Time to move houseplants back inside

Many of us take our houseplants outside for the summer. Your plants benefit from being outside in the fresh air and natural light. And it gives you a chance to clean up and organize the space they normally occupy. Now we’re into September and it’s time to bring your plants back inside. Here some things to do to make this move more successful. Being outside puts your plants at a higher risk for insect and disease problems, so the first thing to do is to look your plants over carefully. Many problems will be obvious right away; others won’t.

Sticky leaves and stems could mean mealy bug or scale. White powder on leaves could be powdery mildew. Discolored leaves could be from too much direct sunlight or water issues (too much or too little). Spidery webbing could be spider mites. It’s easier to deal with these problems now before you bring your plants inside. Begin by simply washing your plants off with a gentle spray of water from the hose. This will get rid of a lot the insects and will help clean up the plant leaves.

Let the plant dry and then spray it with insecticidal soap

or Neem oil. This will help ensure your plants come into the house pest free. This is also a good time to see if the plant needs repotting.

Plants that have spent the summer outside can out-grow their pots, so have some pots and potting soil handy. Once your plants are clean and re-potted (if necessary), you’re ready to move them indoors. You want to do this while the weather is still nice enough to have windows and doors open. This will make the transition from the outside to the inside environment easier on the plant. Try to avoid bringing your plants in at the last minute, just before a frost warning. Indoor lighting is another thing to consider when you bring your plants in. They are going from a high light outdoor situation to lower light indoors.

This might be the time to add some supplemental lighting. This can be as simple as adding a grow bulb to an existing light fixture. Clamp on grow lamps are convenient because you can put them up easily.

Fluorescent fixtures are available in hanging fixtures or free standing grow light system that set up quickly and can be moved easily.

This is a good time to feed your houseplants and if you like,

spray the leaves with Leaf Polish for a clean, shiny look. Doing these things now will help your houseplants make the move from outside to inside with less stress and ready for the season ahead.

Time to plant some grass seed

 

 

September is a great time to plant some grass seed. Turf grass wears out for any number of reasons; wear and tear, age, soil compaction, bugs, fungus and now is the best time to fix these problems. Sowing grass seed now has the advantage of cooler temperatures so it’s easier to keep the area you’re reseeding moist and there are generally fewer weeds. Plus your new grass has all of fall into early winter to establish.

Start by cleaning up the areas you want to seed.

A leaf rake will do a good job of cleaning out the dead grass and thatch. You’ll want to make sure your grass seed will be in contact with the soil.

Next, work in some Sheep, Peat and Compost to bring the area to grade and enrich the soil. This will help the new grass establish deeper roots. This is also the time to add a fertilizer. Once your new seed germinates, the fertilizer will help with root development as well as top growth.

Richlawn’s Nature’s Cycle is 100% organic and is based on dried poultry waste, blood meal and feather meal. It improves the soil and adds beneficial micro-organisms.

AlphaOne Natural Organic lawn and garden fertilizer is based on alfalfa, sunflower meal and cottonseed meal. These organic fertilizers feed the grass and improve the soil structure as well. With the soil ready, it’s time to select the right seed. Most of the grasses we use in our lawns are “cool-season” grasses. They do best when the temperatures are cooler. That’s why spring and fall are the best times to seed your lawn.  Location is important when choosing grass seed. Is the lawn in full sun, shade or some combination sunny and shady?

For most lawns, The Flower Bin Perfect Lawn is the best choice. This combination will do well in full sun and partial shade.

Emerald III is a turf-type fescue. This is the seed to buy if you’re reseeding a shady area. You can also choose from Flower Bin Blue grass mix for sunny areas. 

Once you've made your seed selection, apply the seed by hand or with a spreader. Cover the new seed lightly with Sheep, Peat and Compost and water it in.

You should plan to water enough every day to keep the seed moist.  Once the seed has germinated, you can water less frequently. Grass seed planted now will be well established by the time winter gets here.