The end of the growing season is the beginning of yet another adventure for many gardeners and homeowners. This is the time when you might be considering bringing plants inside, or doing other things to ensure they survive outdoors until spring.
No matter if you’re trying to get another year out of that holiday cactus Uncle Bob gave you last Christmas, or just want to ensure that your more tender perennials outlast the snow, you can overwinter many of your favorites with a little effort and know-how.
[Read: Ways to Prepare Your Lawn and Garden for Fall]
Bringing Your Patio Plants Inside
If you keep houseplants, it’s likely you also let them spend the summer on the patio. Depending on the plant, and your location, that may include a lot of spring and fall, too, as the temperature permits. Moving your potted plants back indoors successfully takes more than just a strong back. There’s a technique to ensure that your plants have time to adjust to changing living conditions.
“Before moving plants inside, move them to a shady area outside to prepare them to receive lower light levels once moved inside,” says Niels Thorlaksson, director of horticulture at Lettuce Grow in Los Angeles, California. “If you plan on using a grow light inside, start with a shorter duration and slowly increase the time the lights are on up to 14 to 16 hours. Growing by a window likely will not be enough light; many plants will require more light.”
You should also check your plants for pests before you move them in for the year. After all, there’s no telling what kind of trouble they could bring back with them from their vacation outdoors.
“Scouting your plants before moving them inside is a very important step to avoid hitchhiking critters,” says Thorlaksson. “Look under the leaves, on the stems and even in the dirt, where pests like to hide. Pests such as spider mites can be very difficult to eliminate once they have become established, especially when there are multiple plants growing in soil inside the home. You may consider quarantining your plants for a week in a separate room before being in contact with other plants.”
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Protecting Your Exotic Landscape Plants
Potted plants offer a ready solution for cold weather — you just have to bring them indoors. But if you’re interested in growing outdoors something a bit more exotic than your local climate allows, it takes a lot of work to ensure success. It’s doable, though, with the right planning, care and year-round maintenance.
“The challenge of cheating a climate zone can be fun with the right conditions,” says Shane Pliska, president at Planterra in West Bloomfield, Michigan. “This requires both good planning on where to plant, such as in a protected courtyard, as well as how to shelter the plant during the harsh winter months, knowing that there could always be an arctic blast that wipes it out.
“For decades, my Croatian grandfather successfully grew and maintained an edible fig tree at his home in Detroit. Each fall he would wrap the tree with burlap and insulate the roots with leaves. He immigrated to the USA from Dalmatia, so the taste of a fresh fig was a taste from home. Back then you couldn’t buy fresh figs from the grocery store in Michigan, so the effort was 100% worth it. For my grandfather, his fig tree outlived him.”
Overwintering Outside Plants
You don’t have to be growing figs in Detroit to need to protect your plants from winter weather. A whole range of common landscape plants benefit from a little extra care when the temperature starts to dip. Depending on where you live, care can look a lot different.
“If you live in the north, you will need to mulch in the roots of your perennials,” says Nancy Trautz-Awot, horticulture specialist at Burpee Gardening in Warminster, Pennsylvania. “It is important to wait to spread your mulch until after the ground freezes. Two to four inches of mulch is good for most plants. An organic mulch is best, use either bark or straw.”
But even in warmer climates, special care may need to be taken in the winter.
“If you live down south, you may need to water the plants if the winter is dry,” says Trautz-Awot. “Most other treatments are usually not needed.”
It’s Time to Prepare for Winter
Whether your plants are portable or rooted in place, it’s important to provide them the right kind of protection for your location and the plant in question. Some will just need time to adjust to indoor conditions, while others may need to be wrapped in a warm winter coat to survive the harsh, cold winds.
No matter what, know what your plant needs for success and provide it, even in the dark months of the year. This will set you up for a great and bountiful spring, even if your plants look a little less than perfect during the harshest season.
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How To Overwinter Tender Plants originally appeared on usnews.com
