Garden Tips Newsletter
Houseplant Care During the Winter
February 2, 2009
While houseplants can be propagated all year long under the proper conditions, February and March are a good time to take cuttings of your existing plants. These cuttings should root fairly quickly and will have the whole summer to mature. This way you will have plenty of mature houseplants to drive away next year’s winter blues.
Just like propagating your houseplants, repotting can also be done any time of year. If your houseplants need dividing or have outgrown their existing containers, use a pot at least two sizes larger so the plant will have plenty of room to grow. Purchase a good potting mix to fill in around the root ball in the new pot. As soon as you see new growth use the full strength rate of the soluble fertilizer you have been using.
Tip burn or edge burn on leaves indicates that more water is being lost than is being absorbed by the roots. Check for dry soil, too much sunlight, or drafts from heater vents.
Keep poinsettia, kalanchoe and Christmas cactus barely moist and in a spot which receives bright outside light, but not direct sun.
Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes Garden Tips weekly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.