The Monday Garden, Eco-gardening at its best
September 4, 2005, Issue 177
(Introductory note: Unfortunately, for most of us, "Labor Day" now means "Katrina", the storm that tested, and perhaps changed, what it means to be an American. Working with plants is a good form of meditation and many of us need that now. At least for women, nurturing is a way of healing stress and grief. Tending to the plants’ needs might also help with the anger that many of us feel towards the few of us who, despite having been blessed with much, so terribly failed so many. In future years, the Labor Day ritual of bringing in the houseplants may also be way to take time to remember what happened this past week in 2005.)
Right now, it is almost impossible to imagine winter. You may have trouble believing it but Labor Day is the time to bring in your houseplants. While it was over 90F last week, it is now in the 50’s at night and that’s too cold for your houseplants of tropical origin. More importantly, most houseplants need 4 to 6 weeks to adjust to lower indoor light and humidity levels before the windows get shut and the heat goes on.
Keep in mind that, once the heat goes on, the average central-heated North American home has a humidity reading rivaling the Sahara desert. If this weren't enough, indoors, plants get at best 10 times less light. Plants can adjust but they are slow thinkers so do best when given as few changes as possible at the same time and as many weeks as possible between changes.
Picture: The plants left on the balcony include the catci collection to come in October, a bonsai Woodbine and my mint plant which will stay out all winter.
To keep transferring the plants from becoming a major chore, I suggest bringing in one or two plants at a time over a week or so. Inspect each one. Wash off the bugs, prune and repot as needed (see below).
EXCEPTIONS:
COOL-DRY WINTER PLANTS: Some plants come from countries that have cool, dry winters. These plants need a 6 weeks' rest at night temperature in the 40's and 50's or they won’t set flower buds. This includes amaryllis and clivia. If you’re blessed with a glassed-in porch, where you have winter sun and temperatures in the 55F’s, you can bring these plants in too. For the rest of us, you can supply the equivalent by leaving these plants outside, and on the dry side, until hard frost threatens – usually just before Thanksgiving in my area (zone 6).
SHORT-DAY WINTER-BLOOMERS: Some winter blooming plants need not only at least 6 weeks of 55F nights; they also need the short-light autumn days to set their blooms. These include kalanchoes, poinsettias, and some jasmine. So not only do you need to leave these plants outside and cut their water, you need to shade them from artificial light at night—watch out for light coming from both the house and street lights.
Picture: tiny, tough red-blooming crown of thorns enjoyed the long summer days on the balcony and are now in their winter home on a window ledge with other mini-bonsai.
CACTI AND SUCCULENTS: Cacti and succulents have a thick, clear lens-like coating over their leaves that lets light through but conserves moisture. Accordingly, they don’t have as much of an issue adjusting to indoor low humidity conditions (in fact, some kind of like it). So you can leave them out for at least another month and start cutting their water back. See Winterizing the Cacti (issue 32 November 3, 2002) for the tricks to get your cacti and succulents to bloom next spring.
TEMPERATE CLIMATE PERENNIALS: Temperate climate plants like the ubiquitous bonsai junipers should never be brought inside; they will die indoors in the winter. See Winterizing Container Plants (Issue 37, December 8, 2002) on protecting potted plants that are wintering outdoors.
GETTING RID OF HITCHHIKING SUMMER BUGS:
First, give the plant a shower in the sink. Be sure to wash underneath the leaves and scrub off the pot. Then sink the pot slowly into a bucket of cool water with a just a drop of mild dish washing soap. Let the water get at least an inch above the pot rim. Let sit for an hour or so. Rinse off and drain. This procedure will drown the bugs and leach out chemicals that have built up in the soil from hard water or fertilizers. Don't water the plant again until the soil is a bit dry. Using poisons doesn’t work any better, cost more, and is dangerous for you, your children, your animals, and the environment.
Repeat the foliage shower bath 3 days later (when any insect eggs may have hatched). Throughout the plants’ stay indoors, inspect at least weekly and bathe weekly if possible.
CUTTINGS BECOME FRIENDSHIP PLANTS: A by-product of fall repotting and pruning is lots and lots of cuttings, that look fantastic in a collection of little glass jars.
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Picture: A blond philodendron and a mistletoe fig on my balcony. Both plants are tough house plants that readily root in water.
The problem with cuttings, though, is that they turn into plants, and then what? The cuttings are “too good to throw out” but your space is pretty full and who wants to be the proud owner of 40 philodendrons anyway?
Consider plants as holiday gifts. The cuttings started now will be respectable little plants by then. Lin, who may of you know as a faithful correspondent with The Monday Garden, recently reminded me about the special satisfaction of friendship gardens, created with plants shared between friends and neighbors. Sharing the wealth also means that if your plant dies, you can start over by asking your friend to give you back a cutting. Sort of like a private gene bank.
POTTING TIPS:
You can sanitize and refresh used pots by soaking them for a day or so in white vinegar diluted with water, then scrubbing them with a stiff brush. This leaches out accumulated chemical salts and kills most hitchhikers.
Keep larger hitchhikers (worms, slugs, etc.) out of the pots, while keeping the soil in, by putting wire or plastic mesh over the drainage holes. Strips cut from plastic mesh onion bags are prefect for this.
Picture: plants just in from my balcony include a mini-deneb orchid just coming into fall bloom and a wonderful “old-fashion” Chinese evergreen.
Photo credits: Sue Sweeney
© Sue Sweeney 2005