A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Office plants, need tips

Hi,

Three months ago I started my new job in an office setting, in doing so I was given the care of three office plants. I have no knowledge of where they came from, what soil they are in, or if they were ever fed.

Peace lily- When I first arrived it was under watered, never misted, and had lots of browned leaves. Since taking over the care I water it about once a week, usually when the leaves start to droop and I mist it as well. I haven't fed it, but am thinking of picking up some fertilzer and hopefully getting help with the cost. I have pruned it, taking off the leaves with the worst amount of browning and those that were almost to the ground and would not perk back up. So far under my care it has gained about seven new leaves.

Pothos(I think)- Seemed to have been forgotten tucked away on a drawer. Had some dead leaves on it. Though now has grown a lot since the last three months is on the verge of draping off the drawer. Seems to be in the best shape out of the three. I water it when the soil is slightly dry on top.

Cat Palm- Its in the worst shape and is the first thing everyone sees that walks in the door. All leaves had browned tips and the plant itself is tilted to a side. To make it seem a little more presentable I did trip off all of the browned edges. One morning I walked in and two or three large stems had given way, broke and toppled to the ground. I water when the soil feels dry on top, also mist when I water it.

What can I do to further help these plants thrive? What kind of fertilzer should I look into? Am I caring for them correctly. Does the cat palm need repotted?


(As soon as I figure out how to apply images I will)

Pothos an peace lily should survive with minimum care. Water once a week.
Palm may need to say good by

Peace Lily - Easy plant, you can even restore a plant close to death in time. Very tough indoors. Keep doing what you are doing as it seems to be working if you're getting that many new leaves! Maybe look to water a little sooner though, as waiting until the leaves "flop" will result in more brown tips in the long term.

Pothos - Another easy plant. Very very tough! Great climber too, maybe you could train it to grow over the desk to act as a design piece.

Never heard of a Cat Palm before, but according to Wikipedia -

Put an earthworm or 2 in each planter. And put dead leaf matter in the planters for the earthworms to feed on. When they go to the 'little earthworm's room', they're happy, plant is happy, everybody is happy.

If light is scant, put sugar in the plant's water. Sugar BARELY to taste, almost UN-tasteable; it will take photosynthesis workload off of leaves that have little light. Not too much sugar - bacteria can grow if too much.