Less is More - with your Indoor Plants

We have all heard the saying "Less is More". Many times when selecting a plant in the garden center, we are looking for the fullest plant we can get. Is that always the best choice?

Some growers are looking at giving you more with less. Let me qualify that idea, but first a little history.

Before the 1970's when the plant boom took off, many nurseries grew 8" and 10" pots with 3-6 plants per pot (depending on the variety). Most of these plants were sturdy with heavy or thick stalks and root systems that took more time to develop. 

As new nurseries got into the market more seedlings and cuttings were made available to the growers as starter plants. Slowly, growers began to add cuttings to make the plants fuller and get to market faster. 

There was a time when an Areca Palm would have 8-10 plants per pot. Now it isn't uncommon to find a plant with 30-40 "seedlings". These plants haven't had the ability to properly develop a heavy root system and strong thick trunks.

What you get is a plant that has a lot of foliage but is not really ready to handle "Life Indoors". 

One palm grower in particular has looked at their growing techniques and decided to make some changes by giving "Less is more". The grower is now growing each plant individually – developing a strong plant, strong root system, and selecting less  plants prior to planting them up into their final growing container. This adds more work for the grower, but also produces a study indoor plant for you. 

This results in a plant that is not as full but has a strong root system and is open to allow light to penetrate into the plant.

What You Can Look For!

During your next trip to the garden center look for plants that may not be as full as you have seen in the past. Make sure that you let your eyes wander down to the growing stalks and not just the leaves. Look for strong trunks and not a lot of little "grasses". Also keep on the look out for what is called "cutbacks". We find these mainly with the dracaena family. These plants that are cutbacks have had extra time to produce more roots.

Remember, one of the keys to enjoying your plants for a long time is having a good root system.

For more information on Less plant, or other house plant information visit the related links below.