Expert: Long Island Gardener - 3/6/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi, thank you so much for lending your expertise. I was given a houseplant for Valentine's Day and it that had no name, only Assorted Bulbs written on the label. I think it is a type of lily. 2 days after I got it, the blooms went from 3 to 11! Then I decided to water it because it was very dry. I obviously watered it too much and tried to let it dry out. All the blooms shriveled up and now even the leaves are drooping and turning brown at the tips. It has been about a week. Today I have let it sit in a bowl of water (which it drank up rapidly)and set it outside to get some sun. I only have one window and live in a college dorm so am afraid it isn't getting enough light or air. Thank you for any help you might can offer.

ANSWER: This is going to be tough.  I suspect you have very dry air in your dorm room, yes?  Perfect conditions for indoor Spider Mites, the scourge of the Winter Windowsill Gardener.  Very small and hard to see with the naked eye.

Assuming your plant gets sufficient light and air, and that you are watering it properly, you are going to have to improve the amount of moisture in the air for this plant.  As you are a college student, of course, a humidifer is not going to be a high priority item right now.  Washing the leaves of this plant is not so effective, but it's better than nothing and it puts them on notice that you are HERE and ready to defend your Plants.

Any thoughts on that?

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QUESTION: Well, I do have a steam vaporizer so I will try using that some. I thought maybe the plant is just being done for the season. Like it bloomed once and is preparing to rest. I hadn't even considered any type of pest. Wow, this is harder than I thought. Thank you.

ANSWER: 'Being done for the season' would be a good guess -- but from what you've told me, this has only been in bloom for 2 weeks.  Bulbs are prepared in the greenhouse to bloom big-time as they get onto store shelves; non-blooming plants just don't move, but you don't want the bulb to be winding down instead of up.  Feb 14 is the bullseye target for 'opening night', so it's fairly safe to assume this plant was supposed to begin blooming on or about Feb 12-13.  That's barely 14 days long -- too swift for most Bulbs, unless you accelerated the blooming.

Add to that the facts: It's winter, your central heating is working full blast, the air is dry, the days are short and the nights are long, and you probably don't know what you're doing (no insult intended, it's just how it is right now).  Adds up to Spidermites, the most common indoor pest at this time of year for EVERYONE.  Steam vapor is perfect, but it's also a big inconvenience for most people.  If it gets through, let me know; you deserve detailed instructions on post-bloom care and dormancy for your valiant effort.  Keep me posted.

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QUESTION: Thank you so much, but this one isn't going to pull through. Since we've started messaging it's turned completely brown and dried out. I will know now to begin researching a plant as soon as I get it and your advise will no doubt be helpful in the future. I really love flowering plants and hope to have enough knowledge one day to keep one through a couple of seasons. Thanks again for your help:)

Answer
Grace, I'm sorry your plant did not pull through.  Nevertheless, I've said it before and I'll say it again: There is NO SUCH THING AS A GREEN THUMB.  EVERY Gardener I know has killed HUNDREDS of BEAUTIFUL PLANTS. WELCOME TO THE CLUB!

It's how we learn.  Experience.  Just like we learned to walk, we learn to garden.  Just like that, we learn how to grow our Lawns, our Roses, our Houseplants.

In the end, REAL gardeners -- Intelligent Gardeners -- are the best
gardeners of all.  Because we have learned from our mistakes.  It's the best education money can buy, our mistakes.

I urge you to i.d. this plant.  Take it over to a florist -- they'll be so glad to meet you! -- and ask him/her if they have any clue what used to be growing in that pot.  Then run down to Home Depot, where they are selling foliage plants for a song, and pick up one that you really like.  Make sure you know what it is.  Then take it home, and make it grow.  Two steps forward, one step back.  Thanks for writing.