Houseplants

Plant Hazards to Avoid this Holiday Season

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 By Nick Goltz, DPM, UConn Home & Garden Education Center, UConn Plant Diagnostic Lab

Tree with lights
Using low-heat LED lights is a great way to reduce fire risk while keeping things festive. The stewards of this tree took the extra step of installing a rope fence to discourage visitors from damaging the tree or lights. (Photo taken by Nick Goltz)

Using low-heat LED lights is a great way to reduce fire risk while keeping things festive. The stewards of this tree toko the extra step of installing a rope fence to discourage visitors from damaging the tree or lights. (Photo taken by Nick Goltz)

With the holidays upon us, many of us are focusing, with good reason, on last-minute gifts, travelling, reconnecting with loved ones, and all the joy and stress that will inevitably come with it. With all the hustle and bustle of the season, it can be easy to overlook some of the safety hazards that also come about this time each year, especially those involving the holiday plants that we rarely give a second thought.

On countless desks, coffee tables, and, in warmer climes, doorsteps, you are likely to encounter at least a dozen poinsettias this December. Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are some of the most conspicuous and popular plants associated with the holiday season here in the US. They are often thought to be highly poisonous if ingested. While ingestion may cause some mouth and skin irritation and gastrointestinal upset, sometimes with some associated vomiting or diarrhea in small animals, poinsettias are vastly “overhyped” with their supposed toxicity.

There is no documented case of human fatality associated with poinsettia ingestion, and most calls to poison control lines for ingestion report no adverse symptoms whatsoever. Medical intervention is usually unnecessary for people or pets that ingest the plant, except for those with allergic reactions to related plants (particularly those with latex sensitivity). For more information on poinsettias and their fascinating history, see Heather Zidack’s column from mid-November, “Poinsettias: The Story of a Holiday Treasure”. While poinsettias may be overblown with regard to their supposed toxicity, other common plants one might see around the holidays, including amaryllis and mistletoe, are quite toxic to humans and pets if ingested.

What we call “amaryllis” in most stores and garden centers is likely not the true South African amaryllis (Amaryllis belladonna), but rather a related South American plant in the genus Hippeastrum, which has been cultivated more extensively and has a greater number of cultivars on the market. Both are bulbous tropical plants that bloom in winter in the northern hemisphere, and both are poisonous if ingested. The bulb, commonly sold waxed or bare in stores around the holidays to be used as a table centerpiece or hostess gift, is especially toxic and should be kept away from pets and children. If you’re curious to learn more about the history and cultivation of this holiday plant, check out Dr. Matt Lisy’s recent blog post, “Amazing Amaryllis” on the UConn Home & Garden Center’s very own Ladybug Blog (https://uconnladybug.wordpress.com/).

Though in antiquity it represented fertility and offered protection from evil, mistletoe (usually Viscum album, European mistletoe and Phoradendron leucarpum, American mistletoe) has been associated with Christmas since some point in the late 1700’s. Though lovers may steal a kiss or two beneath the mistletoe this Christmas, be sure the mistletoe can’t be stolen by children or pets as you decorate for your holiday party! Although European mistletoe is more toxic than American mistletoe, both plants are dangerous if ingested, particularly by pets and children, who may be attracted to the small white berries that have a high concentration of toxin. If you know someone that accidentally ingests a plant not known to be edible, be sure to contact the poison control hotline by calling 1-800-222-1222 or by visiting https://www.poison.org. For pets, contact the ASPCA poison control hotline by calling 1-888-426-4435 or by visiting https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control. Conveniently, they have a poisonous plants list on this site that you can reference as you shop at your local nursery or garden center.

Though thankfully Christmas trees (typically fir, pine, or spruce) are not known to be toxic to pets if ingested, the sharp needles can cause injury if ingested and the trees themselves can pose other hazards if not maintained with care! If you have a pet that likes to chew through wires (there is a scene in a famous Christmas movie that likely comes to mind), be sure to keep those out of reach, or perhaps opt for battery-powered illuminating ornaments. For their safety and yours, cats and birds should always be discouraged from climbing or flying into your tree!

Finally, though we all can appreciate rustic and vintage holiday décor, another strategy to reduce the risk of fire this holiday season is to upgrade your string lights to low-heat LEDs. Whatever type of string light you use, unplug it before you go to bed to help reduce fire risk. If you use a live tree, be sure to keep it watered as dehydrated trees are more likely to catch fire.

With these tips in mind, the Plant and Soil Health team at UConn wishes you and your loved ones a safe, joyous, and restorative holiday season! For questions regarding winter plant safety or for any other gardening questions throughout the year, contact the UConn Home & Garden Education Center for free advice by calling (877) 486-6271, toll-free, visit our web site at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu/, or contact your local Cooperative Extension Center.

Holiday Houseplants on CRIS Radio

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CRIS Radio: Focal Point 11/25/2024

Heather Zidack from the UConn Home & Garden Education Center talks to host, Stephen Thal, about common holiday plants, houseplant care, and indoor winter gardening.

Transcript

00:00:01 Stephen Thal 

Hi and welcome to another segment on Focal Point. I'm Stephen Thal, and I'll be your host for today's program. Today we have a former guest who was on in the spring to help us about plants and from the UConn plant and science center out at Storrs. So, welcome back, Heather Zidack. It's glad to have you back. 

00:00:25 Heather Zidack 

Thank you. I'm excited to be back. 

00:00:27 Stephen Thal 

Yeah, we can learn more about what's going on because apparently, we have some sort of drought. We've had some fires around the state. And I'm sure people are unloading a lot of questions for you guys up there at Storrs. 

00:00:42 Heather Zidack 

Yes, we're getting a lot of questions right now about the weather concerns and people are calling because their plants are in distress. Right now it's a really good time to make sure that you are watering especially for new plants that are getting established. Anything that you planted this year, you want to keep watering until the ground freezes. So we still got a little bit of a way to go with that.  Other plants that are starting to drop their leaves and showing signs of stress. Some of those we're telling our clients to kind of just wait until next spring and see how they leaf out next year because they might have just decided to shut down a little bit early with the drought. But we really won't know until next spring when they're growing, whether it's a big problem or just a little hiccup on the in the road. 

00:01:36 Stephen Thal 

OK, so one of the things we'll be talking about is house plants inside. They're being moved inside. They said they had enough of outside. Gotta get in before the cold. 

00:01:50 Heather Zidack 

Yes! So right now is really good time. Most people have started to bring their house plants in what we're looking for and what we guide is 50° at night or lower is that threshold. So once we hit 50° at night consistently, you wanna start bringing your plants in. There are some that will take a little bit more, you know, a little bit of a higher temperature, they're a little more sensitive to the cold. There are some that will tolerate some lower temperatures, but that 50° mark is really the best guideline.  

And so we, we tell people to bring them in and you want to kind of bring them in slow. So you wanna start with bringing them into if you have a mud room or a garage, or a three season room, or even somewhere like that's a little bit more protected than wherever your outdoor plants were in the summer to help them adjust to the temperatures inside. So they adjust to the lower light provided by maybe an overhang or something to that nature. And then they slowly move them in. 

You want to put them into a place that's sunny. If they need sun. If you've had these plans for some time, you may have an area established already that they go to. If it's your first time giving this a try, you will probably know if they were in full sun when they were outside. They're going to need a really sunny place when they're inside as well. 

And when you bring them in you want to avoid putting them in any locations that have temperature extremes. So near drafts, near heat vents, near entryways anywhere that the temperature we can get, a gust of wind come in, or a gust from when the heat kicks on. Those are all things that the plants are going to not enjoy as much as we would, you know, you go in from the grocery store, you get that big gust of warm air. The plants may not like that as much. So it's the same kind of thought for them. 

00:03:57 Stephen Thal 

Now, well, many of these plants are coming in, are showing growth again? 

00:04:03 Heather Zidack 

Some of them do. What's really happening, and it's actually interesting, is because we've had these drought conditions, plants bringing them in right now, they may have a little bursting growth. You may notice the opposite where they're going to start having a little bit of a decline. Plant stress is always- They always speak in one way, and that's to either wilt or drop leaves, no matter what's going on. So you will see that they may have a little bit of a temper tantrum as you move them, but that's totally normal and just keep to doing what you've been doing with them, make sure your watering is consistent, make sure that they're in the right spot. 

And it really depends on what kind of house plant you have. So some of them will slow growth and they'll kind of just stay the course while they're indoors. They will stay green. They'll stay upright. It'll look like they're almost like an artificial plant where it's like they haven't done anything for a while. 

Some will go dormant. So, like I said, they'll drop their leaves. They'll look like sticks and pots. They won't look very good at all.  

You'll feel like you don't have a green thumb anymore. That is also natural, and some plants like hibiscus have a cycle where some years they will be in flower, and they will do really well. And then some years they will have that dormant period. So, it can be a very wide range. 

If you're ever unsure, go ahead and scratch your thumbnail into the stem of the plant. If you feel very, if it feels very dry and it breaks easy like a stick, that's probably a red flag. You want to feel some kind of fleshy texture. You want it to feel a little bit soft, not mushy, but a little bit so that you feel your nail digging into that tissue you want to. If you're able to get a closer look, you want to look for signs of green and feel some moisture. Those are all signs that even though there's not a leaf on it, it is still alive, and it will come back in the spring. 

You know, so like I said, if anything is other than that where it's it snaps easy or it's incredibly mushy when you push your finger into it to it those are all signs that there could be something bigger going on and then you really have to take a look and see if there's disease or other things that are causing stress to the plant at that time. 

00:06:36 Stephen Thal

And that doesn't mean necessarily throw a lot of water at it?

00:06:41 Heather Zidack 

Correct. That's actually something that happens a lot. People will tend to over love their plants and I'm even guilty of it myself. If there's a plant in my home that I haven't watered in a week or two, I will put a little bit extra just to keep it going and that's something that we really want to avoid doing. You want to make sure that you're always consistent when you're watering your plants. Feel the soil with your fingers. If it feels-you want to poke your finger in a couple inches-If it feels moist in that depth, you're good. If it feels like it's dry or sandy or scratchy. It's going to be something that you need to add water to at that time also. 

