Fall Garden Clean-up Tasks -- Part 1 (Houseplants and Tuberous Stuff)

We’ve had our first light frost over the weekend…and hopefully you’ve stashed any tender house plants back into your friendly confines. If frost hasn’t hit you yet, it is best to get houseplants and tropicals back into your house before you turn on the heat—this makes for an easier adjustment phase for them.

Other tips for houseplants and those plants that you will overwinter in a “finished” state.

Give them a quick exam and cut off any battered leaves.

Rid them of any tagalong bugs: either by picking them off or with a spritz of soapy water or insecticidal soap.

Slugs, webs and dirt speckles tend to blemish the pots, wipe them off before bringing inside.

Don’t place them in a drafty area or near a heat source.

Don’t over-water or feed them (at all) during low-light months (October-March).

You’ll find that shady characters tend to winter through better, due to the lack of bright light in our homes.

Suggestion: instead of bringing in a big burly specimen, consider taking cuttings—much easier to keep the offspring going until springtime.

Plants prefer high light situations and cooler but more humid conditions than what most of us have in our homes. But, most of us don’t have this ideal indoor situation to keep plants chugging along. So for plants that you’d like to make a guest appearance in your garden next year…try to think dormancy instead of having them limp along in a tortured stated indoors.

What to do with those tuber things?

If you’ve purchased Bananas or Cannas or Elephant Ears this year and they are a little on the smallish side, pot them up and stash them in a cool area (basement or crawl space?)—but they cannot freeze. If they added a bit of girth out in your garden, wait until the frost has hit them. Cut them back to 6-8”. Dig up and shake/brush/wash excess soil. Let them dry in your garage or shed for about two weeks to give them a chance to dry out and cure a bit. Store them in a dry spot at about 40-50 degrees in a crate or cardboard box with peat moss or wood chips. Now this is the tricky part—they can’t be so dry that they desiccate to shriveldom, but they can’t be too moist or they will rot. So you need to visit them and check on them often until spring.





Weird factoid: Did you know….that today is ten-four day? On the 4th day of the tenth month we give an affirmative reply, “10-4” in recognition of all radio operators. Thanks Good Buddy!