Episode 167: springtails and swiss cheese plants
Monstera ‘Thai Constellation’ pre-chop. Photograph: Jane Perrone.
Transcript
Episode 167
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Jane: Hello, my name is Jane Perrone, host of this here houseplant podcast and head honcho here at On The Ledge Towers! Podcast mascot Wolfie, my dog, says hi! He's in the house because it's a bit too cold out here in the office right now, but he does wish to send you festive greetings and will appreciate a scratch behind the ears at any time. What I'd like though, is a five-star review for On The Ledge and that's what I've got from Katarina in Germany and InterPlanetJanet in the US, who has just discovered On The Ledge. I'm so delighted to hear that you both love the show. In this week's On The Ledge, Springtails and Swiss Cheese Plants are our topics of concern, plus we hear from listener Jonathan in Meet the Listener.
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Jane: Thank you to Jonas for giving a donation via ko-fi.com. If you don't want to make a monthly contribution to the show, this is a great way to give a one-off donation to On The Ledge - details in the show notes - and thanks to Maria and Grace who both joined the ranks of my Patreon supporters; Maria at the Crazy Plant Person level and Grace as a Ledge-End.
If you feel like you're missing out on the extra content you get when you become a Patreon at the Ledge-End or the SuperFan level, then do check out my show notes for details about how to join. Remember, if you pay annually, you only pay for ten months rather than twelve. "Bargain!" as we say here in the UK!
A few housekeeping notes: just remember there are two more shows for 2020. The first one's coming out next Friday, normal set up, normal time - well, roughly normal time! That's going to be an On The Ledge quiz of 2020, so pencil and paper required! There's no prizes, just the joy of testing your knowledge of plants and On The Ledge! So that will be going up on 18^th^ December and I'll put out an addendum with the answers the following day. Then on Thursday 24^th^December, that's Christmas Eve, my bonus episode will be coming out, which is going to be something a bit different. I've just finished it and I don't really know if it's any good. I hope you like it! It's a reading of an abridged version of a work of fiction that I love, that is Christmassy. It's just a bit of fun, really, for Christmas Eve, so you can listen to that over the festive season. Then there will be a break. There's no shows on 1^st^ January or 8^th^ January and I'll be back on 15^th^ January. So you've got that all straight? I hope you have.
Thanks to those of you who have been sending in fantastic ideas for upcoming episodes. I am awash within inspiration, for which, thank you! As you know, I don't really do a seasons approach to On The Ledge. I just tend to put out the episodes week by week and I hope that the melange of topics and formats that I give you just keep you interested in the show. So that's my modus operandi, continuing for 2021, and if you've got any ideas please do drop me a line. I'm more than happy to receive your suggestions. It's really lovely to hear from you, always.
One more thing on the planning front: remember the On The Ledge sowalong will be entering its fourth year. Can you believe that? That will be kicking off - it's kind of kicking off now, actually, because I've certainly put in an order for some seeds from the British Cactus and Succulent Society's amazing seed scheme which, every year, it blows me away how great it is! I've just sent off for about six packets of seed for 30p each! Yes, I'll say that again, 30p! So it's an amazing deal! Do join the British Cactus and Succulent Society if you are interested in getting a slice of that very good seed scheme. I have ordered some Aloe polyphylla and some other choice succulents and cacti, so I'm very excited about that! At 30p a packet, it's very tempting to just want everything, but I've had to control myself! I'm trying to go for quality rather than quantity this year. Get your seeds now because then you'll be all ready for the sowalong. I usually do the first sow along episode in either late February or March, so do start sharing in the Facebook group, Houseplant Fans of On The Ledge, what you are going to be buying. If you want to listen back to any of the previous years of the On The Ledge sowalong, then I'll put a link in the show notes, where you can check out episodes on everything from growing Ferns from spores, to where to buy your seeds.
