I’m noticing some people are struggling this time of year with their house plants. I’ve been able to figure that they are watering correctly, misting if need be and the lighting is right so it had to be something else.
What I’ve realized is that due to the heat, the poor air quality due to smoke and the need to conserve energy and keep our electrical costs down, many people are shutting up their houses, closing their curtains and turning off their air conditioners unless they are home.
This is causing a lot of plants to become stifled. They can take the heat, the temporary lack of light and the smoke. What causes the biggest problem is the lack of air flow. This can cause plants to drop a lot of leaves and eventually die if the condition is prolonged and if they do not die they will clearly show signs of suffering.
I had to learn this lesson myself, being that I have to close up my shop for the weekend. I realized a quick fix to the problem was to leave a fan running, or two fans, in my case.
If this is a problem you are experiencing, try to leave a fan running while you are gone in the room with the most plants. If you are concerned about energy costs and have a lot of plants, try moving all of them to the same room and have a fan running instead of having more than one fan running. Putting the fan on osculating mode is best, that way the plants aren’t getting directly blasted, which can lead to drying them out a bit too much. If you don’t have an osculating fan, just place the fan somewhere it will cause adequate circulation in the room.
I always recommend using metal fans as opposed to plastic fans for safety reasons, and never leave a fan running on a carpeted floor if you are not home. A metal fan will simply stop working if it breaks in most cases, but plastic fans can sometimes catch fire if they break or are breaking. This is a very rare thing, but it has happened to me before so I feel it is worth mentioning. Just take some safety precautions in the event of a fan malfunction by keeping it off the floor if it is carpeted and place it somewhere clear of curtains or anything else flammable.
Rubber Trees and Air plants are two varieties I’ve noticed are sensitive to lack of air flow. I’m certain there are more but I’m aware of those for sure.
Best of luck to you all!
Amy Duke is the owner of Solstice Gallery located at 40282 Highway 41, Suite 3, in Oakhurst. Visit on Facebook or stop in at the Gallery for more advice and ideas.
