Dracaena is a common houseplant in both homes and offices. This is because of its power to eliminate toxins from the air and its ability to regulate carbon dioxide levels and control humidity. These are the main reasons why most people consider investing in houseplants. One point you may not already know is that houseplants can actually improve your mood.

Have you notice you often feel more at ease when walking through a forest or during a picnic in the park? Why is that so? The scientific name for this feeling is known as biophilia.

Biophilia is a term that was coined back in 1984 by Edward Wilson – a naturalist. The term translates to ‘love of life’. It refers to the way humans are naturally drawn to living things such as pets and plants. It is possible to reap the natural benefits of biophilia right at home by purchasing the right houseplants from plantscaper suppliers.

Effect of plants
Humans benefit from biophilia and plants offer the low maintenance sources of that. Studies have shown that the presence of plants can actually lower blood pressure; anxiety as well as decrease stress and boost concentration. In most of these studies, persons working in rooms that had houseplants experienced less stress and were found to need less painkillers. What is more is that having the best houseplants from interiorscaper suppliers will enable you to purify the air around you and boost the levels of oxygen.

How else to plants help?
In addition to biophilia, having plants in your home will reduce health problems. The main reason for this is because plants like draceana will eliminate toxic elements from the air. The plants will also regulate the humidity levels in the air as well as boost the energy levels. All this leads to a reduction in air particles that can cause respiratory problems.

How to use houseplants
Having a single houseplant on your table will work wonders. However, it is recommended to get more than one plant from the growers. This is because when grouped together, plants will regulate the humidity better and will also be more effective in the elimination of toxins from the air. You also need to consider plants that complement the ambience and ones that you can comfortably care for.

There are so many houseplants you can choose from. The important things to consider are the maintenance needs of the plant, what it is prone to and its overall look. Wholesale nurseries will have a wide selection of houseplants for you to choose from. Make sure you pick one with care. Not all houseplants out there will be perfect for you.

Dracaena

Plantscaper suppliers can only spend so much time educating you on how to take good care of your houseplants. It is up to you to learn of other things like leaching the soil, trimming the plant and keeping it safe from pests. One point most interiorscaper suppliers will often not touch on is that on rotating your plant. How often should you turn a houseplant?

If you have been focusing on the progress of your draceana, you may have noticed that it has been leaning somewhat towards the light. This is common with all plants. Whenever a plant is indoors, it will tend to crane itself towards the best source of light. This is a natural growing process which enables the plant to wildly search for sunlight. The problem here is that in its struggle for sunlight, the plant may end up with a weird shape. The good news is that you can prevent the bending by rotating your plant.

How to rotate houseplants
Phototropism is the process that causes plants to lean towards the source of light. The auxins are cells in the plant which determines the growth rate as well as the shape of the plant. Auxins that are located on the side of the houseplant that receives the most sun grow stronger and much sturdier while those on the shadier side grow longer and spindlier. This means that one side of the dracaena will grow taller than the other. This is what causes the bending effect.

Turning your plants regularly is the key to avoiding the bending. This will further enable your plant to look its best. But how often should you turn your plant?

The frequency of turning your plant will depend on the source of light. Depending on the source, wholesale nurseries may recommend that you turn the plant every 3 days or every 2 weeks. You are the person who understands the lighting of your room. To avoid forgetting, the rule you should consider is that of turning your plant a quarter each time you water it. This will enable the plant to grow healthily and evenly.

Install florescent lights
If you feel turning your plant every now and then will be impractical, most growers recommend that you install florescent lights. These lights should be set up on the shady side of the plant. By doing this, you will enable the auxins on the darker side to grow sturdily and your plants will tend to grow straight. Alternatively, you can install a growing light directly above the plant. This will cause it to grow straight. In this case, you will not even require natural sunlight.

Nobody wants their dracaena to struggle for sunlight. The above recommendations will surely help you ensure that your plant grows evenly and healthily. Stick to your routine. If you must use grow lights, make sure you buy the best models.

Plantscaper suppliers

Dracaena and other houseplants require more care than most people know. Simply watering the plant and making sure it gets sufficient sunlight and humidity is not enough. You need to do more. One condition you need to watch out for is guttation. At the first sight of this, most plant owners assume the worst. One thing you need to understand about this condition is that it is natural and it’s not harmful. Guttation is simply the appearance of little droplets of liquid on plant leaves.

