Ficus trees are great house plants and very easy to care for after the initial trauma of being moved to a new location. They have a tendency to drop all of their pretty green leaves on the floor when you first bring them home as they seem to despise moving to a new environment. This is the Ficus benjamina or Weeping Fig.
Ficus Benjamina Interior Plant – Weeping Fig Tree
This type of Ficus tree is notorious for being difficult to acclimate to a new environment. In fact, I would have included it on the list of best house plants if it were not for the problems many people have bringing a Ficus tree successfully through its transition to a new home.
Even those that work in the interior landscape business know the trouble that a new Ficus tree can be. However, on the positive side, if you know that it will most likely happen (some Ficus trees barely lose a leaf), you may be a little more prepared to deal with it when it does happen.
I find that most indoor plants are very adaptable as long as changes are made slowly, whether it is a change in location, lighting, or watering. This even applies to the Ficus tree. Ficus trees are often difficult to acclimate because they are quite sensitive to environmental changes and will often react by dropping most of their still green leaves quite suddenly.
This post is about Asplenium nidus, or Birds Nest Fern. There are a few types of Birds Nest Ferns, the two most common being the Japanese and Victoria Birds Nest Fern. The Victoria has thinner, more ruffled fronds than the Japanese. As far as ferns go, this is one of my favorites, along with Button Ferns and Pteris fern.
Asplenium Nidus – Birds Nest Fern
One of the easiest ferns to care for as a house plant is the Birds Nest Fern or Asplenium Nidus. It is more likely to let you get away with a few mistakes than many other ferns. An added attraction is the leaflets that often fall from other ferns, creating quite a mess, are not present on Birds Nest Fern. This makes it a clean fern in my book, unlike the messy Boston Fern. With a Boston Fern, you may end up spend more time cleaning up after it than you do taking care of it! Not so the Birds Nest Fern.
Light green fronds surround a fibrous nest, explaining the name Birds Nest Fern. The fronds are long and blade shaped with a dark midrib. Birds Nest Ferns can grow quite large and the plant pictured here was well over 3 feet tall!
Philodendron has been in use as a houseplant since Victorian times and is still a very popular indoor plant today. Most commonly seen is the Philodendron Cordatum, sometimes called Sweetheart Plant. A long-time favorite, it has heart-shaped, green leaves that will trail off the edge of a shelf or climb, using its aerial roots.
Philodendron Silver is similar to the Philodendron Cordatum but has thicker, smaller leaves with a margin of silver. The leaf surface of this lovely foliage houseplant is splashed with silver markings. One of the vining, climbing types of philodendron, the Philodendron Silver and can be used as a hanging plant or table plant. Its small size also makes it ideal for planting in dish gardens or terrariums.
Philodendron Silver Houseplant
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Place your Philodendron Silver in medium to bright, indirect lighting. Keep out of direct sun, bright diffused light for your Philodendron Silver is preferable. Philodendrons will survive in lower light but, as with most other houseplants, will becomes leggy and thin under lower light conditions. Additional light from a fluorescent light is beneficial, if available. Temperatures for Philodendron Silver should be kept between 65°F and 80°F.
Philodendron Silver is a trailing plant and will often develop aerial roots and attach itself to wood, walls etc. and climb. This is most likely if there is an abundance of humidity in the air. It is a fairly fast-growing plant if cared for correctly.
Philodendron Silver Plant Watering
In bright, indirect light, water your Philodendron Silver when the soil has dried down about half the depth of the grow pot. Houseplants will not do well if kept too moist for a long period of time. Be sure not to overwater. In low light, allow to dry completely before watering. Please see the sections on watering your indoor plants and lighting for your indoor houseplants for information on the most important part of your houseplant’s health.
Other Philodendron Silver Care
Help keep your Philodendron Silver houseplant full by cutting back the longest of its vines occasionally to encourage new growth. Remove any leaves that become discolored or faded. If you are watering properly and the light is good, you should get some side shoots to help keep your house plant’s foliage full.
Philodendron Silver houseplant is, for the most part, trouble-free but the most common problem would be mealy bugs. These insects can damage your plant and should only be a problem on a new plant or if your plant has been exposed to another plant with mealy bugs. Be sure to check plants before you buy them for any apparent problems.
It is a good idea to quarantine any new additions to your house plant family for a few weeks just to be sure there are not any insects that were not noticed at first. Wash down your new house plant with a mixture of water and mild dish detergent. I like to add a few drops of Eucalyptus essential oil or Orange essential oil to my plant cleaning solution.
Apply to top and lower leaf and stem surfaces being careful not to saturate the soil. You can clean by hand or use a spray bottle to apply your plant cleaning solution. I use a sponge moistened with my cleaning solution to gently wipe the top and lower leaf surfaces. Cleaning of your house plants should be a regular part of your houseplant care. Read more about basic care for all of your houseplants.
