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Index : Plant Care
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- 20. Grooming Plants Keeps them Healthy - Top
- From time to time it's important to do some routine grooming of your plants to keep them healthy and looking their best. Both indoor and outdoor plants will benefit from a little sprucing up in the form of snipping, washing, and in some cases even polishing.
The rigors of desert life take their toll on the many non-desert plants we like to grow. It's common to have summer-damaged leaves and branches that need to be removed to maintain healthy growth. When removing dead stems or branches, always cut back to a healthy dormant bud, side branch, or to the main trunk. Buds are located at the base of leaf attachments on smaller stems of trees and shrubs.
Many desert trees such as mesquite and palo verde develop unsightly water sprouts and suckering shoots. These small but vigorous stems grow from either the base of the trunk or from the roots. They sap energy from the tree, energy that should go to the development of the tree's leafy canopy. Prune these off as soon as you notice them growing. In the case of water sprouts arising from the trunk, cut them off flush with the trunk. Suckering shoots arising from the roots should be cut at the soil line. Removing these errant shoots will improve the health and appearance of your trees.
Commercial planted trees are often staked to hold them in place. These stakes and the accompanying wires that connect to the trunk should be removed when the tree is established. If the tree has been planted and growing for one season, spring to fall, it is established. Leaving the guying wires on longer can result in damage to the trunk as the tree expands and grows into the wires.
Like outdoor plants, house plants also need regular grooming. Older, yellow or brown leaves should be removed on a regular basis. As plants grow and produce new leaves, the older ones die naturally. Although some will fall off, the majority cling to the plant in the absence of exposure to the elements. These spent leaves should be cut off rather than pulled off. Sometimes the base of the spent leaf, on such potted plants as dracaenas, dieffenbachias, and palms will cling so tightly, that pulling it off can damage the stem. Use a sharp pruning shears to cut the leaf off close to where it attaches onto the stem. Eventually, the leaf base itself can be pealed off easily.
On larger-leafed varieties of tropical foliage plants, sometimes just the leaf tips turn brown. This commonly occurs on bamboo palms, draceaenas, spathiphyllum, and philodendron. Low humidity and damage from excess salts are the usual causes. Rather than removing the entire leaf, just the browned tip can be cut away. Use a scissors to snip off the tip, making a pointed cut to repeat the natural form of the leaf.
Much has been made about the benefit, or harm in using plant leaf polishes. As with most things, used in moderation leaf polishes are not harmful to plants. Besides making leaves look shiny and healthy, polishes help repel dust. Keeping the leaves of house plants clean is very important. Dusty leaves block light! This can be especially harmful in areas where plants are receiving only a minimal amount of natural lighting. Periodically, wash plant leaves with clear water or a mild soapy solution to remove dust. Always use tepid or room-temperature water, never hot or cold.
Finally, keep a look-out for pest problems, such as spider mites. Because they spin webs, one of the first signs of mites is a dusty appearance to the leaves. Look closely with a magnifying glass. If you see small dots the size of a pin head crawling about, your plants have spider mites! Washing the leaves with a soapy solution, two or three times over a two week period, should control them.
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Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161.
Material originally appeared in Arizona Daily Star gardening column, on December 19, 1999
- Updated: December 19, 1999
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