Plant Care Library

The Plant Care Library

Field Notes & Cultivation Records

❦ ❧ ❦

Welcome, fellow grower. Herein lie my collected field notes — one entry for every specimen I have had the pleasure of keeping, observing, and occasionally arguing with. Choose a leaf below and read on.

Trouble in the greenhouse? Pests & how to deal with them ↓

❧ ❧ ❧
By Family
AllPothosMonsteraHoyaPhilodendronScindapsusCactus & SucculentBird of ParadiseZZ PlantArrowheadSpider PlantInch PlantAnthuriumChinese EvergreenAlocasiaPeperomiaAnt PlantCarnivorous
By Level of Care
AllBeginnerIntermediateAdvanced Collector

No. 01
Golden Pothos
Epipremnum aureum
Beginner
No. 02
Marble Queen Pothos
Epipremnum aureum 'Marble Queen'
Beginner
No. 03
Pothos N'Joy
Epipremnum aureum 'N'Joy'
Beginner
No. 04
Monstera Esqueleto
Monstera epipremnoides
Intermediate
No. 05
Monstera Burle Marx Flame
Monstera sp. 'Burle Marx Flame'
Intermediate
No. 06
Monstera deliciosa
Monstera deliciosa
Beginner
No. 07
Hoya Carnosa
Hoya carnosa
Beginner
No. 08
Hoya Pubicalyx
Hoya pubicalyx
Beginner
No. 09
Hoya Mathilde
Hoya 'Mathilde'
Intermediate
No. 10
Philodendron Burle Marx
Philodendron burle-marxii
Beginner
No. 11
Philodendron Jungle Boogie
Philodendron 'Jungle Boogie'
Beginner
No. 12
Philodendron Atabapoense
Philodendron atabapoense
Intermediate
No. 13
Birds of Paradise
Strelitzia reginae
Intermediate
No. 14
Philodendron Florida Green
Philodendron 'Florida Green'
Beginner
No. 15
Philodendron Florida Ghost
Philodendron 'Florida Ghost'
Advanced Collector
No. 16
Philodendron Florida Beauty
Philodendron 'Florida Beauty'
Advanced Collector
No. 17
Scindapsus Jade
Scindapsus pictus 'Jade'
Beginner
No. 18
Echinopsis Ancistrophora
Echinopsis ancistrophora
Beginner
No. 19
Devil's Backbone 'Nana Green'
Euphorbia tithymaloides 'Nana Green'
Beginner
No. 20
Hoya Thomsonii
Hoya thomsonii
Intermediate
No. 21
Hoya Bilobata
Hoya bilobata
Beginner
No. 22
Hoya 'Compacta' Variegata
Hoya carnosa 'Compacta'
Intermediate
No. 23
Hoya Heuschkeliana Variegata
Hoya heuschkeliana variegata
Intermediate
No. 24
Hoya Nummularioides
Hoya nummularioides
Beginner
No. 25
Hoya 'Noora'
Hoya 'Noora'
Intermediate
No. 26
Hoya 'Rebecca'
Hoya 'Rebecca'
Intermediate
No. 27
Hoya Diptera
Hoya diptera
Intermediate
No. 28
Philodendron Mayoi
Philodendron mayoi
Intermediate
No. 29
Hoya Multiflora 'Shooting Star'
Hoya multiflora
Beginner
No. 30
Manjula Pothos
Epipremnum aureum 'Manjula'
Beginner
No. 31
Philodendron Squamiferum
Philodendron squamiferum
Intermediate
No. 32
ZZ Plant
Zamioculcas zamiifolia
Beginner
No. 33
Syngonium Batik
Syngonium podophyllum 'Batik'
Beginner
No. 34
Variegated Spider Plant
Chlorophytum comosum 'Variegatum'
Beginner
No. 35
RicRac Cactus
Disocactus anguliger
Beginner
No. 36
Philodendron Billietiae
Philodendron billietiae
Intermediate
No. 37
Scindapsus Exotica
Scindapsus pictus 'Exotica'
Beginner
No. 38
Ponytail Palm
Beaucarnea recurvata
Beginner
No. 39
Epipremnum Pinnatum Albo Variegata
Epipremnum pinnatum 'Albo Variegata'
Intermediate
No. 40
Epipremnum Pinnatum Aurea
Epipremnum pinnatum 'Aurea'
Beginner
No. 41
Variegated Epipremnum Amplissimum
Epipremnum amplissimum 'Variegata'
Advanced Collector
No. 42
Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma
Rhaphidophora tetrasperma
Intermediate
No. 43
Silver Inch Plant
Tradescantia zebrina
Beginner
No. 44
Heartleaf Philodendron
Philodendron hederaceum
Beginner
No. 45
Lemon Lime Philodendron
Philodendron hederaceum 'Lemon Lime'
Beginner
No. 46
Anthurium Clarinervium
Anthurium clarinervium
Advanced Collector
No. 47
Anthurium Forgetii
Anthurium forgetii
Advanced Collector
No. 48
Chinese Evergreen 'Siam Aurora'
Aglaonema 'Siam Aurora'
Beginner
No. 49
Philodendron Ring of Fire
Philodendron 'Ring of Fire'
Intermediate
No. 50
Alocasia
Alocasia spp.
Intermediate
No. 51
Alocasia Dragon Scale
Alocasia baginda 'Dragon Scale'
Advanced Collector
No. 52
Peperomia Ginny
Peperomia clusiifolia 'Ginny'
Beginner
No. 53
Peperomia Obtusifolia Variegata
Peperomia obtusifolia 'Variegata'
Beginner
No. 54
Watermelon Peperomia
Peperomia argyreia
Beginner
No. 55
Ant Plant
Hydnophytum formicarum
Intermediate
No. 56
Bladderwort
Utricularia spp.
Intermediate
No. 57
Venus Flytrap
Dionaea muscipula
Intermediate
No. 58
Pitcher Plant
Nepenthes spp.
Intermediate
❦ FIELD METHOD
Propagating in Fluval Stratum
The Plantry's signature method
Every Grower