 That's the caveat of knowing what kind of plant you have. For example, Cactus can actually survive those drier temperatures, right? So, you want to know what you're taking care of, what it needs and be able to kind of check that. Water regularly. Too much moisture in the soil is going to lead to issues like root rot, pests, those fungus gnats that are everywhere. Those are teeny, teeny, teeny tiny black gnats that sometimes we see in the winter time. Those are actually not even feeding on plants. They're just feeding on the decaying root material. And so that's a sign that there's too much moisture. 

You can mist your plants, but it's not always necessary. You need to just know what you have and research the specific needs of the species of plant you have. 

00:08:17 Stephen Thal

And where would you go to find that information from a flower shop or?

00:08:23 Heather Zidack 

You can. Usually when you purchase the plant, it will come with some kind of tag. 

It does depend on where you're looking, but usually they have some kind of tag that at least has a common name on it, so that is the very the colloquial name. So, a common name is like a fiddle leaf fig or a Benjamin fig, whereas the botanical name is going to say Ficus benjamina for a Benjamin Fig and what you're gonna do with that information is then you would, you could call our office at home and garden and we can help you get some information on how to take care of it or you can go ahead and do some of that research yourself to see what those plants are going to need. Really, you need just the name. The common name is good. The botanical name, so it's usually on on those little labels in italics. That's even better. And if you're not sure, we can always take a look at some pictures and try to help you out as well. 

00:09:23 Stephen Thal 

Why don't you give them your phone number since you mentioned it mentioned that they can call you. 

00:09:29 Heather Zidack 

Yeah, sure. So, at the UConn Home and Garden Center, you can give us a call. Our number is 860-486-6271. Again, that's 860-486-6271. 

00:09:49 Stephen Thal 

What about house plants? Do we have a sort of categories of house plants we can review? 

00:09:55 Heather Zidack 

Yeah. So I actually have a list that I had ready for us today to talk about house plants that are going to be common now that we're going to be moving into the holiday season. We're already getting ready to talk about Thanksgiving and Christmas and seeing the decorations in the stores. So I thought it would be a good idea to bring up some of those plants that people might be seeing at this time of year. 

00:10:18 Stephen Thal 

OK, which one would you like to start with? 

00:10:21 Heather Zidack 

So the first one that I have is called an amaryllis, that is given as a bulb as gifts at Christmas I you know, I've gotten those for Christmas gifts before you see them in displays and windows.  

These are the kind that have a very thick large single stem that emerges from a bulb that's probably the size of your fist. The larger the bulb, the more flowers and the more stalks you're going to get, right? Those flowers at the top are very large. Those are probably about the size of your open palm for a lot of these species, they have 6 petals. On those flowers. It's kind of an organization of three and three yo make that cluster. Tou can have two or more flowers in a cluster, they're very, very big, very vibrant. They're very attention catching and you see variants of red, pink, white, all of those colors and solids, stripes and everything in between.  

It is something that if you have a green thumb and you wanna start them yourself. You want to start them in early to mid November and you'll make sure that you'll have blooms for the holidays. You just use regular potting soil. You don't use dirt or anything, you use potting soil and you keep the soil moist and you keep it in a sunny window and from there that plant will come out of the bulb. You'll see the green stalk and the green leaves first and then up at the very top, you'll get that flower to bloom right at the holidays. So that one's really, really cool. 

00:12:02 Stephen Thal

Do you have a second one that's common?

00:12:06 Heather Zidack 

Yeah. The next one, we'll talk about the holiday cactus. There are a bunch of different holiday cactuses and this one I like to talk about because we have a Thanksgiving cactus. We have a Christmas cactus and there's actually an Easter cactus as well. They're all house plants that people have. 

The common misconception with these guys is that their bloom time is the only thing that identifies them. So, your Thanksgiving cactus is going to bloom in November. Your Christmas cactus will bloom in December, and your Easter cactus sometime in the spring. 

The actual difference between the three is the shape of their flowers is slightly different, and the shape of their leaves is different. When you look close. The Thanksgiving cactus has deeper lobes or indents into the leaf. Right, it looks sharper. It almost looks like it has a pair of cat ears on the top of the leaf that's emerging.  

The Christmas cactus is going to be similar to the Thanksgiving cactus, but it's a totally flat or square top to that leaf, so there's no cat ears on it. It's just totally flat. 

The Easter cactus is round. So that leaf is rounded at the top and the colors of all three of them will vary. So you'll have your Reds and your whites and your pinks. I've seen some in like salmony orange colors and with all three of them, you can purchase them from the store, or you can start them from cuttings. And what you can do is you can actually take a small branch. Dip it in. They have a product called rooting powder. 

And put it in some sandy potting soil and it should be able to produce some roots for you. So they're really easy. If you want to get into plant propagation. If you want to have something that's a low water need to take care of, these guys are really good because they are in the cactus family and they're just very colorful and very seasonal. Depending on what time of year they bloom. 

With the three, the time of year, the light can actually affect when they bloom or not too, so that can be a really interesting thing. So always look for the shape of those leaves. 

00:14:25 Heather Zidack 

Do you want to hear the one I have next? 

00:14:27 Stephen Thal 

Sure 

00:14:28 Heather Zidack 

All right. So then I have a plant called paperwhites. These are tiny. They are actually Narcissus bulbs, which is a relative of the daffodil. So if you're familiar with the daffodil shape that has those petals that are kind of like a wide open starburst with that circular set of petals in the middle. That's what it looks like, but it's on a very small star shaped scale, so they have tiny White Star shaped flowers, upright green foliage and stems. They're very delicate. They're very leafy looking. 

Many varieties are fragrant and what you can do with them is you can start your bulbs between September and November indoors, and you'll get flowers during the holiday season and winter months.  

Cooler temperatures help them root for the first few weeks, so if you're putting them in two pots yourself, you want to keep them at 50 to 60° to help them develop their roots in those first couple of weeks. 

And then temperatures above 70 are going to cause them to kind of flop over. They're not going to hold their shape as well. So if they get too warm, they can also throw a little bit of a fit about it. And so they will be much happier if you're able to stake them up if the room is too warm and they start to do that, flopping over, they like the cooler 50 to 60 kind of temperature for them, so that's something to keep in mind. 

00:15:57 Stephen Thal 

Yeah. What kind of pots do you use? I know some people use clay pots. Some people use plastic ones or other types of. 

00:16:04 Heather Zidack 

Really, the pot material isn't the important thing. What you really want to make sure that you have is the right size. So for paperwhites, you would probably want maybe a six inch pot or like a geranium pot to put your bulbs into. You want to make sure that whenever you have for house plants-and this is even stuff that you bring in-You want to have your pot be a little bit wider than your root ball. So once the roots start getting too expansive, you're going to have what's called a root bound plant. And so it's kind of going to be outgrowing itself, kind of like when we outgrow our shoes, when we're kids, right. So you want to put a new pot there. 

You want it to be just an inch or two bigger than that root ball so that it has enough room to continue growing. That's really what you want to pay attention to more than the material. 

00:17:05 Heather Zidack 

And then the last one that I have is poinsettias. Do you want me? To go into that one. 

00:17:08 Stephen Thal  

Sure. 

00:17:08 Heather Zidack 

 All right. So for pointsettia is for the holiday. This is our traditional holiday plant that we have. What's really cool about these guys is that they were discovered in Mexico where it actually grows natively. The native poinsettia doesn't look at like anything that we know from what we've seen in stores. It's actually tall, it's a little bit what we call leggy. So it actually spreads out. 

You know, and it's very wild looking and it's more shrub like it. It is a very different plant altogether. It was something from Aztec culture. They had a lot of symbolism behind this plant where it represented purity and new life earned by warriors who had died in battle. 

It was used for dyes and other products and then it didn't come to the US until the 18 hundreds and then it started to become a a holiday staple over the years. There's a lot of people that can go out, and purchase them.  

The growers start those plants in August or September, sometimes even earlier. We're still all in summer mode thinking about getting those last few days at the beach, and they're already putting these points that is in the pots. So it's something that is it takes a long time to grow. They love heat and they love warmth. So that's something to keep in mind when you have them in your house.  

They come in tons of varieties and colors now and they've really done a lot of breeding projects to get them to change from what they originally were with that wild native plant. 

And so the new colors have all sorts of different stripes, splashes, solid colors, Reds, whites, pinks and everything in between. There are ones that are blue, and some of those can actually be painted. You have to kind of take a look and see real close if they're painted or if it's a a color that's true from actual breeding but you'll be able to tell if you look close. 

00:19:11 Stephen Thal 

Hmm. Wow. 

00:19:13 Heather Zidack 

They're really cool. 

00:19:13 Stephen Thal 

Yeah. Yeah, I would agree with you. Yeah, yeah. 

00:19:18 Heather Zidack 

Yeah. 

00:19:18 Stephen Thal 

What people tell me they are. Yep, you're right. 

00:19:22 Heather Zidack 

Yep. And they have. They have a really, really nice history from them too. So it's always cool to see what plants start as and what they end up becoming. That's a, that's a really cool field to look at with plant breeding and how plants have changed over time. 

00:19:40 Stephen Thal 

Yeah. OK. Well, these are exciting. And the one day they get all nice colors and and they also have it used to be used for dyes. That's interesting. 

00:19:50 Heather Zidack 

Yeah, they used to use the color they they used the petals for dyes and all sorts of different uses when they would use the native plant. 

00:20:03 Stephen Thal 

And I bet you the fragrance is pretty nice. 

