Overwintering
Annuals
Overwintering
annuals is something I do every year, but not always with complete success.
They are just so beautiful in the Fall, I can’t just let them just die. So sometimes even against my own better judgement I haul many of them inside.
Typically though,
your house is going to have less light and less humidity than your plants are
currently accustomed to so to prevent shock start bringing in your plants
gradually. I usually bring mine in for
the night when temperatures start dipping to the 40’s at night.
My dad has
always stored his geraniums in the basement for the winter. He brings them back upstairs in early March,
cuts them back and starts watering.
Voila! They start growing right
away. (I can’t tell you how many times
I’ve tried this, but never once has it worked for me.)
If your plant has grown quite large, it can be cut back by 1/3 or more. I have a hibiscus that is almost 20 years old. It is quite large now and heavy. I have to cut it back to make room for it in the house, now. The first time I did it, it was afraid I'd kill it, but now I realize that doing this has actually helped it maintain a pleasant shape and sturdier stems.
Tender bulbs like dahlias and gladiolas need to be dug up, cleaned and dried off and stored in moist peat for the winter. Throw away any bulbs that are soft in the spring and replant the rest. Sweet potato vines can be saved the same way. Letting them get a small dose of frost is OK because it signals them to stop putting out growth. Cut off the vines, dig them up, and let the tubers dry off. Then bury them in peat and store in a cool dry place until spring when you can replant them again.
The next obstacles you might face when trying to overwinter annuals and tender perennials are insects and disease. For several years now I’ve filled my laundry tubs with water and insecticidal soap. On the day I bring in my containers, they get a 90 second dunking in this mixture. My sister does the same thing except she uses a garbage can outside.
We’ve both found that this usually cuts way down on strange flying moths and white flies that sometimes plague overwintering annuals.
Insecticidal soap comes in a spray bottle, too, and can be used any time during the winter if you start to notice white flies or scale.
Another way to overwinter annuals is to take cuttings. This works best with plants that have soft stems like coleus and oxalis. Actually I’ve tried in on geraniums and begonias, too, but I have better luck with the first two I mentioned.
To take cuttings choose a nice healthy stem and strip it of its lower leaves. Then put it in a glass of water on a windowsill. Remember stem-no leaves in the water. In a few days you should start to see tiny roots. When you have a good set of roots transplant your cutting into a small pot and keep in the window or under light. Use a water- based fertilizer regularly throughout the winter and by spring you should have a bigger, healthier plant than ones you’ll probably see for sale in the garden centers.
Overwintering annuals is fun to do and if you go into it not expecting 100% survival, everything that does survive is a bonus and it makes you feel like super woman (or man!)
Until the next time, Thanks for reading Julie’s Garden Journal!
I'm worried about taking plants inside in the winter because our cat mowed down one and puked everywhere afterward.
ReplyDeleteThat's certainly a concern, but the sight of something green and growing that also provides fresh oxygen should give you enough stress relief to deal with unfortunate puke!
ReplyDelete