Hello Mister!

With a new plant manual and renewed determination to do right by my house plants, I've made some progress since a recent visit to my local plant store, Gethsemane.

First, I took inventory. With my Anthurium, I have 30 house plants right now. The bright red flowers and big shiny leaves of our "new guy" were just the ticket to brighten up our house during this long, cold winter. Isn't he handsome? 

 

Anthurium andreanum

This guy was selected after a long conversation in the Gethsemane greenhouse, with a helpful and patient staffperson (though I have been known to talk to my plants, too). So far, he's acclimating well, hasn't been harassed by my two cats and even has a new flower coming up and starting to uncurl. We're off to a good start in our relationship. 

After setting up the new guy in a pretty pot holder with drainage holes in indirect light, I set out to get to know my other house plants better. I went room by room and plant by plant with my plant manual to learn the names and habits of my silent housemates.

Reed palm

The plant manual lists 'secrets of success' for each plant type, which can be hard to figure out as the book lists them alphabetically by name. So, if you don't know the name of the plant, you've got some digging to do. Luckily, there are pictures and descriptions to help decide who is what. 

The plant 'success' list includes temperature, light, water AND air humidity.  Who knew, right? 

Apparently, many plants I own would like more humidity and the manual recommends to "mist leaves regularly."  

Dieffenbachia

Mist-lovers include: stripe-leafed calathea (in maranta group), large-leafed dieffenbachia, dracaena (aka 'false palm'), palms, pink-stem philodendron, climbing pothos (scindapsus), even easy-going schefflera. 

With exception of my fussy tropical crotons, these house plants have missed out on misting so far. 

My reed palm has been beautiful for years and has adapted beautifully to our new home; my large-leafed dieffenbachia grows and grows, with a few turns of the pot to grow evenly; my two schefflera (left) with their cute baby leaflets like stars are the easiest plants I own, except the nearly indestructible 'snake plants' (sansevieria) that grow in nearly any conditions, even in offices under neon lights. 

This winter in Chicago has been brutally cold and with it comes extremely dry air, so I figured this would be a good time to test out a mister - and see if my plants like it.                                                                                                        

Mist-loving house plants' best friend: a spray bottle.  

Some plants LOVE the new misting practice and the extra air humidity from drying racks in the room (bonus: clothes dry overnight, like magic!). 

The dracaena has just one brown leaf left and new bright green growth on top. The philodendron, calathea and crotons are digging the extra moisture - and it shows in the brighter leaf colors, smooth and supple texture and overall health of the plants. 

Other plants seem neutral to misting, including schefflera, dieffenbachia and pothos. I now keep a spray bottle near the mist-loving plants so I can easily mist them. If the air is really dry or other plants look dry or dirty, I give them a quick spritz too. A tiny bit of soap in the water helps deter bugs and keep the leaves clean and shiny.

Armed with my misting spray bottle and my plant manual, my house plants should all make it through this record-breaking cold winter. I hope I am as lucky.