is also an effective rooting medium. Please note: Perlite dust can aggravate existing respiratory conditions and cause eye irritation. Eye and mouth protection are recommended to prevent the dust from being ingested. Want to go deeper? Read an exhaustive article on perlite here! Vermiculite. Vermiculite is the name of a group of hydrated laminar minerals (aluminum-iron magnesium silicates) which look like mica. Horticultural vermiculite is processed with massive heat that expands it into accordion shaped pellets composed of multiple layers of thin plates. It will not rot, deteriorate, or mold, and is enduring, odorless, non-toxic, and sterile. It is however not a renewable source. Just as perlite, vermiculite is an excellent potting mix additive, and can also be used as rooting medium! This article further explores the topic of vermiculite! Activated charcoal. Activated charcoal prolongs the life of soil media by balancing pH levels and sweetening the soil of potted plants and terrariums. It also eliminates odour, absorbs salt residue, and breaks down the build-up of bacteria. We love to add activated charcoal to any potting mix, and we also add it to the water when rooting a plant! Coconut Coir. Firstly, what exactly is coconut coir? Actually everything in between the shell and the outer coating of the coconut seed is considered coco coir! While most people mainly think of the edible parts when they think of this fruit, coconuts actually have many applications in horticulture! Coco coir is known to be one of the most moisture retaining growing medias, and can absorb up to 10 times its weight in water. On the market coco coir is available in three forms: coco peat, coco fibres, and coco chips. It's very common to grow tropical plants in coco coir in Asia; in fact, that's how most of our imported plants arrive from there. We are however not big fans of coco coir as the only potting medium, and therefore suggest using it in potting mixes in combination with other ingredients. For example, you can use coco chips instead of bark, or coco peat instead of peat moss! Bark. We love bark! Namely pine bark shreds. You can easily improve drainage and aeration of your potting mix by adding some bark to it. We recommend it for pretty much all mixes, besides succulent ones. Sand. Sand is super helpful when creating a potting mix for succulents and cacti, as it it increases drainage ability. Please note: we advice not using sand taken directly from the beach, as this type of sand has a high salt content, and could severely damage your plants roots! Ideally you should only use horticultural sand. Worm humus. Worm humus, also known as vermicast, is the final product of decomposed material excreted by the king of the soil: the mighty earthworm! Packed with water soluble nutrients and bacteria, worm humus is a very nutritious organic fertilizer, and excellent all-round soil improver. Worm humus is perfect for refreshing a potting mix, or adding to substrate mixtures already in use. The ideal proportions to aim for are a blend of 10 – 15% worm humus to 85 – 90% substrate. Spaghnum moss. Spaghnum moss is generally used more for cuttings and propagations, however, some Anthuriums can be grown in it, but this is generally only recommended for people who check on their plants daily, as spaghnum moss can dry out quickly, and might require you to check on your plants every day. Read more about this, and other types of moss, in our post dedicated to Anthuriums! Last but not least, and maybe this goes without saying, but don't plant your plant into a pot without drainage holes! Leave it in the plastic nursery pot, and always check for excess water to get rid of after watering. You'll also want your ceramic planter to be a tad bigger than your plastic nursery pot, as the little gap between the two will allow a better airflow around the roots. We hope this gave you an idea of how to provide your plant with the best potting mix, and if you're still in doubt, we recommend starting out with our handmade Aroid Potting Mix! It's suitable for most tropical house plants, and contains a high quality ingredients such as bark, perlite and activated charcoal.Happy potting, plant lovers!

