More Houseplants, More Problems

 

While the temperatures outside are currently sub-zero in Minneapolis and the weather is dark and gloomy, many gardeners turn their attention indoors. But growing plants inside presents a whole new set of challenges and many of us end up throwing out a soggy, stinking mess well before spring.

The first thing to consider is providing a healthy environment for your plants.  Today we will go over a houseplant’s basic needs: light & temperature.

Light & Temperature:

If you bought a houseplant from the store you should take a look at the tag – most of them will have helpful care instructions on how much light your plant will need. Unless the tag says the plant needs only indirect light you will want to have your plants near a South or West-facing window with plenty of sun. A North-facing window will hardly have any direct light in the winter and will likely be fairly cold.

Which brings me to my next point: when placing plants in windows always keep temperature in mind. Most houseplants prefer warmer temperatures between 70-80F during the day and 60-70F at night. Many tropical plants will begin to show cold damage when temperatures fall below 50F. If you notice ice or frost forming on the inside of your window, your plants are getting too cold. The easiest prevention is closing your blinds at night. This will put a barrier between your plants and the cold window. If blinds are not an option you can move the plants - a few feet away should be safe.

Houseplant damaged by cold

If you don’t have much natural light from your windows you may need to supplement with artificial light. There are a lot of special plant growth lights out there but they tend to be pretty pricey. Cool-white or warm-white fluorescent light bulbs can provide similar light to the special growth bulbs and are much less expensive. Don’t bother with incandescent bulbs – they put out the wrong light wavelengths, get too hot, and aren’t as energy efficient as fluorescent bulbs.

No matter what kind of bulb you use, the most important thing to know about artificial light is that the strength of the light dissipates rapidly. You need to have your plants as close to the bulbs as possible without burning them (see the ideal temperature ranges above) – try setting it up between 4-8 inches from the top of the plant and remember to move the light up as the plants grow.

It’s easiest to plug your lights up to a timer so you don’t need to remember to turn them on and off. A 3-prong 24-hour timer works great and can be purchased at most hardware stores. Most houseplants will do well with 12-14 hours of light.

If you have any questions about light and temperature please comment below!

Until next time, happy growing!

Annika is the horticulturalist at Peterson Lawn Services. Call (952) 929-0422 to schedule a free garden consultation today!

Tips to shovel snow safely

Here are some great tips to protect your back and heart when shoveling. What seems like a simple activity can actually put an excessive amount of strain on you if done incorrectly.

1. If you are inactive and have a history of heart trouble, talk to you doctor before shoveling your snow.

2. Avoid caffeine or nicotine before beginning. These are stimulants and they may increase your heart rate and cause your blood vessels to restrict. This places extra stress on the heart.

3. Drink plenty of water. Dehydration is just as much of a concern in the cold winter months as it is in the summer.

4. Dress in several layers so you can remove a layer if necessary.

5. Warm up muscles by walking for a few minutes or march in place. Once muscles are warmed up, gently stretch arms and legs to loosen muscles and decrease your risk of injury.

6. Pick the right shovel for you. A smaller blade requires less lifting.

7. Lift with your legs not your back. Bend your knees and keep your back as straight as possible so that the lifting comes from your leg muscles, not your back. Never bend at the waist. Step in the direction that you are throwing snow. This will help prevent the lower back from twisting and will help alleviate any back soreness that you might typically experience the day after a hard shoveling job.

8. Create some distance between the hands. This will give you more leverage and make it easier to lift the snow.

9. Push snow to the side, rather than lifting it each time.

10. Listen to your body and stop if you are in pain.

Why Fall Clean-up?

Noticing frost on the ground this morning puts even more urgency into fall clean-ups. A reminder to those that have signed up that if we have not already cleaned up your yard we will be there very shortly, and a reminder to sign up for your fall clean-up EARLY next year. Cleaning up the leaves in your yard and preparing plants for Spring is essential in maintaining a healthy lawn. Here are some tips for a healthier yard and plants come Springtime; it will be here before we know it!


