Bring Plants Indoors

[Nyboy]

Do you do anything to your plants that have to winter indoor? On the gardenia thread Cat suggested a soil drench, before bring in. I have a few Lemon trees that have to come in. Last fall I just sprayed them down with water, to wash them before bring in. I am sure I just got lucky. What do you do to make sure your not overwintering some kind of pest with plant?

 

[digitS']

Oh, they are gonna have fungus gnats, aren't they?

I've been advised to water with the Bt mosquito "dunks." With your pond, are you familiar with those, NyBoy?

I imagine that it takes repeated treatment of the soil. I only have a few house plants and have just used the yellow, sticky traps. Maybe I should see what @catjac1975 suggests for gardenia, which I don't have.

Steve

Oh! I also like to spray them with insecticial soap to kill aphids and red spider mites before bringing them in. Will try need this year. Edit: Neem!

 

[thistlebloom]

I don't have house plants anymore, but there is a perennial I impulse bought and got it home only to read that it's a zone 8 plant. Ack!
I'm going to try to save it for next years border if I can.

 

[Nyboy]

I don't do house plants, but got hooked on meyers lemon trees.

 

[Smart Red]

Here is where my non-purist side shows up. I soak soil in a Sevin dunk and spray Sevin on the leaves and stems of my 'tenders' before I bring them inside to over winter. Of course, anything I plan to bring in is sunk into the garden in a pot so I have no digging or repotting at this time.

 

[catjac1975]

There used to be a great product for fungus gnats called knock out gnats. The products was changed from a liquid to a dry formula and for me it no longer works. I raise all my own veggies and thousands of daylily seedlings. Gnats are the biggest pest I face for the daylilies. I have used all sorts of concoctions. Diotomatious earth did not do anything which surprised me-I thought that was the kind of pest it was made for. Hydrogen peroxide and water seems to keep them at bay, but works less as the years pass.
I had read that the gnats are not the problem it is their larvae that causes the problem, therefor the flying insects are not a concern. Though this is technically true the flying insects lay the eggs. So my new solution is to use a spray of pyrethrum.
http://www.gardensalive.com/product/house-guardian-insect-spray/home-solutions
I start the spray as soon as I see the first fly. They are attracted to the greenhouse windows in the sun so I merely spray the insects as they fly until I do not see any more. I also spray the soil surface-it kills on contact. This has been my best control. I hang fly sticky tape and it will catch the flyers very well and are very inexpensive. The yellow traps that you can buy are very expensive and insufficient in a bad infestation.
I used a systemic insecticide for house plants before bringing them in. It is not organic so I only use it on non food plants. I have cut way back on what I bring indoors as the risk is too great to my seedlings.

 

[curly_kate]

Wait...you're supposed to prepare the plants before you bring them indoors??? JK - I know you're supposed to spray them off & stuff, but I can't say I've ever done that. Haven't had any problems...yet. *knock wood*

 

[catjac1975]

Do you do anything to your plants that have to winter indoor? On the gardenia thread Cat suggested a soil drench, before bring in. I have a few Lemon trees that have to come in. Last fall I just sprayed them down with water, to wash them before bring in. I am sure I just got lucky. What do you do to make sure your not overwintering some kind of pest with plant?

Try diatomaceous earth on the soil. It did not work well for fungus gnats but should work for other pests. Sprinkle it on the leaves but first spray hard with water. Do they get mealy bugs? If you eat the lemons do not use a systemic. But neem should help and alcohol as soon as you spy those devils. If they do show up bring them outdoors even in winter on a warm day for a good shower.

 

[jackb]

When I bring my plants in for the winter I use Gnatrol for gnat control, it is biological. Gnatrol paralyses the larvae so that they can not move and feed. End of larvae, end of gnats. I begin to apply Gnatrol about two weeks before I bring the plants indoors. Gnatrol can be purchased in small quantities on eBay. You don't need much.
jackb

 

[catjac1975]

Wow! I was just looking into natural controls. Have you ever used the nematodes? It seems that timing with them is everything. If you have no gnats yet won't the nematodes die?