On that theme, Anne got in touch from South Oregon and Anne is keen to start some Sansevieria varieties, or perhaps we should be calling them Dracaena, which is the genus they've now been allocated to, but anyway, Snake Plants, she wants to grow some from seed and she emailed asking for some advice. I have never seen Snake Plant seed offered for sale and there's a good reason for this, which Anne had already discovered, which is that you need really fresh seed. So, unless you know somebody whose Snake Plant has already flowered and set seed this year, it's unlikely you're going to be able to source any, unfortunately. Even if you did manage to get hold of some seed, it's worth bearing in mind that, genetically, the variability you'll get from Snake Plant seed is quite considerable, so the plants that you get, the seedlings you grow, are not necessarily going to look exactly like the parents. Now, that can be a good thing, if you have a lot of space and you want to let these plants grow out and see if you've got any cool-looking ones. It can also be a great disappointment if the parent plants and the seedlings just aren't anything alike. So that's just a heads-up. Some plants just do better being propagating from cuttings rather than being grown from seed and Sansevieria are generally one of those. So, sorry about that, Anne, but I hope that you can find some other rather interesting seed to sow.
One of my favourite sellers, UnusualSeeds on Etsy, has a rather nice looking pack of mixed Rhipsalis that I think I'm going to invest in. Maybe you could give those a try, Anne?
Let's crack on and we're going to start by hearing from listener Jonathan in our Meet the Listener slot. Over to you, Jonathan!
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Jonathan: I'm Jonathan! I live just outside of Philadelphia on the east coast of the US. While I have enjoyed outdoor gardening for several years, it was discovering Jane's amazing podcast a year ago that made me realise growing houseplants was basically an opportunity to garden indoors. In our climate, there isn't much you can grow over winter outside, so I really enjoyed learning more about houseplants and growing several. My children are starting to accuse me of turning the house into a jungle!
Jane: Question one. You've been selected to travel to Mars as part of the first human colony on the Red Planet! There's only room for one houseplant from your collection on board. Which plant do you choose?
Jonathan: I would choose my Begonia Lucerna. While our plant is a family heirloom, that's not the reason I would select it. This Begonia is so easy to care for. It's resilient and super-quick to propagate. I find that as it grows, it really changes. Sometimes the leaves emerge more red, sometimes they emerge more green. With staking, it can be several feet tall and it can also be easily kept bushy and smaller. I feel like you can get a lot of variety quickly, which is a lot of bang for one plant. It also blooms several times a year, so that would be a fantastic bonus.
Jane: Question two. What is your favourite episode of On The Ledge?
Jonathan: As a novice to indoor plant care, I really appreciated episode 106 - Ten Commandments for Houseplant Care, with Judy Feldstein. It was a digestible, complete overview of what I should know to avoid the most common pitfalls I was likely to make while caring for my houseplants.
Jane: Question three. Which Latin name do you say to impress people?
Jonathan: I don't think anyone is impressed when I stumble through a Latin name, but the plant glasses that Jane mentioned have really helped me to see so many plants I never noticed! I'm a frequent business traveller and I have been known to casually remark on the Sansevieria trifasciata Laurentii that I've become aware of to my colleagues as we pass by. It's not clear if they've ever been impressed!
Jane: Question four. Crassulacean acid metabolism or guttation?
Jonathan: While the amazing properties of CAM blow my mind, for me, it's guttation. The week before lockdown, I impulse-bought a Scindapsus pictus when I suddenly found myself setting up a temporary work-from-home desk on a folding table in our bedroom. I placed the new plant on my ramshackle set up. After watering it, apparently too much, the weekend before, I sat down for my first full day of remote work and noticed the most perfect drop of moisture hanging in the air illuminated by the morning sun. It was nice way to ground in an uncertain time.
Jane: Question five. Would you rather spend £200 on a variegated Monstera, or £200 on 20 interesting cacti?
Jonathan: We live in an older house that is big on charm and not so big on big windows. While I love the structure of cacti and succulents, I struggle to grow them well. So, I would love the opportunity to grow a variegated Monstera and have a bold plant like that in my collection. It would also seal the deal on my family's assertion I've created a jungle!
