Beautification thru Vegetation  is offering big discounts on beautiful, high quality Gainey ceramic pots in “Seabluff”.  This is a very popular color. It is a warm “golden blonde” color  that goes with almost any interior. We have these in the large 16″x16″ size, as well as 14″  and 12″ sizes. The pots we  have on sale are the cylinder style; the picture to the right shows Seabluff color pots in a different shape known as the “Chinabowl”. Please respond     if you are interested in seeing these pots. We also have many plants at below wholesale  prices as well as some free plants, all at the same location.

Beautification thru Vegetation is overstocked and running out of space, so we are giving away many different types of plants including some very large ones, free of charge.

Feel free to respond if you are interested, and we will set up a time to show you what we have.

]]> http://www.btvplants.com/2011/09/06/free-plants/feed/ 10 http://www.btvplants.com/2011/07/26/the-secret-to-successful-plant-care-part-2/ http://www.btvplants.com/2011/07/26/the-secret-to-successful-plant-care-part-2/#comments Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:15:50 +0000 Jeff Smith http://www.btvplants.com/?p=468 [...]]]>

The primary points for understanding how to water plants outlined in part I (The previous blog) were  1. determining when your plant requires watering by testing the dryness of the soil, and 2. Observing how the amount of light affects how fast your plant dries out.

Another important factor is:  The size of the nursery container relative to the size of the plant. By nursery container, we mean the plastic container with drainage holes enclosing the rootball of your plant.  Indoors especially, it is best to place this container inside the decorative container. This way you have water drainage, but the outer container will keep it from leaking on to your floor. This also makes it easier if you ever need to remove the plant!  Naturally if you don’t have good drainage, it is more likely that your plant will become overwatered eventually.

It is usually best that indoor plants remain in their nursery container as long as possible.  Unlike outdoor plants and trees, they rarely receive very bright light for extended periods. Therefore once you have watered the plant, the goal is for the soil to drain and dry out within a week if possible.

With the exception of very small plants (6″ pot or smaller), the nursery container your plant came in will stay moist enough for atleast 7 days. The larger your nursery container (or growpot) is, relative to the size of the plant, the longer the roots will stay wet, so repotting to a larger size is not necessary until your plant has grown quite a bit.  When a plant or tree grows, and its foliage becomes taller and bushier, its roots are growing in all directions and starting to fill up the pot. However indoor plants usually grow very slowly unless they receive consistently bright light.

The point to remember is that noticing how full and bushy the foliage is,  and noticing the size of the nursery pot, can help you to predict how fast the plant will use its water, and how much water it will need once it is dry.  The more you observe plants the better understanding you will have of the size of the pot relative to the size of the plant. This is especially true in a plant store where the nursery pots are always plainly visible.

Noticing the brightness of the environment of a particular plant will also help you predict how fast it will use its water.  This is common sense really, but you also need to observe it at different times during the day to have an idea of the duration of the light and average brightness of that area. Temperature, which also affects the rate at which a plant dries out, generally increases along with brightness of light, but indoor air conditioning or heating can affect plants independent of light intensity. 

 Please let me know if this was helpful, and feel free to respond with any questions!

 In my numerous conversations with people since starting this business 25 years ago, it amazes me how many of them give up on a plant they have paid good money for; they struggle to keep it alive for a couple of months, and then watch helplessly as it loses its leaves and dies.  Since atleast 90% of buildings have enough light for some type of indoor plant or tree, correct watering is the only thing you really need to learn to keep your indoor plants healthy and attractive for many years to come!

To water a plant correctly you need to understand two simple concepts; the relationship between light and water, and how much water the roots need. For the average home or office with say 10 plants or less, less then one half an hour per week is all the time it takes  to keep your plants in excellent condition. This is plenty of time to check  each plant, and give its roots the water they will need to last another 7 days.

The key to all of this is knowing when the roots are dry, and the best way to determine this by feeling the soil and squeezing it in your hand: Moist soil clumps together, while dry soil is more powdery, and won’t stick together in your hand. Do this by sticking your hand 2 or 3 inches down, twice, once on each side of the pot.  If it was watered evenly, it should be about the same in both places.  When the soil feels dry and powdery, it is time to give your plant sufficient water that  a little comes out the bottom of the pot.  Plants with a softer looser soil is easy to test by hand, while other plants with tighter, harder soil texture may  take more  time, and effort.

Besides having a good sense of touch when testing the soil, it is also important to understand the relationship between water and light. Most people know  that  a  plant dries out much faster outside on a bright, sunny day then a cloudy one, but many forget to apply this obvious concept to indoor plants.  Most will be exposed to a combination of natural and artificial light. Naturally you want to maximize the amount of light your plant gets in a particular room in both the intensity (brightness) and duration (hours per day).  The total average amount of light this plant receives on a daily basis will determine exactly how much water its roots need.  As you care for this plant over an extended period of time, you will start to learn aproximately how long it takes for its roots to go from wet to dry, and therefore how much water it needs and how often. Naturally the goal is to avoid overwatering your plant ( most common cause of indoor plant failure). When you have overwatered by applying too much water, or watering too frequently, the roots will start to drown and rot because they haven’t had a chance to oxygenate, which requires drier soil.

On the other hand when allowed to dry out too long, the roots will also start to die, but your plant will give warning signs such as wilting or the sudden yellowing of several leaves. Then if you water it, the plant will generally recover quickly. In the case of overwatering however, there may be no visible warning signs until it is too late. 

