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NEIGHBORHOOD GARDEN FOR SEPTEMBER 22,
2007 ************************************************************* TIME TO BRING IN THOSE HOUSEPLANTS BY GEORGE EDGAR
Gladys and I take most of our
houseplants outside for the summer and it is time to start bringing them
in for the winter. Gladys has so many, she has to start bringing some in
about September 1st. I don’t have that many so I watch the
weather forecast to see when to bring in what. Some of my tropicals such
as the Bromeliad and the Tradeskantia, will be injured if the
temperature drops below 40 degrees F. Some of Gladys’ tropical plants
will not tolerate temps below 45 degrees F. Both Gladys and I leave our
Amaryllis and Christmas Cactus out so they get a very light frost (30-32
degrees F). This seems to shock the Christmas Cactus so it starts to set
flower buds. Frost will kill the Amaryllis leaves and starts the plants
transition into dormancy. My plants are in pots so to further the
process of transition to dormancy, I lay the plants on their side under
my deck or on the patio, and let the leaves die back, and then cut them
off. The plants then go under a bench back in the corner of my shop.
Gladys plants hers in the ground for the summer, so she lifts her bulbs
after the leaves turn brown, cuts off the leaves, puts them in a box in
the basement, and covers them with peat moss for their 6 to 8 weeks
minimum dormancy period.
For all my plants when I bring them in, I make sure I don’t
also bring in a bunch of critters. Many bugs can be knocked off with
just a hard spray of water and this also washes the dirt and dust off
the plant. For most of the plants I also use an insecticide to kill the
remaining bugs. Products you can use that are labeled for use on
houseplants both before you bring them in and after they are in the
house includes: ·
Insecticidal Soap-labeled
for use for organic gardeners and can be used indoors without an odor.
This is the one Gladys and I use the most inside and outside. ·
Pyrethrin-sold under many
brand names including “Houseplant and Garden Insect Spray” by
Schultz. Organic made from Chrysanthemum plant. ·
Neem Oil-comes from the
Neem Tree and is an insecticide, a fungicide and a miticide. As a
miticide it is labeled to kill spider mites and is acceptable for use by
organic gardeners inside and outside.
It is recommended
that you rotate which insecticide you use as some critters may become or
are already resistant to the one you normally use. These
are contact sprays and must come in contact with the insect so spray
both the top and the bottom of the leaves. After spraying the plants
outside, I use 2% Di-syston granules which is sold under the brand name
2% Systemic Granules. This insecticide goes into the soil and is taken
up into the plant so when an insect begins to chew or suck on a leaf or
stem it is killed. This is important as usually there are eggs in the
soil or on the underside of the leaf which hatch out after the plant is
brought into the warm house. Read the label before use and then follow
label directions as the amount you use depends upon the size of the
container. Sprinkle the granules on the soil and then water in
thoroughly. This insecticide takes about two weeks after the first
application to become effective so apply immediately after using a
contact spray. It must be repeated every 30 days for season long
control. Do not use on plants with edible fruit. Copyright
2007 DO MORE THAN RAKE YOUR LEAVES, RECYCLE!!! BY GEORGE EDGAR I try to find
the easiest way to do something. Taking care of leaves in the fall is no
exception. I use my mower and mulch them into my lawn or I put the bag
on and pick them up for the compost pile. My self-propelled mower is
much easier than a rake. My wife and I do rake the leaves from the lilac
hedge and other shrubs, and my wife rakes the leaves from her flower
garden. These we gather up for the compost pile. Using a
mulching mower on grass in the summer or on leaves in the fall, does not
increase thatch. Remember, thatch comes from overgrown roots caused by
over fertilization of your lawn. The best way to prevent thatch and have
a healthy lawn, is to core aerate at least once per year, and do not
over fertilize. Chopping up the
leaves with your mower and putting them back into your lawn is
beneficial, according to a study done by Michigan State University turf
specialists, and supported by University of Nebraska specialists. You
may want to go over them more than once so they are finely chopped, as
you do not want to put them on too thick. If you can’t see the green
grass or most of it, they are too thick. After the trees have dropped
all of their leaves and you have mowed for the last time this fall, it
is important to put on a good winter fertilizer. The nitrogen in the
fertilizer helps to break down the chopped leaves and grass. If you are
only going to fertilize twice a year, both should be in the fall.
Remember, heavy fertilization in the spring puts stress on the grass
that has been dormant all winter. Also, over fertilization in the spring
causes disease and insect problems later in the year. The more you
fertilize in the spring, the more you have to water, and the more you
have to mow. If
you don’t want to mulch your lawn, you can put the catcher on and bag
the chopped leaves. These can be tilled into your garden or added to
your compost pile, or used as mulch over your roses and other plants.
Make sure you chop up your leaves before using as a mulch. Chopped
leaves break down faster in the compost pile and do not mat when used
around your rose bushes or other perennials. From the mower bag directly
to the compost pile or garden also saves on plastic bags and paper bags.
PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT!!! In
summary, your fall fertilizer should have been put on around Labor Day.
Put on your winter fertilizer between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Last
year I didn’t get mine on until about Thanksgiving since we had a very
long fall. If you are only going to fertilize once a year, this is the
time to apply it. For more
information on how to make a compost pile that is clean and healthy go
to “ianrhome.unl.edu/search”. In the top box scroll down to “Extension Publications. In
the bottom box type “compost” and click on “Search”. Numerous
publications will be available for downloading and printing. DO
NOT FILL UP OUR LANDFILLS WITH YOUR LEAVES AND GRASS CLIPPINGS!!
RECYCLE!! Copyright
2007 |