by Plant Circle

Plant care: Predator bugs

Perhaps you’ve been hearing people, your friends here at Plant Circle included, rave about predator bugs, but if you’re still unsure of exactly what they are and how to use them, we’re here to help clear things up Predator bugs, also referred to as predator insects, or beneficial insects, are the natural enemies of common pests, such as thrips, spider mites, etc. They’re important agents in biological control of pests, and the perfect solution for those who don’t like to use chemicals at home, and would rather see nature take its own course, with just a tiny bit of human interference! With predator bugs you get good results with little effort, as long as you make sure to act quick! Predators are most effective as prevention, or at the earliest stages of an infestation. Once your plants are covered in pests, these won’t be of much help, so try to keep that in mind, and check our previous blog posts on treatments, such as our post about Neem oil!However, if you are in the early stages of a pest infestation, and you want to make sure it doesn’t escalate, read on! Many types of beneficial insects can be purchased and released in your home, balcony, or garden to control specific pests. Here are some of the most common commercially available beneficial bugs, and the pests they work to prevent. Please remember not every predator is good for every pest, you have to choose the right one. Most beneficial bugs come in containers in some sort of medium, which you can easily sprinkle that on top of your plants foliage. Nematodes. These microscopic worms live deep down in the soil and feed on variety of underground pests like fungus gnat larvae, slugs, or snails. Each type targets different pests. You release them by mixing them with water, and using that mixture to water your plant. We highly recommend these guys if you have been struggling with fungus gnats! Read more and buy them here! Lacewing. These gorgeous flying insect is usually shipped in form of eggs or larvae. Once hatched, they feed on aphids, thrips, mealybugs, and spider mites, among others. The lacewing larvae have pincer-like jaws with which they grasp their prey and inject them with a poison, after which the pest is sucked out. We can highly recommend them, especially in the sometimes seemingly never ending fight against thrips! Buy them here! Ladybugs. Yes, the cute little innocent looking ladybug is actually a voracious eater of all kind of soft bodied bugs and larvae. These predator bugs are particularly effective against aphids and mealybugs! Parasitic wasps. These tiny wasps lay eggs inside the bodies of pests. We highly recommend them if you have problems with Aphids! Predatory mites. These tiny mites are excellent weapon against thrips and spider mites. We highly recommend Amblyseiulus Californicus. We use them regularly and find them effective, and they’re available to buy online! If you decide to try and fight or prevent pests with beneficial bugs, there are a few important things to consider: Do not use neem oil sprays after releasing predators, as it can effectively kill them by smothering them, much as it would the pests Do not use pesticides that require contact to be deadly at the same time as using the beneficial bugs, as these could kill them too Once the pests are gone, predators will die soon after, as they feed on the pests and cant survive without their food source. Some predators, however, feed on pollen, that can usually be purchased together with the bugs Predators are most effective when being used as a preventative measure, and when infestation is on a smaller scale, so always keep a close eye on your plants for early warning signs of an infestation!

by Plant Circle

Plant care: Succulents

