Browse all Plant Circle guides tagged Pflanzenpflege.
Showing guides tagged: Pflanzenpflege
by Plant Circle
Why is my cactus not flowering?
Wondering why your cactus isn’t flowering even though it looks healthy? Age, missing winter dormancy and year-round watering habits can all hold blooms back. This guide explains how maturity, cool rest periods and careful seasonal care work together, so you can gently improve your cactus’s chances of flowering in a future growing season.
by Plant Circle
Plant care: Succulents
Succulents are often thought to be tricky, but with a few essential tips, they can be some of the easiest plants to grow. Learn how to keep your succulents healthy and thriving with this practical guide.
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: 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: 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!
