Can anyone please help me I purchased some indoor plants and only after a month they have problems,
I have never had indoor plants before, can someone give me an idea what im doing wrong, I do water them. :)
brown black spots, brown tips, do i feed them? when? what? etc…

brown/black spots brown tips no problems….. yet :)

good question and welcome.

unfortunately you probably know more about indoor plants than i do.

have you tried taking them outside for a spell or just wiping the leaves with water?

come back in an hour and one of the ‘indoor plant experts’ will have some comment.

The brown tips look like sun or wind burn, where have you put them? Do you have airconditioning or a heater running? Not too sure about the spots.

A quick check of my trusty notes have revealed that your problem may be the water your using, chlorine and flouride are not your plants friends. If your water is treated, fill a bucket and let it off gass for 12 hours then use this water. Make sure your water is at room temperature too.

I’m no expert but the black spots could be sucking insect damage or fungus.

ho9w often have you been watering? The brown tips could be under or overwatering. stick you finger in the pot or turn the whole plant out carefully and check to see if the soil is very dry or very wet.

shell bell said:

A quick check of my trusty notes have revealed that your problem may be the water your using, chlorine and flouride are not your plants friends. If your water is treated, fill a bucket and let it off gass for 12 hours then use this water. Make sure your water is at room temperature too.

or use rain water

Thank you :), i’ll check back later.

forgot to refresh the page…heaps of help..
the plants I move a bit in my flat…. I do not have aircon, but i did have the brown tip one sitting near the kitchen window for a while in the sun…
the water is from the tap…lol.. does this mean it has chlorine? I will try the water
thanks :)

off gas? the water does this naturally in the bucket?

will try the water,………. and if the black spots are a pest/fungi what would i use to get rid of them?

deborah said:

off gas? the water does this naturally in the bucket?

tap water will have chlorine in it – part of the process of keeping the algae and bacteria at bay so it comes out of our taps nice and clean looking. If left in an open container for a while the chlorine will dissipate into the air.

deborah said:

off gas? the water does this naturally in the bucket?

Yep, the chemicals evaporate much faster than the water and should be mostly gone after 12 hours. This is why a pool has to have the chemicals replaced on a regular basis.

Indoor plants kept near a window should be rotated regulaly, the one in your picture looks like one that prefers dappled shade to full on sun. The plants with the long thin leaves will handle full sun better, and dont forget that the glass will intensify the sun comming through window.

deborah said:

will try the water,………. and if the black spots are a pest/fungi what would i use to get rid of them?

you will first need to identify which it is as they are treated differently. I suggest you take a leaf or even the whole plant to a nursery and see if they can identify it for you, and they can then sell you the appropriate product.

deborah said:

will try the water,………. and if the black spots are a pest/fungi what would i use to get rid of them?

Could you put up a closer photot of the spots. Most prolly the water as well, but need to see them better to be sure.

bluegreen said:

deborah said:

will try the water,………. and if the black spots are a pest/fungi what would i use to get rid of them?

you will first need to identify which it is as they are treated differently. I suggest you take a leaf or even the whole plant to a nursery and see if they can identify it for you, and they can then sell you the appropriate product.

bluegreen said:

deborah said:

will try the water,………. and if the black spots are a pest/fungi what would i use to get rid of them?

you will first need to identify which it is as they are treated differently. I suggest you take a leaf or even the whole plant to a nursery and see if they can identify it for you, and they can then sell you the appropriate product.

Very sage advice. Ignore my last post, hit the submit button by accident :)

The browned tips can be caused by the pot sitting in water, or too dry. Test for moisture by sticking a finger in the dirt, if it feels moist don’t water. The spots can be caused by mites, dust mites especially. Wipe over with a damp cloth with a little milk on it.
Theres really no such thing as an indoor plant, they all need a spell outside in fresh air rain and wind , under shadecloth or in dappled sun for ferny things.

Could those spots be rust?

pain master said:

Could those spots be rust?

Could well be PM. And poor air cirulation can cause all sorts of ailments for indoor plants. Or too much fert.

I’m a big fan of at least 24 hours outside once a week for indoor plants….

or leave ‘em outside and go visit them daily?

Thank you, :)

Action:

1. Water plants with (water – no chlorine –leave to sit in bucket for 24hrs)

2. Test for moisture by sticking a finger in the dirt, if it feels moist don’t water.

3. Rotate plants regularly –( long thin leaves will enjoy the sun more)

4. Unfortunately I don’t even have a balcony:(, that’s why I got indoor plants, so near an open window is the best I can do for the advice on being outside.

5. Black spots

– Wipe over with a damp cloth with a little milk on it. – And finally take the spotty plant to a nursery to identify problem spots. – close up picture as requested:
6. Have also included a pic of the top leaves – The black/brown spots are only on the bottom leaves.

7. Will report back in one month :)

Thanks :)

deborah said:

6. Have also included a pic of the top leaves – The black/brown spots are only on the bottom leaves.

7. Will report back in one month :)

Thanks :)

If they are only on bottom leaves why not remove them?

If it had ben a Cymbidium I would have said Mosaic virus.. any smokers in the house?

roughbarked said:

deborah said:

6. Have also included a pic of the top leaves – The black/brown spots are only on the bottom leaves.

7. Will report back in one month :)

Thanks :)

If they are only on bottom leaves why not remove them?

If it had ben a Cymbidium I would have said Mosaic virus.. any smokers in the house?

The first thing I noticed about the pics is that the ones that I could see had saucers under them. Saucers are a no no almost every time. If you need something to catch the drips after watering, fill the saucers with stones/gravel and then stand the pot on top of them but well above the water line.

deborah said:

7. Will report back in one month :)

Thanks :)

do hang around and chat please. we like to have new people come and join us.

These are all good-for-indoors plants.

I’m wondering about either fertilizer burn, or some other kind of burn (e.g. wind, sun, dehydration or steam?)

Also, the indoors plants need a good flush-out every now and then…is it possible to take them outside for a weekend and just let the predatory bugs at them, hose with water (to get dust off leaves) and flush the pot?

What I do is rotate plants, so that I have nearly the same type of plants indoors, but they are rotated with other pots of the same type, from outside…this is weekly…I don’t have saucers under the pots but my whole house is in dire need of reno’s…if I did have saucers, they’d be deep ones with sand in them and the pot set on the sand…

Watch how much fertilizer you give them, too…better too little than too much for indoors, I find…

Is the one on the right a diffenbachia? It’s very attractive…

drainage, light and interaction with infecton are the major culprits

followed closely by interacton between inside and outside temperatures

There is a zone that exists for your plant closer or further from your windows.