Interiorscaping

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Interiorscaping

• Chapter 6

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The symptom circus

• Initial recognition of the problem
• Abnormal plant condition
• When did the problem start?
• Is it progressing rapidly or in other plants
• One type affected?
• Take plenty of time

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Symptom perception

• Close up view
• General view
• Perspective of time
• Perspective of past knowledge
• Perspective of more data from other labs or
  clinics

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Close up view

• Hand lens needed
• Spider mites or powdery mildew easy
• Check root ball
• Feel and smell

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General view

• General wilting, stunting, discoloring of leaves
• The environment
• Different times of the day

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Perspective of time

• How long have the symptoms been like this?
• Keep records
• Leaf drop, lowering of H2O
• Input from office workers and building occupations

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Perspective of past knowledge

• Scheffleras susceptible to mites
• Grape leaf ivy powdery mildew

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Gathering more data

• Diagnostic labs
• Microscopes
• Culture pieces for bacteria or fungus

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Chemical problem

• Fertilizers
• Contaminants in water
• Air pollutants
• Pesticides
• Chemical data available
• Plant tissue, water and growing media

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Determining causes

• Dont get off track
• Dont repeat yourself
• Work with a set of symptoms
• Many non-specific symptoms
• Ie leaf yellowing, leaf drop, browning of the
  edges
• Can be sunburn or lack of humidity

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Common problems

• Low light
• Widely fluctuating media
• Moisture levels
• People abuse

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Gathering data

• Where yellow leaves are
• When yellow leaves showed up
• What unusual events might have happened
• Any other unhealthy symptoms
• Condition of growing media

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Improving observational skills

• Look for a pattern of disease, different,
  consistent, uniform or scattered
• What is the frequency and intensity of problem
• Any signs of pathogens
• Nearby plants show symptoms

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continued

• Inspect the interior, crown and roots
• Cut open any or all parts for hidden symptoms
• Condition of growing medium
• Root distribution in the pot?

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Plant clinics

• Send a good sample
• Provide all important data
• Send roots, growing media, leaves, flowers if
  needed
• Fresh sample, shipped and packaged correctly

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Diagnosing water problems

• Difficult to diagnose
• Check an inch to 2 inches down in media
• Remove root ball
• Take a core sample
• Air-filled-pore space

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Determining air filled pore space

• Peat and tree bark can become compacted
• Roots need air
• Decline after many years
• Media test
• Plants need 10-20 air filled space

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Determining fertilizer deficiencies

• General and nonspecific
• Test your media
• N deficient leaf yellowing, loss of vigor
• P deficient purpling of leaves
• K deficient yellowing at edges or tips or
  between veins

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Growing media test

• NPKPH - solubridge

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Foliar analysis test

• Trace elements can be found here
• Sometimes take young leaves or older leaves

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Planning problem solutions

• No one single cause
• Good diagnosis takes time
• Need a plan
• More of an art than science
• Maybe need to do several different solutions

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Conclusion

• First perceive problem correctly
• Second, determine primary and secondary causes
• Set up a successful cost-effective solution to
  solve or prevent it