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Bringing House Plants in Out of the Cold

outdoor-houseplantCold weather has begun to spread across the country and many areas have seen their first frosts. That means that the plants we moved outside to thrive in the warmth of spring and summer need to come back inside. With the great growth they have probably experienced while outdoors most likely a few insects have made them their homes creating the need for you to prepare them for reentry into your home.

Before bringing pants inside a few simple steps will prevent unwanted pests from coming in with them.

  1. Inspect each plant for insects. Any that you see on and under leaves, on stems and in the soil should be removed while still outside
  2. Use a water hose to wash off your plants to remove any insects you may not have found during inspection.
  3. Consider the use of Neem Oil or an insecticidal soap sprayed onto each plant following the container’s directions

Each of these steps will eliminate or at least reduce any possible hitchhiking pests. Once you have brought them back in any remaining insects will usually emerge within a day or two so be on the lookout for them.

If your plants have outgrown their pots over the summer consider repotting them into a pot that is at least 2 inches larger than their current pot before bringing them back inside.
Where plants should spend the winter

When brining plants back inside try to relocate them to places where they can get a good amount of light either natural sunlight or plant lights. As the temperatures indoors will be cooler than the summer’s heat, plants will not need watering as often as when they were outside, so only water when the soil is dry to the touch and they should do well through the winter and early spring until they are ready to venture outdoors again.

The Projects Chick – Vicki McGill PCAvatar2

Posted in DIY, Gardening, Uncategorized, Weekend DIY

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