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Northern Gardening: Bringing plants indoors when the cold comes

Many people like to bring plants indoors for the winter, with mixed success. How well this works depends on the type of plant. Many people will put certain houseplants outside for the summer. Houseplants are primarily tropical plants.
houseplant

Many people like to bring plants indoors for the winter, with mixed success. How well this works depends on the type of plant.

Many people will put certain houseplants outside for the summer. Houseplants are primarily tropical plants. They do not do well with cold night temperatures, so they should already be indoors, or in a sunroom that stays warmer than the outside. This is a good time to report them and cut them back. The other concern is to avoid bringing pests into the house. Removing the growing tips helps control pests because this is where they like to feed. A good shower when they come in and occasionally throughout the winter, will help keep them healthy.

Monitor for pests regularly and if any problems arise, spraying with Safer’s soap will kill most adult pests. Make sure to spray the underside of leaves as well as the top. It does not kill eggs, so the treatment should be repeated one or more times with 5-7 days between treatments. Provide bright light, but not necessarily sunlight, depending on the plant. Because our days are so much shorter in winter, some leaves will fall due to the decreased light. Continue to fertilize topicals lightly throughout the winter.

Annuals that are still looking good outdoors can be covered on cold nights. Several are quite hardy and will take a light frost. True annuals should not be brought in. They are programmed to die at the end of the season after blooming. However, there are a few plants that are sold as annuals, but are in fact perennials in a warmer climate. Two that come to mind are geraniums and fuchsias. Fuchsias are often grown as houseplants, so any that are brought in can be treated the same as tropical houseplants.

There are several ways to handle geraniums. If you have the space, treat them the same as houseplants. Cut them back by half, re-pot and provide as much light as possible. Pinch tips as needed. The cuttings can be rooted to multiply your geraniums. Alternately, they can be stored in the pot or planter in a cool, dark place. Another method is to dig out the entire plant, shake off the dirt, and place it in an open paper bag. Store them in the bags in a cool (four to 10 degrees Celsius), dark place. You can also hang the entire plant upside down in a cool, dark place. Two or three times during winter, soak the roots in water and store again. The leaves will die, but the stems should remain firm. Cut back and pot up in the spring.

Next we will discuss storing bulbs and tubers.

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