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Jane: Ah yes, I'm familiar with that, Jonathan - the idea that your family don't quite understand why you need to be surrounded by plants! I sympathise! If you would like to be featured on Meet the Listener, do get in touch. I recently discovered that On The Ledge is number one in the Home and Garden category in Chile, so are there any Chilean listeners out there who'd like to put themselves forward? I would love to hear from you!
Next up, it's Question of the Week and this one is probably one of the most common queries that I see on Facebook. Catarina got in touch with some pictures of her plant soil, specifically, Monstera adansonii, and she spotted something alive in there, some little bugs that she wanted to identify. She sent me some helpful pictures but I was pretty certain, before I even looked at the pictures, that I knew what these bugs were and those are Springtails. We're all panicking whenever we see any creatures around our plants, but not all creatures are something that's going to do any harm. Springtails are detritivores, they eat decaying vegetation, so in other words, they're not going to be wanting to eat your lovely green and lush plants. I did talk a little bit about Springtails in episode 149, Terrarium Tips, but I want to go into more detail because I've been reading up about these creatures and they are amazing. So, let me share some Springtail info with you. Cue scritchy scratchy music!
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Jane: So, the first thing to say about Springtails is they're probably not something that you're going to spot on the leaves of your plants. They like moist places and that means you're most likely to see them on the surface of your soil, particularly if you've just watered, or perhaps if you lift up a pot and look underneath, inside a cache pot possibly, you will see lots of little creatures roaming about. They're about the size of a full stop and there are hundreds, if not thousands of species! I think there's about 250 different species of Springtail here in the UK. As well as finding them in your houseplant pots, you might also find them outside in your compost heap or in a pile of damp leaves. The characteristic that gives them their name is their ability to spring. But don't get them confused with fleas! They are different creatures and do not have the capacity to bite you or your pets, or, indeed, your houseplants! These are really ancient creatures. Apparently there are fossils of Springtails going back to 400,000,000 years ago! They're not insects, by the way. They are hexapods, which means they've got six legs. I've said they're detritivores, well that means they feed on any kind of decaying matter in the soil. They also feed on fungi and algae and that sort of thing. They serve a wonderful purpose in breaking down organic matter.
The thing that makes the Springtail jump is called a furcula and it is a wishbone-shaped appendage, a kind of a tail, that sits underneath the Springtail's belly and when it's surprised, for example by you lifting up the pot where it's been hiding, this little spring flicks up and propels the Springtail into the air. Apparently, this leap is the equivalent of me jumping over the Eiffel Tower, so it's pretty impressive! I'll link in the show notes to a wonderful video featuring Sir David Attenborough, or should I say our Lord God David Attenborough, talking about Springtails, the Collembola Class, as they are known, and showing how they actually go about springing. It's really amazing to watch! They also have an amazing tube on their head which they use to moisturise their body! Basically, they have to stay moist in order to survive and most patches of ground on all seven continents of the world will contain about 100,000 Springtails per square metre. Wowsers!
They are everywhere and there isn't really any great reason for concern if you see the odd Springtail in your soil or under your pots because they're going to go somewhere moist. They are breaking down organic matter. It may be a sign that your pots are a little bit too damp if, maybe, you're seeing Springtails in the soil of, say, cacti and succulents, but if you're seeing them in the soil of other plants and you've just watered or if you've lifted up a pot and there's some there, it's really not something to worry yourself about. Just take a look at those Springtails and wonder how amazing they are!
The other thing to note is that they do mainly wander about; they don't jump everywhere. So if you see some small creatures about the size of a full stop that are moving around and they're not necessarily jumping they could very well still be Springtails, but if you disturb them you may find that one or two will jump.
