Helping our “green pets” survive the winter

January is the time when the attention of lovers of growing seedlings of vegetable crops is not yet taken. And you can turn it on your potted crops. Probably, there is no such house where there are no flowers on the windowsills. After all, how pleasant it is to admire their greenery when there is a bitter frost outside the window. But how to help them in the middle of winter, when the daylight hours are short and the stores of vital activity are depleted? We’ll talk about this today.

If you look into the history of the issue, then in Europe the first indoor plants began to appear among the elite, when they moved to cities, when people began to move away from nature. And the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, which began in the 15th century, introduced the inhabitants of the Old World to exotic, not at all cheap, outlandish oranges, tomatoes, potatoes, ficuses and other plants that became objects of luxury and pride. They were kept in special greenhouses, and the name “greenhouses” came from the French name for orange.

The breeding of new, more hardy varieties by breeders made it possible to breed even such plants as orchids, which was completely unthinkable 100 years ago. This work has made tropical plants available to everyone.

What help should be given to house plants now, in the middle of winter, so that they continue to delight us with their riot of flowers and greenery?

First, as they say, “cleanliness is the key to health.” Potted plants should be kept clean and dried branches and spoiled, withered leaves should be removed in a timely manner. If this is treated carelessly, then various parasites can settle on the plants, and large leaves will be covered with a layer of dust. To preserve the health of plants, it is necessary to avoid both, and therefore should be washed monthly, and if not possible, at least four times a year, wash the leaves on both sides with warm water. Sweep the dust with a feather duster as often as possible. And if the appearance of harmful insects is noticed, they must be quickly destroyed.

We should also not forget about the hardy, so-called cold greenhouse and tub plants put in the basement for the winter, such as, for example, Brugmansia.

You need to make sure they don’t dry out or freeze. During the thaw, basements are ventilated by opening windows during the day. Resting bulbs and tubers are reviewed and, if rotten ones are found, the damaged part is immediately cut out to a healthy place and the cuts are sprinkled with coal powder.

Although the days are already getting somewhat longer and the weak sun is already showing occasionally from behind the clouds, the severe cold prevailing at this time makes it especially careful to ensure that the temperature of the rooms in which the plants are located does not drop excessively. In very severe frosts, it is necessary to heat the stoves again in the evening in those rooms where the most cold-sensitive plants stand.

Without this precaution, the temperature may drop by several degrees at night, and thereby bring severe harm to the chilling plants. In addition, in severe frosts, especially tender plants should be removed from the windowsills and placed closer to the middle of the room. On frosty nights, a constant cold current of air is noticed near the windows, and here the temperature drops especially strongly, the earth in pots cools, the roots chill, and some plants can easily die from this.

With prolonged frosts, it is also impossible to do without ventilation. In this case, all plants without exception should be taken out of the room and then the window should be opened. Plants can be brought back only when the temperature in the ventilated room reaches a normal value.

Particular care in winter requires watering potted plants. With the exception of a few plants whose natural flowering time falls in January, for example, such an African plant as myoculcas.

As well as plants subjected to forcing, all the rest are still in a state of complete dormancy. All these resting plants keep dry rather than wet, without, however, bringing the earth to complete drying. The only exceptions are most cacti and other succulent plants that require complete dryness at this time.

It should be remembered that watering in January is rarely done at all, but once it is decided to water, it must be done thoroughly, that is, so that the water soaks the entire clod of earth and comes out through the drain hole onto the pan. Never water with fresh, and even more so with very cold water, on the contrary, water for watering all kinds of plants must certainly be warmed up.

And from January the forcing of flowers begins. In living rooms, early hyacinths and tulips, lilies of the valley and other perennial herbaceous plants, as well as early forcing shrubs, are driven out. All driven plants should be constantly kept moderately moist, watered exclusively with heated water, and shrubs, in addition, sprayed.

And of course, one cannot fail to say that indoor plants are very fond of biological feeding. And if in the country we always fertilize the plantings, then when it comes to home flowers, some top dressings are neglected.

The potted plant is limited by the feeding area. And even if your flowering pet grows in a large, spacious pot, this does not mean that it lacks minerals. The plant in any case strongly depletes the earth, therefore, it needs additional feeding. A new nutritious soil substrate is enough for 2 – 3 months, but not for half a year, as some beginner flower growers believe. And after these very two months, the plant, especially if it begins to bloom or actively grow, must be fed. A temporary exception will be only those plants that have a dormant period.

With a lack of nutrition, plants lose their decorative appearance, their resistance to diseases and pests decreases. Looking at such a plant, and a person plunges into despondency.

What signals indicate that it is urgent to start feeding home flowers:

– slow growth;

– weak elongated stems;

– pale, slightly colored, excessively small, drooping leaves;

– unwillingness to bloom;

– low resistance to diseases, yellowing and dropping of leaves, the appearance of various spots on them and other signs of ill health.

Perhaps the most popular natural fertilizer for feeding indoor flowers is ordinary sugar. First of all, it serves as a source of energy for all life processes of plants and a building material necessary for the formation of complex organic molecules.

To prepare sugar top dressing, dilute 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sugar in 0.5 liters of water, or simply sprinkle sugar on the ground in a flower pot, and then water.
Such top dressing of home flowers should be resorted to no more than once a month, so do not overdo it.

Better yet, take one tablet of pharmacy glucose and dilute it in a liter of water. It is also necessary to water or spray plants with such water no more than 1 time per month.

Drinking coffee is also an excellent organic fertilizer. But, since it increases acidity, remember that not all plants like it.

Similarly, sleeping tea leaves, it makes the earth in a flower pot looser, but do not forget that black flies (sciarids) can start in the soil from tea leaves, so be careful.

Citrus fruits are a good help. To prepare fertilizer from citrus fruits, their peel must be crushed, filled with about a third of a liter jar, pour boiling water to the top and let it brew for a day. Then we take out the crusts, again bring the water in the jar to a liter in volume, adding clean water, and you can water the flowers.

And if you are going to transplant home plants, then add some pre-shredded and dried banana peels to a pot of nutrient soil. Over time, they will rot and feed the plants with microelements, which will favorably affect the growth of green mass.

Ash, yeast and onion peel are also good helpers for flower growers. The main thing – do not forget about your silent green friends, and they will immediately respond to your care with joyful flowering.

Alina Fedorova.

Author’s photo