NEIGHBORHOOD GARDEN FOR SEPTEMBER 13, 2014
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WHEN YOU BRING IN THOSE HOUSEPLANTS
BY GEORGE EDGAR
Gladys
and I take most of our houseplants outside for the summer and now it is
time to start planning to bring them in for the winter. Gladys has so many she has to start bringing some in
about September 1st. I don’t have that many so I watch the
weather forecast to see when to bring in what. Some of the tropicals
such as the Bromeliad and the Tradeskantia will be injured if the
temperature drops below 40 degrees F. Some of Gladys’ tropical plants
will not tolerate temps below 45 degrees F. Both
Gladys and I leave our Amaryllis and Christmas Cactus
out so they get a very light frost (30-32 degrees F). This seems to
shock the Christmas Cactus so it starts to set flower buds. Frost will
kill the Amaryllis leaves and starts the plants transition into
dormancy. My Amaryllis plants are in pots so to further the process of
transition to dormancy, I lay the plants on their side under my deck or
on the patio, and let the leaves die back, and then cut them off. The
plants then go under a bench back in the corner of my shop. Gladys
plants her Amaryllis in the ground for the summer, so she lifts her
bulbs after the leaves turn brown, cuts off the leaves, puts them in a
box in the basement, and covers them with peat moss for their 6 to 8
weeks minimum dormancy period. I divide them when I bring them out.
My wife has a
number of plants in containers that she likes to over winter in the full
length south window of our walkout basement. One in particular is a
pretty pink Geranium that she originally got from her aunt who is long
gone. Every year she takes a cutting and brings it in also and by
January they are all in bloom and decorate the basement. They are
usually just by the back door and smells very good as I go in and out.
We also have a
stand in front of a large south window by a large mop sink and the
washing machine. It always has cuttings and small plants on top and they
survive the winter in good shape unless we have a bitter cold spell. It
was a problem for a number of years as the window was single pane. A few
years ago we put in new double pane windows all around the house which
helped our heating bill and the survival rate of plants.
For all my
plants when I bring them in, I make sure I don’t also bring in a bunch
of critters. Many bugs can be knocked off with just a hard spray of
water and this also washes the dirt and dust off the plant. For most of
the plants I also use an insecticide to kill the remaining bugs.
Products you can use that are labeled for use on houseplants both before
you bring them in and after they are in the house includes:
·
Insecticidal Soap-labeled for use for organic gardeners and can be used
indoors without an odor. This is the one Gladys
and I use the most inside and outside. Some insecticidal soap brands are
made from the Neem plant so you get the benefits of both the Neem oil
and the soap.
·
Neem
Oil-comes from the Neem Tree and is an insecticide, a fungicide and a
miticide. As a miticide it is labeled to kill spider mites and is
acceptable for use by organic gardeners inside and outside.
·
Pyrethrin-sold
under many brand names including “Houseplant and Garden Insect Spray” by Schultz. Organic made from the Chrysanthemum plant.
- Permethrin-sold
under the brand name of Eight. This is sold by many garden centers,
hardware stores, and discount centers.
- Resemethrin-sold
under the name “Houseplant Helper” and is similar to Permethrin.
It is recommended
that you rotate which insecticide you use as some critters may become or
are already resistant to the one you normally use.
These are contact
sprays and must come in contact with the insect so spray both the top
and the bottom of the leaves. After spraying the plants outside, we use
a houseplant systemic insecticide. The one
Gladys
and I use has imadicloprid (Merit) as the active ingredient. Some
products use 2% Di-syston granules and is sold under the brand name “2%
Systemic Granules”. The imadicloprid does not have a bad smell like the
Di-syston. As a systemic insecticide the chemical goes into the soil and
then taken up by the roots and into the plant so when an insect begins
to chew or suck on a leaf or stem it is killed. This is an important
step as usually there are eggs in the soil or on the underside of the
leaf which hatch out after the plant is brought into the warm house.
Read the label before use and then follow label directions as the amount
you use depends upon the size of the container. Sprinkle the granules on
the soil and then water in thoroughly. This insecticide takes about two
weeks after the first application to become effective so apply
immediately after using the contact spray. It must be repeated every 30
days for season long control. Do not use on plants with edible fruit.
Copyright 2014
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