The colour varies, they can be anything from very dark grey to white, to brown, but as I say, the main indication is their location. If they are in that soil then they're not doing anything with the leaves of your plant. Then, usually, the location of the creature gives you a really good indication of what it is. If it's white and fluffy and it's in the crevices of your succulent then it's probably a mealybug. If it's white and fluffy and it's in the roots of your plant, well, check it carefully because it could be mycorrhizal fungal strands but it could also be mealybugs. Again, your hand lens is really useful here. If it's something on the back of your leaves, a white grainy stuff, that's probably the shed skins of your spider mites, if you've got really good vision, or you use a hand lens, you should be able to see the brown crab-like spider mites wandering around. Aphids, they usually tackle the new soft growth on plants, so you often find them on flower stems or on new growth of leaves. Thrips, well, they don't look that much different than Springtails, but they are bigger and generally you'll find them wandering about your plant leaves as opposed to on the soil.
If you want to get a closer look at the Springtails in your life then Dave Goulson who has written an excellent book called 'The Garden Jungle, or Gardening to Save the Planet' - which I highly recommend - has a good technique to suggest for gathering some up. Dave suggests that you get some compost or leaf mould, or, indeed, the material that's in your plant pots, and put it into a funnel under a warm lamp, stick that funnel on top of some kind of container and the Spring Tails will head away from the heat and into the container and you can take a closer look at them. A fun activity if you have kids or grandkids to entertain this festive season, or just a fun activity for yourself on a cold and wet weekend afternoon! Why should the kids have all the fun after all?
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Jane: I hope that has given you a new view into the world of the Springtail and a new appreciation for this tiny creature that likes to hang out in our houseplant pots. Do check out the show notes for that video from Sir David and lots more Springtail goodies to enjoy.
In the second of our Q&A double-header today, I had a message from Sara that has reminded me of something I wanted to talk about on the show and Sara writes: "Just asking you for help and advice on chopping up a Thai constellation. I've air-layered it, I'd like to divide it up. Any advice on how to judge how close to cut? Should I cut as close to the air-layered area as possible?" As you'll know, if you are a regular listener to show, this is something I have been doing myself of late, so I thought I'd just share my experience with you and hopefully pass on some top tips for dealing with chopping up Swiss Cheese Plants, Monstera deliciosa, whether you're lucky enough to have a plain green one or a Thai Constellation or indeed an Albo, or any other kind of Monstera for that matter.
Sara has done a great thing: she's already air layered her plant. What does that mean? Well, basically, air-layering is just a question of wrapping some moist material around the stem of a plant that creates aerial roots, or can be coerced into creating aerial roots and allowing those roots to grow into that medium and then once those roots are fully established, hard to give an exact guide about length, looking reasonably long, five or ten centimetres long, with good branching and lots of healthy roots there, that's the moment when you can cut.
Sara wants to know how close to cut. I would say you would want to go within a few millimetres if you can, the reason being that material below the arial root is not really going to do much for the separated cutting. When I chopped up my Thai constellation, I came across the problem that the gaps between the nodes on the Monstera deliciosa large form are very, very small. So you've really got to get in there with your knife to chop, I used a small serrated vegetable knife to do the job actually and you've got to really get between there because there isn't much room to think: "Where should I cut?" If you had a big internodal space which is giving you a lot of options, what I would generally do is I would cut a few millimetres below the arial root that's been rooted and then I would trim the parent plant back to just above the previous node. That way you're not leaving a stretch of plant material that's basically not really going to be any use to anybody because, as we know, the new growth will come from the nodes.
If you're taking a Thai constellation cutting and you've decided not to air-layer because you're going to root it in water, then the advice is often to seal up the cut end with some wax. I tend to use beeswax for that, just because I have some bars of beeswax that I have bought locally from a local beekeeper and there is an idea that this beeswax has anti-fungal properties which help to protect the cutting against any fungal infestations that might actually affect the plant. You can use regular wax if you don't have any beeswax, but beeswax was just what I had to hand. To melt that, I just put in a small Pyrex dish over a basin of boiling water until it had just about started to melt and then when it was in that semi-melted state, I just whacked it onto the cut end of the cutting and made sure it was coated over the ends so that it's sealed up effectively. That dries very, very quickly and if you've put enough on then it won't fall off. At that point, then it means you can put the cutting into water without worrying too much that there's going to be rot going on, but equally you could plant it straight into soil if you prefer, or into Leca, depending on what particular technique you need to use.
