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Winter will be upon us soon and if you are living in the north, you know that fall weather is unpredictable.  You may be enjoying 80 degree weather today and tomorrow the temperature may be in the 50's.  All your tender plants should be inside. There are some that can go for a little longer but why wait.  Place all your babies in their winter home so that when the dark days come they will have less trouble adjusting.

While we are talking about the wintering of your beloved houseplants, let's include a little about that beautiful annual you bought in the spring.  You found a wonderful geranium or impatient this year.  It matches your house perfectly and your garden was everything you wanted it to be.  Growers are always coming up with new varities to temp us so a problem may arise with trying to match it next year.  Unless you bought from the grower and have chosen one of his regulars you will have trouble.  So let's talk about keeping what you have. 

Many fleshy plants (as opposed to woody - bushes) are easily propogated. If you have room for it, you can take cuttings from your favorite plants and root them just like you do for your houseplants.  For those of you who have never started cuttings, we will go over it.

First, placing them in water is not the best way of propigation.  It will lead to weak roots that sometimes will not transfer well to the soil that you want to plant the cutting in later.  That is if they grows roots at all and do not just rot in the jar you placed them in.

It is best to start cuttings in pearlite which will give the roots something to push against and encourage stronger and thicker roots.  Here are the directions to create a  simple cutting container that I and may of my master gardener friends have found very useful.

Cutting Propogation Container

What you will need:

• 1 wide shallow waterproof bowl - I find that those cheap popcorn bowls work well.
• 1 small clay pot - This should be as tall as the above bowl is deep
• Silicone caulking
• Pearlite
• Rooting Hormone (for the cuttings) - This can be found in most garden centers and a little goes a long way.

Directions:

1. Caulk the clay pot to the bottom of the inside of the bowl. (Most clay pots will have holes in the bottom and this will keep the water from escaping into the bowl until it is needed.)
2. Fill the area between the bowl and the clay pot with pearlite. (This will be dusty; I recommend that you either use a mask or cover your mouth and nose with a scarf)
3. Water until the pearlite is moist.
4. Fill the clay pot with water. (The clay pot is porous and the water will seep out as the pearlite drys)

Preparing the cuttings:

1. Cut a part of the stem off the plant you are saving just below a set of leaves. Cuttings need to have at least two sets of leaves coming from piece of stem you are using. It is easier to also have the grow point, which is where the new growth emerges.
2. Take your cutting and remove all but the top two leaves.
3. Dampen the stem and dip it into the rooting hormone covering the lowest area that leaves were removed. You can go higher to cover more but roots will only emerge from the area that leaves once were.
4. Place the cutting in the pearlite deep enough to cover the area that we expect roots to emerge.  Be sure to make more cuttings than you will need so that you can uncover some to watch the progression of the roots.
5. Add light. The amount of light should be as close to the same as the original plant was placed in. IE: sunny, shady, etc.
6. Now the plant will take over and all you have to do is be sure that the center pot is filled with water.  Once you begin to see roots you can start adding small amounts of fertilizer to the water.
7. Many plants will begin to show roots in as little as two weeks and will be ready for potting before you know it.  Do not pot in soil until you have a good set of roots.

So that's it.  The simple instructions for starting new plants with cuttings will hopefully open a whole new adventure for you both outside and inside as you and your friends begin exchanging pieces of favorite plants. 

Please write me and tell me about your success and (God Forbid) failures.  Any questions can be added to this blog anytime.  I will be happy to respond.

Preparing for Winter

The Halloween decorations are out and winter is around the corner.  It's time to start thinking about bringing in the houseplants that you took out in the spring for a summer vacation.  Though it is only the beginning of September, you need to start think about where are you going to put them.  Their vacation gave them plenty of time to grow and they might not fit back into the place they wintered last year. 

Also, this may be a good time to check if they need a new pot.  Are there any roots coming out of the bottom?  Is the plant drying out faster than before?  These may be pot bound and may be ready for a new home.  Those that you planted in the garden will no longer fit in the pot you took them out of.  So take inventory and head out for your neighborhood garden center for some pots and don't forget the potting soil.

I am going to stress potting soil so that you do not try to cut corners and get the cheeper top soil.  Potting soil is lighter than top soil because of the different additived such as vermilculite and pearlite.  These things allow the plant's roots to breath better.  To save yourself some work you can get potting soil with fertilizer already in it.  The plant will go into dormancy over the winter so it will need very little and the fertilizer in the soil should be plenty until Spring when it is time to wake it back up.

While you are repotting check the plants for desease and infestation.  The last thing you want to do is bring unvited guests into you home.  Roots should be observed to be sure they are healthy.  You shoud also "tickle" them to tell the plant that it is moving to a new pot.  Tickling is the loosing and triming of any roots that have begun to circle the pot because it could not grow out. 

Taking a plant out of the garden can be done.  First, be sure that you cut a large eough root ball.  The root ball is the amount of dirt that you take out of the garden around the plant you are digging out.  Most plants have roots that extends double the area that the plant's top takes up.  You can trim the roots to fit the pot that you are putting it in but be sure to cut the top to equal the amount of roots that it lost or it will not be able to sustain the leaves. 

After you have your houseplant potted, check the leaves and stems.   Are there any Aphids, Mealy Bugs, Spider Mites?  Usually a mild solution of dish detergent sprayed on the leaves will take care of most problems, though it may need to be a strong spray to knock them off.  Persistent bugs can be eradicated with systemic poisons but it you have animals in the house I would use them as a last resort. 

Last, but not least, start placing your plants into a more shaded area.  Just like in the Spring you had to gently introduce the sun, you now have to prepare it to the conditions that it will find inside.  The process should take about two weeks so keep an eye on the weather and make sure that you have enough time. 

Well, that was a lot to cover.  If I missed anything, or  you have any question, comment to me and I will answer as soon as I can.  'Til then, stay safe.