00:20:06 Heather Zidack 

They actually the ones that we have now don't have too much fragrance. I don't know about the wild or the native ones, how fragrant they were. But the other thing that's really interesting about poinsettias is the fact that they have their flowers and what we know to be their flowers are actually the tiny itty bitty yellow spots in the center of the plant. So if you ever look at a whole Poinsettia plant and you see the little tiny yellow pieces in the middle, those are the actual flowers. What we see is changing colors and different petals and things like that is actually called a bract, which is a modified leaf. 

And so, they're all leaves that have changed color. So that's another really cool fun fact about them. 

00:20:56 Stephen Thal 

Yeah, yeah. No wonder people flock to the poinsettias and they're around the holidays a lot. 

00:21:05 Heather Zidack 

They're very popular. 

00:21:06 Stephen Thal 

Yeah, also about. Any what about poison plants? We know sometimes during the holiday season there are some plants that children, adults and animals should be cautious. 

00:21:21 Heather Zidack 

Yeah. So, one of the things that we tell our clients is that our office and with the home and Garden Center, we can identify a plant for them to tell them what it is. And we can say that is a poinsettia, for example, right? 

Other professionals need to be the ones to deem it toxic and give you those warnings. So the best advice that I can give to you is to do your research before purchasing any plant. You want to kind of like I talked about with the house plants before. Know the species of what you're purchasing and that'll help you to determine whether it's toxic for people, for pets, for anything like that. There is a really good resource from the ASPCA. They have a database of plants that are toxic to domestic animals, and they have a 24 emergency hotline, a 24 hour emergency hotline. Now that's for pets. I do have that number. Would you like me to share that with you? 

00:22:22 Stephen Thal 

Yes, please. 

00:22:23 Heather Zidack 

OK, so that is 1-888-426-4435 again, that's 1-888-426-4435. 

00:22:41 Heather Zidack 

Now on the people side of things, when you're looking at plants that could be toxic again, I can give you the identity of what that plant is, but then we would refer people to the Connecticut Poison Control Center for human toxicity. And I have that number as well. Would you like that? 

00:23:00 Stephen Thal 

Yes, please. 

00:23:01 Heather Zidack 

Alright, so that number is 1-800-222-1222. Again, that's 1-800-222-1222. 

00:23:19 Heather Zidack 

And any plants that you have done your research on and found that they could be toxic house plants, anything like that, you want to make sure that they're kept out of reach of children and pets-if you're going to bring them into the home. If you do that background homework and figure out if it's toxic to your pets or children or whatever you, you know, are concerned about the toxicity of. You can also just not bring them into the home. So the best thing to do is to know what the plant is, have those emergency numbers on hand. 

And keep anything out of reach or just don't bring it home at all. If you have any concerns. 

00:24:01 Stephen Thal 

OK, this is Stephen Thal with another segment on focal point and we were speaking with Heather from the UConn plant and Science Center up at stores, Connecticut. We have to remember many years ago, as I remember, as I recall from history is that that was one of the first universities in Connecticut to start as an agricultural college, didn't it? 

00:24:27 Heather Zidack 

Yes, we have a very deep history here at the university and the College of AG, which is now the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources. We call ourselves CAHNR for short C-A-H-N-R. That college was one of the first ones started here at the University of Connecticut as well. 

00:24:48 Stephen Thal

What are some other plants that you'd like to end the program with?

00:24:57 Heather Zidack 

I think one thing that we could talk about real quick is growing herbs indoors because that's something that a lot of people can do. You can still grow your herbs right now whether you want to dig up the herbs that you have in your garden and bring them inside. 

And get a whole grow light operation and everything else, which is what I do because I am a very, very intense gardener at home. I bring my plants in. Or you can start herbs. Herbs are one of the easiest things that you can grow on your window sill indoors. It's very easy to start and restart and regrow them from time to time. 

Whenever you start them, you can start them from seed to anytime and many of them like basil for example, is really good. You can just put a sprig of basil in a jar of water and it will actually send out some roots and you can put that in a a pot of potting soil and grow your basil from that as well. 

So you can do that. Most herbs do well by a sunny window. They are used for culinary purposes. It's also a really great fragrance in the wintertime. It's really nice to have fresh herbs all year round and it's easy to rotate them. Like I said, if anything happens-Disease or you get bugs, or you get anything like that-It's really easy to just kind of let them go and start fresh with new herbs. If you're growing herbs. 

00:26:29 Stephen Thal 

Now, do you- 

00:26:31 Heather Zidack 

Oh, go ahead. 

00:26:32 Stephen Thal 

Do you need a lot of light for these herbs? Put them in a lot of light area. 

00:26:37 Heather Zidack 

They tend to need a sunny window, herbs. The nice thing is that because they aren't producing flowers, they don't need as much sunlight and as much energy as some of the other house plants that we were talking about. So they do need a sunny window, but they can actually adapt pretty well to other conditions as well. 

00:27:00 Stephen Thal

UM, that's wonderful. Herbs and anything else you can grow at home.

00:27:08 Heather Zidack 

The other, the last thing with the herbs, that's really cool that we're seeing is a trend right now is that Rosemary plants are being used as mini indoor Christmas trees. And so people are purchasing Rosemary plants that are shaped to be like a Christmas tree. 

Stephen Thal  

Yeah 

Heather Zidack 

They decorate them for the holiday and then they end up having them throughout the rest of the winter for a-they can use it for the culinary purposes. They're fragrant. They're really pretty. So that's that's something that we're seeing is a new trend right now. 

00:27:40 Stephen Thal 

Right. And so they don't have to throw the tree out. 

00:27:44 Heather Zidack 

Right, exactly. They can keep it and they can go from there, yeah. 

00:27:45 Stephen Thal 

Recycling 

00:27:48 Stephen Thal 

Very good. OK. Heather, we want to thank you for a great job and a great wealth of information. We hope that people will take notes and if you want to leave your phone number one more time to regarding information or how they can assist you, how they can you can assist them. 

00:28:06 Heather Zidack 

Yeah. So if anybody has any questions about gardening, plants or anything that we talked about today, we we are here Monday through Friday, 8:00 to 4:00 give us a call. The number here is 860-486-6271. Again, that's 860-486-6271 

00:28:28 Stephen Thal

We want to thank you very much for your information and we hope that the people online will find this helpful and also not only ask your question but maybe go online and show you the pictures on your computers, right. You might be able to do that.

00:28:46 Heather Zidack 

Yes, that would be fantastic. We can do a lot with pictures, and we can help people with their gardening projects and questions that they have. 

00:28:55 Stephen Thal 

OK well, wishing you and your family and the school a happy, safe holiday. I know this Thanksgiving’s not too far around the corner. 

00:29:06 Heather Zidack 

Yes, thank you. You too. 

00:29:07 Stephen Thal 

Take care and stay well and thanks for coming back and give us a call in the spring so we can get you on again. 

00:29:08 Heather Zidack 

Thanks for having me back. Yes, I will. Thank you so much. 

00:29:15 Stephen Thal

Yeah. Thank you. This is Stephen Thal saying thank you for joining us on Focal point. Two quick reminders. One where a hat and sunglasses while you're outside to protect your delicate eyes and also to develop an emergency plan no matter where you are, whether it's school or ome or traveling. You need to develop an emergency plan, so if an emergency happened, you know what to do. You need help. Call the fire department. Thank you again. Stay safe and stay healthy.

 

Poinsettias: The Story of a Holiday Treasure

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Poinsettias: The Story of a Holiday Treasure
By Heather Zidack, UConn Home & Garden Education Center

Princettia poinsettias in white, hot pink and light pink
Photo by dmp2024

It just isn’t the holiday season without a poinsettia. We adorn homes, churches, and other public spaces with them at this time of year. Their bold color and striking presence are hard to miss.  With a story as spectacular as their seasonal color, the poinsettia is a plant to be treasured.

Poinsettias have a rich history and culture. While we associate them with the coldest time of year here in the Northeast, they actually come from a much warmer climate! Known as Cuetlaxochitl in their native region of Mexico, they were cultivated and used by indigenous peoples for medicines, dyes, and decorations. In Aztec culture, the Cuetlaxochitl held cultural significance as a symbol of purity and were also used to symbolize a new life earned by warriors who had died in battle. The Mayans called this plant k'alul wits. Many traditional uses for k’alul wits are still practiced by the Téenek people in southeastern Mexico, today.

Their association with the Christmas holiday started when Franciscan monks in Mexico began to use their bright red and green foliage to decorate nativity scenes. It became known as la flor de Nochebuena, translating to “the Christmas Eve flower.” It was brought to the United States by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. minister to Mexico, in 1825. Poinsett was a man of many talents, having a career in politics, a passion for science, and an enthusiasm for agriculture. Through continuous plant breeding and developments, there are now hundreds of varieties of poinsettia.

Contrary to popular belief, poinsettia flowers are small and barely noticeable. The insignificant yellow flowers are surrounded by stunning, colorful bracts. Bracts are not flower petals, but rather, specialized leaves. The bracts of a poinsettia change color when daylight hours begin to shorten. Breeders have developed poinsettias that have bracts of various shapes, textures, and colors. Some are variegated or have speckles of color on them. These cultivated varieties (cultivars) are quite different from the straight species, Euphorbia pulcherrima, in its native environment, where it can grow over 10 feet tall, is semi-evergreen, and can sometimes grow a bit scraggly.

Poinsettia on greenhouse bench
Photo by H. Zidack

Greenhouses start poinsettia production as early as July. Tiny plugs get put into their pots while we’re all still soaking up the summer sun. (It makes sense when you remember that they’re originally from Mexico!) They grow as little green plants through the rest of summer and autumn. The fall equinox will naturally trigger these plants to change color, however, growers can manipulate their greenhouses to create ideal darkness/brightness to help time the coloring of their plants for holiday sales.

If you’ve got a green thumb and are trying to get a previous years’ poinsettia to “reflower,” simulating this dark period with an opaque container, paper bag, or moving the plant into a closet or dark location for 14-16 hours a day can do the trick! Make sure they’re receiving 8 hours of bright, direct light, and not a ray more! After about 4 weeks of these conditions, most poinsettias can go back to their life with your other houseplants, as normal, and you should see a change in color.

