A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Help! I'm killing my Boss's plants!

Hello forum,
I hope that you can find it in your heart to help me. I'm new at a job and have been systematically killing my Boss's office plants. Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Plant One


I've been hiding the dead leaves....

Plant Two



This one is looking quite bad...

Plant Three


Not so bad, but still...

I don't even know what kind of plants they are and can't ask him.
I lay myself at your knowledgeable feet.

Coop

How often are you watering?

Most houseplant, with the exception of cacti and succulents, like high humidity. Misting is a way to raise humidity, but you'll need to do it several times a day to be effective. Often, heat or dry conditions can cause plant foliage tips to turn brown and dry out. If this occurs, use scissors to cut off the browned tips at an angle.

Large, smooth-leaved plants are frequently collectors of dust. In normal housekeeping chores, wash or wipe away dust to keep the plant attractive and to keep it photosynthesizing at its best.

Foliage that turns yellow and falls off indicates many different things: too much or too little light; high temperature; overwatering or poor drainage; too much or too little fertilizer; or polluted air. A certain amount of yellowing foliage and leaf drop is normal and should be expected.

Check growing conditions to see if any could be causing the problem. Make sure the plant is not too hot, wet, or dry; has the right amount of light; and has enough fresh air.

OK, the 2 plants you show are an anthurium - the first one- and a schefflera. You don't worry about misting office plants, what you need to do is water them correctly. Perhaps you could quietly find an interior landscape co - they're listed in the yellow pages under Plants - and see what they would charge to care for your boss's plants - 5 or 6 plants could be as little as $50 per month -then pressent the plan to him. If that's not possible, in a nutshell, don't water the plants until the soil is dry 1/3rd of the way down the pot for the anthurium, and 2/3 of the way down the pot for the scheff. Treat other plants essentially the same way. Good luck.