Rarely do I bring home items from work. The reality is that plants get much better care at our garden center than they will at my house. By the time I get home, I am done watering and caring for plants; they are simply on their own. It is survival of the fittest.
Perhaps a bit of exaggeration, but I recently brought home two absolutely beautiful Boston Ferns, and I am scared for them. Will I be able to keep them alive this winter? After doing some research, I have assembled some tips for us all to follow this winter when caring for our houseplants.
1. Choose the right place for your plant(s), depending on their light requirements. The angle of the sun changes during the winter and most plants need a significant amount of light. Choose a location that affords your sun-loving plants the most light possible. Also, rotate your plants so that they receive light on both sides.
2. As a general rule, you probably don’t need to fertilize your plants during the winter. Growth of houseplants slows during the winter; don’t fertilize them until next spring.
3. Be very careful about the amount of water that your house plants receive during the winter months. Because their growth rate has slowed, they don’t require as much water as in the spring and summer months. Overwatering is the number one reason why house plants die. Be careful!
4. For those plants with thick leaves, wipe off the dust. Dust can plug up the pores resulting in plants that can’t “breathe.”
5. Misting your plants helps to counteract the low humidity levels during the winter months. Tropical plants can benefit from daily misting.
6. If your plants need to be repotted, you may want to wait until spring. Repotting stimulates new growth and spring is the best time for it.
7. Inspect your plants frequently for insects. Whiteflies, mealy bugs, spider mites, and aphids are commonly found on house plants. Washing, hand picking, and sticky traps are all safe ways to remove insects from house plants.
8. Prevention is the key when protecting plants from diseases. Purchase plants that are disease-free. Use pasteurized soil when potting or re-potting plants. Scrub new pots using a 1-part bleach to 9-part water solution before putting your plants in them. With proper water, fertilization, and light your plants should remain disease-free. Anthracnose and fungal and bacterial leaf spot are diseases that are occasionally found on house plants.
9. Prune your house plants to remove any discolored leaves. Also consider pruning to keep a tidy shape to the plant.
10. Talk to or play music for your house plants. This is probably a very controversial recommendation. As a former science fair judge, I have listened to many students excitedly present information regarding the positive effects of language and music on a plant’s growth.
Good luck with your house plants! I will let you know if the ferns are still alive in April!
• Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc., a garden center and landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or tgsinc12@msn.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She will address it in an upcoming column.
