8.Decorative & Indoor plants

Question 1

Cyclamen persicum
Decorative

Answer 1

• Cool season bedding plant if temperatures do not drop below -5°C
• Plants flower approximately one year from sowing
• Cool season growers /growth inhibited by high summer temp
• Grown as a once-flowering ornamental, disposed of after flowering
• However, they are long lived perennials
• Aphids, vine weevil, botrytis, variety of fungal diseases

Question 2

Impatiens walleriana

Decorative

Answer 2

• Popular bed-ding plant
• Perennial but grown as an annual for summer bedding displays
• Frost tender so production should be timed so that they are placed in final positions after the last frost
• Aphids, red spider mite, variety of fungal diseases

Question 3

Narcissus ‘Tete a Tete’

Decorative

Answer 3

• Dwarf daffodil used for naturalising in gardens /pot plants
• Potted bulbs should be placed in a cool, dark location for 8-10 weeks to encourage shoots to appear
• Pots can then be moved to a light warm area to encourage sturdy growth and flowering
• Plants should be kept slightly moist at all times and well ventilated
• Pest and disease problems are limited

Question 4

Lycopersicon esculentum ‘The Amateur’

Decorative

Answer 4

• Salad crop
• Growing in greenhouses / polytunnels is common
• Plants are very frost-tender and should not be planted out until risk of frost has passed – so sowing seed 6-8 weeks before this date
• Fruit production generally starts three months after sowing
• May be grown in the open ground, in large containers or ‘gro-bags’.
• Nearly all varieties need training and regular pinching out of side-shoots
• Tomatoes are a greedy crop and benefit from regular feeding with high potash feed
• Wide variety of pests, including whitefly, diseases including blight and physiological problems caused by mineral/nutrients deficiencies in the soil

Question 5

Adiantum raddianum

Indoor

Answer 5

• (Delta maidenhair fern)
• Subtropical species which needs a warm location, 18°C for active
  growth and high humidity
• Indirect light, but tolerates a few hours of sunlight per day
• Water regularly, maintain a slightly moist compost
• Feed fortnightly when in active growth
• Re-pot every two years
• Scorch marks or brown foliage is usually the result of too much sun, dry air or inadequate water
• Scale insect on the foliage, is the only common pest problem.

Question 6

Ficus benjamina

Indoor

Answer 6

• (Weeping fig)
• Tropical tree used as a foliage plant, wide range of sizes available
• Forest floor species, likes bright but indirect light, not tolerating more than a few hours sunlight a day
• Min temp 10°C
• Water only when the surface of the compost dries out
• Feed fortnightly in summer and not at all in winter
• Medium to high humidity is appreciated
• Re-potting should be every other year
• Plants can be pruned hard if necessary as they recover well
  Sudden or drastic leaf drop is usually the result of inadequate water, dry air, draughts or sudden temperature change
• Mealybug, red spider mite and scale insect can be problem

Question 7

Euphorbia pulcherrima

Indoor

Answer 7

• (Poinsettia)
• Christmas flowering plant, bright red bracts surrounding small flowers
• Min of 13°C and bright but indirect light
• Water when the soil is beginning to dry out
• Feed regular with a low nitrogen, high potash feed
• Plants can be kept as foliage plants but rarely repeat flower
• To encourage flower development, they need to be kept dark for 14h a day during autumn, for 6-8 weeks
• Whitefly is the main pest, botrytis and a variety of root rots are the main problems

Question 8

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

Indoor

Answer 8

• Flowering succulent plant
• Used to bright light, including full sunlight, low humidity
• Min temp 13°C
• Water only when drying out
• Feed every other week
• To flower again, the plants need to be kept dark for 15 hours a day for 30 days around September – flowers at Christmas
• Aphids can be a problem and fungal diseases like botrytis if humidity is high