1. Houseplants that have spent summer outdoors in the garden or on a patio need to be tended to first, usually in September. Many are tropical and will suffer once the night temperatures begin to drop. Set up an area outside to trim plants if necessary, check for insects and disease and repot any that have outgrown their current containers. Bring the plants indoors before you fully turn on the heat so that they have a chance to adjust to their new environment. The plants may lose a few leaves or the leaves may brown on the edges. This is simply an indication that the plant is adjusting to the lower light and humidity inside the house.

2. Poinsettias and Christmas cacti are two perennial favorites for winter blooming. The beautiful and rich reds and pinks are very welcome in the stark winter months. These plants, however, require special care. Both need a 14-hour period of continuous darkness each day from October 1 until mid-December to set flower buds. Two ways to accomplish this are to either set the plants in a closet or place a cardboard box over them from 6 p.m. until 8 a.m. for the period listed above. At all other times, the plants should receive normal light exposure.

3. Finish planting spring flowering bulbs such as tulips, daffodils and flowering onions as well as dormant, deciduous nursery stock before the soil freezes.

4. Caring for your lawn in the fall will bring you the best results the following growing season. Apply herbicides in September to control weed infestations. Aerate if the soil is compacted or if thatch is a problem and apply gypsum and fertilizer to improve soil conditions and provide nutrients for healthy turf growth. Continue mowing the lawn so that it is no higher than 1.5 to 2.0 inches going into the winter. A lawn should be only 1.5 inches tall where the snow tends to accumulate and snow mold or powdery mildew might be a problem. Most cool season lawns are best maintained at a 2- to 3-inch height during the growing season. As the month of October nears, the height can gradually be reduced to the overwintering heights.
And of course, make sure all leaves are picked up to avoid smothering the grass.

5. Take preliminary steps to protect roses. Final winterizing is usually done in late October after a deep freeze, but tying the canes loosely beforehand will ease the job. For the final winterizing, cut the canes back to about 6 to 12 inches and mound the plants with fresh topsoil purchased earlier. Cover with cones or bushel baskets for complete protection. Many gardeners successfully overwinter their roses and other tender perennials by covering with bags of leaves collected in the autumn.

6. Install simple windbreaks to protect young, tender plantings from drying winter winds. Anything that encourages snow accumulation will help provide excellent protection against low temperature or wind desiccation. Where evergreens are exposed, spray with an anti-desiccant to provide protection from drying winds. Spray again in mid-winter during a thaw when the temperature will be above 40 degrees F. for a few hours.

7. Protect young apple, maple and other tree species from rodent damage. Wrap tree trunks with hardware cloth up to the expected snow-line to provide the necessary protection. Plant material that has developed a thickened or corky bark is usually not vulnerable to damage of this sort.

8. After a heavy frost, remove all blackened plants such as zinnias, petunias, marigolds, etc. Remove and destroy plant stems on any perennials which may have had diseased foliage (ie. peonies and lilies). Good sanitation now will result in fewer problems next spring.

9. If there is time, turn the soil over in vegetable and flower gardens. Litter-free areas in the garden or under fruit trees will help eliminate many disease and insect problems the following season. Open spaces of fallow, weed-free soil are more attractive in winter and will make the soil ready for planting early next spring.

If the soil is particularly heavy, the addition of gypsum at 40 pounds per 1,000 square feet will help to soften the soil next spring. Thorough incorporation of generous amounts of organic matter such as compost or peat moss is also very beneficial.

Finally, to stretch out flowering a couple more weeks in the autumn, covering plants with plastic or cloth sheets, boxes or newspaper tents will provide protection against the initial frosts. Frequently, unprotected plants damaged by light frosts can be given an extension of useful beauty by hosing them with water before the sun rises.

Information adapted from document written by:
Ronald C. Smith
Extension Horticulturist and Turfgrass Specialist