Hill Gardens of Maine - Bringing Houseplants Back Indoors Before Frost

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Bring Houseplants Back Indoors
by Fred Davis, MG, Hill Gardens of Maine, Palermo (To view other articles, click Archives)

Welcome through Fred's Garden Gate! I’ve heard a couple of people repeat something which both horrifies and saddens. "Frost can’t be more than a few days away." If you haven’t returned your vacationing houseplants to their rightful place – indoors, you better get crackin’!

Most will need to be trimmed back. Some, surely, will need re-potting. All will need to be checked closely for the presence of disease and multi-legged critters like aphids, spider mites, slugs, snails, whiteflies, millipedes, spiders, caterpillars and a host of other leaf-nibbling, sap-sucking malefactors.

If they’re badly infested, you’ll either have to spray thoroughly, wait a day or two, then re-inspect before they’re brought indoors. Some may be so completely covered with bugs, they’ll need to permanently visit the compost pile or trash bag.

When selecting a spray, I prefer to not introduce potentially dangerous (and usually stinky) chemicals into my home, so I select something both natural and effective. Pyrethrum comes to mind. So does Safer’s Soaps. Of course, you can hand-pick larger insects.

Don’t forget to feed them because, after languishing outdoors all summer in the heat, drought, wind, rain, hail and bugs, they’re likely to be starving and require some tender, loving care.

Here’s an idea: many of the annuals you probably planted here and there in the garden last spring could be dug, trimmed back, potted up and brought indoors for continued growth and enjoyment during the dark days of winter. Check ‘em for insects and diseases, and remember to give them ample light, water and food. Here are a few of the more popular ones:

—Fibrous Begonias
—Impatiens – especially the New Guinea types
—Hypoestes (Polkadot-like plant which looks a little like coleus; pronounced: "high-PESS-teze)
—Dracena (that grassy accent plant in memorial baskets and window boxes)
—Hanging baskets and geraniums

One last thought: if you’re the type who enjoys fresh herbs, now’s the time to dig out that parsley plant, trim it back and bring it in. Fresh parsley in January!….Yummy!

Other culinary herbs like oregano, rosemary, thyme, chives and savory can also be maintained in a brightly-lit, indoor window. Once again, since you’ll be eating these, be very cautious in the selection and application of pesticides and fertilizers. Natural forms are always better! A caution: insects will more readily attack a stressed or weakened plant. So watch the water, light, temperature, humidity and food.

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