The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Keeping House Plants Healthy

During the Winter

Many houseplants suffer in winter from too little light. Houseplants need sufficient light to photosynthesize and make sugars and other carbohydrates. Even a south-facing windowsill may not provide sufficient lighting for normal growth.

A normal desk lamp or reading lamp puts out about 50-foot candles. That seems sufficient to us, but it may not be for your plants. The aluminum plant, spider plant, Boston fern, Bromeliads, Devil’s Ivy, Watermelon Peperomia, Oval Leaf Peperomia, Painted Drop Tongue, Rockford Fern, Roehrs’ Dumbcane, and the Steel Begonia all do well with between 25 and 50 foot candles of light. But there are high light users that need two to four times that amount. Aralia Ivy, English Ivy Maple Queen, Fiddle Leaf Fig, Grape Ivy, Pick-Back plant, Pothos Marble Queen, and Variegated Rubber plant all need between 50 and 100 foot candles for best growth. Plants that don’t receive adequate lighting may become stunted and drop their leaves or flowers.

Low light plants, like the Cast Iron plant, Philodendron, Norfolk Island Pine, Dracaena, Snake plant, and Spotted Dumbcane need only 15 to 25 foot candles. Plants that receive too much light will likely bleach out and scorch.

Information for this article was taken from an article written by the Bob Gough (Previous MSU Extension Horticulturist). If you have further questions about houseplants, please contact Tyler at the Chouteau County Extension office at

622-3751. Or stop in for a visit. The Extension office is located in the green building next to the courthouse.

Don’t wait until spring to order shelterbelt trees

There are still plenty of trees and shrubs available to order through the Chouteau County Extension Office. Don’t wait to purchase your trees until spring, it will cost you more and high demand varieties may be sold out. The trees are ordered from the Montana Conservation Seedling Nursery in Missoula, which produces tree and shrub seedlings for use in various conservation projects. Suitable uses for MCSN seedlings include farmstead windbreaks, shelterbelts, erosion control, living snow fences, stream-bank stabilization and wildlife habitat improvement. Please Note: Seedlings CANNOT BE USED for ornamental, landscaping or other urban purposes. Please contact your local nursery for these seedlings.

Some information for this article was taken from the MCSN website at dnrc.state.mt.us/forestry/nursery.htm.