Houseplants Go Home
by Pippa Greenwood
Most houseplants need to be just that, plants in houses, but come the summer it usually gives them a real boost to get the higher natural light levels, refreshing (relatively warm) rainfall and seriously fresh air. But now that September is here it is time to bring them indoors – colder nights will cause damage, especially to some of the more tender varieties.
Before bringing them in, check your plants over. Use a sharp pair of scissors to remove dead, damaged or dying leaves, cutting back neatly into clean, healthy growth. Next inspect the stems, foliage and any flowers for pests and diseases - it always pays to bring houseplants in totally clean. Look out for white powdery mildew deposits, often accompanied by a bit of leaf yellowing, and check for greyish fuzzy fungal patches caused by the notorious Botrytis or grey mould.
Also look for pests like scale insects - tiny brownish elliptical insects which feed beneath leaves or on soft stems, often producing copious quantities of sticky, sugary honeydew - or aphids, which may be found clustered on the more tender,
newer growth. These must be dealt with before the plants go indoors, as once inside the pests will flourish in the warmer, more protected conditions, and will soon multiply and may even spread. Most problems like these, if caught early, can be dealt with by using scissors or secateurs to snip off infected areas, or by some careful picking off by hand. If you find scale insects, aphids or fluffy patches of mealy bug, there is a brilliant environmentally- friendly biocontrol that is also safe for you and your pets. For more information, visit www.
pippagreenwood.com/products/ protect-your-crops.
Next, inspect the pots, including the surface of the compost and beneath the base and rim of the pot itself. If you can, and as long as the plant won’t be damaged in the process, gently ease it out of its pot and check the root ball - this is the perfect place for stowaways like vine weevils, slugs and snails. Not the sort of house guests you or your plants would appreciate, I’m sure.
When the check over is complete, gently scrape away the uppermost surface of the compost and replace with the
same quantity of fresh, similar compost, wipe down the sides of the pot and take your plants inside, taking care not to put them anywhere which is too hot, too dry or too draughty for their liking.
Once your old favourites are safely re-installed in their old positions and are free from unwanted guests, you may like to treat yourself to a new houseplant or two. There are some wonderful (and good value) houseplants readily available in garden centres and supermarkets now - how about a marvellously elegant moth orchid (Phalaenopsis)? I treated myself to a couple this summer and I know that even with my sometimes erratic care they should keep on performing for years to come!
Visit Pippa’s website www.
pippagreenwood.com for her ‘Winter thru’ Spring Collection’ of gorgeous UK-grown garden- ready vegetable plants ready for delivery in September. You’ll also find many gardening items including growing frames, SpeedHoes, SpeedWeeders, raised bed kits, Nemaslug and other nematode controls, copper tape, pull-out EasyTunnels, signed books and lots more besides.
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