by
K. Bagby, Extension Master Gardener, Virginia Master Naturalist
For
those of us who watched our houseplants enjoy the summer out on the porch or
the deck, it’s getting about that time of year when they should be coming back
inside. Once the nighttime temperature is consistently at 50 degrees or so,
it’s time to bring them in. The hard part for me is always that they seem so
HAPPY outside. Dappled sunlight, rain, fresh air—what’s not to love if you’re a
plant?
Wintering indoors can be hard on our houseplants no matter
how we coddle them in the process. The air inside can be much less humid, and
the light they get might not be quite the light they need. And watering them
properly is essential—the number one killer of houseplants is overwatering.
This pothos is happy because it enjoyed being outside during the summer. But it will soon be time to bring the plant back in the house.
But first things first. Your plants need a makeover. A spa
day!
Stay outside for now and start with a haircut. Trim off any
dead or damaged leaves or stems and clean up any debris on the soil. Get rid of
any bugs you see. Remember if you prune, don’t remove any more than about a
third of the foliage. If you’re also repotting, trim the roots a little too.
Then comes the shower. Gently rinse the plant off with the
hose, both the tops and undersides of the leaves. Keep looking for bugs! Spray
the plant with an insecticidal soap or neem oil. Not everyone likes the smell
of neem oil, especially in the confined environment of a home. Both are usually
available anywhere you find plant fertilizer, but you can also make your own
insecticidal soap by dissolving a tablespoon or five of liquid castile soap in
a gallon of water. Use a spray bottle to spray the plant, again on the tops and
undersides of the leaves and the soil as well. Bug infestations inside your
home aren’t fun. While you’re at it, get the pot and saucer clean, too.
Bug-free and clean, your plant’s ready for its winter home. Though
light requirements of houseplants vary by species, not everyone has a lot of
choice about what sunlight they get in their home. Generally, a window that’s
not too sunny or too shaded will work. Keep the plants back from the window a
few inches to buffer any temperature extremes. If you need to use artificial
light, lights specifically designed for indoor plants are readily available and
not that expensive. Back in the day all we had were fluorescent lights, and
those work well, too, except if you want flowers or fruit. Standard and cool-white
fluorescent bulbs give off a lot of blue light, which is good for leaves and
roots, but flowers and fruit need more red light than the fluorescents produce.
Yet after all your hard work, your plants may still be
resentful. At least mine usually are! Over the course of the next few months,
it’s normal for them to lose some of their leaves. Just water carefully and
make sure they get some light and you’ll all be fine.
Some other things to think about:
It’s
not a bad idea to repot your plants if they need it while they’re not in their
prime growing season, which is generally March through October. The new pot
should be about two inches larger than the old one. Some prefer to repot in the
spring just before the new growth starts. You can also divide and propagate
them now if you’d like.
Water is critical! It doesn’t help that yellow, wilting
leaves from too much water look a lot like yellow, wilting leaves from not
enough. Your fingers and nose sometimes tell you more than your eyes alone. To
find out if your soil’s too wet or too dry, check by sticking your finger about
an inch or so into the soil. That top layer should feel dry. If it is, go ahead
and water. Fertilizer isn’t necessary during this period; save it for when the
plant starts actively growing again next spring. Too-wet soil can lead to root
rot, which is what your nose can tell you.
Bigger problems for houseplants involve disease and bugs,
and that’s a whole ‘nother topic all by itself. Hopefully there’s enough info
here to help get your beloved houseplants inside before it gets too cold for
them… if it ever does. The way the weather’s been going, mine might still be on
the deck at Christmas! Just kidding. I hope.
Many
thanks to our Virginia Cooperative Extension Southside Master Gardeners and
Virginia Master Naturalists Southern Piedmont Chapter, and to the many, many
volunteers of all kinds in our communities. You add so much value to our lives
even if we don’t always recognize it. Case in point: the community gardens in
Halifax and Clarksville have donated well over five TONS of fresh produce this
summer to people in need.
The
Virginia Cooperative Extension Halifax Office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday-Friday. If you have gardening questions, you can reach an extension
master gardener or extension staff member by sending an email to ask@ssmga.org
or by calling the Halifax Extension Master Gardener Help Desk at 434-830-3383.
Be sure to leave your name, telephone number and the nature of your question. The
help desk phone is routinely checked Monday-Friday. Someone will get back to
you, although it may be from a different telephone number. Happy gardening!
