Keep Your Plants Alive and Healthy This Winter

By Bridgette Fanucchi Published Dec 11, 2007 01:19 pm

(ARA) – Whether you’re tucking in your outdoor garden before frigid temperatures hit or counting on your indoor plants to satisfy your need for green this winter, you’ll need to do a bit of work to keep your leafy friends happy and healthy until spring.

Winter is generally a harsh time for plants — indoors and out, but gardening experts say there are simple ways to bundle up outdoor plants and healthy ways to care for indoor plants so they’ll grow and bloom again for years to come.

Indoor Plants

Don’t fertilize or feed the plant unless they are growing vigorously or flowering.
Reduce your watering schedule and let the soil dry out between waterings.
Move plants into sunny areas during the day and away from cold drafts at night. Instead of lugging pots from room to room, or if pots are too heavy to be moved, invest in a few Down Under Plant Caddies. The wheeled devices come in several sizes, hold and easily move up to 500 lbs. and lock to keep the caddie securely in place.
Keep indoor temperatures as even as possible. Winter air is dry air and plants need humidity. Grouping plants together can help increase humidity as can placing pots on a tray of damp gravel or misting the leaves regularly.

Outdoor Plants

If plants are outdoors, in the ground, give them a layer of compost for food and add several layers of mulch to provide insulation and protection against the cold. Great options for mulch include shredded leaves, grass clippings, wood chips or newspaper.
In areas of the country that fall below freezing, don’t leave your stoneware pots outside for the winter, the soil in them can freeze and even empty pots can break. Pots do not provide insulation and, if left outside, the plants inside of them will likely die.
In warmer areas of the country that only have cool winters, make sure your plant pots are elevated off the surface they rest on, like a deck or concrete patio. Moisture can become trapped under the containers and damage and stain the surface. Using a Down Under Plant Stand lifts the pot and allows air to circulate under it preventing this damage.
If you live in a part of the country in which the ground does not freeze, you can plant perennials in the soil where they can be left to bloom when it’s warm or re-potted next year. Plant the roots deep and water once per week until the first frost.
You can also leave the plants in their pots and move it to a cool, dark place that will stay between 40 and 50 degrees. Water once when you put them away then they’ll go dormant. Leave them until the spring when they’re ready to bask in the sun again.

For more information about the Down Under Plant Stand or Down Under Plant Caddie or to purchase, visit www.DownUnderPlantStand.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

For home improvement advice, visit JS West Lumber & Ace Hardware Sonora, Ca. or visit www.acehardware.com and click on the Answers@Ace icon. Answers@Ace is an online resource with information for do-it-yourselfers about hardware and home improvement projects. The Everyday Projects section has pictures and detailed, step-by-step instructions for this and many more home improvement projects.

To speak to an Ace Hardware advisor in Sonora call: 209 532 7446.