YORKTON – Gardeners, can you believe it is October?
The summer went by so fast. Thank you to everyone who came to the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society fall Plant and Bulb sale last week, it was great to see you there. Hope you found some interesting new garden treasures.
Thank you, as well, to everyone from the Society who helped in any way, from bringing plants, to setting up or taking down, and those who worked at the sale. You amazing gardeners make it all happen! Thank you for another successful sale!
Hort members, take note that Wednesday, October 15 is the date of our October meeting, and this is a Member Only meeting. No guests this time!
Every gardener has their own best system for bringing plants in at this time of year. After being out in the fresh air with natural sunlight, it is a shock to the plants to come indoors. How can we make it easier and more successful?
We should begin by checking our plants. They might need re-potting to a size of pot that is large enough for the plant to grow comfortably, and small enough that we can lift it and find room for it! That’s always a consideration. Check the plant carefully and remove any dead leaves or branches, remove any weeds that might have been freeloading in the pot, and or course, the big one, check for insects.
It is a big adjustment to bring the plants directly into the house, so if possible, bring them in at nights only for a few days, taking them outside again during the day. This will gently acclimatize them to their new surroundings. It’s like the way we ‘harden’ the plants off in the spring, getting them used to cooler outdoor air, only now we are doing it to gently ease them into being indoors.
If you see insects, spray the plant gently with an insecticidal soap. Insecticidal soap will control aphids, spider mites, and whiteflies as well as some mold issues. I did some homework and learned that most insecticidal soaps work through direct contact with the bugs and is not systemic (going through the plant itself) so if we have bugs that are chewing the leaves of the plant, unless we spray the bugs directly, it won’t be effective.
Some gardeners like to make their own insecticidal soap using dishwashing detergent. I read something interesting: that insecticidal soap is ‘soap’ while dishwashing soap is ‘detergent’. What’s in a name? The detergent might be stronger than we want, removing beneficial layers on the foliage which might make it more susceptible to other problems such as burning the leaves. But for those who want to try their own mixture, find a recipe that dilutes the detergent well with water. And of course, when we bring our plants in, check them every couple weeks or so to keep tabs on any pest problems.
When we bring our plants indoors, we should find a good spot for them with as much light as possible, and away from any drafts or heating vents. They need good air circulation but not to be chilled or have hot air drying them out. We should cut back on watering and definitely don’t give the plants fertilizer at this time. We want the plants to go into rest mode.
Once the plants are in, it’s a watch and wait situation. Some gardeners have great success bringing plants in, while many of us do not. But it is worth a try if we want to keep a favorite plant going!
Visit the Hort Society at www,yorktonhort.ca Thank you to YTW for their fine work. Gardeners, good luck with garden chores and have a nice week!a