No specimens in the collection match your search. Try another leaf.

❦ ❧ ❦

Uninvited Guests

Every collection, however lovingly kept, is visited sooner or later by uninvited guests. It is no disgrace; I have met every creature on this page in my own sunroom. Winston conducts the daily inspection, chiefly by lying beneath the shelves and alerting me to nothing whatsoever. The rest I do with a hand lens and a cup of tea. Here is how to know each pest on sight, and what to actually do about it.

Who Is It, Then?

  • Fine speckling, dull leaves, tiny threads of web: Spider mites
  • Silvery streaks, black specks, crumpled new growth: Thrips
  • White cottony fluff in the leaf joints: Mealybugs
  • Small hard bumps on stems that do not move: Scale
  • Soft bugs crowded on tender new growth: Aphids
  • A puff of tiny white flies when you brush the leaves: Whiteflies
  • Tiny black flies around the soil: Fungus gnats

Before You Reach for a Bottle

  1. Isolate at once. Move the plant away from the others, to another room if you can. Pests walk.
  2. Rinse first. A lukewarm shower, undersides included, removes a surprising share of the population before you use a single product.
  3. Treat again, and again. Most sprays do not touch eggs. Repeat every 5 to 7 days for three to four weeks, and keep going until you have seen nothing for two weeks running.
  4. Test first. Spray one leaf and wait a day. Thin, waxy and fuzzy leaves burn easily. Spray in the evening or out of direct sun, never on a hot day.
  5. Read the label, and keep curious noses (Winston’s included) away until the leaves are dry.
  6. Inspect the neighbors. Check every plant nearby with a flashlight, undersides and leaf joints especially.
  7. Quarantine newcomers. Give every new plant, from any source, two or three weeks apart from the rest before it joins the shelf.
Red spider mites and fine webbing on a green leaf

Spider Mites

Tetranychus urticae & kin

What you will see

Leaves lose their gloss and turn stippled with pale pinpricks, then dull, bronzed or yellow. In a bad case there is fine silk webbing between the leaf and the stem. The mites themselves are barely a speck: hold a sheet of white paper under a leaf, tap it, and watch for tiny dots that crawl. They love hot, dry, dusty air, which is why winter heating brings them out.

What to do

  1. Isolate, then shower. Give the whole plant a thorough lukewarm rinse, undersides especially, and wipe the leaves with a damp cloth to lift off webs and eggs.
  2. Spray every 5 to 7 days. Insecticidal soap or neem (horticultural) oil, coating the undersides, for at least three or four weeks. Eggs shrug off a single treatment.
  3. Change the weather. Raise the humidity and keep the plant away from hot, dry drafts. Mites dislike a damp room.
  4. Know your enemy. Mites are arachnids, not insects. Many general insect sprays will not kill them, and a few make matters worse by wiping out their natural predators. For a stubborn case, use a product labeled for mites or release predatory mites.
  5. Cut the worst leaves and bin them, not the compost.
Slender yellow and dark brown thrips on a green leaf

Thrips

Frankliniella occidentalis & kin

What you will see

Silvery, scratchy-looking streaks on the leaves, tiny black specks (their droppings), and crumpled or scarred new growth. The adults are slender, about a sixteenth of an inch long, and flit or hop when disturbed; the pale young hide inside unfurling leaves. This is the hardest guest on this page to be rid of, so begin early.

What to do

  1. Isolate and rinse. Cut off badly scarred new growth. The damage never heals, and the plant will grow clean leaves behind it.
  2. Spray every 5 to 7 days for a month. A spinosad-based insect spray or insecticidal soap, worked down into the new growth and leaf joints where they hide.
  3. Hang sticky cards. Blue or yellow cards beside the plant catch adults and tell you honestly whether you are winning.
  4. Mind the soil. Thrips pupate in the top layer, so scrape off and discard the top inch and replace it with clean mix, or drench with beneficial nematodes (Steinernema feltiae).
Waxy white mealybugs on a green leaf

Mealybugs

Family Pseudococcidae

What you will see

White, cottony fluff tucked into leaf joints, along stems and under leaves, often with sticky honeydew and a sooty black film beneath. The bugs themselves are soft, waxy ovals that crawl very slowly. Hoyas and other thick-leaved plants with tight joints are old favorites. Also check the roots: white powdery clumps on the roots or at the drainage holes mean root mealybugs, and a plant that declines despite good care deserves a look underground.