These plants are really tough and people panic about cutting into them, but they really, really don't mind. Provided they're growing in good conditions, you shouldn't have too much of a problem. The one that I chopped, I took two nodes off, as two separate cuttings, and on the parent plant, where the stem was cut - and it was quite a thick stem of about two to three centimetres across - I didn't wax that, I just left that to dry out, which it did and it's already starting to shoot. The plant's going to be absolutely fine and before long I imagine in spring it'll start putting out lots of growth.
If you've air-layered though and you've got those roots, you've given that plant a head start. The other thing you might find with Monstera deliciosa, is that it produces aerial roots anyway, so you may not need to air-layer. You may find you've already got roots coming out of it which you can either then put straight into soil or do a bit of water propagation ahead of planting it in soil. That's kind of what I did with mine because I had arial roots that had gone into the soil, so effectively it was already a rooted cutting.
Obviously, these are expensive cuttings that you're dealing with and if you're buying one and it comes through the post, do check the condition very carefully. If there is a black end which looks like it's starting to rot, if you possibly can I would certainly advise getting a sterilised knife and chopping that off and sealing it with wax, if you can, so that any rot doesn't get anywhere near the growing point, which is where you want to avoid it. Once that growing point has rotted, assuming you've only got one node, that is it. That's why the wet stick technique, where you've got a section of stem with one node attached, is the most dicey because everything is hanging on that one growth point and the health of that.
I hope that makes some sense, Sara. I realise this is rather a visual thing so I'll try to put a video on my Instagram stories. I didn't unfortunately save my video of me actually slicing into my Thai constellation and I'm not going to do any slicing for the moment, but I'll put a video on my Instagram stories which I will save in my highlights just showing you roughly where I would cut on different cuttings and that should give you an idea of what I'm talking about.
As I say, the main thing to think about with cuttings and nodes is nodes, nodes nodes, nodes, nodes, all the way! Know about nodes, that's what I'm telling you! If you remember that that's the engine room, you don't want to leave a load of stem just below that because that's just going to rot, nothing's going to grow from that, you need to cut close to that node but not so close that you're going to cut into it. That really goes for any stem cutting that you're going to take, obviously it's a different proposition if you're dealing with a plant that takes leaf cuttings such as, for example, Watermelon peperomia, Peperomia argyreia, or a Gesneriad, when you can just take that leaf and its stalk and that will root.
That's what's fascinating about plants, it's not a one size fits all scenario. Plants have different ways of propagating themselves and the more you know, the more likely you are to have success. As ever, observation is key. Check your plant every day. If you've got a cutting that's in water, check it, check for rot, keep an eye on it, don't let it sit there for weeks on end, do change the water regularly if you have a cutting in water. Why? Because the oxygen levels in that water will be vital to make sure that the plant can survive. So, change the water regularly and watch out for any changes in any part of the plant because the plant is at a vulnerable stage there, where it's teetering on the edge of becoming a new plant and you need to do everything you can to help it. Keep conditions ideal in terms of temperature, and light, it doesn't want to be in the darkest corner, it also doesn't want to be sitting on a blaring sunny windowsill. So keep everything in balance and with luck your cutting should take very nicely.
As I've already said, if you can't afford a Thai Constellation, really, don't worry about it. In my opinion, the plain green Monstera deliciosa is just as beautiful. You can play around with that plant to your heart's delight and do interesting things with it because you're not worried about, "Oh gosh, this cutting cost me $30!" or whatever. So really do enjoy your plants, whatever you've got, and experiment because that is really the way that you will learn. I hope that helps, Sara, and as ever if you've got a question for On The Ledge drop me a line: ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com
Join me next Friday for the On The Ledge quiz of 2020. Yes, sharpen your brains, people, because I'm going to be testing your knowledge!
