Back Inside Vacation's Over! Garden Sense

Bring Your houseplants in From Their Summer Vacation.

September signals fall in many parts of the country. For those of us living in zone 6 or colder, cooler nights and shorter days means its time to bring in our houseplants , annuals and herbs before the first hard frost.
Keep in mind that most houseplants are considered tropicals and don’t do well when temperatures dip below 50° F.
Here ‘s a quick list to check off before bringing plants inside:

Remove any dead leaves and injured parts that might develop disease.
Thoroughly rinse off leaves, stems and pots. Leach individual plants to remove any fertilizer salt build-up.
Check for insects, scat (insect poop ) and eggs under leaves, along stems and between nodes. Disturb the top ½ inch of soil and look for movement.
Isolate and treat any minor infestation. Keep a check on the plant over the next few weeks for signs of recurrence.
Check to see if its time to repot. Transplant overgrown or rootbound plants and keep out of direct sunlight for a few days.
Annuals like begonias and tender herbs like parsley, chives and rosemary can be potted and brought inside. Use the same checklist you used for your houseplants.
If in doubt if a plant is too infested or diseased to treat, think twice about bringing it inside. Unfortunately sometimes the risk to your healthy plants may make you have to sacrifice a plant.