Spotlighting: Dracaena fragrans canes What plant type tolerates low humidity and 50fc of light, sports designer stripes, comes in a variety of shapes and heights and has few pest problems? None other than our old friend Dracaena fragrans and the popular variety ‘Massangeana,’ commonly called the cornstalk plant! Originally from Upper Guinea, most of our fragrans [...]
Being late, whether to work, a meeting or a visit to a client's account, implies disinterest, laziness and a lack of reliability. If you keep people waiting, you have one strike against you before you ever open your mouth. In some cases, that one strike will be enough to kill your chance to get a promotion [...]
DO: Select a ladder that's the right length and weight capacity for the job. Ask for help with moving and set up if it is too heavy for you to handle alone. Inspect the ladder before use to make sure it is in good condition. Make sure rungs or steps are in good condition, have non-slip [...]
When clients add colorful pots of flowers to front entrances, rooftop gardens, sidewalk cafes and courtyards, they often ask their interiorscape company to care for them. As the technician servicing the account, you may be asked to add outdoor maintenance to your schedule. Your challenge will be to keep the flowers healthy and full until the [...]
When people ask, "What do you do?", how do you respond? Do you say, "1 water plants" or do you go into a long explanation describing your many tasks? Just as medical technicians have job titles (radiologist for x-ray technician, or phlebotomist for the person who draws blood), plant care technicians also need titles to describe [...]
The Teamwork Challenge Most interiorscape technicians spend their day working by themselves. If your work style is similar, then you work with out constant supervision and rely on your own horticultural skills to get the job done. When you’re on your own, independence and self-reliance are critical skills. But when you’re assigned to a team, these [...]
Energy Tips for Interior Plant Technicians on the run or not! The demands of the holiday season — office parties that interfere with maintenance schedules, extra deliveries, late night installations and thousands of red poinsettias — place extra stress on your body and push your energy level to its limit. Before the extra demands creep into [...]
Beat the heat with these essential summer tips There are many challenges that interior plant technicians face during the hot summer months and it's important to stay cool during the intense heat. The indoor temperature may be a pleasant 72 degrees while it's 95 degrees outside! Inside your vehicle, it’s an oven and the [...]
Colorful Heliconias Did you know? Heliconias are plant favorites! This bold tropical plant with large decorative leaves looks like a cross between a banana and a Spathiphyllum. The neat thing is that even in interiorscapes, they will bloom with very exotic looking flowers sure to thrill your clients! Heliconias in the wild Heliconia originally [...]
Dracaena marginata is prone to spider mites The month of May might bring up lovely images of fresh spring flowers for some people, but it also brings nightmarish pictures of multitudes of spider mites living on interior plants. When warm weather hits and the day length gets longer, mites are having a feast. Mites [...]