Thanks for visiting and come back soon as information on houseplants, pictures and more are being added all of the time. I hope this has been helpful in the care of your Philodendron Silver plant and that all of your indoor tropical plants and all of your plants and flowers are happy, green, and growing because that is why I started this site PlantAndFlowerInfo.com.
There are quite a few members of the Dracaena houseplant family and Dracaena Warneckii is among the most colorful and easy care. Dracaena Warneckii makes my list as one of the best house plants for its ease of care and colorful foliage.
One new interior landscape account that I serviced a number of years ago had a Dracaena Warneckii in an out of the way office. I missed this plant for over 3 months and, although it had a number of dried up lower leaves on it, it was still alive and growing! I don’t recommend this, just a point about houseplant perseverance, especially Dracaena Warneckii. Another reason Dracaena Warneckii is on my best houseplants list.
Produced in a variety of forms, Dracaena Warneckii is grown as a tip, bush, staggered, character and cane. Dracaena plants can be anywhere from one foot tall to twenty feet tall or more. It is unusual to find them at that height except in interior landscapes or in nature.
Dracaena Warneckii Houseplant
Light for Dracaena Warneckii Houseplant
Warneckii does best in a bright light situation. Most Dracaena will do quite well under artificial lighting alone or a combination of natural light and artificial light. Keep your Dracaena Warneckii in bright, filtered light if available. Direct afternoon sun is not recommended as it can burn the foliage. Bright light is preferred and some morning sun will help keep your Dracaena looking good.
Most dracaenas can be maintained in lower lighting with reduced watering and Warneckii is one house plant that will tolerate lower light levels. It is prone to root rot if over-watered in lower light.
For more information on proper watering of your Dracaena Warneckii houseplant, see below and check out the page on general indoor house plant watering practices.
Watering Dracaena Warneckii
Houseplants should be checked for watering needs once a week. They may not need water every week but it is best to check the soil and groom your plant on the same day each week. That way you are less likely to forget about your plant. In lower to medium light, water when potting soil has dried down at least 3/4 of the depth of the pot. In bright light, allow Dracaena Warneckii houseplant to dry at least 1/2 – 3/4 of the way down and then water thoroughly. Please see watering indoor plants and information on importance of light for your houseplants as these two things will most impact your plant’s health.
Dracaena Warneckii Care Tips
Despite my story about not watering a Dracaena Warneckii for three months, I do not recommend this as a common watering practice. Dracaena can be let to go almost all the way dry but you also risk damaging the foliage by leaving your plant too dry for extended periods of time. You may find bumpy, yellow spots or blotches on your Warneckii houseplant’s lower foliage when it has been allowed to dry too much.
A few notes about Warneckii. It is best placed in a low traffic location. The foliage of Dracaena Warneckii is much more easily damaged than other Dracaenas. Handle with care. Dracaena Warneckii is also prone to damage from excess soluble salts (fertilizers) and fluoride (often found in your water). This can cause yellow blotches, brown tips and leaf margins. This is often made worse by allowing plant to dry too much. Leach plant occasionally and replace soil with fresh media to help alleviate the problem. Dracaena Warneckii can also have root and stem rot problems if kept too wet in low light.
Remove lower leaves as they yellow and trim brown tips to the original leaf shape using sharp clean scissors. It is normal for a new plant to shed its old foliage when it is moved to a new and different environment, so expect new additions to your plant family. Warneckii will lose some of its inner and lower leaves as time goes by.
Trim the leaf edges as needed but once you have lost more than half of the leaf it is best to remove it entirely. This will help encourage new vibrant growth for a great looking plant. Given the proper care, it should acclimate and become a beautiful, trouble free plant.
As your Dracaena Warneckii plant grows taller and loses its lower leaves, you may want to cut the stem or stalk back before the plant becomes too tall. When you cut back the stem, your Dracaena Warneckii will produce new “heads” or shoots from the stem from the leaf nodes below your cut. Keep your Warneckii house plant’s foliage clean and initially keep an eye out for insect problems. Mites, mealybug, thrips and scale can sometimes be a problem but Warneckii is, for the most part, not prone to many insect problems. Mealybugs are the most likely problem. A good wash down with soapy water should be sufficient to control any pests. If you do notice insects, be sure to address immediately to prevent population growth.
Apply to top and lower leaf and stem surfaces being careful not to saturate the soil. You can clean by hand or use a spray bottle to apply your plant cleaning solution. I use a sponge moistened with my cleaning solution to gently wipe the top and lower leaf surfaces. Cleaning of your house plants should be a regular part of your house plant care. Be extra careful cleaning Dracaena Warneckii as the leaves can be easily damaged.
Dracaena Warneckii Plant Care Question?
If you have a question about your Dracaena warneckii houseplant or other houseplants, you can send me an email and I will do my best to help you find an answer to your question or a solution to your problem. You can contact me here. Thanks for visiting!