Plants gather nutrients and moisture through the roots. To be able to move the nutrients and water up, the leaves have holes known as stomata. The evaporation of liquid through the stomata creates a vacuum which in turn helps the plant to pull up the nutrients and water through the leaves. This is known as transpiration. Plantscaper suppliers will be willing to give you more information about this process upon request. Transpiration normally stops at night because the stomata are closed.

Plants don’t need a lot of moisture at night. When the temperatures are cool or when the air is humid, less moisture evaporates. The plant continues to draw up more moisture through the root by building up pressure to force nutrients up. The pressure pushes the moisture out of the leaves. This is what leads to the formation of beads of water.

Difference between guttation and dew drops
More often than not, people mistake guttation for dew drops. The difference is dew forms on plant’s surface from condensation of the moisture in the air whereas guttation forms from moisture that is emitted from the plant itself. Understanding this difference will keep you at ease when you notice the water beads on your plant more so in the morning. You can also ask wholesale nurseries for plants that don’t experience a lot of guttation.

Misconception
One thing even your interiorscaper suppliers will be willing to tell you is that guttation is not a result of overwatering. Although overwatering could contribute the problem, guttation is not always a sign of overwatering. It is simply a sign of a healthy plant. Don’t reduce watering unless you are sure the problem is being caused by overwatering.

Guttation is only harmful to plants if you over-fertilize. This is because minerals from the fertilizer can build up on the leaf tips and cause them to burn. If you see white deposits on the leaf tips, you should consider cutting down on fertilizing.

Guttation is a condition that is not known by most people. Liaising with growers will help you better understand the condition and how to ensure it never damages your plants. All things considered, guttation is not a condition that should cause you to lose sleep if you have been taking good care of your dracaena.

Dracaena

Wholesale nurseries supply all manner of potted plants. You can find virtually anything that you want to decorate your house or office with. However, without proper care, your houseplants may end up ruining your desired look. In addition to watering your plants properly and ensuring they receive sufficient sunlight, you need to ensure that you keep an eye on the unabsorbed minerals.

Unlike the outdoor plants, potted plants have only so much soil to use. This means they need to be fertilized every now and then. The problem with this is that fertilizing the plants leads to the accumulation of unabsorbed minerals. This accumulates in the soil and a massive buildup will cause harm to your draceana or any other plant. The good news, however, is that there are a few things you can do to deal with the buildup. This is known as leaching.

Why is leaching important?
Most plantscaper suppliers will not educate you on leaching. This does not mean it is not important to the overall health of your houseplants. The purpose of leaching is to eliminate salts. These are dissolved in the water and are usually left behind once the water evaporates. You may see them as white buildups on the surface of the soil or around the drainage holes. Spotting this shows there are excessive salts in the soil.

When there is significant salts buildup, dracaena and other potted plants find it hard to draw up water. This may cause browning or wilting or even the loss of leaves or slowed growth. Too many salts will draw moisture from the roots. Failing to leach the houseplant on time may cause your plant to die.

How to leach salts from the soil
Leaching salt from the soil is pretty easy. To start with, if you see white buildups on the soil’s surface, remove it. Ensure you don’t go deeper than ¼ of an inch.

The next step is to take the plant outside or to place it in a bathtub or sink. The idea is to place it in a place where lots of water will drain freely without causing any problems. Once that is done, pour warm water over the soil. Make sure the water doesn’t overflow the rim of the plant’s pot. Pour twice as much water as the pot is built to hold. For example, if the pot holds half a gallon, pour a gallon of water.

The water will absorb the salts and drain out with them. Leaching is something all good growers will recommend you to do. You should leach the houseplant once every 4 to 6 months. This helps clear the soil. The alternative is to repot the plant every few 4 to 6 months.

These points will help maintain the good health of your houseplant. Needless to say, leaching is more cost and time effective than repotting. Ask interiorscaper suppliers for more advice on leaching.

Wholesale nurseries

Dracaena is an amazing plant to bring home. It not only looks good but it is not as demanding as most other houseplants out there. However, just like all plants, after a couple of months, you will need to repot your plant. This is for the simple fact that the soil in the pot can only sustain the nutritional needs of your plant for so long. But how do you make sure that the transplant does not end up damaging your plant? The objective of this post is to educate you on how to repot a large plant.

