Light from the sun in the form of energy, helps plants to carry out photosynthesis.
“Photo” being the light and “synthesis” being the preparation. Plants use the sun energy to convert, CO2 from the air and the water we irrigate with, into sugars such as “glucose” and a byproduct gas O2, released in the air, which allows us and other animals to breathe.
All plants need light. Different houseplants need different intensities of light, to mimic their natural needs in the wild. Some plants can put up with less light than others, which is indicated next to every plant in our plant care section.
Different plants have their optimum temperature to do well. Depending on their natural environment in the wild. But as a rule of thumb, dessert plants need higher temperature than forest plants. Some plants can tolerate extreme high and extreme low temperatures, but most will do well between 18C to 25C.
To provide extra humidity for plants at home, that thrive better in humid environments; take a shallow tray 3-4 cm deep and fill it up with gravel. Place a non-absorbing brick or a rock in the middle, making sure it is higher than the level of the gravel. Now put the potted plant on top of that brick and fill the tray with water, making sure the water level does not touch the pot. The evaporation from the shallow tray will help the plant acquire higher humidity levels needed.
There are two ways to find out if your plant is thirsty or not. First, you can buy a hydrometer that tells you exactly the condition of the soil and the root ball, sold in Florabel. Secondly, you can poke the soil with your finger, 2-3cm deep, to find out the level of moisture in there. We do that because evaporation at the top of the soil can give us a wrong indication. Keeping in mind that, water gradually dries up from the surface of the soil to the bottom.
When irrigating your plant, make sure the quantity of the water you use would be sufficient enough to wet the entire compost, and not just the top part.
Please note, most of houseplants die from over caring, in the sense that, people overwater their plants. As a rule of thumb, overwatering kills a plant, but underwatering does not so easily. Underwatering will wilt a leaf or two, rather than losing the whole plant. While, overwatering will rote the roots, causing the whole plant to perish.
Check your plants for water daily in summer, and every 4-5 days in winter (November to February) as they will require less water.
Some people spray plants with water to help add moisture in homes. We do not recommend that because water drops can be stuck between leaves and stems, inviting bacteria in, causing botrytis which is decaying and rotting.
Spray leaves only whenever the plant reaches its maximum threshold of thirst. This spraying will be as a treatment to help the plant recover faster, imbibing the water through the leaves, necessary for its survival.
In extreme cases, when a plant was left with no water for a long time & is at the threshold of dying of thirst; plunge the whole pot in a bucket of water, for half an hour to 45 minutes, to help the roots get the maximum chance of reaching the right turgidity. Spraying the leaves with water simultaneously will help a faster recovery.
Use fertilizers which are recommended only for houseplants. All fertilizers used should be water soluble.
Feeding your house plants should be done periodically, during their active growing seasons. We recommend the use of liquid fertilizers especially the ones that can be used for both leaves and roots. This should be applied only at dawn or dusk (staying away from the heat period) and one hour after irrigation.
Fertilizers contain macro-elements and micro-elements.
Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium are the 3 macro-elements. These are indicated by the 3 letters N, P, K respectively, with numbers next to them indicating the percentages. These elements are essential for any plant growth. As for the micro or trace elements, like zinc, iron and others, are secondary, but nevertheless quite essential.
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for all plants, especially the green plants. They keep the healthy green look and a vigorous growth. Nitrogen shortage stunts plants. Recognizable by the appearance of pale-green or yellow leafs, due to the fact that plants become unable to produce sufficient amounts of chlorophyll.
Phosphorous is important for flowering plants. Hence the number next to the letter P should be higher than the rest of the elements, if you are feeding flowering houseplants.
Potassium deficiency hinders plant growth as well as the production of both fruits and seeds.
We recommend you read the instruction and ingredients on the label of the fertilizer, before feeding your plants. Sometimes over feeding can damage your plants, leading to the browning of the leaf tips, so be careful with the dosage and the dilution. Overfeeding with nitrogen makes the plants susceptible to fungi attack.
Fertilizers available in store
Plants collect dust, especially in Egypt, the easiest way is to spray with a leaf shine, sold in Florabel. These sprays can be used once every 15 days or whenever needed. Keep in mind, to use it sparingly, as using it too often can cause the blockage of the stomata - the pores on the leaves - through which the plant transpires, causing in turn the suffocation of the plant. Labels on leaf shine products, recommend testing on a leaf or two before using it on the whole plant.
Leaf shines are not recommended to be used on hairy-leaved plants (such as African Violets and Cyclamens, both these plants should be cleaned periodically using a paintbrush).
A more time consuming and tedious way to clean the plants, is by taking a piece of dry cotton and wiping off the dust, leaf by leaf, going parallel with the veins. Do not wet the cotton with water to clean the foliage, as water leaves white calcium marks, once it evaporates.
A third way is by damping a cotton with beer at room temperature. The only problem with this method is that it collects flies.
A fourth way will be using, a feather duster which might not be that effective.
Never use oils or milk, because they block the stomata.
Why and when?
Long ago people believed it was essential to repot yearly. Nowadays, repotting is not essential for the plants to grow since you feed them regularly. Succulents, cacti and epiphytes (such as orchids) seldom need repotting because most of them live in crevices not having enough room.
When?
Nevertheless, we do repot plants, every 3 to 4 years. Repotting should occur at the beginning of the growing season (end March for most plants) or at the very end (end of September for most plants).
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First, before repotting get a pot one side bigger from the original pot. Do not jump into three to four sizes bigger because this causes the plant to make extra unneeded roots.
Second, make sure the plant that needs repotting, its soil be on the dry side. Prepare the second pot, put a layer of crushed clay pots at the very bottom of the pot. Fill 1/3 of the new pot with the compost you are using, and set aside.
