Page 18 - Back to school | Indoor plants

A good cleaning Do your plants need debugging?

First step before bringing your plants indoors:
cleaning!

■ ●●Approximately 15 days prior to bringing
in your plants, treat foliage with an
insecticidal soap.

■ ●Repeat the treatment 4 or 5 days before
bringing them in.
■ ●Acclimatize plants for 7 to 10 days – inside at
night and outside during the day, providing
minimum warmth requirements are met.
■ ●Check for insects, aphids, scales, spider
mites, and thrips.
■ ●Remove infected stems and leaves.
■ ●●Spray both sides of leaves with either black
■ ●Place the plant, in its pot, in soapy water
for at least 15 minutes. soap or insecticidal soap.
■ ●Clean both stems and leaves with soapy water. ■ ●Thoroughly rinse both sides of leaves.
■ ●Dip the plant in its pot in water containing
■ ●Place plants in a bright location that is far from
a heat source. Plants require plenty of indirect insecticidal soap for at least 30 minutes.
light, but direct sunlight should be avoided. ■ ●Let water drain.

■ ●If a plant’s roots are visible or if the plant
looks cramped for space, it’s time to repot.
■ Monitor your plants closely when you water
them (branches and leaf undersides). Insects
can reappear due to the warmth of the house.

Tips:
■ ●To promote even growth, turn plant pots December. Start back with full measures
a ¼ turn every time you water, since in February.
plants will grow towards a light source. ■ ●For plants you did not repot in the
■ ●Add a half measure of fertilizer in fall, provide them with fresh soil (and
September, October, November and fertilizer) in preparation for the spring.

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