January 2016: indoor trees are the Houseplants of the month
The theme for the Houseplants of the month for January is ‘greenery on a trunk’. These large mood-makers regularly feature in the interiors magazines, and are becoming increasingly popular with the general public. All the more reason to highlight them this month, which is easy with the POS material that you can download for free using the link at the bottom of this article.
Indoor trees and their story
Products with trunks come in many shapes and sizes: from short and thin to thick and tall, and from twisting shapes to sleek straight trunks. They’re decorative and air-purifying small trees to place in your living room. The succulent properties of the trunk enable the plant to store water in order to survive dry periods in the wild. This convenience is very handy in the home: they’re 'easy care' plants that take little looking after.
Production of indoor trees
Most ‘greenery on a trunk’ is produced in Central America in countries like Guatemala and Costa Rica; some also comes from China. The trunks are shipped to the Netherlands in sea containers, after which they are ‘finished’ at a nursery. Often there are virtually no roots on the plant when it arrives. Within a few months the plants will have grown roots and produced a fabulous array of foliage at the top in many colours, shapes and sizes, depending on the species and cultivar.
What to look for when buying indoor trees?
- When buying plants with trunks it’s important to check how well the plants are rooted in the pot. In general the roots must have grown all the way to the bottom of the pot to have a successful, healthy plant.
- Also check the pot size in relation to the number of heads per trunk or trunks per pot, the shape of the trunk, the height/length of the plant and the age of the plant. Apart from Beaucarnea, which is supplied in a pot which is only slightly larger than the plant, the other indoor trees need a pot with some growing room.
- Most plants on trunks come in various forms: single trunk, top cutting, clump (several plants of one species in a pot), branched (2 or more side branches on main trunk), with underplanting, stump or mummies (coarse natural trunk shapes).
- There should be no dried (brown) leaf tips longer than 5 mm.
- The plant needs to be free of diseases and pests: with these kinds of woody trunks look particularly for mealybug, brown scale and scale insects, and possibly banana moth (larvae) in the trunks.
- The top of the trunk must be sealed with wax or something similar in order to prevent rot from moisture or the penetration of water. Most indoor trees are sensitive to cold – don’t let the temperature drop below 12-15°C.
Choice of indoor trees
There is an extensive range of ‘indoor trees’ on offer. The most common indoor trees with a trunk are Dracaena and Beaucarnea, which are both members of the Agavaceae family. Pachira is a plant from the Malvaceae family, and Polyscias is a member of the Araliaceae, which also includes ivy, for example. We will discuss these four in more depth:
Dracaena
Dracaena is the most common genus in the trade. The range features many different species and cultivars, which vary in terms of leaf shape and colour. The size or appearance of Dracaena has nothing to do with the name. The plants are easiest to distinguish from one another by looking at the width of the leaves at species level. D. marginata is 1 cm wide and always has a red edge, D. deremensis is 2-3 cm wide, D. fragrans is 4-7 cm wide. There is also D. reflexa with rather short, bent leaves. A number of species are less well-known: D. surculosa and D. sanderiana. There are various cultivars of all these species available for sale.
Beaucarnea
There are two forms of Beaucarnea recurvata available. The adult form is sold as Beaucarnea and always has an attractive, fairly smooth trunk. The young plant is sold under the name Nolina, but is actually the same plant and is characterised by the small ball out of which the narrow leaves grow.
Polyscias
We see many different forms of Polyscias, from fine jagged leaves (P. fruticosa) to P. scutellaria and P. balfouriana with almost round leaves.
Pachira
Only one type of Pachira is sold - P. aquatica. However, there are many different forms, from small trunks to trees which are several metres high.
Care tips for consumers
- In order to be able to give customers the best advice, look at the colour of the indoor tree’s leaves. The more variegated the plant, the lighter its position needs to be. If the leaf contains more chlorophyll, it can cope with less light. Foliage plants should never be placed in direct sunlight otherwise the leaves will scorch.
- The larger and thicker the trunk, the easier the plant is to look after. The trunk stores water - too much moisture can even lead to the trunk rotting. Generally speaking the plant should be watered regularly with water at room temperature, and standing water should be avoided. A shower in the form of some rain is an option in spring and summer by placing the plant outdoors briefly. After all, that’s what happens in nature.
- Leave any yellow or ugly leaves to dry out and then remove. If an indoor tree has become too tall or less attractive, it can be pruned, preferably during the months when there is less sunlight. They can sometimes also flower, particularly if they are subjected to some ‘loving neglect’.
- Houseplant food once a month is recommended to help indoor trees last a long time.
- Just to be totally clear, indoor trees are purely decorative and not for consumption.
Selling and display tips for indoor trees
- Many plants with trunks have air-purifying qualities, particularly when the indoor tree is quite substantial. This can be used as a sales argument.
- The strong shape, appearance and easy care mean that products with trunks also sell well to students or as a green element in offices or public spaces.
- To make indoor trees more attractive, the trunk can be somewhat ‘dressed’, which is something nurseries also often do. The wooden trunks can be given all sorts of colours with natural paint, lending a trendy look to the indoor tree, particularly when combined with an attractive container.
Images of indoor trees
You can download the images below free of charge.
Indoor trees poster
You can download the poster using the link below.