Succulents are some of the easiest plants to care for, so why do they have a reputation that says the opposite? We’ll get into that, and the most important tips on how to care for a succulent, in this post! First off, what are succulents? By definition, succulents are drought resistant plants that store water in their stems, leaves, or roots, and because of that have a more “fleshy” appearance. They can be found all over the world… except Antarctica! There are about 60 different plant families that contain succulents. Fun fact: cacti are also categorised as a succulents and some plants loosely referred to as cacti, like many varieties of Euphorbia, are actually succulents, not cacti! Now that we know what a succulent is, let’s move onto how to care for these plants, and why so many people end up killing them. As previously mentioned, succulents store water in their roots, stems, and leaves. This means that they really don’t need a lot of watering provided by you. And by not a lot, we actually mean about once a month tops! The number one cause of death for succulents is, as you may have already guessed, overwatering. Yes, that extra love we so want to show our plants, really can kill them! So please, and we can’t stress it enough, if you feel like showing them some extra affection by watering them: don’t! One of the great things about succulents is that they’ll show you when they’re dehydrated and in need of watering by basically shrinking. If you pay attention to the leaves, you’ll notice they appear wrinkly, so just watch them closely, and you’ll know when it’s watering time!  Ok, so you’ve been watching the leaves, they’re looking nice and wrinkly, it’s been weeks since the last watering, and your succulent is looking thirsty… How do you water a succulent correctly? In our opinion, the best technique is to soak them. Yup, you read that right! Simply take a bowl filled with water, and put your succulent in there for couple of hours. This may sound excessive after we just told you they don’t need much water, but allow us to explain why we stand by this.Succulent soil is the most draining potting medium out there. It’s usually 50/50 potting soil and sand, which means that it does not hold any water, the water just runs right through it. In practise, this means that the roots don’t have a chance to soak it up, so when watered using the usual method, they just get teased by the water, but won’t actually get to have a good drink. So if you’ve been watering your favorite succulent with little sips of water, now you know why it always looks a bit sad! We suggest you switch to soaking your succulent every 2-3 weeks in summer, and every 4-6 weeks in winter instead of regular watering. This is of course providing that your succulents receive the best light possible… Succulents love light, the more the better, and some even love direct sunlight if they’re used to it! For most, a few hours of sun a day would be ideal. As a lot of succulents actually live under a transparent shade cloth, even in the nurseries where they’re grown, they could burn if you put them in an afternoon sun right away. But you can easily train your plant to endure direct sun, if you just remember to expose it to the new conditions little by little, every day. An apartment with southern exposure is ideal for most succulents, and if that’s the case with your home, you can pretty much take your pick! However, if your apartment only has northern exposure, we suggest sticking to more patient and low light tolerant species such as Sansevieria or Zamioculcas! Potting mix. As we mentioned earlier, succulents love extremely well draining potting mixes that are 50/50 potting soil and sand. And here’s a little bonus trick: place a piece of mesh at the bottom of your nursery pot so your potting mix doesn’t spill. You can check out all of our high-quality substrates in the collection. Important: unless you’re a certified plant pro, we suggest to never plant your succulents directly into planters without drainage holes. These plants are, as we may have already implied once or twice, extremely prone to overwatering, and the lack of proper drainage can be fatal! Propagation. Most succulents propagate easily by leaf or stem cuttings. Simply pluck the leaf or stem off, and leave them atop of the soil for a few weeks until roots start to appear. Once your cutting is rooting, you can start misting it with water. When the roots are more developed, plant it into soil and water sparingly. This is a very generic guide on how to care for succulents, and there are so many different kinds of succulents out there, that all have slightly different requirements. So if you’re looking for more specific tips on particular varieties, we recommend checking out our beginner guide for plant care!

