As the days get shorter it is now time to start thinking about what we need to do to over-winter our plants. While your plants have enjoyed being outside this summer they need to come in before the temperatures dip below 50 degrees consistently.

The proper way to handle the transition is to slowly inch their way back inside, from being out in full sun to under a tree or a covered porch. This will give your plant time to acclimate slowly to the changing temperatures.

Houseplants, topicals, and citrus are the plants that require this method. By transitioning slowly, you will help your plants in a big way. They are less likely to stress out and cause leaves to drop from your treasured plants. Before bringing them inside there are a few things you should do.

• Trim off any dead or unhealthy-looking branches. This helps the plant to direct its energy to all the parts of the plant that need it most.
• Thoroughly hose down your plant by washing off any unwanted hitch-hikers from coming inside with your plant.
• This tip is in my opinion the most important. Apply some mosquito bits or diatomaceous earth to your plant. This will help keep your plant bug-free from the bottom up. I recommend to my customers that they should always have a spray like a neem oil or safer insect soap for the top part of your plant to kill any bugs you may see. And the mosquito bits and diatomaceous earth for the soil, for bugs you can’t see. Especially important in the over-wintering.
• And lastly, find the perfect spot for your treasured plants to vacation for the rest of the fall and winter months.
• Remember no fertilizing from November to March.
• Watering is extremely important …water the plant as you would as if it was outside, remember the roots are at the bottom of that pot so you need to make sure you water the plant enough to ensure the roots can gather up that water. If you only give the plant a little each time it only goes down a few inches in the soil, which is not helping the plant.
• Start fertilizing with Espoma citrus tone again on March 1^st.
• Remember nothing goes back outside until after the last chance of frost, sometime around the last week or so of May.

We are always here to help, any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to call or email us.