Before I go, just to remind you I'm crowdfunding a book called 'Legends of the Leaf'. It's the story behind 25 iconic houseplants and the secrets to making them thrive. If you're new to the show, please go and check out JanePerrone.com where you can find out all about this book. It's going to be On The Ledge in your hands, in a physical form! How cool is that going to be? But I need your help to get it funded, so if you feel like pledging, I would love to have your support. It can cost you as little as a tenner and you get your name in the back of the book. How exciting would that be?
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Jane: It's time for me to make like a Springtail and leap out of here. I'll see you in seven days. Bye!
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Jane: The music you heard in this episode was Roll Jordan Roll by The Joy Drops, Time to Move and Motivate by The Insider, An Instrument the Boy Called Happy Day, Gokarna by Samuel Corwin, Chiefs by Jahzzar and The Encouragement Stick by Doctor Turtle. All tracks are licensed under Creative Commons, visit janeperrone.com for details.
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In this week’s show I explain why springtails are nothing to be afraid of, and I explain how to take cuttings of the swiss cheese plant, Monstera deliciosa. Plus we hear from listener Jonathan in Meet the Listener.
The On The Ledge sowalong is coming! I’ll be publishing some episodes in Feburary/March, so why not get some seeds ready now? Check out my US and UK buying guides for advice on reliable seed sources. I just ordered seed from the British Cactus and Succulent Society seed list which is open to members only. I’m also ordering a mixed Rhipsalis selection from Unusual Seeds, a Serbia-based shop that many listeners have successfully bought from. You can listen to previous sowalong episodes here.
The skinny on springtails
Springtails are hexapods rather than insects… they have six legs and are at least 400 million years old.
They are detritivores and live on decaying organic matter, fungi and algae.
As the name suggests, springtails can jump although they mainly walk around - they will only jump if disturbed.
They jump by releasing a spring-like appendage called a furcula at the end of their body, which is usually tucked underneath. When they jump, the furcula flicks up and sends the springtail flying up. It’s quite a jump: the equivalent of you or me jumping over the Eiffel Tower! Check out this video by Sir David Attenborough to see springtails in action.
Don’t get them mixed up with fleas which are a completely different creature: springtails cannot bite you, your plants or your pets.
You’ll often see them inside on your houseplant soil, or under a pot when you lift it up, particularly after watering. They are about the size of a full stop, and can be grey, brown or white.
If you want to have a closer look, put some soil into a funnel over a container, then place the funnel under a warm lamp - the springtails will move away from the lamp and drop into the container where you can examine them with a hand lens.
There are around 250 species of springtails in the UK, and they exist in all seven continents: they also live in the soil, and are often found in compost heaps and piles of moist dead leaves.
Check out episode 149 for more on springtails in terrariums.
Swiss cheese plant chop and prop
Sara got in touch to ask for advice about how to deal with a Monstera deliciosa she had air layered. This is a way of propagating plants by making the stem produce roots - more on the technique here.
If you have air layered your plant, the key is trying to cut close to the aerial root, but not too close! You don’t want to accidentally cut into the node.
If internodal spacing is large, you can cut the stem just above a node, and trim to just below a node. If internodal spacing is small, get your knife in where you can!
Cuttings’ wounds can be covered with wax or beeswax to seal them up and prevent rot: especially useful if you are water propagating a cutting. The cut on the parent plant won’t need to be covered as it will dry of its own according.
If water propagating, make sure you change the water regularly to keep oxygen levels up.
If a cutting arrives without a waxed end, you can cut away any black material, avoiding the node, allow to dry and seal with wax.
Want to ask me a question? Email ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com. The more information you can include, the better - pictures of your plant, details of your location and how long you have had the plant are always useful to help solve your issue!