(fighting the joy thief of “black thumb”)

If you are like me you have been given house plants or you bought outdoor plants for a porch or patio and then bring them inside with the good intention of rolling them back out next Spring….. Also, if you are like me, you have done a whole lot more rolling them out to the curb in the garbage can.

As always, PBandJAHM has scoured the web and asked some moms with actual green thumbs and here are 5 tips for keeping those house plants alive till next spring and beyond…

1) Replicate their climate of origination as much as you can. All house plants are originally from somewhere. You may have a tropical plant, or a fern that needs humidity or a succulent that needs less water but lots of light. During the winter months most indoor plants will need to be in the sunniest window you have and you may still have to supplement with a heat lamp or a florescent grow bulb.
2) Water the soil less, but mist the foliage with a water spray bottle a couple times a week. Most house plants are killed from over watering especially during the winter months. Water the plants so that the soil is moist to about one inch deep and only when the soil is dry. Give them a thorough soaking right before you put them back outside in the spring after the last frost (if they are going outside).
3) Use water that is the same temperature as the plant. This has multiple benefits. Keeping the water in a pitcher by the plants adds to the humidity and it allows the chlorine and fluoride from your tap water to dissipate. Plus, the room temperature will keep the winterizing roots from getting shocked.
4) Put a small amount of dish soap in a spray bottle to spray down the plants once or twice a month to keep spider mites and aphids from sucking the life out of your houseplants. The soap won’t hurt the plants as long as it is mild and is only 1/50 or less of the solution. You can also adjust the amount of the soap until the mites are gone.
5) Group your plants together. All plants put out a certain amount of humidity of their own and so pushing them together will help increase their humidity level.

Here are two very useful sites for more information including a list of specific house plant ailments with cures.

web terrace

the garden helper