How to Overwinter Your Houseplants

Before you start winterizing your plants, make sure that you have enough room in your house to fit them! Plants need light and space to survive. If they are placed too tightly together they will eventually get insects or diseases that can infect other plants. Take a good look at your plants and decide which ones you are really invested in. Sometimes it is hard, but if a plant is never going to look as good as you would like, then you must leave it outside to die in the cold. It’s better to save a few great plants than to save them all and have sickly plants.

PREP WORK

• Your plants need a space inside the house, near a window where it will get light.
• Clean the window so you can be sure it will get the most light possible. If you don’t have enough light, invest in a plant light.
• Check to see if your plant is root bound. If it is you will need to repot it. Do not repot flowering plants, instead wait until they are done flowering.
• Now it’s time to move plants to an area that is less sunny outside. This gives the plant time to acclimate to the lower light conditions it will encounter once you bring it indoors. I’d suggest starting this process about 2 weeks before you plan to bring the plant indoors.

Insects love to live in the soil and it is important to rid the plant and soil of any insects or disease prior to moving it indoors.

• Check the plant for insects and purchase the appropriate spray. Hicks carries a number of organic solutions that are safer to use around children and pets.
• One week before you are going to bring the plant inside, spray the plant thoroughly with an insecticidal soap to kill all of the insects.
• Then, the day before or morning of the day you are planning to bring the plants inside, drench the soil with the insecticidal soap to kill any bugs that are living in the soil.
• Give the plants a second spray on the leaves to make sure all of the bugs are dead. Be sure to coat both sides of the leaves.
• Let the plant sit outside for a few hours to let the soil drain and then bring the plant inside to its new home.
• Reduce your watering once you bring the plants inside. Your plants are no longer getting direct sun, hot weather and windy conditions so they will require less water.