What to do

  1. Dab each one. Touch every visible bug with a cotton swab dipped in 70% rubbing alcohol, which dissolves their waxy coat. Test one leaf first; alcohol can mark delicate foliage.
  2. Follow with a weekly spray of insecticidal soap or neem oil, worked into every crevice, for at least four weeks.
  3. Root mealybugs: unpot, rinse away all the old soil, trim damaged roots, and repot into fresh mix in a scrubbed pot.
  4. Wipe off the honeydew and check every neighbor. Mealybugs walk.
Small yellow-tan scale insects on a green leaf

Scale Insects

Superfamily Coccoidea

What you will see

Small, flat or domed bumps in yellow, tan or dark brown, stuck along the stems and leaf veins and on the undersides. They do not move and look like part of the plant until you flick one with a fingernail. Sticky honeydew, yellowing leaves and a trail of ants are all clues. The grown ones wear a shell that sprays slide off, which makes scale a slow business, but a beatable one.

What to do

  1. Scrub the adults off. A soft toothbrush, a fingernail, or a swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. The shell protects them from sprays, so it has to come off by hand.
  2. Then spray horticultural or neem oil, which smothers, aiming for the young “crawlers” that have not grown their armor yet. Repeat every 7 to 10 days for four to six weeks.
  3. Prune and discard any stem that is thickly encrusted.
  4. Wipe away the honeydew, or sooty mold will settle in.
A cluster of green aphids on a leaf

Aphids

Superfamily Aphidoidea

What you will see

Soft, pear-shaped bugs, green, black, yellow or pink, crowded onto tender new growth, buds and the undersides of leaves. Look for curled or puckered leaves, sticky honeydew and pale shed skins. Aphids do not wait to grow up before starting families, so a few become a crowd in a week.

What to do

  1. Rinse them off. A firm spray of lukewarm water, or a wipe with a damp cloth, does most of the work when you catch them early.
  2. Use soap every 3 to 5 days for two weeks. Insecticidal soap, or a teaspoon of mild, fragrance-free dish soap in a quart of water.
  3. Pinch off badly hit tips and discard them.
  4. For summer plants kept outdoors, ladybugs and lacewings will happily take over the job.
Tiny white whiteflies resting on a green leaf

Whiteflies

Family Aleyrodidae

What you will see

Brush the leaves and a small cloud of tiny white, moth-like flies lifts off and settles again. The young are flat, pale, scale-like specks on the undersides, and the plant grows weak and yellow with sticky honeydew. Each round of treatment only catches some of the life cycle, so persistence is the whole method.

What to do

  1. Isolate and hang yellow sticky cards to catch adults and to measure your progress.
  2. Vacuum them up. Early in the morning, while it is cool and they are sluggish, run a handheld vacuum near the leaves, then empty it outdoors.
  3. Spray the undersides every 3 to 5 days for three weeks with insecticidal soap or neem oil.
  4. Remove heavily infested leaves and wipe off the honeydew.
Small dark fungus gnats on a green leaf

Fungus Gnats

Bradysia species

What you will see

Tiny dark, mosquito-like flies drifting up from the soil or clustering at the window. The adults are only a nuisance. The pale, thread-like larvae live in wet soil and nibble roots, which hurts seedlings and fresh cuttings most. They are a symptom of soil that stays damp, so half of the cure is in the watering can.

What to do

  1. Let the soil dry. Keep the top two inches dry between waterings, and water from below if you can, so the surface stays dry.
  2. Catch the adults with yellow sticky cards laid flat on the soil or stuck on stakes.
  3. Treat the larvae. Water once a week for three or four weeks with BTi (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, sold as mosquito bits, steeped in water) or with beneficial nematodes. BTi is considered safe around people and pets. A drench of one part 3% hydrogen peroxide to four parts water also knocks the larvae back; let the soil dry a little first.
  4. Top-dress with half an inch of coarse sand or fine perlite, which the adults cannot easily lay eggs in.
  5. Sour, soggy soil? Repot into fresh mix.

A Word on Patience

An infestation feels like a failure of character. It is not; it is Tuesday. Persistence matters far more than potency, and a plant that gets a shower and a weekly inspection for a month recovers almost every time.

And if a plant is truly overrun, there is no shame in taking a clean tip cutting, rinsed and inspected under a bright light, and starting over in fresh mix while the old plant goes. I have done it. It feels like betrayal for about a day.

— Mr. Phileas Plant, keeper of the Plantry field notes