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Advice needed 're house plant, please!

(21 Posts)
Fennel Thu 11-Jun-20 11:47:42

It's a beautiful plant - congrats to MrP.
Don't palm plants come from the tropics? Where they get heat and pleny of rain.
I'm hopeless with house plants. All I've got at the moment is 2 peace lilies and they're somehow surviving. With a few new flowers.

Callistemon Thu 11-Jun-20 11:14:59

One of mine is on a north facing window sill, another in a bathroom facing north. I think they like plenty of light but not scorching sunlight.
There's another one hanging around in the utility room waiting for a good home.

The two that DH recently split look a bit shocked.

kittylester Thu 11-Jun-20 08:45:54

I know you recently bought a feather duster so I would agree that you should dust it with that and then put it out in light rain.

Auntieflo Thu 11-Jun-20 08:23:44

Thank you Phoenix and Callistemon.

I did move it to get more direct sunlight, as that is supposed to promote flowering, but think I may have shocked the poor thing.

phoenix Thu 11-Jun-20 07:40:58

Yes, it is a peace lily. Both plants get some Baby Bio about once a fortnight.

Callistemon Wed 10-Jun-20 23:20:24

Our Peace Lily as had to be split twice now as it seems to get rootbound really quickly.
I'm hoping that at least one will flower again now,

I occasionally treat it to some Baby Bio when I remember.

Auntieflo Wed 10-Jun-20 23:06:14

Lovely plant Phoenix.

Is that a Peace Lily in the background?

I have a rescued one, that is doing quite well, loads of leaves, but no flowers ?. Now, do I feed it, or just water it. I thought that by feeding it, I will just encourage more leaves.

(Apologies for gate crashing your post.)

Callistemon Wed 10-Jun-20 22:54:19

Your plant is bigger than my plant, phoenix envy
Mind you, mine is in a container with two other plants.

grandMattie Wed 10-Jun-20 21:18:04

I put my plants under the shower, with barely warm water. They seem to enjoy it. I’m careful not to put them in direct sunlight unless they get it in the house.

janeainsworth Wed 10-Jun-20 21:11:28

Phoenix
Now, it's a bit dusty, so, is we took it outside on a sunny day
I wouldn’t put it outside on a sunny day. I’ve lost houseplants doing that. I think the change from indoor light levels to bright sunshine is too much for them.
Rainy days as others have suggested would be ok.

Hetty58 Wed 10-Jun-20 20:54:33

I must admit to using a feather duster first on my plants - before putting them outside when we have fine drizzle.

I prefer to use rainwater whenever possible, even if caught in a bucket and transferred to a plant sprayer. The hard mains water here does leave a deposit.

Ngaio1 Wed 10-Jun-20 20:12:51

It would adore it. All plants with shiny leaves love to have a wash. In the winter, I put mine in the shower for a tiny while. Not hairy leaved plants - Saintpaulia , for instance would object strongly!

SpringyChicken Wed 10-Jun-20 20:08:24

I hate to be a bird of doom but my experience is that the wet leaves need to be wiped with a cloth afterwards, otherwise the effect is like a dusty car that has been rained on. You could put a squirt of dishwasher rinse aid in the water to help things along.

NfkDumpling Wed 10-Jun-20 19:50:22

It’s doing really well isn’t it. It looks as if it’s about due to be repotted in a nice decorative pot with a matching tray and maybe casters and sent to stand on the floor.

We’ve always stood our inside plants outside when there’s a gentle rain so they’re washed in rain water as we have hard water which marks the leaves.

phoenix Wed 10-Jun-20 19:44:46

Thank you all!

Will try to persuade himself to put it out tomorrow.

It's raining quite gently at the moment, but think it might be better to give it an airing during the day, as the temperature should be better.

Callistemon Wed 10-Jun-20 19:40:31

It's going to rain tomorrow, put it outside.

I have one of those and got told off by DD because it's in the conservatory and doesn't like bright sunshine.
However, it seems to have survived for over 2 years so far and I just re-potted it the other day.

BBbevan Wed 10-Jun-20 19:18:24

If there is gentle rain ,put it outside. Plants love a holiday.

phoenix Wed 10-Jun-20 18:40:29

It's Mr Ps plant! He does give it a feed and is responsible for watering.

It was very tiny when he brought it home, in a pot about 3" , so it has been potted on a couple of times, I think he's done quite well with it.

I've had them before and not done as well as this.

kircubbin2000 Wed 10-Jun-20 18:33:51

Take it out and repot it. Spray clean and it will thrive. Feed it too.

Chewbacca Wed 10-Jun-20 18:33:45

So long as the spray is on as fine a mist as possible, the plant will love it phoenix. I regularly take my house plants outside and sit them on the lawn when it's raining. If you were to attempt to damp dust every front on a palm plant you'd still be doing it by Christmas!

phoenix Wed 10-Jun-20 18:29:03

Hello all, good wishes to all.

We have a palm plant, that Mr P bought for me as a tiny thing in 2008.

As you can see, it's done quite well! shock (mainly due to Mr Ps tlc)

Now, if we took it outside and gave it a quick going over with the hose on "mist" setting, would it clean it up, or turn the dust on the leaves to mud?

I think wiping each frond, on each lead could take the best part of a very long time! grin

Now, it's a bit dusty blush, so, is we took it outside on a sunny day, and put the hose setting to "mist" would it freshen it up, or would it turn the dust on the leaves to mud?