Question
We currently have a number of plants in our apartment.  

Our Anita Dracaena has recently had wormy looking things in the soil (like slugs).  I transplanted it and tried to put as much new soil in as I could.  This eliminated the wormy problem, but now the leaves in the middle are starting to turn brown.  We have some little fruit fly bugs in the soil as well as some small centipede looking orange bugs.  Is our plant going to survive?  We love this plant and don't want to lose it. Is there something we could put in the soil to remove these bugs?  I have tried mild dishsoap mixed with water and it seemed to help a bit.  Should I try this again, or is there something else?  Could this be the reason our leaves are falling off the tree?  The newer leaves seem fine...

Our Dieffenbachia - Tropic Snow has grown quite a bit in the past 6 months.  There were many seed pods that grew, but I wasn't sure what to do with them.  Can I cut these and plant them to make baby Dieffenbachia's?  I removed them from the plant, because they just seemed to go brown once they opened up.  Recently we have noticed some goldy brown circles on the edge of some of the middle aged plant leaves?  Could this be a problem?  Again just looking out for our plant...

Our Peperomia looks kinda funny.  In the summer two of the big stems rotted, but I think I have that under control, the rest of the plant looks great after I removed the rotten section of the roots and transplanted it into a different pot.  Some of the leaves seam to be funny shaped, or cut.  Some of the new growth seems to be very crumpled, almost like it was scrunched in someones fist.  Do you think there is anything else I should do for this plant?

I also have been reading more about indoor plants.  It seems in the spring and fall there is more mould growing on the tops of the soil.  Should I be cutting back on the watering when this happens?  Also, should we be watering with distilled water to ensure there is not too much chemicals in the water?  

Sorry for the long winded string of questions.  I hope you can help me save my plants.

Jenn

Answer
Jenn,

For your dracaena, it sounds like you may be overwatering it a bit and you may have a bit of root rot from the overwatering. There should never be water in the drain tray more than an hour after you water it. If it doesn't soak it up empty the drain tray. Don't water it until the plant feels totally dry and light weight when you pick it up. To kill all critters in the soil next time it needs watered water it with a bottle of rubbing alcohol and it will kill the bugs and not harm the roots. You can use it straight or mix it with water half and half. It should get rid of the bugs and then if you do not overwater in the future they will not come back.  

You can try planting your Dieffenbachia seed pods but they may not grow because the flowers may not have been properly polinated. It is worth a shot. The brown circles could be from a little overwatering or could be a fungal problem. Just to be on the safe side spray it lightly with a can of aerosol Lysol type spray holding the can at least a foot away and using your hand to move the plant and it's leaves so you can get the fronts and backs of all the leaves. Do this twice a week for 3 weeks and it should get rid of any fungal problem the plant may have. Be careful not to overwater this  plant.

The peperomia rotting in the summer was definitely from overwatering, it hates too much water and needs lots of sun almost like a cactus. The symptoms you describe now sound like insect damage such as scale or aphids. Put rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and spray it daily for a week making sure you get the fronts and backs of all leaves and the surface of the soil. After that spray it twice a week for a month. Then it should start looking better. Give it less water when you water it and only water it every 2 weeks.

Yes, mould on top of the soil indicates overwatering and you definitely need to cut back. In the fall as the days are getting shorter house plants slow their growth and do not need as much water through the winter so the watering needs to be cut back.

You also need a better draining soil. Most houseplants actually prefer to be slightly rootbound so don't be in a hurry to repot, you should only move them to a pot that has a diameter 2 inches larger than the pot you are removing them from every 3-5 years. When you repot buy potting soil and buy a bag of perlite. That is a volcanic product that looks like little white pellets, there is some in most potting soil but not enough. Mix it with the potting soil at a ratio of 2 parts soil to 1 part perlite. That will provide better drainage for your plants and more air in the soil so the roots can breath and they won't rot so easily.

As for water, if your water has flouride and chlorine in it you should either use distilled water or let your water sit in an open bucket for 48 hours before using it and the flouride and chlorine will dissipate into the air and the water will be safe to use. If you have more questions feel free to write again. Good luck.

Darlene