Eco-gardening is at its best in The Monday Garden
March 2, 2003, issue no. 49
Suddenly, my Boston fern’s got new fronds, and the cat’s shedding. Here they are, caught in the act:
Unlikely as it might seem on this cold, rainy day, the powers in charge of spring are getting ready, and the party will start on time.
They say plants know the season by changes in light. That’s true;
but temperature and moisture influence the vigor of the response, making the indoor plants first “out of the gate”. Also, indoor plants with only artificial light know when it’s spring; and some houseplants from the Southern Hemisphere insist on observing winter during our summer. So I believe that they’re also using the earth’s electo-magnetic field and/or a genetic clock. The amazing thing is that these phenomena are occurring, right now, in your livingroom. The indoor garden is waking up.
The plants need you need to restore full watering levels slowly over the next few weeks. This is the trickiest watering time of the year. Too much water too soon rots roots; too little kills too. Pay close attention to how much new growth you have, how dry the pot is, and signs of both under- and over-watering. If you see shriveling, water a bit more but be very careful to not over-water as shriveled roots are highly vulnerable to rot. Try small amounts of water more frequently.
Once you’re at full watering and the plant looks healthy, start bi-weekly diluted fertilizing for the flowering plants and provide the annual diluted fertilizer shot to the foliage plants that aren’t getting repotted this year.
New-growth time is also prefect for repotting. Plants, except those that are going to flower on last year’s growth, can get cut back now. Spring cuttings have the most growth hormones and root the fastest.
Water winter-dormant cacti and succulents (see issue 32) a little more each week during March so that you’re up to a complete weekly soaking by April 15, (which also is USA income tax day - no pun intended). With the second full soaking, you can add your once-a-year cactus fertilizer. If you must repot your cacti, this is an OK time to do it but keep the pot as small as possible. (Never “pot up” more than 1” in diameter.) If you thoroughly soak a cactus and it’s not dry in a week, the pot’s too big. Don’t water for a few days after transplanting.
Since the cat’s shedding, provide grass-type plants to relieve hair balls (see issue 15).
Photo credits: Sue Sweeney
© Sue Sweeney 2003
Comments (1)
What the readers said :
I was just about to sign off when your "Monday" Spring wake up call arrived. What a wonderful antidote for this gray rainy day. I'm going to put on some good tunes and make a big pot of soup to get rid of the last of the rainy-day blahs. Gregg (NY)
thanks for the very interesting and thorough information. The April 15 soaking irony, very funny. George (CT)
Posted by Sue Sweeney | February 28, 2005 6:39 PM
Posted on February 28, 2005 18:39