Shopping for a new poinsettia as a gift or decoration this year? Always shop for a plant that is brightly colored and has tight (tiny yellow) flowers that aren't already going by. Select a plant that has evenly moist soil, and a nice shape that doesn’t appear to have been crowded for too long. Here in Connecticut, make sure that your florist, grocer, or grower packages the poinsettia for you to help protect it from cold winds while transporting it to and from your car. When you get it home keep it away from entryways, drafts, fireplaces, or heating vents, and keep it in a room that is between 60° and 70°F. Water your poinsettia when the soil begins to dry out in the pot and enjoy the holiday season.

Whether you’re reviving an old poinsettia, shopping for a new one, or deciding that artificial is the best choice for your home this year, take the time to recognize the special journey these plants have taken to become such a treasure and staple in our holiday celebrations. There truly isn’t anything quite like it!

For questions about caring for your poinsettias or for other gardening queries, contact the UCONN Home & Garden Education Center, toll-free, at (877) 486-6271, visit their web site at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu, or contact your local Cooperative Extension Center.

Sensational Sansevieria

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By Dr. Matthew Lisy, UConn Adjunct Faculty

A group of different kinds of Sansevieria in front of a window.
A small portion of the author’s Sansevieria collection enjoying some sun (photo by M. Lisy).

The Sansevieria group make up some of my favorite houseplants. Scientists recently placed them in the genus Dracaena, but its former scientific name seems to be also one of its common names.  This plant has many common names including “snake plant” and my personal favorite “mother-in-law’s tongue”. Like many varieties of houseplant, there are some staples that have been around for decades, some newer species that have come to market, and some really interesting cultivars.

These plants have a rhizome, and the leaves grow from the base of your pot. They are very prolific when they like their environment. In fact, they tend to break the pots they are in, so I would recommend using plastic pots, which their growth will eventually deform. If you want to use a clay or ceramic pot, I suggest putting them in a slightly smaller plastic pot, then putting that in the clay pot. You can hide the gap between the two pots with Spanish moss. Being native to Africa, they cannot tolerate cold temperatures. Typical household temperatures work well, but avoid anything below 55 degrees F.
Their upright growth habit allows the grower to have many varieties in a small area.

Overwatering is the quickest way to kill any houseplant, but especially so with these. In the winter, you probably only want to water once a month, and sparingly at that. Do not let them get soggy or this otherwise hardy plant will rot. In the warmer months when the plant is actively growing, allow the soil to dry between waterings, but then water more liberally. These plants have the reputation of being a low light plant, which they certainly can handle. Sometimes people place them in the darkest corner where they hang on for a few months, but then eventually run out of stored resources and die. Remember they do need some light to photosynthesize so bright indirect light is best. The other problem I have seen is their unique, flat leaves can become covered in dust. Either dust them manually, use a blower, or take them outside in warm weather and hose them off.

Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Hi Color’
Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Hi Color’ is a highly variable hybrid variety with a lot of yellow (photo by M. Lisy).

The Sansevieria group can be divided into two types, those with flat leaves and those with cylindrical leaves. Of those groups, there are species that grow tall and some that grow short.

The tall ones make great floor plants while the shorter ones do well when placed on a table. All varieties are fairly easy to propagate. My favorite way is to let the plant grow, and then divide them during repotting; this looks the best in my opinion. If you want more plants quicker, you can take leaf cuttings. Either dip in rooting hormone and replant, or you can place the cuttings in water to take root (change the water daily for best results).

Most of us are familiar with the green and dark green snake plant, as well as the gold edged version. There are some absolutely stunning new varieties on the market today that have selected for any of those colors. For example, there is one called “Moonshine,’ which has no pattern in the leaf at all, instead being pale green. Another interesting one is called ‘Hi Color,’ which has more yellow than green in the leaves. There are others that are selected for their rather dark green hue that approaches black in color. One of my new favorites is a different species called Sansevieria masoniana, commonly referred to as “whale tail”, “shark fin”, or some combination thereof.  No matter which one you choose, you really cannot go wrong with these plants. They are readily available at most garden and home centers, so why not pick one up and brighten up your home?

For your gardening questions, feel free to contact us, toll-free, at the UConn Home & Garden Education Center at (877) 486-6271, visit our website at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu or contact your local Cooperative Extension center.

Spring Gardening & Houseplants on CRIS Radio

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CRIS Radio: Focal Point 3/22/2024

Heather Zidack from the UConn Home & Garden Education Center talks to host, Stephen Thal, about spring gardening, UConn services, and houseplants.

Transcript

00:00:00 Stephen Thal 

Hi, welcome to another segment on Focal point. This is Stephen Thal and I'm going to be your host for today's program. 

00:00:09 Stephen Thal 

But before we get into it, I just want to remind if any of our listeners have any suggestions for future programming. Please call CRIS Radio at 860-527-8000 and leave your suggestions here and they'll pass them on to me and we'll try to get them for future programs. 

00:00:28 Stephen Thal 

So today we're going to be getting some great information on horticulture plants that have done a lot for people and here to help us out is Heather Zidack and she's the horticulture consultant for the UConn Program at the University of Connecticut and it's the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture. So welcome, Heather. 

00:01:03 Heather Zidack 

Thank you so much for having me today. 

00:01:06 Stephen Thal 

Yeah. Today I'm going to learn as much as most of our listeners cause this is a program I used to use many years ago when I had a garden, but it's been so long, I'm sure there's been a lot of new changes going on right now. 

00:01:20 Heather Zidack 

Yeah, there's been a lot of new trends in gardening and the Home and Garden Education Center here at UConn has done a lot to help Connecticut gardeners with all sorts of problems that they've had, you know, plant identification, bug identification and also just we get pictures of plants all the time that say what's going on to help people kind of troubleshoot their issues as well as a lot of the things that we put out to help gardeners. 

00:01:45 Heather Zidack 

So. Everybody in our office loves gardening and we're here to help. 

00:01:50 Stephen Thal 

Yeah, that's great. It sounds like we're going through one of the health programs to viral. 

00:01:55 Heather Zidack 

Yeah. Yeah. We really enjoy what we do here and there's a few of us in the office. We work with the UConn Soil Lab, the UConn Plant Diagnostic lab and the extension program with Master Gardeners. So we have all the - all the resources to help people figure out what they want for plants if they're trying to figure out finding the right plant for them and also what to do once they have them. So I think it will be a good thing to talk about today what we like about gardening. 

00:02:24 Stephen Thal 

Ok. Because I think that you're making plants sound like people with the individual personalities.

00:02:31 Heather Zidack 

Sometimes they are a lot of times people you know, they say gardening has so many benefits. They say plants are the new pets, right? That's one of the things that I've been hearing. And with that it's something that a lot of people have found to be very beneficial though. 

00:02:46 Heather Zidack 

Through there's actually programs of horticultural therapy out there. They found that it improved physical and mental health. It can reduce stress, improve your mood, it can even help with blood pressure and muscle tension. Not to mention it's great exercise to be outside with your plants. 

00:03:02 Stephen Thal 

And I'm sure the same is similar somewhat with plants inside the home. 

00:03:07 Heather Zidack 

Absolutely. People that have plants inside their home. Found benefits of, you know, cleaning air quality and things like that, but also it's great to just have your plants there, a lot of people, myself included talk to their plants every Sunday when they water or whatever it is and it's just nice to have a little bit of green especially in these cold winter months. 

00:03:29 Stephen Thal 

Oh yeah, and I'm sure by doing that you end up benefiting in the long run. 

00:03:34 Heather Zidack 

Absolutely, it's a great thing to have. You know, if sometimes it is kind of like having someone to talk to. As silly as that is, we have a plant here in the office. Named Harry and it's a Fern. And we take care of it all the time. And we're always seeing how he's doing and if he's gotten any bigger, it is kind of like having a pet. 

00:03:54 Stephen Thal 

Well, let's learn a little bit about the home and garden program, the Education Center. 

00:03:58 Heather Zidack 

Yeah. So at the at the home and Garden Education Center, one of the big things that we do is not only answer questions with horticultural advice, but we also do kind of put out fact sheets. We have a blog, we have social media where people can learn tips and tricks throughout the week about gardening. 

00:04:18 Heather Zidack 

And with all of the questions that we've had come in, I thought it would be a great chance for me to share with you some of the common questions we're getting right now, especially about house plants.

00:04:29 Stephen Thal 

OK.

00:04:37 Heather Zidack 

So one of the first questions that that comes along at this time of year is common signs of stress and what to do? 

00:04:38 Heather Zidack 

So sometimes at this point in the year, your plants not looking so well maybe and I've done this before, you've forgotten to water it for a couple of weeks over the winter or even over the summer. And the initial response is to love it and give it more water and give it attention. And when we start to baby them sometimes we can actually over water. And then it doesn't look like it's getting better because what often happens is plants can only communicate in one way, and that way is through wilting. So when it wilts, it could be that it needs more water, or it could be that it's getting too much water. So the best way to learn which one it is is to know the species of your plant. And you also need to take a look at the soil itself and feel it if it feels like it's too wet. If it feels like something, you wouldn't want to stick your hand in. It's probably too wet for the plant, and so that's some ways that you can kind of work through that issue. And try to make sure that you're not over watering, especially when something's dried out for too long. 

00:05:43 Stephen Thal 

So in terms of the soil lab, when do you send the soil up to you people to evaluate? 

00:05:50 Heather Zidack 

So our soil lab, they take samples for a lot of outdoor things instead of the house plants. But the best time to do it is either in the spring or in fall. If you do it in the fall. Sometimes there can be a little bit quicker of a turn around time because it's not on as many people's minds. 

00:06:06 Heather Zidack 

So that's the pro tip right there. If you send it in now, you do get a response and they give you all sorts of information about nutrition as well as how much you might need to put onto the soil to help it get back to that optimal level. So it's a good way to find out what you need and what you have. 

