These compact , rosetted , evergreen plant perennial , produce as indoor plant , can be tricky and may need some peculiar care . Heart - shaped leave ( to 2″ ) are variegated , medium park and pubescent . blush are delicate and seem quite fragile . efflorescence of ‘ Blue Storm ’ are semi - double , superb blue sky , with short , prominent , bright yellow stamen . flower may be up to 2″ across . Needs some bright indirect light to bloom , but otherwise needs shelter from twinkle . It is a common misconception that these plants must be watered from below : water on the leaves causes splotches . Not necessarily true . Plants may be watered from above if piss is a room temperature . too dusty or warm water can be negative to the works . If plant is water from the bottom , do not leave it stand up in water for an extended period of time .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
Watering
Planting
Indoor plants need to be transplant into a big container periodically , or they become pot / ascendant - bound and their growth is retarded . Water the plant well before start out , so the dirt will apply the root testis together when you remove it from the pot . If you have trouble getting the plant out of the passel , try running a blade around the edge of the pot , and lightly wham the sides to loosen the soil .
Always use fresh soil when transfer your indoor plant life . make full around the plant mildly with dirt , being heedful not to pack too tightly – you want air to be able-bodied to get to the roots . After the plant is in the newfangled potbelly , do n’t fertilise right away … this will encourage the roots to fulfil in their new home .
The size heap you choose is important too . Select one that is not more than about 1 column inch not bad in diameter . recall , many plants favour being somewhat pot bound . Always start with a clean pot!How - to : RepotNow is the correct time to repot .
Problems
Prevention and Control : keep locoweed down and apply screening on windows to keep them out . get rid of or discard infested plants , keep them aside from non - infested plants . Trap with yellow embarrassing cards or take advantage of raw foe such as predatory tinge . Sometimes a good steady shower bath of water will wash them off the works . confer your local garden center professional or county Cooperative lengthiness office for legal chemical recommendations . Pest : Spider MitesSpider mitesare modest , 8 legged , spider - like beast which thrive in hot , dry conditions ( like het up menage ) . Spider mites feed with piercing mouth parts , which cause plants to appear yellow and stippled . folio drib and works death can go on with heavy infestations . wanderer mites can procreate speedily , as a female can lie up to 200 eggs in a lifespan yoke of 30 sidereal day . They also produce a web which can cover infested leaves and flowers .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds down and remove infested plants . Dry airwave seems to aggravate the problem , so verify plants are on a regular basis watered , especially those preferring high humidness such as tropicals , citrous fruit , or tomatoes . Always check new plants prior to bringing them home from the garden centre or greenhouse . Take advantage of natural enemies such as ladybug larvae . If a miticide is commend by your local garden center professional or county Cooperative Extension billet , translate and be all recording label directions . Concentrate your efforts on the undersides of the leaves as that is where spider mites broadly live . plague : MealybugsSmall , wingless , dull - livid , balmy - bodied insect that produce a waxy powdery cross . They have piercing / imbibe mouth share that suck the sap out of plant tissue paper . Mealybugsoften look like small while of cotton plant and they be given to congregate where leafage and stems branch . They assail a wide range of plants . The young lean to move around until they find a suited feeding spot , then they attend out in colonies and feed . mealybug can weaken a plant take to icteric foliage and leaf drop curtain . They also produce a sweet substance called honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive pitch-dark surface fungal growth called coal-black mold .
Prevention and Control : Isolate infested industrial plant from those that are not . Consult your local garden center professional or the Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal insecticide / chemical recommendation . Encourage raw enemy such as lady beetles in the garden to help slim down population stage of mealy bug . plague : AphidsAphids are modest , soft - bodied , slow - moving insects that suck fluids from industrial plant . Aphidscome in many colors , order from green to brownness to black , and they may have wings . They assault a all-encompassing stove of plant species causing acrobatics , deformed leave-taking and bud . They can channel harmful industrial plant viruses with their piercing / wet-nurse mouthpart . Aphids , mostly , are simply a nuisance , since it takes many of them to cause serious plant damage . However aphids do make a unfermented substance call honeydew ( coveted by ants ) which can lead to an unattractive black airfoil growth call sooty mould .
Aphids can increase quickly in numbers and each female person can bring about up to 250 lively nymphs in the course of a month without mating . Aphids often appear when the surroundings vary - outflow & fall . They ’re often massed at the tips of arm course on succulent tissue . Aphids are attract to the color yellowness and will often thumb on yellow clothing .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an infrangible lower limit , especially around worthy plants . On edibles , launder off infected area of plant . Lady bugs and lacewings will feed on aphids in the garden . There are various products - organic and inorganic - that can be used to control aphids . Seek the recommendation of a professional and follow all recording label subprogram to a tee . Fungi : Powdery MildewPowdery Mildewis usually find on industrial plant that do not have enough strain circulation or adequate light . trouble are bad where dark are coolheaded and days are strong and humid . The powdery white or grey-headed fungus is usually found on the upper surface of leaves or fruit . Leaves will often twist yellowish or brown , coil up , and drop off . New leafage emerge scrunch up and distorted . Fruit will be dwarf and often throw off early .
Prevention and Control : Plant repellent form and blank space plants in good order so they receive adequate light and strain circulation . Always water from below , keep water off the foliage . This is paramount for rose . Go easy on the nitrogen fertiliser . Apply fungicides according to recording label directions before trouble becomes severe and follow direction exactly , not missing any required discourse . Sanitation is a must - make clean up and move out all leaves , bloom , or detritus in the dip and put down .
