Herself’s Houseplants

Usually cats and houseplants do well once the cats get past the kitten stage. But not always.

My biggest problems with cats and plants has been cats knocking the flowers off cut flowers and blooming indoor plants. I’ve chased more than one around the house with barren flower stalks threatening to turn them into dog food.

Common problems with cats and house plants:

1) The cats use your plant as a litter box.

- Replant the plant and put sharp gravel on top. It’ll look pretty and the cats won’t dig through the gravel. A half inch to an inch is fine.

2) The cats eat the house plants.

- I’ve had some but not great success with a spray called ‘Bitter’ you can buy at the pet store. It hasn’t hurt any plants I’ve tried it on and the cats don’t like it. The problem is they don’t know they don’t like till they eat it a few times. Cats are slow learners.

3) Some house plants are toxic to cats. ( see links here for correct information on which plants are toxic to cats ) most are not. Usually the cats instictivly leave them alone, but there is no harm in not having toxic plants near your pets. There are lots of non-toxic choices.

4) The cats tip plants over. This is my biggest problem. If the plants are not against a window but on a counter or table Fred likes to rub up against the pots and often lighter weight ones tip when he does this. Putting the plants near a window or weighing them down with a few rocks fixes this.

5) Waterbottle training. This has worked with every kitten we’ve had. The first time you see the cat doing something to a plant, spray him with a bit of water from a spray bottle. The second ( or third for slow cats ) time you’ll only need to pick up the spray bottle. I’ve yet to have a cat that needed more than 3 sprays of water to avoid all the house plants. Persist and the water bottle method will work in less than a couple of weeks.

In the winter soil mealy bugs can be a problem for African violets.

The African violets get less light, the soil stays wet for longer times and it’s chilly by those windows creating conditions for soil bacteria and bugs to grow and attack.

The plants begin by wilting and the leaves appear to be thinner. This can mean root rot or soil mealy bugs are attacking your plant. Either way the best course of action is to repot your plant. It is the bacteria in the soil not the water that rots the roots. So either the bacteria or mealy bugs need to go.

Unpot the plant and check for mealy bugs, you’ll see little white spots in the soil at the bottom of the pot if you have them. If not it is bacteria that is the problem. When you unpot your plant gently remove all the soil from the roots, cut off damaged roots and rinse the roots thoroughly but gently in running water.

If when you unpot your plant you find the roots are short and all near to the surface that means you’ve been over watering your violet.

Buy some fresh soil at your local nursery and run your pot through the dishwasher if you wish to reuse it.

And remember as long as you have one healthy leaf you can root you have not lost your African violet.

Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium are the three main plant nutrients plants need to survive. When you buy a fertilizer they are listed by weight on the label ( Nitrogen/Phosphorus/Potassium )

Normally houseplants get good soil and repotted frequently so it is not necessary to fertilize them much, if at all. But watch for these symptoms and give your plant more nutrients if you see them.

Yellowish green leaves, oldest leaves turn first and tips and edges of leaves yellow working back toward plant. Growth is slow. Often veins remain green. This means you need more nitrogen or iron or both.

Leaves die back, older leaves and stems may turn purple, plant is slow reaching full size, plant may be stunted. These are symptoms of low phosphorus.

Leaves distort and curl under, older leaves get brown edges and drop. There is poor root growth. These are signs of low potassium in plants.

Small, narrow leaves with assorted black spots in yellow areas can indicate a zinc deficiency. Plant may also be stunted.

Overly bushy plants with crinkled and deformed leaves often want more boron, but don’t over apply.

Upward rolled young leaves want more copper or suphur. New leaves are often light green with no color variation. New leaves may be small and yellow.

In general cupping of leaves, yellowing, browning, and stunted grow indicate the plant needs a bit of fertilizer. While your house plants should need little to no fertilizer, they do need some, especially if you see any of the above traits in your plants. Pick up your favorite brand at the local store and follow the directions on the label.

114 photos of mineral deficiencies in plants for visual diagnosis