00:06:25 Stephen Thal 

We'll be giving the address and everything towards the end of the program as to where they can send it. 

00:06:30 Heather Zidack 

Yes, I can do that absolutely. 

00:06:32 Stephen Thal 

How do you do plant diagnostics? 

00:06:35 Heather Zidack 

So plant diagnostics is a is a fascinating thing that not everybody knows that we have here the way that it really works out well is people send in their plant samples. And sometimes something will look sick or it will be caused by something other than the environment. And it's hard for us to see that with our eyes. And sometimes we need to send in that sample to see what it is going on inside the plant. So our plant diagnostic lab does all sorts of microscope work. They do a lot of chemical tests and strip tests for different diseases of the plants, and they also they know what to look for with symptoms and location and are able to advise. Kind of. The next steps to take if you do have something that's diseased, we help out both commercially and homeowners themselves to learn what's going on with the tree, what's going on with the shrub, what's going on with crops that are being grown, and how to how to manage them. So it's a really cool thing that we have here as well and I can give you their contact information too. 

00:07:42 Stephen Thal 

How about the UConn extension Master Gardeners program? 

00:07:47 Heather Zidack 

Yeah. The UConn Master Gardener program is also a really good resource. One of the benefits that they have is that there is an extension office in every county of Connecticut and you're able to connect with a master gardener. They are a group of individuals who every year there's a new class. They go through a training program and learn how to become a master gardener. And they learn a lot of the things that we talk about here in home and garden as well, where it's soil conditions and plant selection and how plants grow. They learn all of those different things. 

00:08:26 Heather Zidack 

And they actually work with the public to help them understand them as well as part of a community outreach project that they each have to do. So it's a great program for people in Connecticut to either, if they love gardening, to pursue it further and get that master gardening title for themselves. Or to go to as a resource. And like I said, it's great that there's one in every county in the state. 

00:08:52 Stephen Thal 

Well, that's good. So how do you find their number? 

00:08:56 Heather Zidack 

So they actually go through UConn Extension Master gardener. You can find their website and you can find it through that or I can give you their number as well. 

00:09:08 Stephen Thal

Ok. Why don't we take a break and let's give out some of the phone numbers for these programs we just talked about?

00:09:15 Heather Zidack 

Fantastic. 

00:09:16 Stephen Thal 

OK, so the first program would be soil samples. 

00:09:21 Heather Zidack 

Yes. So our soil lab can be reached at 860-486-4274, 860-486-4274. That's for the soil nutrient analysis laboratory. 

00:09:40 Stephen Thal 

Right. And how about the plant diagnostics lab? 

00:09:44 Heather Zidack 

So the plant diagnostics lab works with our office as well, and you can call for plant diagnostics or for the Home and Garden Education Center at 860-486-6271, 860-486-6271. 

00:10:05 Stephen Thal 

And how about the UConn extension and master gardener? 

00:10:09 Heather Zidack 

The Master Gardener program can be reached at 860-486-7178. Again, that's 860-486-7178. 

00:10:23 Stephen Thal 

So there you have some phone numbers to call and educate yourself. How to help make your plants stay healthy and to really give you some benefits. I know my wife has found some plants in in the garbage and she's taken them and replenished them. And then now growing great. 

00:10:44 Heather Zidack 

Yeah, a lot of people are able to revive plants after they've they've taken a little bit of a hit. It's amazing how forgiving plants can be. Sometimes we see them and they haven't been watered for too long or they're they've been in the wrong condition and it's just a matter of taking care of something. And again, that leads into one of the benefits where there's a sense of pride of I brought this back. Or I've really accomplished something with what I've done, sorry. 

00:11:12 Stephen Thal 

Now with plants, I'm just curious, do you have to have good vision to have a plant so you know it's getting in bad shape? 

00:11:20 Heather Zidack 

Not necessarily. There are a lot of things that you can learn through feel when you're working with plants. Sometimes if you feel the leaves especially. If you're feeling if you have succulents, for example, there are very popular house plant that people will have on windowsills and in their offices and things like that. And with succulents you can actually tell if they need water by the feel of the leaf. If you pinch a succulent leaf and feel the leaf between your fingers. It's actually, it should feel firm and a little bit smooth to the touch. 

00:11:58 Heather Zidack 

If it needs water. They get a little bit squishy and a little bit rubbery, and so that's how, you know, maybe it needs some water. At this point. The other thing that you can do is you can feel the soil to tell if something needs water or not. The other thing that you can do to assess health of a plant is feel the leaves of themselves and if there's ever a crunch, you know that's a bad sign and that there's something going on. Either disease or possibly just watering. And you also can tell the differences you're feeling. If there's been any issues with like chewing marks you can feel a lot of times. Insects will leave a sticky residue so you can tell what's there. So there's a lot of senses other than vision that are involved when it comes to looking at your plants and their health. 

00:12:45 Stephen Thal 

Yeah, that's good to know. Because uh, some of our people may not be able to see the plants, but they really enjoy having them around in the house. 

00:12:56 Heather Zidack 

Absolutely. It's one of those things that the plants are multi sensory and so we're able to kind of understand them through more than just vision. 

00:13:06 Stephen Thal

And you mentioned the word succulent. What are some examples of succulent plants?

00:13:12 Heather Zidack 

So a succulent plant is kind of an overarching group. They are all of the ones that love to be in dry conditions a lot of times they are. They are not cactuses but they end up being lumped into that group where they like those drier conditions. They tend to be the ones that look like little rosettes. Or little mounds on the soil that will grow from there. They're very I. I talked about the rubbery texture. They some of them almost don't seem real when you feel or see them because they have this this very strange look to them. So they're a very popular plant because they're so easy to take care of and they're also very unique in their appearance. 

00:13:57 Stephen Thal 

This is Stephen Thal and another focal point program and we're interviewing Heather Zidack and she's from the UConn Extension program and we're learning about what that program is all about. There are several programs and we've shared some phone numbers earlier and she's educating us on more and more and how we. And be with the plants, enjoy them and have fun with them. What are some of the other benefits of the plants? 

00:14:30 Heather Zidack 

So another great thing with having your plants is like I said, that sense of pride and accomplishment and what you've done or what you've been growing and producing. So it's something that it gets you outside. If you have an outdoor garden or even if you're inside it has you proud of what you've accomplished, some people grow vegetable gardens. And they are so proud of all the produce that they grow and what they're able to do with that. So there is a sense of pride and joy that comes with gardening. There is exercise benefits, there's all sorts of great things that come with working with plants and being part of that. You're connecting with nature. So it's always a great thing to be able to connect back to nature. 

00:15:14 Stephen Thal 

And also they have found that it helps people reduce stress. 

00:15:19 Heather Zidack 

Yes it can. It can reduce stress. It can reduce blood pressure. It can help with your pulse and help bringing your heart rate down and muscle tension. It's a great way to take a break from everything else you know, being even from personal experience, when I'm able to go out into my own garden or transplant my house plants or plant my seedlings, it's a break from everything else that's going on. We get very busy with our lives and being able to take that break and go garden. 

00:15:53 Heather Zidack 

Or go, you know, take 5 minutes to just take a breath and trim some plants. It's a great way to de-stress. 

00:16:02 Stephen Thal 

In terms of fertilizers, how do you know which one to use for different plants? 

00:16:10 Heather Zidack 

Usually picking a fertilizer can be a little tricky. You have to know what species of plant that you're working with, and then you're able to figure out from there. And that's something that we would be able to help with for sure. 

00:16:23 Heather Zidack 

In general terms, plants need three big things to be able to grow. They need nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. And so when you're looking at fertilizers, a lot of times you'll see that there are three numbers there and they're always like in increments of five or ten, like it says 5-5-5, 10-10-10, 20-10-20 those are all ratios and a balance of those three main nutrients. Your first number is nitrogen and then phosphorus and then potassium. And in general terms of balanced fertilizer is always the best way to go. 

00:17:01 Heather Zidack 

Those different elements can encourage flowering versus root growth versus leaf growth. But when you're trying to take care of the plants that you have, that balanced fertilizer makes sure that you're getting enough fertilizer and enough nutrients to the plant in a balanced way. 

00:17:21 Heather Zidack 

Our clients that go through our soil lab, they get specific recommendations based on what they have for soil and what they're looking to grow. 

00:17:31 Stephen Thal 

Let's take a look at some of the common questions you get from your constituents. So what are some of the common signs of stress and what to do? 

00:17:41 Heather Zidack 

Yeah. So with stress, with plants, it's one of those things where like I said they have-They only have one way to communicate, and that's through wilting. They can change color as well, but wilting is really that big flag of communication and so they can wilt if they're overwatered, they can wilt If they're underwatered. They will also change colors at times and so that makes it difficult for us sometimes to know what's going on. 

00:18:09 Heather Zidack 

When you're looking at stress, if you have a plant that is wilting, or if you have a plant that is feeling spongy like I had mentioned before, it doesn't feel like it's firm. And the way that it should be, the first thing you want to look at is watering, so make sure that you have enough water in the soil. It's not too dry, it's not too wet. That's a good thing to start with. Additionally, you can start looking at the conditions around it. So one of the things is sometimes you. 

00:18:40 Heather Zidack 

Look at it and you think would I be happy sitting in this spot? So is it getting enough light? Is it getting a draft from the window near it because it's getting a little bit colder than it should be. A lot of house plants that we have come from tropical regions and so they want to be warm. They want to be they want to have a little bit of humidity and they want to have the right amount of water so. Taking a look at them and saying is this the spot for this plant is a way to kind of look at the stress and manage it. 

00:19:13 Stephen Thal 

What are some of the other questions that people are asking in terms of the plant itself? 

