Q: Could you give me some tips on things I should be doing to make sure my indoor plants make it through the winter?
A: The following list of things will hopefully help you keep your indoor plants happy through the winter months and I am also adding a few tips about homemade holiday decorations and feeding the critters that visit your garden in winter:
Plants go dormant so dont automatically go for the watering can or fertilizer when they seem a bit droopy. Look for other reasons like not enough light, too close to a heat vent, maybe too warm or too close to a very cold window. Sometimes pests like aphids or spider mites go for the weaker plants so investigate all these things before adding water.
Also for most indoor plants, wait to add fertilizer till you see new growth and that will probably be in late February or early March.
Some plants such as your Christmas cactus that is blooming right now will benefit from fertilizer. So add a small amount of high phosphorous fertilizer with each watering until you see the bloom diminishing or no buds developing. (Look for fertilizer that has the largest number in the middle for example 10-52-10.)
If you have a fresh water aquarium, never toss the water when you clean or refresh the tank. Save the water you remove and use it on your plants.
Also reserve the water from your cooked vegetables or pasta and save it in a plastic liter bottle to use when you need to water.
Finally, check before watering by using a water meter or the less expensive method of poking a finger down in the soil deep enough to reach the root level and if it is dry, water the plant with lukewarm water not cold tap water and only a cup full instead of soaking it. If you make a mistake and overdo it, always make sure the container drains well.
This is the time to purchase poinsettias and other plants for gifts or decorations. Always be very careful to protect the plant against the cold when bringing it home.
Your poinsettias will last longer if given a few hours of bright light every day.
They also respond best in cooler locations in the home.
Never leave the decorative sleeve on any plant for long. As pretty as that is, it doesnt allow the plant to breath or the water to drain away.
Raid the garden for vines and greenery to make holiday wreaths and other decorations. Also readymade pots of greenery are available in shops everywhere right now and can be used indoors or out. Also spray the finished product with hairspray which I am told is a good preservative.
Now is a good time to begin keeping the bird feeder topped up. Also rather than fight with the squirrels, provide some dried corn and other goodies and place them far away from the bird feeder. It wont keep them from eyeing the feeder, but it might slow them down a bit.
Try to purchase bird seed that the birds will actually eat. Otherwise they scratch most of it onto the ground and it piles up over the winter. Finally mold and fungal problems begin to infect the pile and this can be very bad for the surrounding plants in the spring.
It is important to keep the bird feeder clean a dirty bird feeder is a danger to our feathered friends.
Jane Ford is an Advanced Master Gardener. Email questions to [email protected]. She also answers gardening questions with horticulture educator Ricky Kemery noon-1 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday of each month on "The Plant Medic," a radio show on 95.7fm. This column is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of The News-Sentinel.
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November 2018
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