Third, tap lightly on the edges of the pot while holding the main plant with the other hand. If there are any roots coming out through the bottom holes of the pot, cut them with clean scissors. Now remove the plant with its soil without breaking it apart. Remove the decayed and dead roots if any. Check if the roots are pot bound, if so, try to untangle a little the mess work of the roots, allowing them to grow in the new pot. If the root ball is too dense cut a little bit from the tips. This being a good stimulus to allow the roots to regrow in the right direction.
Forth, now water the plant thoroughly (you can overwater, since it’s the first-time watering), this will allow the air from the soil to escape, in the form of bubbles.
Most house plants do not need real pruning as big trees do in a garden. But dead leaves and broken branches, should be removed whenever spotted.
Do not remove a half-yellowed leaf from the plant, let it turn completely brown before removing, because this will cause other leaves to turn yellow as well. As for aesthetic reasons, if you want to cut off a dead part of any half-browned leaf; you can do it with a pair of scissors. Just leave a tiny margin of the brown on the leaf, and trim. Never in the green zone, because that part will turn to brown later on.
Manicuring indoor plants is not a necessity, it is only for aesthetic reasons, shaping the plant to the look and size you wish.
Plants have roots for mainly anchorage, to stay put in wherever they are planted. Keep in mind, that we transfer potted plants from one place to another, against their will. Surely, they do not like changing locations once established in a particular place.
All plants do not enjoy being touched, so be careful when you place them near curtains, doorways and high trafficked corridors, where people bump into them.
Take into consideration winter and summer seasons where air-conditioning and heaters would be used. Plants should be kept away from these two plus drafts which exceeds the rate of transpiration of the plant.
Therefore, make up your mind before finding new spots for your plants, taking into consideration their needs.
We all love the outdoors, especially when plants & flowers are in abundance. Introducing plants & flowers indoors will give us the nostalgic feeling of the outdoors, while inside our own luxurious dwellings. Experiments have shown that with plants at home people are less stressed, & live a calmer life. Same way with plants in bedrooms, people have better night sleep. Some people think that having a plant in the bedroom will deprive them from the oxygen needed at night. Think of families living in a single bedroom apartment; do you think the plant will consume more oxygen than the sum of all of the people breathing in that confined space. Get a plant in your bedroom & forget about being suffocated while sleeping.
Some insects are important for plants to grow well, known as beneficent insects, while others are not, and are known as pests. Ladybirds are sold in bulks in the Netherlands to help nurseries fight pests. These insects consume, a lot of aphids, mealybugs and the likes. Other insects like bees and flies have an important role in pollinating flowers. Hence in the production of fruits and seeds.
On the other hand, ants although very useful in forests, to recycle all dead organic materials, as well as aerating the soil; are a nuisance in homes because they do transfer mealybugs from one plant to the other, distributing the bugs from a sick plant to other healthy ones. For ants, these bugs are like cows to humans, ants milk them like we do. Take into consideration, if ants are present in the house from beforehand, they might use the potted plants as their nests.
Imported peat moss, which we use in Florabel, does not contain any food suitable for ants, nor nests containing their eggs. That’s why, peat moss is the only media accepted internationally to travel between countries. Other media such as sand, mud and clay (that can contain harmful insects) is prohibited.
Therefore, when you buy plants from Florabel you are sure that they are safe to be taken home, or to be given out as gifts.
Most people wonder what to do with their plants before traveling. It depends mainly on the season you chose to travel. You have to take into consideration the temperatures prevailing at the time as well as the span of time you will be gone for.
Some plant groups, like cacti and succulents will be more tolerant than the rest. Thick leaved plants will hold water in their leaves longer than thin and small leaves.
The best way is to collect all the plants you possess, put them in a bathroom, where humidity is usually higher than the rest of the house. Keeping in mind that natural light should be available. You can let the plants stand on big plates of gravel filled with water, to provide ample humidity to the plant.
If the period you are traveling is more than a week to 15 days (depending on the season), it is safer to have someone you trust water them when you are away.
Lots of other methods exist and are marketed with very little efficiency and success rate.
Human beings can get headaches all the time, due to different health issues. Turning yellow of a leaf is exactly the same for plants. As a result, if you are not very sure of the reason, you should ask a professional to help. At Florabel we have qualified people to help you. Keep in mind that this professional does not live in your home to know the exact reason. Eventually, you have to help him by informing that person exactly how you have dealt with your plant; where it has been put, and all the minute details concerning the plant.
Also note, that all plants do their best to survive. No plant wants to die, and if there is any problem, the chances are that it is the way it was handled.
Always lookout for the presence of pests on your plants. This can be done by thoroughly examining of all plants periodically. Warm seasons more than the cold ones. Check the leaves one by one, and especially under the leaves, where most insects lay their eggs, or hide from the heat during the day. Check for minor cobweb threads on the plants, this will be an indication for a Red spider infestation, which is very difficult to see with normal eyes. A magnifying lens will help you find them.
Feeding your plants periodically, with the right fertilizer, will save them all the problems of undernourishment. It will save you the hustle of finding out which element is the one missing in your plant.
In Florabel we have a mixture of products that you can use to fight these unwanted pests. There is a certain protocol to be followed, which you will be instructed to do, when buying the product. We recommend the usage of the pesticides not only to fight the diseases but as a prophylactic, as well. Don’t feel bad or responsible if any of your plants get sick or feel that you have neglected them. Pest infects almost all kinds of plants, because they are ubiquitous. Once you see a problem, time being an important factor, call for help because pests reproduce in tens of thousands.