by Plant Circle

Plant profile: Anthurium

In this introduction to this incredibly popular houseplant, we asked Plant Circle team member, and avid plant collector, Sarah, to give us her best Anthurium care tips, so get yourself a coffee, get comfy in your favorite chair, and prepare to have some knowledge dropped in your lap! Anthuriums are among the most stunningly beautiful foliage plants the world has to offer, if you ask us! Who can resist their unreal veins, or their giant velvet, glossy, or corrugated leaves? We definitely can’t! While many people collect and grow them perfectly fine as houseplants, it needs to be noted that these are first and foremost jungle plants, that need some level of special care in order to thrive. But don’t worry, we got your back! You will find all the information you need to grow your own happy and healthy Anthuriums in this post. But first, a little background information about this fascinating plant! Anthuriums are actually the biggest genus in the Aroid family, encompassing about a thousand species of plants. They are found throughout southern Mexico, Central America, and much of South America, with a few species found in the Caribbean. Aroid experts expect that there are hundreds more Anthurium species out there, that have not yet been located and described in the rain forests of many South American countries, Ecuador and Colombia in particular. The vast majority of the rarest and most beautiful forms of Anthuriums are located on the western slopes of the Andes Mountains. Each year, Aroid specialists like Dr. Tom Croat of the Missouri Botanical Garden, who’s considered one of the world’s leading experts on this Aroid genus, trek deep into the rainforest, with the assistance of students and researchers, in order to locate, photograph, collect, and describe new species. He is also the person responsible for finding many of the species that the plant community are obsessing over these days, so if you have a popular Anthurium in your collection, you probably have Dr. Croat to thank for it! The genus Anthurium is now found in South Asian countries as well, but only because humans cultivated them in the region. Ok, so now that we know a bit more about where Anthuriums come from, let’s get into how to best care for them! Substrates. There are epiphytic, hemiepiphytic, and terrestrial Anthuriums, which tend to favour the kind of growing media that best reflect their habitat in nature. Some Anthuriums are flexible in terms of environments and can be found in both terrestrial and epiphytic conditions. One notable example for this is the popular Anthurium Crystallinum.Most anthuriums are epiphytes, native to the canopies of tropical rainforests. They use their roots to anchor themselves on trees, then gather water and nutrients from the surrounding environment, and not by parasitizing the tree. Epiphytic Anthuriums grow on trees and attach their roots to the bark, meaning they grow without the involvement of any soil. This is why, when kept in a pot, they will love a very airy mix, containing around 50% bark, 30% perlite and 20% substrate. And go ahead and add some charcoal for its antibacterial and antifungal properties! The only reason why it’s beneficial to add some substrate to the mix, is because it is moisture-retentive, and therefore saves you the hassle of having to water your plant everyday! Examples of Epiphytic Anthuriums include Anthurium Clarinervium, Anthurium Veitchii (King Anthurium), Anthurium Plowmanii, and Anthurium Villenaorum. Hemiepiphytic Anthuriums root in the ground, and then attach themselves to another plant, often a tree, to climb upwards. Since they start out in the ground, they fare better in mixes containing more soil compared to epiphytes. We recommend a mix of 40% bark, 30% perlite and 30% substrate with added charcoal. These plants might require a deeper pot, or a pole to hold on to as they start climbing. Examples of Hemiepiphytic Anthuriums include Anthurium Warocqueanum, Anthurium Marmoratum, and Anthurium Metallicum. Terrestrial Anthuriums grow on the ground of the rainforest, and because of that they can tolerate a mix that’s a little less airy. We recommend 1/3 bark, 1/3 perlite, and 1/3 substrate. They will also love a top layer of live moss that covers their roots and stem! Examples of Terrestrial Anthuriums include Anthurium Magnificum, Anthurium Dressleri, Anthurium Besseae, Anthurium Papilillaminum, and Anthurium Queremalense, as well as almost all pebbled-leaf Anthuriums, such as Anthurium Luxurians, Anthurium Radicans, Anthurium Corrugatum, and Anthurium Clidemioides. Most Anthuriums also do exceptionally well in semi-hydroponics, such as PON or Leca. Their thick roots love the airy mix, and they’re also not as threatened by the constant moisture as some plants with thinner roots might be. In cases of root rot, we recommend putting the remaining stump into spaghnum moss that you will need to keep moist, but not wet, at all times. Anthuriums love growing new roots into spag! You can also keep your Anthuriums in this moss in general, this is however only recommended for people who check on their plants daily, as it can dry out quite rapidly, and needs constant observation. Pro tip: Use living moss! Anthuriums really appreciate a layer of moss on top of the potting mix, and the layer should cover the top part of the stem, allowing the plant to grow its new roots into it. While spaghnum moss works fine, living moss, such as cushion moss, is more ideal since it forms a natural symbiosis with your Anthurium, giving it not only extra support, but also humidity from growing close to the leaves, as well as helping the plant retain some extra water in the soil. It also happens to be way prettier than spaghnum moss, making it look as if your Anthurium is growing on the forest floor. Adding layer of moss will also facilitate both root and leaf growth! Light. Anthuriums live in the undergrowth of the Southern American rainforests, so they are used to rather low light situations. Especially the ones with a purplish to red underside have adapted to their deeply shaded environments. Research has shown that the coloration on the leafs undersides is used to reflect a significant amounts of light that has already travelled through the upper leaf surface, back into the leaf where it is absorbed. This means that such plants have found a genius way to absorb light more effectively by reabsorption! However, it must be said that low light situations in a rainforest can still be brighter than the dark corners of our homes and, while some Anthuriums can definitely be kept there, they will by no means grow a lot