Ficus Benjamina Bird of Paradise Corn Plant Chinese Evergreen
Plants are sensitive to their environment, so it is important to know which environment is best for your plants. By environment, we mean lighting, air temperature, and humidity. For example, the Corn plant and Chinese evergreen, pictured above, are normally used for indoor areas, where as the Ficus Benjamina and Bird of Paradise, (also pictured above) can be used for indoor or outdoor. Though the Corn plant and Chinese Evergreen can tolerate much lower light then the other two plants, if you put then outdoors, their leaves will burn in direct sunlight, and air temperatures below 55 can damage their leaves. The Ficus and Bird of Paradise don’t have those problems outdoors.
That being said, all plants, will become bushier and more attractive in high light then low light. You just have to know if it will get direct or indirect light. Although sunlight usually comes to mind when we think of light, artificial light also helps plants grow. In fact the Corn plant and Chinese Evergreen can do quite well with nothing more then florescent light. When a plant is purchased from the Greenhouse, they are giving it the maximum amount of light, but when installed in the typical home or office, it is getting much less light . So the plant needs to acclimate (adjust) to the lower level of light. While it is acclimating, you may notice that some of the lower foliage turns yellow and dies. Within two months or so the plant should have acclimated to the new environment, and its leaves will stop dying. This plant will need less frequent watering in the lower light.
Some plants need high Humidity. For example, many of the ferns and some of the palms do better outside because it is more humid then the air in office buildings and most homes. On the other hand, many plants prefer the air conditioned buildings because the temperature is more constant and predictable then outdoors. Service once a week, or sometimes even every other week, is sufficient for indoor plants, but outdoor plants may need service and watering twice a week in the summer and much less during a rainy season.
So, before you pay for new plants, it is wise to think carefully about where they will go, and to select the types that can thrive in that area. We at Beautification thru Vegetation will be happy to help you select the right plants for your environment, and we guarantee the health of all of our plants.