00:19:19 Heather Zidack 

Another question that we get a lot of the time is the question of “is it dead?” We get pictures of plants and people are worried that they have killed their house, plant or even sometimes plants outside. And one of the things with plants that you need to be aware of is that some of them can go through a process called dormancy. It's a lot like hibernating in the winter, and when they go through dormancy. You notice this with trees outside. They drop their leaves, they get kind of gray looking. They don't look like there's a lot of life in them. And so in that dormant state, one of the ways that we can see if they still have life in them is to go ahead and scratch the surface of the stem. 

00:20:07 Heather Zidack 

And if you are able to see it, you'll see that there's some green or whitish tissue in there, and that that means that there's life in the stem. Still, if you struggle to see it, you should feel a difference and that it will catch on your fingernail instead of just being a dry break. And so if you feel that where it's catching. Then it's actually there is some life there and it means that it's going to come back from dormancy now, that's where things with woody stems. If there's plants that are dying back all the way to the ground, it's really hard to tell. Is it dormant or is it not? And a lot of times, we recommend just giving it time.  

00:20:46 Heather Zidack 

Sometimes plants nap a little bit longer than others, and so it's really important to give them their time to make sure that they've come out of dormancy. This goes for both house plants as well as plants in the ground. There are some perennials here in Connecticut that don't even start waking up until after Memorial Day in May and so give it time. Have a little patience. There might be some life there. It's just a matter of waiting for it to come back. 

00:21:14 Stephen Thal 

I think another question is do you have recommendations of house plants? 

00:21:18 Heather Zidack 

Yeah, another. That's another question that we get a lot and it's different recommendations of what to grow for varieties. And so I actually have a list here for you of house plants that have varieties and texture, scent, color and movement because who wants to have just green plants around, right? We have so much selection now in the plant world that it's really awesome that we can bring some interest into our plants. One of the first ones that I always love to recommend is it's called a prayer plant or a calathea. What they do is they will either curl their leaves or bend them up and down depending on what time of day it is. So. 

00:22:02 Heather Zidack 

It adds a little movement. They tend to have a lot of bright colors to them. My personal favorite is called rattlesnake calathea. And it has some really big spots on it. Purple underside to the leaf, and it'll actually fold its leaves straight up in the air at night, and then during the day those leaves will come down to get the sunlight. So it's really cool to add some movement. Another thing that people like to do is they have some scent in their house plants, so adding scented geraniums, those are a type of geranium. 

00:22:39 Heather Zidack 

It's related to the ones that we see all year in the summer. However, it's different in its flower and also in its scent. When you touch it and move the leaves you get a really nice scent out of them. Some are peppermint, they have apple, they have lemon, they have all sorts of different geranium scents, so if you start looking for scented geraniums, that's a really cool way to add some fragrance into your house plant garden. Another really good plant to have is the sensitive plant. It's as its name says, it's a little sensitive and that whenever you touch it, it will recoil and those leaves will drop right down. And it takes maybe 10-15 minutes for them to recover and open, back up and then they will do it again. 

00:23:28 Heather Zidack 

The sensitive plant is a really cool thing that I used when I was working in the garden center. We would use it in fairy gardens and children absolutely loved to be able to touch it and have it actually move. It brought more life to that little garden that they created. Another one is called the Chenille plant. 

00:23:48 Heather Zidack 

Where it has fuzzy fuzzy flowers, they feel like little rabbit feet and they are bright red so you can grow it as a hanging basket. You can grow it in a little pot as a house plant where you can put it outside during the summer. So it's a really versatile plant that adds some texture and brightness and like I said, they're very fuzzy. It's one of the wildest ones that I've seen. There's another called a Tricolor Stromanthe that is green, cream, and pink and the leaves have different colors all year long. So it's another nice way to get away from just green house plants. And then lastly, the other one that is a good conversation starter at the very least. 

00:24:29 Heather Zidack 

Is the carnivorous plants or the cacti that can add interest and they can add texture and it's just like I said, a conversation piece of “Wow, what is that?” And it's a Venus Flytrap that will close up when touched by flies. Or there are some pitcher plants out there that also attract insects that are carnivorous as well. So it's just a cool way to add something to your collection that's not just green and it adds texture and scents and really involves all the. 

00:25:00 Stephen Thal 

And we have a few minutes left in our program and I was wondering if you could make suggestions on where people can buy plants and how they can tell they're making sure they're getting a good plant without disease, without flies or whatever else. 

00:25:14 Heather Zidack 

Yeah. 

00:25:17 Heather Zidack 

Yeah. So we always recommend shopping local when possible. And so there are independent garden centers in the state that offer a wide selection of plants. However, there's also a lot of hardware stores and box stores that you can get good material at as well. 

00:25:35 Heather Zidack 

When you're looking for your plants, it's the plant itself that you want to make sure it's healthy, more so than where you're shopping. So taking a look, feeling that soil, like I said, if it's bone dry, chances are it hasn't been watered in a minute. And maybe that could affect the plant itself. 

00:25:55 Heather Zidack 

Use some of those senses that I've talked about previously where you're feeling the leaves and feeling for some crunch. Or really if they're succulents, getting a feel of that leaf to make sure that you're aware of what it feels like. Some people will bring home plants to rescue. But if you want a nice lush plant, start with that. Don't look at something and feel like oh man, this is a little bit rough and I could save it if you want to start strong, start with a plant that is healthy. There's no spots, there's no tears. 

00:26:27 Heather Zidack 

If you feel any chew marks, if you're able to see the roots, sometimes you see roots growing out of the pot. Check that they're not black and mushy. Make sure that they're white and firm. 

00:26:41 Heather Zidack 

And really, most plants from from garden centers are going to be in pretty good shape and they'll thrive with care. So really it's about the plant and make sure it's healthy when you start and then just do your best to take care of it once you get it home. 

00:26:56 Stephen Thal 

And I noticed that there are a couple of areas that we didn't mention quickly, like herbs are good to do. 

00:27:02 Heather Zidack 

Yes, yeah, herbs are great. 

00:27:06 Heather Zidack 

If you're doing, especially if you're doing a container garden or raised bed gardens, herbs are really great to mix with your flowers. The nice thing is that herbs will add a little bit of scent and use. You can actually harvest them and use them in your cooking in addition to the container plants that you have. So we recommend that with a lot of outdoor containers, more so than indoor. However, if you're growing herbs indoor, just grow them separately from your other house plants. 

00:27:37 Stephen Thal 

And also the sunlight is important too, because some plants don't like sunlight all the time. Some do. 

00:27:44 Heather Zidack 

Right. Yes. So sunlight is one that can be tricky too, and I explained that if you think about if you've had a cat and you understand how cats behave, plants can kind of feel the same way. So anything that requires direct sun or full sun. 

00:28:00 Heather Zidack 

If you think about a cat laying in the sun on a on a nice warm day and it's right in the window where it can get that sun. That's what direct sun is. It has to be in contact with the leaves for six hours a day or more. If anything asks for indirect sun, that means that the sunlight doesn't directly contact the leaves but it likes to be able to be somewhere that it can see that light for six hours or so a day. That's kind of like your cat that sits near the window and watches, but maybe that spot in the direct sun is a little too warm for him. So he shifts over a little bit. 

00:28:37 Heather Zidack 

And then you have shade and with shade. The sun does not make contact with the leaves at all. That's kind of your cat that's going to hang out on the couch and doesn't care too much about being near the window at all. So that's a really good way to remember direct sun, indirect sun and shade is kind of where does that cat like to hang out? 

00:28:56 Heather Zidack 

It's kind of funny, but it works. 

00:28:58 Stephen Thal

Do you have any final recommendations for our listeners?

00:29:02 Heather Zidack 

My biggest recommendation is to just get out there and garden. You know, we talked today about some of the best benefits of gardening and working with plants. And don't be afraid. It's one of those things that's really great to do. And don't say I don't have a green thumb. You can do it. You just need to maybe get a little bit of advice and we can offer that here at the garden Home and Garden Education Center, but maybe you just need to do it and say I did it, so get out there and garden. 

00:29:35 Stephen Thal

Heather, why don't you leave your phone number in case people want to talk to you directly.

00:29:41 Heather Zidack 

Yeah. So I can be reached at the Home and Garden Education Center and my number here is 860-486-6271, 860-486-6271. 

00:29:57 Stephen Thal 

It has been very interesting. We've given out a lot of information and we hope that our listeners will take you up on it, call you and if they need more information. Ohh. One other thing I forgot to ask, is there a cost involved for the soil samples and all this sort of thing? 

00:30:14 Heather Zidack 

So for soil samples there is a cost. 

00:30:17 Heather Zidack 

For our plant diagnostic lab, if a sample needs to be submitted, there is a cost. However, working with the UConn and home and Garden Education Center, our advice is free and we will also if you if clients e-mail us pictures, we can kind of take a look and get the ball rolling and sometimes we can we can make a determination from a picture, so advice that comes out of the office that I'm in is free. 

00:30:41 Stephen Thal

We appreciate your coming on and we'd love to get you back in the fall. So give us a call, call me like in August.

00:30:49 Heather Zidack 

Yeah. Thank you for having me. 

00:30:50 Stephen Thal 

And let's see if we can get you back in, whether you come in September or October, you let me know and we'll work it out with the studio in terms of, yeah, having you get involved. 

00:31:00 Heather Zidack 

That would be great. Thank you for having me. 

00:31:02 Stephen Thal 

Yeah, it's a pleasure. You know, we try to cover a wide range of things for our listeners and we know that some of our programs really move the people forward and get some things done that they like. 

00:31:14 Heather Zidack 

That's fantastic. Yeah. 

00:31:16 Stephen Thal 

So we want to thank you. This is Stephen Thall with another segment on focal point. We want to thank everyone for allowing us into your homes. Couple of last minute comments first. 

00:31:25 Stephen Thal 

Please wear your sunglasses and a hat during these days when you're outside with the sun because it's protects your eyes and the second thing is develop an emergency plan at home and practice it. And when you're traveling, make sure that you go to places where there's at least two exits. So in case one is blocked, you can get out the other door. 

00:31:48 Stephen Thal 

So again, thank you all for listening. Stay safe, stay healthy. 

