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If you’ve been growing
your tropical plants outdoors all summer, now’s the time to get them inside
for the winter, and with the past couple frosts, some have already been
moved inside. Either way, just a warning…before you move plants back
inside, look for hitchhikers!
Here’s 3 things for you
to do before bringing tropical plants back inside for the winter.
1.)
Before
bringing them inside, hose them off with a strong stream of water. This
helps to blow off any
insects that may be hanging out on the plants. Feel free to do this a
couple times before coming inside.
2.) Then,
immediately before bringing them inside, give the plants a good spraying of
insecticidal soap,making sure you spray tops and bottoms of the leaves,
stems, trunks and all. Again, trying to get rid of any hitchhiking bugs!
If you do this the same day you’re bringing them inside, let the spray dry,
then bring the plants indoors.
3.) And one last
thing. Lay the plant on its side, slide it out of the pot, and inspect the
root ball for any
unwanted bugs
or anything else that may be hiding in the bottom of the pot. Rodents, even
snakes
have been
found hiding here. One way to make sure no bugs or critters are in the soil
is to fill a large
tub with
water, and then submerge the plant pot and all in the water for an hour or
so. Anything in the
soil will
either drown, or will float to the top of the water. Just make sure you
allow it plenty of time to
drain before
bringing it into the house.
4.) Once inside,
watch for outbreaks of insects and catch them early. With the warmer indoor
temperatures, bug populations can explode, so beware. Keep some
Insecticidal Soaps, systemic
insecticides, and white fly sticky traps on hand just in case. And don’t
forget a good plant rinsing
with
luke warm water several times through the winter helps knock off bugs, and
the shower is the
perfect
place to do it! |