or thrive. Giving them at least medium bright light will allow them to lead a happier life in your home! Precious, velvety Anthurium leaves get sunburned fast, so make sure to keep a good distance from grow lights, and acclimate them to the light if you had them in a low light setting before. Many collectors keep their Anthuriums in the now famous IKEA greenhouse cabinet with grow lights. In our experience, a 30 watt LED strip at the top, and another one in the middle of the cabinet, will be more than enough to make your Anthuriums grow in this particular setting in no time! Humidity. Humidity is where the debate forums really start to heat up when it comes to Anthuriums! Many people say that you can only grow Anthuriums in high humidity, so if you cannot provide them with 70%+ humidity, you shouldn’t even start collecting them. However, we are happy to inform you, that this is not entirely correct! While it is true that, technically, Anthuriums are not houseplants and cannot be grown as such, there are some varieties that will be okay growing in 40% humidity or lower!Anthuriums with glossy leaves are generally known to be more easy going when it comes to humidity. Anthurium Browniii, Plowmanii etc. will grow and thrive in your home without any fuss! Velvety Anthuriums are usually a little more demanding, but some species more so than others. Our beloved Anthurium Clarinervium, for instance, has become so commonly obtainable exactly because it makes a great houseplant. It will be fine with a humidity of 50%, which happens to be the humidity you should strive for in your home anyway, because it’s ideal for humans too!Other velvet-leaved Anthuriums will thrive in a humidity of ideally 65-80 %. Providing them with the humidity they need will ensure that you don’t get crisped up leaves or stunted growth. Still, a lot of our beautiful velvety favourites can be acclimated to live in lower humidity conditions. It is a time and care-intensive process, since you should only lower the humidity for them bit by bit in order to make them get used to the change, but they will eventually be able to live in 50% humidity environments. We have done this successfully with Anthurium Besseae and Anthurium Papilillaminum x hybrid! Some Anthuriums, however, will wilt within hours when they are not given the right humidity. These are, unfortunately, out of the question as regular houseplants and require a terrarium our greenhouse environment. Especially the pebbled-leaf, corrugated Anthuriums belong in this category. A prime example is the Anthurium Splendidum, one of the most beautiful species out there, which will only thrive in humidity over 85% and doesn’t tolerate anything less. One notable exception to this rule perhaps is the Anthurium Luxurians x Dressleri hybrid, which does very well in normal room conditions, when properly acclimated to them. A lot of people grow Anthuriums in greenhouses, grow tents or greenhouse cabinets to ensure high humidity. Yet, these plants are quite prone to fungus, so it is very important to give them proper air flow and clean their environment regularly. But we’ll get to that in the pest and diseases section! Fertilizing. Many Anthuriums will grow like crazy once they are fertilised regularly. Slow-release fertiliser that is mixed in with the soil can work wonders for them. However, your personal go-to fertiliser, which can also be liquid, will do the trick as well! In a greenhouse environment you can fertilise them all year round, because, just like in the rainforests they originate from, no seasonal differences exist in there! Repotting. Anthuriums love having space for their roots, so they will appreciate pots that are bigger than their root ball, and generally go up a size or two more than you would for your other houseplants. They will reward you for giving them more space by growing bigger leaves! Pests and diseases. Anthuriums are not as prone to pests as a lot of our other houseplants. However, if stressed, they can get attacked by spider mites, thrips, and other common houseplant pests. This is why it is important to leave your Anthuriums alone as much as possible, instead of constantly repotting and pruning them, or changing their environment. This will only make your plant weaker and more attractive to pests! The most common problems with Anthuriums are bacterial and fungal diseases, including bacterial blight, root rot, stem rot, and fungal or bacterial leaf spots. Bacteria and fungus thrive in the same high humidity conditions that your Anthuriums love as well, and this is why it is necessary to ensure good air circulation in your home or greenhouse environment, as moving air makes it way harder for fungus or bacteria to settle on leaves! If you see yellow spots on your Anthurium leaves, often with a small brown spot in the middle, or large parts of your leaf turn brown and crispy with a yellow halo around them, you likely have a bacterial or fungal problem. The first emergency step is to separate the affected plant from the rest of your plants, since bacteria and fungus can spread rapidly. We highly recommend cutting off all leaves that show signs of bacteria or fungus and disposing of them right away. We know this is a very daunting process and you might be left with nothing more than a stump if all leaves are affected. So, if you would like to try alternative methods first, we recommend a fungicide containing copper, or a systemic fungicide, which can stop the breakout on your plant. It will not remove the spots, but it will prevent the fungus from spreading.In case of a bacterial infection, what works for humans also works for your plants… believe it or not, we’re talking about mouthwash here! Spray some antiseptic mouthwash directly onto the affected area of the Anthurium, and let sit for five minutes. Then gently remove the remaining liquid from the leaf using a cloth. You can also spray your Anthuriums once a week to prevent any insect infestations, but be sure to only use the unflavored, or gold, version of the mouthwash, as the flavored versions have extra additives that could be harmful to your plants health. Propagation. Anthuriums can be propagated by stem cuttings and pollination, but it will take a whole other blog post to describe these processes, so stay tuned for a future post about that! We hope this post has inspired you to take on the exciting task of Anthurium plant parenthood, and whether you go full on with a greenhouse or a grow tent, or you just want to try putting one in your windowsill next to your more common house plants, you now have all the knowledge required to make your Anthurium of choice thrive!