A Beginner’s Guide to Orchids

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By Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center

Cymbidium Orchids
Cymbidium Orchids. Photo by dmp2024

Orchids, with their captivating beauty and elegance, have long held a revered status among plant enthusiasts. If you’re tempted to dive into orchids, this is the perfect time to explore what’s available as it is orchid show season. Those looking for a day trip might want to explore Florals in Fashion at the New York Botanic Garden until April 21. Closer to home, the CT Orchid Society holds its show April 20-21 at the Bristol Senior Center.

Often associated with exotic locales and intricate care routines, these plants are surprisingly adaptable and many can thrive in the comfort of your own home. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a novice looking to add a touch of sophistication to your indoor space, cultivating orchids can be a rewarding endeavor.

Orchids belong to one of the largest and most diverse plant families, Orchidaceae, comprised of over 25,000 species. They come in various shapes, sizes, and colors, but broadly speaking, orchids can be categorized into two main groups based on their growing habits: epiphytic and terrestrial. Epiphytic orchids grow on trees and absorb their moisture and nutrients mostly from rain. They are usually found in tropical rainforests and need a specialized bark based growing medium. Terrestrial orchids grow in soil and while the most spectacularly colored ones come from the tropics, we are fortunate to have native terrestrial orchids such as lady slippers.

Another important distinction among orchids is their growth pattern, which can be classified as sympodial or monopodial. Sympodial orchids grow horizontally sending out new shoots or pseudobulbs from a rhizome or creeping stems. Cymbidiums and dendrobiums are species that exhibit this behavior. Monopodial orchids grow vertically, with a single stem that continues to elongate as the plant matures. Paphiopedilum and vanda species have this growth habit. Understanding these distinctions can help you tailor your plant care routine to suit the needs of your orchids.

The key to growing orchids successfully in the home is understanding the conditions they need to grow and thrive. These will vary according to the species but in general orchids need bright, indirect light. East and south windows usually supply ample light, but a sheer curtain may be needed to keep orchids out of hot sun from south windows during the summer. Direct sunlight may burn their leaves. Orchids also do well under artificial light.

Next to light, temperature is critical as some like it hot and others thrive in a cooler environment. It makes the most sense to select the orchid species that would do well in the temperature range you prefer. Most species, however, are happiest if there is a 5 to 10 degrees drop in night temperatures.

Orchids also tend to do best in more humid environments and our homes are mostly on the dry side. Consider using a humidifier, using pebble filled trays under plants or even growing plants in ornamental glass cases.

Making sure your orchids are receiving the proper amount of watering can be challenging to beginners. Terrestrial orchids are usually grown in an orchid bark & enriched potting soil mix and need to be kept moist but not overly wet. Epiphytic orchids in orchid pots with bark or attached to slabs of tree ferns can be drenched or dunked and then drained. The roots should not sit in water very long. Some experimentation will be needed to determine frequency of waterings.

Phalaenopsis Jungo Magenta
Phalaenopsis Jungo Magenta. Photo by dmp2024

There are so many species of orchids to choose from but beginning orchid enthusiasts might start off with dendrobium species. Dendrobiums are one of the largest and most diverse orchid genera made up of numerous species as well as hybrids. They are even sold at my local grocery store. Dendrobiums are known for their brightly colored flowers that usually bloom in clusters along long stems. They are relatively easy to care for and tolerate typical household conditions.

Phalaenopsis orchids are another large genus that are tolerant of a range of household conditions so are ideal for beginners. Plants can tolerate a little less light than many other species so east windows work well. Nighttime drops in temperature are important to initiate new flower stalks.

Those with cooler growing spaces might want to try Cymbidiums. These plants are just gorgeous in bloom with their long-lasting sprays of colorful flowers. Cool temperatures and bright light are keys to healthy, floriferous plants.

Lady slipper orchids (Paphiopedilum) have distinctive pouch-shaped blooms, similar to our native lady slippers. They are terrestrial orchids preferring a very well-draining potting mix and indirect light.

If orchids are just too alluring, try to attend an orchid show or two, visit local garden centers that sell orchids and can answer your questions about them, or even check out the resources at the American Orchid Society (https://www.aos.org/) to find out information about caring for these beautiful, mysterious and addictive plants. For basic orchid information or if you have any other gardening questions, contact the UConn Home & Garden Education at (877) 486-6271 or www.homegarden.cahnr,uconn.edu or your local Cooperative Extension Center.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Early Spring Gardening

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By Heather Zidack, UConn Home & Garden Education Center 

There’s a well-known scene in the movie “Braveheart” where Mel Gibson’s character, commands his men to “Hold!” as the enemy is rushing upon them. It’s a scene that I often reference as an analogy for this part of the year. Daylight savings time has changed our clocks, the sunshine is warm, temperatures are reaching the “light jacket” level of comfortable, and we all feel spring rushing towards us with the promise of seedlings, flower buds, and fresh green leaves. With this, there are certainly plenty of chores that we can do right now to prepare, but there are others that we really should be waiting for a few weeks longer.  

Houseplants may enjoy a short afternoon in the outdoor sunlight on these warmer days but resist the urge to put them outside full time until night temperatures consistently reach 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The occasional day trip is an effective way to help them transition from the protection of your indoor environment to full sun outdoors. More importantly, consider giving your houseplants a good spring cleaning. Repot or divide root bound plants, remove the winter dust from leaves with a damp rag, and trim out any dead or unsightly growth. Now they’re ready for their spring debut! 

Fertilizing is another task that many gardeners feel may be a chore to check off their lists early. This is a project that should wait a little bit longer. Often, fertilizer will push new growth in your plants. Pushing them too early can leave tender leaves and buds at risk of exposure to frost and freezing temperatures, actively slowing or stunting growth that you intended to give a boost to. In the same vein, grub control, pre-emergent, and many other synthetic materials used in the landscape require specific soil temperatures to be effective and it’s still just too cold. Always read the label of any garden product to learn the best timing of any application. At this point in the year, consider doing a soil test. If you haven’t done so before, it's great to have a baseline for planting and caring for your garden. If you’ve done it a few years ago – check it again! Things change and you may be surprised by what nutrients you need (or don’t) since you last checked in. 

It may still be a little early for mulch as well. Adding fresh mulch too early in the season can trap moisture and slow the soil from warming up to optimum growing temperature. Take this time to pull out grass and weeds that may have taken root in mulched beds and put this time into your hardscape. Look for tripping hazards to address like cracked, sinking, or heaved pavers. Check structures like pergolas, sheds, and even raised beds for rotting boards, warping, or structural damage. Repair as needed. Building new garden spaces is always an option! Create your punch list of projects that will need fresh paint or sealant. If the weather is going to be warm and sunny – consider power washing hardscapes and structures now. 

Newly constructed raised beds
Newly constructed raised beds ready for spring! Photo by HZidack

Late winter/early spring is a fantastic time for pruning trees and shrubs in the landscape. It’s ideal because there is great visibility, and the cooler temperatures prevent disease and insects from taking advantage of fresh wounds. You want to make sure you’re pruning correctly, for the species and purpose of the trees and shrubs in your landscape – so do your homework! As a rule of thumb, roses, hydrangeas, and some hardy perennials tend to appreciate a later pruning and can vary between types within the species, so stay aware of what you have on your property to ensure success!  

“But when do I get to play in the dirt?” That's next! For our outside plants, think about dividing perennials. Divisions at this point in the year make the plants much easier to handle for the gardener. Moving your plants now gives them a chance to “wake up in place” this spring. You will reduce concerns with transplant shock when you move plants ahead of their spring flush and our summer heat. 

Indoors, stepping your seedlings up into larger containers gives them a little more breathing room as we wait for the season to start. Only transplant seeds when they’ve started to show 2-3 sets of true leaves and keep in mind that different species can have different needs. If you excitedly started your tomatoes too early, and now notice leggy stems, try transplanting them in plastic cups and burying them all the way up to their first couple sets of true leaves. They will put out even more roots along that covered stem and be even better prepared when you put them in the garden this season!  

Seedlings transplanted into plastic cups.
Seedlings that are leggy can be moved into plastic cups with holes in them and buried. Photo by H.Zidack 

There are still plenty of projects that can be done while we wait for spring to come! If you have questions on spring garden projects or any other gardening topic, feel free to contact us, toll-free at the UConn Home & Garden Education Center at (877) 486-6247, visit our website at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu or contact your local Cooperative Extension Center. 

Tips for the February Gardener

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Tips for the February Gardener

By Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center

Pothos with yellow leaves
Photo by dmp2024

February is a tough time for gardeners. Days are getting longer but the cold temperatures, and in many cases, snow, are keeping us inside. This is a good month to provide houseplants with a little TLC before the weather warms and the gardens beckon.

If possible, bring your plants one by one to the kitchen sink. Give them a thorough grooming by removing any dead or off color leaves. Trim back wayward or undesirable growth. Then give them a good rinsing under the faucet or use a wet cloth to wipe dust off of their leaves. For plants with hairy leaves, like African violets, a soft brush could be used to clean their leaves. Wash their saucers out before setting plants back.

Plants that have outgrown their pots can be repotted at this time. Usually, plants would be moved up to a pot that is an inch or 2 wider. Loosen or trim roots if they are growing in a circle or very dense. An all-purpose potting mix can be used for most plants but specialized mixes for plants like cacti and African violets are also available.

Your amaryllis has probably finished blooming by now. Cut off any spent flowers. Some people like to leave the stem until it yellows as it can photosynthesize but I generally remove the whole stalk after flowering. If you want plants to rebloom next year, the foliage needs light, water and nutrients to grow. Set your plant in a bright location and fertilize monthly starting in March. Plants can be moved outdoors after the danger of frost has passed either in their pots or set them into the ground in a part shady spot. Bring inside in mid-October and let the bulbs go dormant in a dark, warm area for about 8 weeks and then repot for another season of striking trumpet-shaped blooms. Some cultivars do not require a dormant period.