Repotting a houseplant is important. Most plantscaper suppliers will actually give you advice on when and how to repot your plant. Another reason why you need to repot most plants is because their roots will grow to large sizes and the small pot will no longer be able to contain them. Failing to re-pot your plant on time may cause it to wilt even after watering. There are a few tips you have to consider when repotting your houseplant.

Dealing with extremely large plants
Some plants grow into massive sizes. In this case, repotting them will not be a viable option. The solution here is to replace the top soil with new one. You need to replace the top 2 to 3 inches of the top soil with fresh soil at least once every year. This is a process known as top dressing. It helps replenish the nutrients in the pot without disturbing the roots.

Moving to a new pot
With most houseplants, especially the draceana, it is possible to move the plant to another larger pot. The best time to do this is in spring. You should avoid repotting large plants that are already blooming or budding.

A day before repotting your plant you need to water it. The soil needs to be damp so that it holds together better when moving it. You will also need to choose a container that is at least 2 inches larger, in diameter, than the current one. Interiorscaper suppliers will be happy to supply you with any pot size you need. Use a bucket to mix potting mix. You should mix the mix with water.

The next step is to turn the plant on its side. Try and slide it out of its pot. If it is stuck, try and run a knife around the edges of the pot. You can also push through the drainage holes using a pencil. Only tug gently. Cut away roots that may be growing through the drainage holes. If you still cannot remove the plant from the pot, you may have to destroy the pot. Cut with shears (plastic) or smash with a hammer (clay).

You now need to put enough of the mixed potting mix into the new container. Adding stones or pebbles at the bottom of the pot before adding the soil can help with drainage. Loosen the roots of the plant by removing the soil that comes loose. Cut off the dead roots. Set the plant in the new container and surround it with moistened potting mix. Water the plant thoroughly and keep it away from direct sunlight for at least 2 weeks.

Dracaena

Growers face the trouble of bringing plants in without bugs. This is not an easy thing to do even when purchasing the plants from reputable wholesale nurseries. After placing your houseplants on the patio or porch to enjoy sunlight during summer, the last thing you don’t want is to end up bringing pests in along with the nourished plants. There are a few precautions you can take to ensure that you never bring in bugs.

The below are also tips you need to consider when purchasing houseplants from plantscaper suppliers. There have been many cases where people end up bringing infested plants in. These plants can end up damaging the rest of your plants.

Visual inspection
To avoid bringing in plants that have bugs, you need to start with a thorough visual inspection. Check under the leaves for bugs and egg sacks. You should also check for discoloration as well as holes in the leaves. If you notice a bug on the plant, hand-pick it and drown it in soapy water. If there are more than two bugs, you need to consider washing your plant thoroughly using insecticidal soap. Visual inspection is important even when picking a plant from interiorscaper suppliers.

Wash off the bugs
To wash off the bugs, you have to start by mixing insecticidal soap according to the directions given on the package. Start by washing an inconspicuous leaf and then wait for three days to see how the leaf reacts to the treatment. If there are no signs of soap burn afterwards, you can go ahead and wash the whole plant using the mixed insecticidal soap.

The soapy water should be mixed inside a spray bottle. When cleaning the plant, start from the top and spray every inch of the plant. Don’t forget to treat underneath the leaves. The insecticidal soap should also be treated on the soil surface as well as on the surface of the pot container.

If you are dealing with a larger plant, you can use a garden hose prior to bringing it indoors. Do so even if there are no visible bugs. Any plant, including draceana, which has been outdoors the whole summer, should be washed before being brought into the house. Doing this will not only eliminate the bugs but also remove debris and dust.

Winter inspection
Just because your dracaena has been indoors all summers doesn’t mean it can’t have any infestation. A routine monthly inspection for bugs is highly recommended by most interiorscaper suppliers. This is because a few pests on your plant can cause its health to decline. Prevention is the best cure and the best way of doing this is ensuring there are no pests on your plant. Inspect them once every month.

The above tips will definitely help you deal with bug problems on your plants. If you ever feel overwhelmed, never hesitate to contact an expert. There are so many professional growers out there that are more than willing to help you deal with the pest problem.

