Be aware of tired looking indoor office plants in your Boston, MA officescapes.

Be aware of tired indoor office plants in you offices.

The interior office plants shown here within this blog are examples of tired poorly cared for indoor office plants. These office plants were taken out of one of our competitors clients office. PDI acquired these new accounts because of the competitors incompetent monthly care. Plantscape Designs Linc. later replaced these tired office plants with fresh botanicals.

How does this occur?

1. Our competitors once or twice a month service can do this, because of not enough care.

2. Lack of pruning skills and up keep on a monthly and quarterly time table by our competitors

3. No consistency in turning these office plants away from the sunlight for more even growth by our competitors.

4. Lack of a more regid time table for fertilizing these weak indoor office plants by our competitors.

Plantscape Designs Inc. Boston, MA is consistent with our care and weekly servicing of your interior botanicals unlike other interior landscapers in the Boston, MA area.

Why fertilize and repot your green interior office plants?

Plant growth is dependant upon a steady supply of nutrients! The nutrients in any soil are soon depleted.

Plants need soluble fertilizers at one-half the recommended dose, fertilize every 3rd to 4th watering during the summer months. During Fall and Winter, fertilize every 2-3 months. Time-release fertilizer may be mixed into the potting medium when repotting. Never water a very dry plant with fertilizer!

Repotting

A common mistake of most beginners is to repot plants long before it is necessary. Roots growing out of the bottom of the pot do not necessarily mean that the plant needs repotting. If the plant is lifting out of the pot, or if inspection of the root system show that there is no room for root growth, then the plant should be repotted. Spring is the best time to repot indoor plants. Repotting then will ensure more new growth and less frequent watering during the hot, sunny summer.

To see if a plant needs repotting: Carefully knock them out of them out of their containers. If they retain a pot shape and no soil falls away, pot in a container 1-3 inches bigger (diameter).

Be sure to use a light, soil less mix for repotting. Commercial "potting soil" is ordinarily unsuitable for indoor plants. It is not reliably sterile and is too dense. A potting medium for indoor plants should be moisture retentive, well drained, and sterile. A mixture of two-thirds sphagnum peat moss and one-third perlite is an ideal medium for growing indoor plants.

Carefully knock the plant out of its old pot (do not pull on the plant). Remove any loose soil especially if it is a heavy mix. If you are repotting into a undrained container, put a layer of perlite (1-2 inches in small containers and more in larger) at the bottom as a drainage layer (to prevent roots from sitting in water).

Place enough soil in the bottom of the pot to have the top of the root ball near the top of the container (~1 inch below in small containers ~3” below in large). Set the plant in the pot and gently pack soil around the root ball with your fingers. Thoroughly water the plant until all of the soil is moist and water drains out the bottom. (In an undrained container fill with water, wait a few minutes and them carefully tip on its side to completely drain the excess water out.)

Plantscape Designs Inc. fertilizes your indoor office plants on a monthly basis except during the months of December,January, February because of low light conditions here in the Cambridge Ma area.

Checking for insect pests on your office plants Boston, Ma.

Insects can come from outdoors or other plants. Flying stages, airborne eggs or brushing an infected plant exposes other plants. The best defense against insects is to keep your plants healthy.

Check your plants often to find insects early; pay particular attention to the backs of leaves, and internodes. If an insect population is found, wash thoroughly with warm water and a mild dish washing liquid and rinse foliage thoroughly, twice a week for 2-3 weeks.

If insecticide is necessary, call your local garden center for recommendations. Make sure that plants are moist before application. Always read the instructions before applying any chemical. You may wish to take a pro-active approach and thoroughly wash your plants regularly as well as washing any new plants.

At Plantscape Designs Inc Boston, Ma we always either replace the infected plants with a new one or use harmless biological predators or parasites to totally and safely irradiate your indoor office plants or insect pests.

Lack of pruning of your interior office plants, can be damaging.

Damaging results are eminent when you or your interior landscapers do not prune your office plants properly.

As shown in these photos of before and after replacements of a Ficus tree with a competitors clients reception, lack of a continuous pruning program must be followed.

The wild extensive peripheral growth of this Ficus tree takes energy away from new growth within the center of the tree. The center becomes empty and unsightly.

Continuous trimming of the outer circumference of the tree will result in a more symmetrical and even growing pattern of this tree within and without.

Plantscape Designs Inc. has a continuous monthly and seasonally pruning program during the course of the year when servicing your indoor office plants in the Waltham, Ma area.