by Plant Circle

Plant profile: Calathea

Calatheas are popular houseplants mainly because of their beautiful patterns, but the truth is, these are not simple houseplants, but real divas that need a lot of informed care! Want to become an expert? Read on! Calatheas are also called prayer plants, because they point their leaves upward at night like hands held together in prayer. Once the day begins, the leaves lower again, and some say they can hear a crackling noise during this process. These living sundials are exciting plants precisely because they are so alive and ever-changing! Calatheas belong to the Marantaceae family and are native to tropical areas of South America. In tropical regions they were used as roofing and for weaving baskets, which gave them their name. ‘Calathea’ comes from the Greek and literally means ‘basket’! Now, in order for you to have the best chance of success with this rather demanding species, we’ve gathered our best care tips and best practices below, and even included a list of Calatheas ranging from ‘beginner’ to ‘advanced’, so you can start off successfully and build your collection from there! Humidity. This type of plant, as we already mentioned, does need quite a lot of care, and especially a relatively high humidity to stay beautiful in our home, which is why some indoor gardeners do not dare caring for them.At least 60 percent in winter and 70 to 80 percent during the growing season from March to September are ideal conditions for Calathea. If the humidity in your home is too low, some Calatheas will quickly get brown and dry leaf margins. Also, the risk of them getting spider mites increases with lower humidity and, believe us, Calathea are unfortunately proper spider mite magnets!Note: Some Calatheas, especially those in the ‘beginner’ category of the list below, retain their beautiful leaves despite drier conditions. Watering. Calatheas like to be kept moist, but not wet – they don’t like to dry out too much. When they are thirsty, Calatheas show it with curled-up and droopy leaves. That’s when you should give them a good soak at the latest, and they will be back to their former stunning selves within a day.Important: Calatheas will not tolerate your regular old tap water! Highly sensitive to hard water, these babies require water that is room temperature and soft, so think distilled water, or at the very least well filtered! Soil. Despite their well earned diva reputation, prayer plants are actually not too picky when it comes to soil. They prefer a relatively well-draining, lightweight potting mix, but not as loose as you would use for your aroids, for example. A mixture of 50% coco coir, 30% perlite and 20% bark would work, or you can add about a quarter of sphagnum moss to three quarters of your go-to aroid mix to make it a bit more moisture retentive. Light. In their native countries, Calatheas grow as hanging and climbing plants, or ground covers in the rather shady undergrowth of the rainforest. That’s why Calatheas don’t like too much light at home either; their ideal conditions would be a warm, draught-free, semi-shaded location without direct sunlight.Depending on their pattern, however, certain Calatheas, such as the White Fusion, need more light.If left too bright, Calatheas like to lower their leaves steeply, and that’s the great thing about this plant species; they may be divas, but they clearly communicate their needs! Pests. As mentioned above, spider mites are a Calathea lover’s worst nightmare! These annoying bugs love prayer plants, so it is important to check the underside of their leaves very frequently for white spots that could prove to bespidermite eggs. There are a lot of ways to get rid of them. Our favourite is a solution of Neem oil, water and organic soap (with a teaspoon of pure alcohol if you want to go the extra mile) with which you can gently clean all your Calatheas leaves from both sides and its stems. Dormancy. Although Calatheas are not known to go dormant, but they do go through phases of growth and demise, which means that they will sometimes start to drop a majority of their leaves. It is a shocking process, but you must not give up on your Calathea then! In a lot of cases, it will come back with a lot of new leaves once it goes into its growth phase again. As long as the rhizomes in the soil are healthy, all you need is patience. Propagation. Calatheas cannot be propagated through cuttings, unfortunately. The only way to multiply a Calathea is by division, meaning you can simply divide the leaves of one plant including its rhizomes and roots into two and plant them up again. Easy as that! If you want to test your feel for prayer plants, start with the simpler varieties we’ve listed below, and if you follow these tips, you’ll be mastering the ‘advanced’ category in no time!Bonus info: Calatheas are not poisonous, which means they are pet friendly and not toxic to either cats or dogs, so this is the perfect genus for the patient plant and animal lover! Beginner: Musaica ‘Network’ Medaillon Vittata Concinna ‘Freddie’ Lancifolia   Easygoing siblings from the Marantaceae family: Ctenanthe burle-marxii Maranta Leuconeura Stromanthe Triostar Ctenanthe Setosa Stromanthe Magic Star Maranta Leuconeura ‘Lemon Lime’ Maranta Leuconeura var. kerchoveana ‘Variegata’   Advanced: Orbifolia Fasciata Beauty Star Flame Star Makoyana Rufibarba Roseopicta Helen Kennedy   Expert: Zebrina White Fusion Warscewiczii Ornata Sanderiana Crocata Special thanks to Plant Circle’s Sarah Remsky for her expertise! Follow her on instagram and, if you speak German, check out her book too.  

