The ZZ Plant has become a popular plant for use in the interior landscape. It is also becoming a popular house plant and many people are using the ZZ Plant to add some green to their desktops, offices, and cubicles. The ZZ Plant has thick, glossy, green leaves and is an easy care indoor house plant.
The ZZ Plant has a clumping growth form, the stems originating from rhizomes under the soil. These rhizomes store water making it easier for the ZZ Plant to survive a mild drought. So, it is best to water the ZZ when the soil has become some what dry.
This plant has a number of common names, its botanical name is Zamioculcas zamifolia. It is more often called the ZZ Plant, other common names being Zanzibar Gem, Eternity Palm, and Emerald Gem. It is a tropical, perennial plant native to eastern Africa. The flowers of the ZZ Plant are whitish-yellow spadix that grow from the base of the plant. Flowers occur during summer and autumn.
I have cared for many ZZ Plants and those that do the best have always been located fairly close to a good source of bright, natural light. No direct sun required and they can be maintained under bright artificial light but the plant will most likely become thin and weak over time. Read more about ZZ Plant watering and care…
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!
If you are new to the world of houseplants, you may be wondering how to care for your new, green friends. I care for indoor tropical plants each day as an interior landscape account manager. The plants that we use in interior landscaping are picked for their durability and appearance. If you need some suggestions for a good choice for a houseplant, take a look at this list of easy to care for, hardy houseplants. More about basic houseplant care below.
You may find instructions that come with a new houseplant telling you to keep your houseplant “evenly moist”. Sometimes you will be told to water this much at a certain interval. Pay no attention to those kinds of directions as many things influence the watering of a houseplant. Some of those things that affect watering and water use of your houseplant are the size of the plant, the size of the pot, the soil mix, the health of the plant (thin and barely alive or full, lush and growing), the light in which you have placed your houseplant, the temperatures and the time of year.
I cannot know all of those things about your particular houseplant but I can give you basic steps you can follow that should be, for the most part, all of the care your houseplant requires.
The first part of good, basic houseplant care is to pick a day each week when you will take a little time to check on your houseplant and give it a little attention. Care for your houseplant on the same day each week.
Houseplants Peperomia, Fittonia, Birds Nest Fern
So it is the day for your houseplant care and the first thing you should do is check to see if your houseplant needs to be watered. Most plants will be fine if you allow the soil to dry half of its depth or more. So feel down half the depth of the soil. Is it dry all the way or is it still pretty wet or moist? You can use your fingers or a moisture meter. I use both at work, often relying on a moisture meter if the pot is larger and harder to dig down into.
If you decide that your houseplant requires watering, grab your watering can and make sure to water thoroughly. You can immerse the entire pot and root ball into standing water until all the air has been displaced from the soil or you can top-water using a watering can. When using the top-water method, make sure to wet the entire soil mass. Water should drain out of the grow pot through the drainage holes. Houseplants should always be planted in containers that have drainage holes. Then allow plant to dry down as much as possible without causing it to wilt. Room temperature water is best.
Next, remove all yellow and brown foliage. If you have brown leaves, spotted leaves, yellow leaves or leaves that are starting to turn yellow at the stem, remove them entirely. You can use scissors or pruners if you need to but many times you can remove leaves and stems with your hands. Woody plants may need pruners or scissors. If leaf tips have turned a little brown or black, you can trim them with clean, sharp scissors.
Take notice of your indoor house plant’s appearance as you care for it. Does it droop a little or seem to be not so green and healthy looking as the week before? Or is it looking good, no spots, no brown tips and no yellow leaves?
Think about the last time you watered your plant. Did you have to water the week before? Or was the soil still wet or damp? Did you water it anyway? Or was the soil so dry the plant was beginning to wilt?
Watering your plant is very much a cause and effect event. If your plant is looking good – green, shiny and healthy looking – then you are doing the right things. If it is wilting, yellow or spotted, not much new growth, you need to review your watering habits and make adjustments.
You will know if you are doing the right things by the way the plant responds to your care. Remember, every plant is different. Only you can tell if your plant needs to be watered.
Indoor House Plants Care
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After you have watered your houseplant and cleaned it up of brown, yellow or discolored leaves, you can gently wipe the leaves with a clean, dry cloth. This may or may not be necessary and you can tell by looking at your plant if it needs cleaning. It is a good idea to clean or dust your houseplant’s leaves occasionally.
The last thing you should do as part of your basic houseplant care is turn the entire plant half a turn. This will help promote even growth on all sides as a plant will orient the leaf surfaces towards the major light source.
Over watering is a big problem but insufficient watering or letting your plant wilt on a regular basis is not good for it. This will most likely cause browning or spotting of the foliage over time. Be sure to check your houseplants on a regular schedule. Pay attention to visual signs such as mild wilting, browning tips, etc. and you will soon learn how to gauge when your plants require watering.
Basic Houseplant Care Other Things to Note
When you water your plants, always water thoroughly.
Water should be as close to room temperature as possible.
Plants should always be planted in a container with drainage holes at the bottom.
Aerating the soil before you water is very beneficial to the root system.
Make sure that any excess water is discarded when you are finished.
Many plants are in a stage of no or very slow growth in the winter and should be allowed to become somewhat drier. Some plants may not need to be watered at all in the winter months, after a good soaking in the fall.
If the heat is kept exceptionally high in the winter, it is also possible that your plants may use and need more water in the winter months.
Some plants use more water temporarily as heating systems are turned on in the colder months.
As the daylight changes throughout the year and as temperatures change, your plants water use will change accordingly.
Watering & Houseplant Care A Few More Things….
A house plant that is set next to an air vent is going to require more frequent watering than one that is not.
Plants that are in a new environment often use more water as they acclimate to new conditions.
A plant with an abundance of foliage is going to require much more moisture than a very thin or sparse plant.
If your plant is in a plastic container, it will stay moist much longer than a plant in a clay or wood container.
All of these things should be considered as you perform your weekly basic houseplant care. Hope these tips help you to keep your indoor houseplants green and growing.
Thanks for visiting and come back soon as houseplant care information, pictures and more are being added all of the time. If you have questions about your houseplant care, you can visit my contact page. I hope that your indoor tropical houseplants and all of your plants and flowers are happy, green and growing because that is why I started this indoor house plant and flower care website, PlantAndFlowerInfo.com.
