Melinda’s Garden Moments is heard Mon.-Fri. at 7:45 and 10:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. on WHAV.
Fall seems to have arrived, indoors that is. Your weeping fig is dropping leaves on the floor and has you a bit concerned. Don’t worry.
These plants are sensitive to any change in their environment. And this includes the shorter days and less intense light of fall and winter. As light conditions change outdoors, so do those inside. Fortunately these plants can lose up to 95% of their leaves and recover.
Just continue to water thoroughly and often enough to keep the soil just slightly moist. Pour off excess water or set the pot on pebbles above the water in the saucer.
Don’t fertilize these and other stressed plants. Wait until the plants are showing signs of growth and are in need of a nutrient boost.
Reduce this problem by supplementing natural light with artificial light. The variety of fixtures allows you to direct the light where it is needed.
A bit more information: You can use fluorescent, compact fluorescent, LED or grow light bulbs to help your indoor plants through the winter. Keep in mind, plants need a variety of light (color/wavelength) for proper growth and flowering. Blue light promotes leaf and stem growth, while red combined with blue promotes flowering and bud development. In the past gardeners would buy grow lights or use a combination of cool and warm fluorescent bulbs to stimulate growth and flowering. The full spectrum compact fluorescent bulbs (spiral kind) produce a wide range of light and are suitable for plant growth. Check the label if you are trying to grow flowering plants to make sure the bulb you select is adequate. You may need to purchase full spectrum sunlight and warm bulbs that emit more of the red light needed to promote flowering and fruiting of plants.
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