labor day

it is labor day and for all of us in the northeast it is a time of change. the leaves are just starting to turn and a few are loosing their leaves.the hummingbirds are really hitting the feeders to prepare for their long journey south.  i am putting on my gardening hat and stating that it is time to give lots of attention to the house plants that summered outdoors.

house plants: time to bring them inside

time to bring them back inside before the days grow shorter and while the windows are still open . they need to adjust to the lower light. ideally they should be moved to lesser light outside but i never do that. labor day always seem to creep up on me.

 it is time to re pot, prune, and clean them. check carefully for bugs, scale, mealybug, aphids, etc. give them a shower, scrub the pots.  if they need treatment, head to your local gardening store and get the least toxic product that you can find and remember: the label is the law when using them. more is not better. i use the product 'safer soap' and pour it through the soil of the plants that were on the ground. i don't want to bring any little critters in with the plants.

it is also time to lessen the fertilizer. i never fertilize most indoor plants between november and march. the exception is short day bloomers like cactus, poinsettias but more on those plants later.