I hope this will help you care for you plants and keep them healthy. For more helpful tips and detailed information see part 2 of The Secret to successful plant care .

Plants are sensitive to their environment, so it is important to know which environment is best for each plant. By environment,  we mean lighting, air temperature, and humidity.  For example, the Chinese Evergreen, does much better indoors,  whereas the Ficus Benjamina, does well indoors or outdoors, as long as the lighting is bright. Though the Corn plant and Chinese Evergreen can tolerate much lower light then the other two plants,  if you put them outdoors, they will burn in direct sunlight, and air temperatures below 55 can damage their leaves.  the Ficus and Bird of Paradise don’t have those problems outdoors.

That being said, all plants will become bushier and more attractive in high light then low light; you just have to know if its direct or indirect light.  Although sunlight usually comes to mind when we think of plants, artificial light also helps plants grow. In fact the Corn plant and Chinese evergreen can do very well with nothing more then florescent light.  When a plant is purchased from a greenhouse, where it is typically given the maximum amount of light, and then installed in the typical home or office, it is probably getting much less light for less hours a day.  The plant needs to acclimate (adjust) to the lower level of  light.  While it is acclimating, you may notice that some of the lower foliage turns yellow and dies.  Within two months or so, it should have acclimated to its new  environment, and its leaves will stop dying.  This plant will need less frequent watering in the lower light.

Some plants need high humidity.  For example, many of the ferns and some of the palms prefer the outdoors because it is more humid then the air in office buildings and most homes.  On the other hand, maintaining many types of plants is easier in an air conditioned building because the temperature is more constant and predictable then outdoors.  Service  once a week, or sometimes every other week, is sufficient for indoor plants, whereas outdoor plants may need service and watering twice a week in the summer, and much less often in the rainy season.

So,  before you pay for new plants, it is wise to think carefully about where they will go.  We at Beautification thru Vegetation will be happy to help you pick the right plants for your space, and we  guarantee the health of all of our plants.

 Although most modern buildings are energy efficient, they typically have poor ventilation, and unhealthy airborn chemicals accumulate.  Sources of these chemicals include; building materials, carpeting, furniture, computers, and photocopiers .  Some common chemicals found in offices are ammonia, formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, and even carbon monoxide. A condition known as  “Sick Building Syndrome”, characterized by fatigue, headaches, nausea, and respiratory problems has become increasingly prevalent in recent decades. 

 The good news is,  studies have  shown that plants improve indoor air quality significantly.  Most common office plants absorb and breakdown these airborne chemicals.  Some of the most effective “air purifiers” are, the Ficus Tree, Philodendren, Dracaena Janet Cragii, Spathiphylum, most palms, and  the Spider plant.

 Curiously, one of the first to discover these plant benefits, was NASA.  Over thirty years ago, they put plants inside a spaceship as an experiment, and found that this improved the quality of the air inside the ship.  Bill Wolverton left NASA to start the Plants for Clean Air Council to further research this phenomenon.

So think twice before you buy artificial plants.  We will be happy to get you real live plants, and guarantee they will thrive in your home or office.  And we will be creating a healthier environment at your work or home!

     Ficus Benjamina          Bird of Paradise           Corn Plant             Chinese Evergreen

Plants are sensitive to their environment,  so it is important to know which environment is best for your plants. By environment, we mean  lighting, air  temperature, and humidity. For example, the Corn plant and Chinese evergreen, pictured above, are normally used for indoor areas, where as the Ficus Benjamina and Bird of Paradise, (also pictured above) can be used for indoor or outdoor. Though the Corn plant and Chinese Evergreen can tolerate much lower light then the other two plants, if you put then outdoors, their leaves will burn in direct sunlight, and air temperatures below 55 can damage their leaves.  The Ficus and Bird of Paradise don’t have those problems outdoors. 

 That being said, all plants, will become bushier and more attractive in high light then low light. You just have to know if it will get direct or indirect light. Although sunlight usually comes to mind when we think of light, artificial light also helps plants grow. In fact the Corn plant and Chinese Evergreen can do quite well with nothing more then florescent light. When a plant is purchased from the Greenhouse, they are giving it the maximum amount of light, but when  installed in the typical home or office, it is getting much less light . So the plant needs to acclimate (adjust) to the lower level of light.  While it is acclimating, you may notice that some of the lower foliage turns yellow and dies.  Within two months or so the plant should have acclimated to the new environment, and its leaves will stop dying. This plant will need less frequent watering in the lower light.

 Some plants need high Humidity.  For example, many of the ferns and some of the palms do better outside because it is more humid then the air in office buildings  and most homes. On the other hand, many plants prefer the air conditioned buildings because the temperature is more constant and predictable then outdoors.  Service once a week, or sometimes even every other week,  is sufficient for indoor plants, but outdoor plants may need service and watering twice a week in the summer and much less during a rainy season.

So, before you pay for new plants, it is wise to think carefully about where they will go, and to select the types that can thrive in that area. We at Beautification thru Vegetation will be happy to help you select the right plants for your environment, and we  guarantee the health of all of our plants.

 this mexican restaurant in West

Hollywood, we used tropical plants

to remind the customers of a

jungle in Southern Mexico. We

selected tall White Bird of

Paradise. These plants will grow

up and out to the side without

obstructing the diners or

restaurant staff in any way.  This restaurant, The Red O, has two bars,

and is open late at night, so we have also created a romantic setting for the clientele.