County Ag Report: Houseplants

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - While it’s not a great time to be tending to the outside garden, houseplants inside our homes still need the TLC we give to their outside counterparts. In a two-part series for the County Ag Report, Rob Koenig has more about the care needed for indoor plants.

Houseplants are a great way to bring the beauty of the outdoors, inside. Donna Coffin is an Extension Professor for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Having done research on the care and maintenance of houseplants, she has some tips for making sure houseplants are in their top condition.

“This time of year, we need to remember most houseplants are from the tropics or sub-tropics. So, they prefer indirect light, high humidity, and warm temperatures… The other thing is careful watering, if we’re home a lot with the plant, we want to water it all the time. That can lead to root rot and the plants cannot do well. So, the idea is to let the surface of the pots dry out, the surface soil dry out, before you add water again. The other thing is to check regularly for diseases or insects.”

Coffin says following these key steps can help prevent issues with plants, even some of the more resilient ones. One of the biggest issues people face with houseplants is leaves turning yellow. While there are many reasons behind why leaves could turn yellow, Coffin explained one of the primary reasons for the issue.

“I mentioned over-watering. When you over-water, that means that the roots aren’t functioning well. When the roots aren’t functioning well, the nutrients and the moisture doesn’t get up to the rest of the plant. So, if you’re over-watering, or if your soil doesn’t drain properly, that means the water stays in the soil ball.”

Coffin went on to say that sunlight and lack of nitrogen in the soil can also be contributing factors for yellowing leaves. More information, as well as a link to Donna’s article can be found on our website. Rob Koenig NewsSource 8.

In next week’s County Ag Report. Rob will continue his conversation with Donna and learn about growing microgreens year-round.

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