Tropicals and Frost

Tropicals, take cover. F – f – frost is here.

By Amy McDowell

It’s time to blast the bugs off and bring your tender houseplants inside. Use a one-two punch on those insects to make sure you don’t bring them into your home. First, sprinkle systemic insecticide granules on the soil. When you water, the systemic is absorbed by the plant’s roots and circulated throughout the plant, making it toxic to insects. A systemic can last in the plant’s system for three months. Your second punch is to wash the plants thoroughly—tops and bottoms of the leaves and all along the stems—with a firm blast of water from the hose. Soft-bodied insects like aphids and spider mites can’t survive an aggressive washing. Let the plants drip dry outside before taking them in.

No doubt your tropical plants have grown over the season. You may want to prune and reshape them before taking them inside. Many plants suffer shock from being transferred indoors – you will see the telltale leaf drop. Pruning before you relocate them will not only improve their appearance, but may reduce your leaf cleanup later.

Dig ‘em up

Tender bulbs and tubers should be dug up and stored now – things like cannas, dahlias, and gladiolas. After our wonderful regular rains throughout most of the season, you will find those canna tubers underground are now huge. Pry them out of the ground with brute strength and as much gentleness as you can; they will bruise. Cut the stems back to about four-inch stubs, brush the soil off, and store them in an uncovered crate or open box in your basement. The care is the same for dahlias and glads.

Put ‘em in

Spring bulb sales in the U.S. have been declining for several years, and people in the industry believe it may be because spring bulbs don’t provide the instant gratification that other flowers in the garden do.

Here in Iowa, we tuck bulbs into the ground in October and wait for about six months before we see their bright blooms in spring. Who needs instant gratification? Just knowing those spring bulbs are nestled in the ground under the ice and snow gives us something to look forward to all through the blustery winter.

Even just a few dollars spent on a handful of bulbs can provide a cheery bouquet next spring and for many springs to come.

Amy McDowell is an Iowa Certified Nursery Professional. She has an associate’s degree in commercial horticulture and has worked in the field for ten years. She lives and gardens in Polk County.