by Plant Circle

Plant profile: Scindapsus

In this plant profile we get into Scindapsus! Learn about where they’re from, how to care for them, and how to tell them apart! The Scindapsus is a popular genus, commonly known as ‘Satin Pothos’ or ‘Silver Pothos’, despite not actually being a Pothos at all! Not an Epipremnum, and not a Philodendron either, although sometimes mistaken for that too, Scindapsus belongs to the Araceae family, which is native to Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Queensland, and a few western Pacific islands.The most common Scindapsus species in cultivation today is the Scindapsus Pictus, followed by Scindapsus Treubii, which has only recently become more commonly available due to an increase in popularity. Scindapsus plants are highly decorative, climbing vines with thin stems and rooting at the nodes. These plants are some of the best selling plants that we carry here at Plant Circle, and with good reason; not only are they easy to care for, but they’re also absolutely beautiful, and most importantly, affordable… even the rare ones! Scindapsus Pictus was described in 1842 by German botanist Justus Carl Hasskarl. The name ‘Pictus’ comes from Greek and means ‘Painted’, and it’s not hard to understand why they decided to name it that! When young, this species is characterised by thick, velvety leaves, that are narrowly ovate with a heart-shaped, slightly asymmetric base. The leaves have a dark green color with silver-grey edges, and irregular spots of the same colour. In their mature form, the leaves become fully heart-shaped. Left image, clockwise from the top: Silver Princess, sp Sumatra, Silver Splash, Silver Splash, Silver PrincessRight image: Exotica, Silver Hero, Silver Hero, Silvery Ann, Argyraeus Some Scindapsus varieties have been on the market for a while, and are already in mass production, while others are more uncommon, or even rare. Scindapsus Treubii, for example, which is native to Jawa, Malaysia and Borneo, is a less common species of Scindapsus that has only entered the European market in very recent years. Scindapsus Treubii ‘Moonlight’ is the only species currently in commercial production in Europe, while ‘Dark Form’ is slowly making its way into European greenhouses.At the end of this post we have compiled a list, to the best of our abilities, of the different varieties of Scindapsus Pictus and Scindapsus Treubii, that we are familiar with, sorted by how common or rare they are. The list will be updated on regular basis as we become familiar with new varieties. But first, let’s get into some basic plant care for this surprisingly low maintenance genus! Growing tips. Although Scindapsus is a great plant to grow in hanging basket, and it’s tempting to just do that, if you want your plant to really achieve its full potential, and grow large sized leaves, try letting it climb something like a coco pole instead. The key here is providing the plant with a climbing surface made from organic matter. This allows the plant can grow its roots into the pole, and only then can the leaves can reach a truly impressive size! Humidity. Scindapsus prefer temperatures around 18-20 degrees, but when it comes to humidity, which is so often a problem for plant lovers in drier climates, this plant doesn’t require a lot of humidity, and can even thrive under more dry conditions, so you won’t need to invest in a humidifier because of this plant! Watering. Very basic; simply check with a finger and water the plant when top 3 cm of soil is dry, and let it dry out between waterings. This plant is very adept at communicating its needs, and its leaves will start to curl when it’s really thirsty! Soil. Scindapsus likes a porous, well draining substrate that is rich in organic substance, like our aroid potting mix! The faster growing species will need to be repotted frequently, but you can tell that it’s time when you see the roots growing out of the bottom of the pot. Light. The darker the Scindapsus, the less light it will need to survive, and while it prefers bright indirect sunlight, it can tolerate low light conditions. However, as with all plants, the less light it gets, the slower the growth will be! Note: Scindapsus Treubii tends to grow at a much slower rate than Scindapsus Pictus, who is considered an avid grower. Pests and problems. If you notice your Scindapsus growing very small leaves it usually means that it’s in need of something to climb, or that the light it’s receiving is insufficient. When you notice the edges of the leaves rolling inwards, it means the plant is dehydrated and needs water right away, or that it’s suffering from root rot, which also prevents it from drinking. Common pests include the usual suspects; thrips, fungus gnats, and spider mites.If you live with kids or pets, it’s important to remember that this plant is toxic if ingested! Propagation. These plants are easily propagated by stem cutting or air layering. Fun fact. Each variety of Scindapsus Pictus has the ability to suddenly produce a leaf that will look like another cultivar. We have come across ‘Silvery Ann’ producing ‘Argyraeus’ leaves, and ‘Silver Splash’ suddenly growing an ‘Exotica’ patterned leaf, so don’t say this genus isn’t full of surprises! Common types of Scindapsus Pictus (commercially produced): Scindapsus Pictus ‘Exotica’ Scindapsus Pictus ‘Argyraeus’ Scindapsus Pictus ‘Silvery Ann’ Uncommon types of Scindapsus Pictus: Scindapsus Pictus ‘Silver Hero/Platinum’ Scindapsus Pictus ‘Silver Splash/Silver Cloud’ Scindapsus Pictus ‘Silver Lady’ Scindapsus Pictus ‘Silver Princess’ Scindapsus Pictus ‘Jade Satin’ Rare types of Scindapsus Pictus: Scindapsus Pictus var ‘Argyraeus Dark Form’ Scindapsus Pictus ‘Jade Satin Variegated’ Common types of Scindapsus Treubii: Scindapsus Treubii ‘Moonlight’ Uncommon types of Scindapsus Treubii: Scindapsus Treubii ‘Dark Form’ Scindapsus Treubii Sp ‘Sumatra’ Rare types of Scindapsus Treubii: Scindapsus Treubii ‘Variegated’ Scindapsus Treubii ‘Mint’

