When summer quickly starts coming to an end, many of you will be bringing your plants back into the house or to go in search of houseplants that you would like to grow this winter. If you are bringing your plants back indoors, it is a good idea to put some new dirt in their pots, possibly trim their roots a bit, fertilize and thoroughly water them before bringing them in.
Even if you don’t put new dirt in your plants this year, it is a good idea to pull each plant out of their pot, trim their roots and break the soil up a bit. This helps them grow, plus it will give you a good idea of whether they are root bound or not.
Doing this will also give you the chance to sell off some of those extra starts before winter sets in.
This a good time to buy those last minute exotic house plants that may need to be shipped. Many greenhouses stop shipping right around October, depending on the weather, so although you can still purchase the plants, you can’t get them until spring. What plant nut wants to wait all winter to get their plants?
Another thing you may want to do is check your existing plant lights to make sure they are working or buy new grow lights before winter sets in.
Before bringing plants into the house for the winter, check them for pests and disease. If you find a problem, try to rid the plant of the problem before bringing it indoors for the winter. The healthier the plant is when you bring it in, the better the chance of it over wintering.