Panhandle Plantings
Master Gardening
Tender Perennial Care
The recent cooler days remind us that it is time to bring those tender perennial and sub-tropic plants inside.
If you have some in the ground, such as Hibiscus and Sugar Cane, it is time to cut them back to ground level and apply three to four inches of a good, clean mulch. You can use anything from shredded leaves to straw, but don’t use hay, as it contains an assortment of seeds. Pine straw is widely used for mulch, but the needles will change the soil pH and create an unfriendly environment for your plant in the spring.
Commercial mulches are available and are usually made of chipped or shredded bark. These mulches are usually steamed to kill any stray seeds and/or diseases. Be sure to remove the mulch from the base of the plants as they emerge again in the spring.
The tender plants in pots can simply be moved to a location where damaging temperatures are not a factor. This is usually the home. However, remember some words of caution: When a plant is in plain view of a person daily, that person tends to water and fertilize it daily. This is not a good thing. Hands off!
Most plants slow their growth tremendously during these shorter daylight hours and when brought into the home, the amount of available light becomes much less too. To off-set the reduced amount of light, it is best to locate your newly housed plants in the sunniest spot available or try to emulate the amount of light it would have gotten outside. If this is not possible, auxiliary, artificial light -- usually fluorescent bulbs -- will help.
The amount of water your plant will require while inside will also be determined by how warm and dry your home is. Since most home winter humidity levels are quite a bit less than 40 percent, and most plants prefer humidity levels over 40 percent, evaporation becomes a major issue.
The warmer you keep your home, the faster the evaporation and the more water your plant will need. The low humidity can also cause the leaves to lose water faster than the roots can take it up. If this is the case, placing the plants on a 2 or 3 inch bed of wet gravel will. For root zone water needs, it is best to test the soil to a depth of about an inch. If your finger comes out dry, it is time to water.You can also tell by tapping the pot: if the sound is dull, the soil is moist; if the sound is hollow, the plant needs water.
Good air circulation is also necessary for a healthy plant. However, plants should be kept from drafts and escaping gas from stoves, heaters and furnaces. While growing indoors, the foliage of most plants will not have the benefits of the cleansing rain. Therefore, your foliage should be cleaned weekly with a moist, soft cloth -- except plants with hairy leaves and tuberous-rooted begonias.
Problems:
Brown leaf tips or edges: Over fertilization or allowing the plant to dry out too much.
Yellowing and dropping of leaves: Air pollution, low light, chilling, over-watering, poor soil drainage and aeration or soil borne diseases or insects.
Weak growth or light green/yellow foliage: Light too intense, not enough fertilizer, root rot or poor root system
Small leaves and short internodes: Lack of adequate fertilizer or grown too dry.
Small new leaves and leaves curl under: May indicate too much light.
Contact your local county Extension office for more information. In Jackson County, visit 2741 Penn Ave #3 Marianna, FL 32448, phone 482-9620, email jacksonmg@ifas.ufl.edu or log on to http://jackson.ifas.ufl.edu . For more information on the care of plants in the home, ask for Circular 454.
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