Growers

Wholesale nurseries will help you find virtually any plant that you need. May it be an ornamental plant for your porch or a lovely houseplant; you will find the exact plant that you need. However, there is an upcoming trend of creating a garden in a bottle. The glass bottle gardens are a carefree way of growing your favorite indoor plants. They create amazing focal points, more so when planted with colorful foliage and different textures. If you are thinking about a bottle garden, there are a number of things you will have to do first.

Bottle gardens are the same as terrariums. They are more of small greenhouses that support miniature ecosystem of plants. Below are the top tips you need to use when creating your bottle garden.

Select the right bottle
The first step you need to take is that of selecting the right bottle. The bottle has to be clear so as to allow sunlight in and it also needs to be large enough to accommodate the plant you are ordering from plantscaper suppliers. If you must use a colored bottle, ask interiorscaper suppliers for advice on plants that can tolerate medium to low levels of light.

The ideal bottle should also have an opening that is big enough to fit your hand through. This makes planting and care easy. If this is not the case, you will have to use chopsticks or long-handled spoons to work on the soil and plant once it is inside the bottle. The most important thing is to make sure that the opening of the glass is big enough to fit through your desired plant.

The bottle does not necessarily have to be glass. You can also use the plastic soda bottles. With this option, you can cut opening for the plant to fit in.

Clean the bottle
Before placing your dracaena into the bottle, you need to start by washing it thoroughly. This helps eliminate toxins from the liquid that was in the bottle. Allow the bottle to dry completely so as to eliminate toxic substances which can harm the plant. What is more is that dry soil will not stick to the walls of a dry bottle.

Porous soil
You need porous soil for your bottle garden. This reduces rot and allows air to flow through. Adding pea gravel at the bottom will help improve soil drainage. The bottle top should be left open.

Find low-growing plants
When shopping for plants from wholesale nurseries, you need to make it clear to the growers that you need plants for a bottle garden. They will help you find the right low-growing plants. You don’t want a plant that will outgrow the bottle in days.

There are several plans you can use for your bottle garden. The low-growing tropical vegetation are the best. The most suitable ones include croton, prayer plant, southern maidenhair fern, club moss, polka-dot plant and Ti plants.

Wholesale nurseries

Growers strive to provide their clients with healthy plants that meet their unique needs. Whether you need an ornamental plant to grow outside or a lovely houseplant for your home or office, you will be able to find this from a single nursery. The purpose of this post, however, is to help you learn how you can grow the ornamentals as houseplants.

Most of the plants that grow outside as ornamentals are actually warm weather perennials which can be grown all year indoors. Provided the plants get adequate sunlight, they can be adopted as indoor plants. Alternatively, you can move them inside whenever the weather gets colder. Even so, you will have to liaise with wholesale nurseries in order for you to get a healthy plant that will not disappoint you.

To grow the outdoor ornamentals as houseplants, the first thing you need to do is to pick a plant that will thrive at room temperature. You will also want to pick out a plant that does not need too much sunlight. Most interiorscaper suppliers will be happy to give you some good recommendations. Below are some popular ornamental plants you can grow indoors.

Asparagus fern
This is a great plant that grows quickly. Its green foliage that is dotted with delicate flowers and bright red berries make it one of the most sought after ornamental plant. What is more is that it works well in a container. This means you don’t have to struggle when you want to move it inside the house during winter or to take it out during summer.

Geranium
Geraniums are beautiful ornamental plants you can get from growers. They bloom throughout winter. All that is needed is for you to place them next to a bright window. They need adequate light to survive.

Caladium
This is also known as the elephant ear. If you have a spacious room, this is a plant you should consider bringing into your house. Just like dracaena, this is a plant that grows well indoors. It will remain colorful throughout winter. It only needs indirect sunlight.

Ivy
This is an ornamental plant that thrives in the shade. It can also be planted to drape over the edge of the pot thus creating a nice cascade effect from the tall shelf or table. This is a plant you should ask your plantscaper suppliers for when shopping.

The above are unique ornamental plants that will make the perfect choice for both outdoor and indoor use. However, there are two other amazing plants you can consider but they require more care than the aforementioned ones.

Begonias
The begonias are great ornamental plants but they need more maintenance. They need high humidity and like their soil to dry out between watering. You will have to line the plant with saucer with pebbles. This keeps the pot’s runoff water from evaporating too quickly.

Hot pepper plants
This is another plant you can request from the wholesale nurseries. The pot needs direct sunlight more so from grow light. The leaves should also be monitored for aphids.

Growers