The Times Weekend - UK (2021-11-20)

17

Silver inch plant

‘We dropped down to the valley

bottom and the Roman road

from Winchester to Old Sarum’

Christopher Somerville’s good walk

PLANTS SHOWN AVAILABLE FROM THESTEM.CO.UK, HAPPYHOUSEPLANTS.CO.UK, PATCHPLANTS.COM; ALAMY

Rubber plant

(Ficus elastica)

Although its large, waxy leaves may

need dusting every once in a while, this

plant is almost indestructible.

Plant care Bright, indirect light is

preferred, but low light areas will be

fine. Then water lightly once a week

to keep the soil moist without

waterlogging. Avoid this plant if you

have a latex allergy.

Silver inch plant

(Tradescantia zebrina)

This trailing evergreen variety is

a great addition for colour, with its

green-and-white striped leaves and

purple pop of colour underneath.

Plant care Hang in bright, indirect

sunlight. It’s fast-growing and likes

moist soil but hates waterlogging, so

water once a week, allowing the water

to drain right through. Mildly toxic,

so pinch back trailing tendrils if you

have pets.

Spider plant

(Chlorophytum comosum ‘Ocean’)

In bright indirect light the creamy

stripes on this variegated cascading

plant will be clear, but the stripes may

fade in gloomier spots.

Plant care Water once a week to keep

the soil moist, but allow the surface of

the soil to dry out between waterings.

Ideal for a humid spot such as

a bathroom. Non-toxic.

Jade plant

(Crassula ovata)

Ideal for a bright window sill, this fleshy

succulent loves bright, indirect sunlight

but will tolerate direct sunlight for a few

hours a day, or even a shady spot.

Plant care Water every two to three

weeks, allowing the top couple of inches

of soil to dry out between waterings, but

do not allow this plant to sit in water.

It is poisonous to pets.

I

recently stayed at someone’s

London flat for a couple of nights.

It was full of houseplants, all huge,

old and ailing. I felt helpless. There

would be so much I could have

done, if only the plants were mine.

Many people have found joy in

keeping houseplants this year, but they

require upkeep. Maybe you have such a

plant crying out for some treatment?

When to repot

A common problem is plants becoming

too big for their pot. It could be a

weeping fig or dumb cane, too tall for

its pot and refusing to stand up,

flattened by the merest flick of a passing

dog’s tail. Sometimes it’s a clivia,

pot-bound roots rising out of the pot

and without flowers for ten years. Don’t

worry — it’s all fixable.

Not all houseplants can be repotted

now. The very clumpy, leafy, non-woody

species such as clivia and Cape primrose

should be divided and repotted in spring,

so that they can do most of their

growing during the summer, when more

light comes through the windows. Cacti

and succulents should also wait until

then. Other houseplants — the tall-

stemmed fallers-over such as weeping

figs, ‘Lucerna’ begonias and palms; the

ones in too-small pots that you just can’t

keep watered because they dry out so

ridiculously quickly — these can usefully

be potted on now. The key step (even

more so now than in spring) is not to pot

them on into too big a pot. Whether the

old pot is 15cm or 30cm across, it should

never have more than 5-6cm

of fresh compost around its

roots in the new pot. The best

kind of repotting is regular

and minimal.

Repotting: the expert’s guide

How then do you repot some

sad old three-footer that’s got

tight in its pot? Start by

snipping out dead material.

If the compost is bone dry,

give the pot a brief dunk in a

bowl of water. Not enough to

make it expand and become

sodden and tighter in the

pot... just enough to make

the coming shock of moving

it more bearable.

Next, lay it on its side on a

sheet of plastic, with the

leaves stretched out so they are less

likely to be damaged. If it has a woody

trunk, prop it up halfway along to save

the underneath branches from breaking.

Look at the underside of the pot and

snip back any roots that have grown

through drainage holes. Now you are

ready to remove the pot. If you have a

helper, get them to hold the plant gently

round its neck while you flex, waggle

and shimmy the pot off the rootball.

Thumping the pot all over first

sometimes helps. The point is that you

don’t want to be pulling on the stem. The

battle should be between the pot and

the weight of the rootball. The second

something starts to give, the helper can

hold the top of the rootball while you

continue tugging down the pot.

You may find that nothing gives, but

you must resist yanking on the neck of

the plant. It’s better to cut the pot off the

roots, with old secateurs.

Now you can see the sides of the

rootball, in all its congested “grey

matter” glory. Scrape the compost,

moss and weeds off what was the top

of the rootball.

If this is a tree, destined for the ground

and an unlimited root run, I’d say open

up and prune back the whole rootball so

it could regrow evenly, to establish a

strong lifelong anchorage. For a

houseplant, pot life is all it will know, so

there’s no point going mad opening up

the roots. Ease them open a little,

unwind and shorten the worst encircling

bands of root and snip away some of the

knotted stuff at the bottom.

Now you can repot it. Don’t worry if

the new pot is only a little deeper than

the last — some extra width alone is

enough to refresh the plant. Once the

plant is set in the pot, pack compost

firmly around the sides of the rootball,

replace the layer of compost you scraped

off the top and water it heavily, once. All

that nutritious new compost is also now

a reservoir of water for the plant, so you

can water it less often over the next

couple of months.

How to repot

indoor plants

Revive your ailing

greenery with

Stephen Anderton’s

step-by-step guide

Haworthia cooperi
Another small, stemless and semi-
translucent succulent that makes an
excellent, non-toxic alternative to aloe
vera in households that include pets or
young children. An hour or two of direct
sunlight can stimulate new growth, but
otherwise aim for indirect sunlight.
Plant care Allow the soil to dry out
completely between waterings, so in the
winter water just once a month or less,
increasing in the summer to no more
than once a week.

Golden pothos
(Epipremnum aureum)
Hang this trailing plant in bright,
indirect light and water every 10 to 14
days when the soil becomes a little dry.
Plant care For the best growth add a
half-dose of general-purpose fertiliser at
every watering, then trim to maintain
your desired length. Mildly toxic, so
keep away from children and pets.

ZZ plant
(Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
Shade and drought tolerant, this
glossy plant is the picture of health in
any light level, even shade, although it
will scorch in direct sunshine.
Plant care Avoid watering until the soil
has completely dried out, so probably as
little as once a month. Mildly toxic, so
keep away from pets and children.

Kentia palm
(Howea forsteriana)
This accommodating palm prefers
bright, indirect light but will tolerate
shade or even a few hours of direct
sunlight. It prefers some humidity but
will tolerate dry air.
Plant care Water weekly, allowing the
top layer of soil to dry out between
waterings, and consider placing on
a tray of pebbles filled with water, or in
a bathroom to increase humidity. Non-
toxic, so safe for children and animals.

1. patchplants.com


2. rhsplants.co.uk


3. crocus.co.uk


4. happyhouse
   plants.co.uk


5. thestem.co.uk

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From left: ZZ plant, Scindapsus

Treubii ‘Moonlight’, cast-iron plant

Fiddle leaf fig and rubber plant

Chinese money plant

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PATCHPLANTS.COM

Kentia palm