If you have been giving your houseplants a bit of a vacation outdoors for the summer months, now is the time to bring them back inside. Once evening temperatures drop below 50° its best to bring your tropical plants inside where it is warmer so that they remain healthy and happy. If you are concerned about the possibility of bringing hitchhiking pest inside, just follow these simple techniques to rid your plants of them.
If you haven't already done so, treat each pot with a bit of Sluggo Snail Bait to kill off any snails and slugs that may be hiding in the foliage or pots. Sluggo is safe around pets so you don't to worry about your indoor dog or cat eating the bait. Treat again in a couple of weeks to catch any tiny, late hatching snails as well.
Treat the foliage with Safer's Insecticidal soap to rid the plant of any aphids, mealbugs or spider mites. Give the foliage a good spraying making sure to get the undersides of the leaves as well. Sometimes bugs crawl up into the drainage holes of pots. (This can be prevented by placing a layer of two of drywall tape over the holes at transplanting time. This allows excess water to drain and keeps bugs from crawling in.) A soil drench made of Safer's insecticidal soap concentrate will help rid the soil of critters.
Clean out any dead leaves and remove leaf litter from the top of the soil. Scrub salt deposits off the outside of the pot with a stiff nylon brush and some vinegar, then water the plants well.
To prepare the location for the plants, vacuum the area to remove any bugs that made be hiding out in the new location. It's also a good idea to clean the windows to make sure plants will receive the brightest possible light conditions.
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