Plant library · heather
Heather
Calluna vulgaris
Toxicity unconfirmed
Needs acid soil and rainwater, exactly like a blueberry — tap water will kill it slowly in a pot. Shear the old flower spikes off in spring, cutting into the previous year's growth but never back into bare old wood, which will not reshoot.
Toxicity
Unconfirmed
No pet-poison database gives a verdict for cats or dogs. Treat it as unknown around pets.
Unconfirmed
No pet-poison database gives a verdict for cats or dogs. Treat it as unknown around pets.
Caution
No pet-poison database gives a verdict for cats or dogs. Treat it as unknown around pets.
Pet-safety information is a general guide from the ASPCA's toxic-plant database and covers cats and dogs only. "If eaten" summarises the symptoms ASPCA lists for that plant; how an animal actually reacts depends on how much it ate and on the animal. It isn't exhaustive, isn't veterinary advice, and individual animals vary — never rely on it as the sole basis for a decision about your pet. If you think your pet has eaten a harmful plant, contact a vet immediately.
Care
- WaterEvery 4–8 days
- LightDirect sun
- HumidityAverage humidity
- Temperature-15–25 °C
The same interval the Sabz app schedules reminders from. In autumn and winter the app stretches it; see houseplants in autumn.
Common problems
- Growth going grey and brittle from the middle out — cut back too hard into old wood
- Yellowing between the veins — lime in the water or the compost — Yellow leaves →
- Sparse, leggy plants — needs an annual shear or it opens up in the centre
In the app
Add a heather to Sabz and the watering interval above becomes a reminder, the toxicity verdict sits on the plant's own page, and when a leaf turns, the Check-up reads what you have actually logged to say why.
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