Houseplants, Annuals, and Other Outdoor Plants

Many annuals like herbs, greens, and tropical plants will keep growing through the winter, when kept indoors in a sunny location. Houseplants that have been outside for the summer should be brought in once temperatures are dropping below 15°c. Annuals should be brought in once temperatures are dropping below 5°C or frost is nearing.

Some examples that thrive indoors are:

  • Coleus
  • Begonia
  • Geranium (if given plenty of light)
  • All herbs
  • Greens, lettuces, chards (if in pots)

Bringing your outdoor plants inside for the winter is a great way to extend your season and add green to your interior design. But what many people don’t know is you can bring garden pests inside along with the plants. Spider mites, aphids, and thrips from the garden can quickly lead to an infestation of your other houseplants.

How to de-bug your houseplants?

Soaking Method:

  1. Fill a large bucket of water with warm water and add a few drops of mild soap. If you use dish soap, make sure it doesn’t have a degreaser in it. For smaller plants, you can even fill the sink with soapy water.
  2. Soak for about 15 minutes, this should be long enough to kill off any unwanted hitchhikers. Keep in mind there may be air bubbles in the soil so this may leave a few eggs behind. If you still have foliage above water, turn the plant to wash off the foliage.
  3. Once your plant is done soaking, rinse off all of the soap you can. Run a few rounds of fresh water through the plant with a hose or watering can to flush everything out the drainage hole. Allow the plant to dry and fully drain out the excess water.
  4. To be thorough or if you notice insect infestation before soaking, give all of the foliage a thorough spray down with an insecticide like End All.
  5. Spray the plants again in another week or so in case any insects were missed.

Trash Bag Method:

  1. Place the plant in the bottom of a large trash bag. 
  2. Mix your End-All concentrate in a large spray bottle. Mix rate is 50 mL (approx. 3 tbsp) per L of water.
  3. Gather the top of the trash bag all together and point the sprayer nozzle into the top of the bag. Keep the top of the bag gathered so the spray does not escape.
  4. Spray the plant thoroughly with the top of the bag still gathered. Using the trash bag helps ensure not a single drop is missed and the whole plant will be covered with End-All mist. We recommend using approximately 1/4 – 1/3 of the spray bottle per plant. If you are using the RTU (Ready to Use) End-All, use 1/4 bottle per plant. 

Bulbs:

Some bulbs require a “dormant” time in a cool place where the temperature is still well above freezing. Examples of tender bulbs are:

  • Calla lilies/ Canna lilies
  • Dahlias
  • Gladiolus

How to store bulbs:

  1. As the foliage dies back, dig the bulb or tuber up.
  2. Brush off as much soil from the bulb as possible by hand.
  3. Pack them in a box or open container, with shredded newspaper or dry peat moss.
  4. Store somewhere cool and dry until spring.

End-All Insecticidal Soap

  • Controls all stages of insect life – eggs, nymphs, and adults
  • Fast-acting spray kills on contact aphids, whitefly, scale, spider mites, mealybugs, caterpillars, beetles, chinch bugs, and other listed insects
  • Can be used up to the day before harvest

 Safer’s Sticky Sticks

  • Attracts and traps whiteflies, aphids, thrips, leaf miners, gnats, and fruit flies
  • Easy to use – simply place trap and shake plant gently to disturb the insects
  • Ideal for all plants
  • Attracts plants with it’s yellow colour mimicking dead leaves

 

Worm Gold

  • Want your plants to explode with exceptional growth?
  • Indoor or outdoor plants can be treated by working in a 3 cm (1 inch) layer of worm castings around the plant.
  • Worm castings are the rich earthy-smelling waste matter of worms.
  • Wormgold contains lots of nutrients making it a perfect additive to support your plants over the winter.