by Plant Circle

Summer plant care

Summer is generally a great season for plants, as this is when all the growth happens. The days are longer, the sun is shining, humidity goes up… basically all the good things your plants have been lacking in the winter time! There are however a few things you should keep in mind, so let’s talk summer plant care! Holidays. So you have decided to leave the town for a number of days. Good for you! But what to do with your plants? Naturally you could ask your friends to take care of them, and that’s ideal as long as you make sure to brief them thoroughly on who to water, and how much as unfortunately, speaking from experience, most people like to water plants a little too much! You’ll probably get the best outcome if you group plants together based on their watering needs, and adding some sticky notes with instructions obviously won’t hurt either! We’ve also found it helpful to tell people for how many seconds they should pour the water, so that’s also worth a try. And remember that succulents like Hoya or cacti can be easily skipped if you are away for just a couple of weeks! If none of your friends are available to help you out, don’t panic! There’s a simple summer plant care watering system you can set up for your plants. First, we suggest moving your plants away from the windows, especially if you have southern exposure. The less light they get, the less water they’ll need. As mentioned before, succulents like Hoya, Cacti or Zamioculcas should survive your absence for 2-4 weeks just fine, so you don’t need to set up a watering system for them. But for your other plants, here’s what you’ll need: a few meters of cotton rope, and a couple of containers for water. Group your plants by watering needs, and depending on how much they drink, you’ll need place your water container above the plants on a shelf or stool for plants that drink a lot, and below the plants on the floor if they drink just a little. Cut the rope into pieces as long as the distance between the plant and the container, plus/minus 10cm. Water your plants first, as you normally would, and soak the strings of rope in the water. Then you wanna poke holes in your plant’s potting mix using a thick stick, think approximately 1 cm, push the rope down with your finger, and place the other end in the water container. Continue doing this for all plants, and you’ll be able to leave for you holiday with a clear conscience! Please note that we only recommend this summer plant care system if you’re going away for longer than one week. If your holiday is under 7 days you’ll only need to water your plants once before leaving, unless you have some super thirsty buddies, like maidenhair fern, in which case this system will also work!We do not advice you to leave your plants standing in a tub filled with water, or using glass balls, as we find them quite unhelpful. They tend to release all the water on the first day, which can result in over watering the plant, and you don’t want that! Pests. Another thing to watch out for in summer are pests. Thrips, spider mites, etc. can enter your apartment through the open windows and balconies, and attack your plants. No need to panic though, it’s just the circle of life, and having pests is an inevitable part of having plants! We have covered pests extensively here on the blog before, so if you’re wondering how to handle them, just scroll through the topics! Sun damage. Southern or Western sun exposure can be quite damaging for some plants, and leaving your shade loving plants in the afternoon sun can result in burnt foliage. It is however just an aesthetic problem, and it does not impact the health of the plant, but you might want to cut off the affected leaves. What does sun damage look like? You’ll usually see discoloured foliage in a very ‘compact’ way, like a big blotch or a stripe across the leaf. Another type of sun damage, or overexposure to sun, can express itself through discoloration of the entire plant. When the plant overall gets very light and faded in its color, it could very easily be due to too much light. After noticing it, you should move your plant to a spot without direct sun exposure immediately.A lot of our plants coloring depends on how low or high its light exposure is. Hoya’s, for example, will usually get pinker or redder due to sun stress, which a lot of people fight very aesthetically pleasing, and since it does not affect the plants health, there’s really no problem with giving them the extra exposure. Begonias or Syngoniums, on the other hand, will have darker and more intense coloring when grown in half shade and will lose that color when exposed to too much light. We will cover this topic more extensively in a future blog post, but this should give you an idea of what to look out for when it comes to the sun and how much is too much! Watering. Due to the hot summer temperatures you might notice that your plants are thirstier than usual.That’s absolutely normal, and you should adjust your watering routine according to plants needs in any season, so the best thing to do is observe your plants current needs, instead of rigidly sticking to a specific schedule all year round.We hope you read this before heading out on holiday, and that it gave you a chance to optimize your summer plant care routine!