Plants are quite expensive and what you don’t really need is for you to sit and watch your plants bend over and die after a while just after bringing it home. Most people do not consider that even full and lush plants are capable of developing problems very quickly but identifying if a plant is healthy is one way of being able to prevent issues you might encounter later in the future or while gardening. This is why you need this how to select healthy plants article so you can be able to make right gardening choices and decisions.
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How To Select Healthy Plants
If you want to be successful while gardening the learning how to select healthy plants is something that you must be willing and able to do. Being able to identify healthy plants would require you to have a closer lookat all of its parts but first, your observation should start from the leaves which is the most popular part of a plant.
Foliage Growth
One way of identifying a healthy plant is through its lots of healthy new growth and apart from some cases like in variegated and bi-colored leaves, most plants should be able to have leaves that are not just bright but also leaves that are green or any other bright looking color. You should avoid plants with already pale colors as that might suggest that they are not one hundred percent healthy. Such plants are likely to have brown leaves or yellow leaves and also if its edges are dry and brown as well.
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Having a bushy and fully grown habit is also another way of identifying a healthy plant but you should also look out for plants with leggy and long structures. Sturdy and compact plants are the types of plants that you should place your focus on when you go out to purchase a healthy plant and you should also observe plants that have the appearance as if they have already been pruned. This pruning appearance is an indication that their stems might be damaged or diseased and also taken out so as to get the plants to look healthy again.
Pests And Diseases
Another thing you have to look out for when learning how to select healthy plants is looking out if the plant has any signs of pest and diseases. The joint where the stem meets with the leaves and also beneath the leaves should be properly checked because those are places where you can get to find pest and diseases on any plant. Some of the common pests that you are likely to come in contact with if a plant isn’t healthy includes;
- Scale
- Aphids
- Mealybugs
- Spider Mites
Roots
Lastly, the roots is also another place that you can get to observe or pay close attention to if you want to be able to tell if a plant is healthy or not. Having roots that are healthy are real signs that the plant is in a good shape or condition but when you have plants in a pot, it can be quite difficult to tell if the roots are healthy or not. However, one thing that you can actually be able to tell is if the plant is root bound and this would however involves picking up the plant and observing its drainage hole.
Once you figure out that roots have started growing through the hole then it proves that the plant has been inside the pot for a very long period of time. Having its roots starting to grow above the potting mix also indicates that the plant is root bound but a root bound plant doesn’t necessarily mean it is sick as it also shows that the plant is really growing but one thing that you should know about purchasing a root bound plant is that it would also require you to repot is sooner than later.
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