Check on any tender bulbs that you have in storage. Dahlias and tuberous begonias can shrivel if they dry out too much. They are usually stored in some barely moistened peat moss or wood shavings. Sprinkle with a little water if they are on the dry side. Also, this would be a good time to check on any winter squash, potatoes or other vegetables that you’ve been keeping. Use them up before they spoil.

Time spent perusing garden catalogs, either in print or digital format, is a great way to get through cold, winter days. When making out a seed order, don’t forget to note what seeds you have leftover from last year. Most seeds retain their viability for at least a year. It’s always a good idea to plan out the vegetable garden so you know what’s going to be planted where, and when. Last frost dates for your area can be found at: https://garden.org/apps/frost-dates/. The UConn Master Gardener program is offering a Garden Journal with tips on how to plan and maintain your flower and vegetable gardens and plenty of room for you to make notes. To order go to: https://mastergardener.uconn.edu/2024/01/30/garden-journals-available/.

Most of us recognize the benefits of buying local when it comes to produce and other Connecticut grown products but did you know we have at least 5 seed companies in Connecticut. They include Select Seeds (www.selectseeds.com), the Chas. C. Hart Seed Co. (www.hartseed.com), the Heirloom Market at Comstock Ferre selling Baker’s Creek Heirloom Seeds (www.heirloommkt.com), John Scheppers Kitchen Garden Seeds (www.kitchengardenseeds.com), and New England Seed Company (www.neseeds.com). Be sure to see what they have to offer either online or at various retail locations.

If you need a floral fix to get you through to spring, stop by the CT Flower and Garden Show at the Convention Center in Hartford, Feb 22 -25. Visit the UConn Home & Garden Education Center’s booth for a free pH test (bring a half cup of soil) and answers to your gardening questions. A blooming time can also be had at Elizabeth Park’s Greenhouse Bulb and Plant Show, March 1 – 9. Since spring can’t be here soon enough, you’ll just have to go to where the flowers are blooming!

For your gardening questions, feel free to contact us, toll-free, at the UConn Home & Garden Education Center at (877) 486-6271, visit our website at www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu or contact your local Cooperative Extension center.

Hearts for Valentine’s Day

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 Hearts for Valentine’s Day
By Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center

While there’s always the traditional Valentine’s Day gifts of flowers and candy, why not give that special someone a plant with heart-shaped leaves that will likely last much longer than chocolates or bouquets. There are actually a number of plant species to choose from with some being quite easy to grow.

Perhaps the cutest, as well as the easiest is the Sweetheart hoya (Hoya kerrii). Hoyas are a very slow growing, vining plant with stems that may reach 13 feet in length. Typically, it is grown in a wreath form or on a trellis. The pink or white flowers are fragrant but not produced in great abundance.

While this plant has the most adorable heart-shaped leaves, the ones that are sold as a single leaf in a pot will, in most cases, remain as a single leaf. Unless a piece of stem was left attached to the potted leaf, the plant is not able to initiate new leaf or stem formation. This makes for a simple plant to care for, however. Keep your Sweetheart hoya leaf in a bright sunny spot with temperatures in the 60 to 80 degree F range and water when dry.

Sweetheart Hoya
Sweetheart Hoya - Image by dmp2024

Another plant for small spaces with charming marbled, heart-shaped leaves is the String of Hearts (Ceropegia woodii). While the dainty individual stems can grow 12 feet long, they can be trimmed to keep the plant compact. The grey-green leaves are small, only about ½ inch in diameter. String of Hearts is a succulent best grown in a potting mix labeled for cacti and set in bright, filtered sunlight. Let plants dry out slightly between waterings. Keep away from drafts and note that plants may go dormant if the temperature falls below 60 F.

Philodendrons (P. hederaceum) have been grown for ages and with good reason. These tough, vining plants with heart-shaped leaves tolerate the lower light levels found in many homes. Stems may grow 3 feet or longer and plants are best suited to a hanging basket or trellis. Exciting newer cultivars such as ‘Brasil’, ‘Cream Splash’ and ‘Rio’ offer variegated leaves. Grow plants in bright, indirect light and avoid overwatering. Trim plants if they overgrow their bounds.

More recently, anthuriums with their flashy colored spathes in red, orange, pinks, and purples have been livening up the holiday plant scene. Both the spathes, which are modified leaves, and the true glossy, green leaves are shaped like hearts. Plants grow to about 16 inches high and if content will produce long-lasting colorful spathes several months of the year. Tiny flowers are on the tail-like spike that emerges from each spathe. Anthuriums also appreciate bright but indirect light, a well-draining, acidic soilless potting media and to be kept moderately moist.

Similar in care to anthuriums, syngoniums have heart-shaped leaves and new varieties come in various shades of pink, purplish red and even variegated cultivars. Syngoniums are evergreen climbers but can be maintained as a shrubby houseplant if trailing stems are removed. As the plant ages, leaves become more arrow-shaped. Plants enjoy warmth and humidity and do best in moderately moist potting mixes and in bright diffused light.

Syngonium
Syngonium - Image by dmp2024

A little harder to find but worth the search is the Heart Fern (Hemionitis arifolia). Like many tropical ferns, it prefers indirect light in a warm, humid location. Plants may reach 10 inches tall and wide. The leaves are dimorphic, with the sterile fronds being heart-shaped and the fertile ones resembling arrowheads. Unlike most ferns, the foliage is thick and leathery. Being an epiphyte, plants should be grown in a light, airy potting mix and kept moist at all times.

Lastly, there are varieties of English ivy (Hedera helix) with heart-shaped leaves. ‘Sweetheart’ and ‘Heart’ are two common cultivars. Blue-green leaves form along stems that can be trimmed to any length. Grow as a hanging basket or in a decorative pot. English ivy enjoys cooler temperatures and bright but diffused light. East or north facing windows are ideal locations.

This year, mix it up a little for Valentine’s Day and give the heart-felt gift of a plant with heart-shaped leaves. Do note that some of the above plants are toxic if consumed so should be kept away from children and pets.

If you have questions about these plants or if you have any other gardening questions, contact the UConn Home & Garden Education at (877) 486-6271 or www.homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu or your local Cooperative Extension Center.

Alluring African Violets Chosen as 2024 Houseplant of the Year

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Alluring African Violets Chosen as 2024 Houseplant of the Year
By Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center 

 This last decade or so has seen a burgeoning interest in houseplants. While this has led to the introduction of some new and exciting species, classic stalwarts are still in demand as evidenced by the National Garden Bureau naming African violet the 2024 Houseplant of the Year. They are from Africa, as their name implies, but they are not related to the violets we commonly encounter in our gardens. These plants were discovered in the mountainous regions of Tanzania and Kenya where they grew in shady, rocky locations.  

 The first person to successfully send plant material back to Germany where it eventually reached the Royal Botanic Gardens at Herrenhausen was Captain Baron Walter Saint Paul in 1892. This new species of plant was placed in the Gesneriad family and given the Latin name, Saintpaulia ionantha. A number of additional species were described over the next half century. More recently, after DNA analysis, African violets were put in the genus, Streptocarpus.  

 Regardless of their classification, African violets are endearing plants showering their caretakers with an almost continuous parade of blossoms if properly taken care of. Maybe the most difficult part of growing African violets is deciding which ones to grow. They can be found as miniature, standard, and trailing varieties and there are thousands of cultivars. In fact, the African Violet Society of America (www.africanvioletsocietyofamerica.org) has a Master Variety List of over 16,000 recorded species and cultivars.  

 Flower color ranges from white to pink, purple, blue, violet as well as bicolored cultivars. They can be single, double or semi-double, ruffled or picoteed. Leaves can be a handsome green, some with burgundy overtones while others can be variegated or mosaic. Whichever type or cultivar of African violet you choose, care is similar.  

Pink African Violet
Photo by dmp2024

 The proper amount of light is key to good flowering. Plants need lots of bright indirect light. East windows are usually ideal as they get morning sun. If only a west or south facing window is available, filter the light with sheers. African violets do exceptionally well under fluorescent or LED lights. Consider artificial lighting if natural light is limited.  

 Temperature is also important. African violets mostly thrive in the same temperatures we do, around 65 to 70 degrees F. Place them where nighttime temperatures do not drop below 55 F. This is more likely to be a problem during cold winters when plants are left too close to windows. Often exposure to cold results in the plant starting to wilt. Daytime highs ideally should not exceed 75 F. 

 When watering your African violets, avoid getting water on the hairy leaves as this may cause spotting. Many African violet enthusiasts choose to water from the bottom. Plants can be grown in special ceramic African violet pots where a well is filled with water, and it keeps the root ball just moistened enough. Plants can also be watered using a watering can with a long narrow spout so water can be directed at the potting mix and not land on the leaves. The potting mix should stay moderately moist at all times but should not be saturated. If watering from the top and excess water drains into a saucer, be sure to empty it. Soggy soils promote crown and stem rots.  

 African violets like a very well-draining potting mix rich in organic matter with an acidic pH. One can purchase specialty mixes for African violets, or a standard soilless commercial potting mix will do. While plants do need to be fertilized during their period of active growth, which is usually spring and summer, note if when repotting the mix you are using already contains fertilizer. If it does, don’t start fertilizing until plants start looking a little light in color. If no fertilizer was added to the potting mix, you can use a half strength liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks or so from mid-March until about mid-October.  

Plants bloom best when slightly pot-bound. Often the plant can be lifted once a year and then groomed and reset back into its original pot with some fresh potting media or in a slightly larger one. Remove spent flowers to encourage more flower buds to form.  

Sometimes cyclamen mites, spider mites or root rots can be a problem so pay attention to your plants and see that they are receiving the proper care. Always isolate new plants for 30 days before introducing to your collection.  

For questions about African violets or if you have any other gardening questions, contact the UConn Home & Garden Education at (877) 486-6271 or www.homegarden.cahnr,uconn.edu or your local Cooperative Extension Center.