Office Plants: We Want Your Questions!

Posted in Gardening Tips on October 4 2012, by Ann Rafalko

Yesterday as I was watering my office plants, I gave the newest addition a gentle poke; gentle because it is an agave, and can quite aggressively poke back. It had been weeks since I had last watered it, and I wasn’t sure if it needed another dousing. I prodded its leaves and they felt healthy. I looked under its pot. I asked it, “Do you need water?” It didn’t answer.

So I decided it was time to indulge in one of the perks of my job: I grabbed my iPhone, snapped a picture, and sent it off to Christian Primeau, the Manager of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory (you might remember him from this great how-to video he did on planting water lilies in containers at home). “Do you mind if I ask you how I can tell whether or not my agave needs water?” Lucky for me (and for my agave) Christian didn’t mind in the least and sent back a really cheerful, fact-filled email.

I’ve always watered them as I would any houseplant from May through October, then sparingly through late autumn and winter. [The agave is] probably the only plant I let go bone dry between waterings at that point. If you have it on a windowsill indoors, you should probably just adhere to that rule. Always better to err on the side of dryness with indoor agaves. You can bring them back easier from a dry spell than [from an] overwatering. When I have neglected them over very long periods of time they do respond to drought much the same as any plant would, drawing moisture from the oldest leaves (lower); so those tend to turn yellow, then brown and crispy. Yours looks healthy. The best/easiest way to gauge is to lift the pot right after a thorough watering and compare it to the weight when it is bone dry. Then you should be able to tell if it needs water at any given time by feel.

Phew! My agave was safe! And not just safe, but declared healthy as well by a bona fide plant professional. Suddenly I felt much better about my windowsill gardening skills! And we want to help you feel the same way!

Do you keep plants at the office? If so, what kind? What are your biggest office plant challenges? What are your burning office plant questions? Tell us all about them in the comments below!

Later in the year we’re planning to put together a video with Christian on this topic and would love to answer your specific questions. But if you have a question that just can’t wait until wintertime, feel free to tweet us, or use the “Ask” feature on our Tumblr!