Killing Germs and Insects for Potted Plants when Bringing them Indoors
Core Introduction: Preparing the site for floral knowledge, let's learn together next.
Omni-directional cold air is about to hit; have your potted plants prepared for indoor placement? You might ask, what's the preparation needed, just move them inside and that's it? If you're placing them temporarily for three to five days, that's not much of an issue. However, if they need to be indoors throughout the winter, it is recommended that you make the following four preparations before bringing them inside.
1. Site Preparation
The placement of potted plants indoors needs to be planned in advance, considering their light and temperature requirements and categorizing them accordingly.
①. Choose a Site Based on Plant Type
For example, light-loving plants should continue to be placed in a well-lit position after being brought indoors, especially warm-loving plants. Plants like bougainvillea, hibiscus, and jasmine require a winter temperature above 5 degrees and are very fond of light, so they should be placed near a sunny balcony or south window after being brought indoors.
Relatively shade-tolerant potted plants can be placed in bright areas with scattered light and do not necessarily require direct sunlight. Plants like sansevieria, rubber trees, and bamboo are examples.
Some species that will hibernate or require low-temperature vernalization in winter need to be placed in cooler rooms, maintaining a temperature above -5 degrees to allow the potted plants to hibernate and vernalize normally, accumulate nutrients, and be better for spring growth and flowering.
②. Keep Away from Radiators
In northern regions, after potted plants are brought indoors, they should not be placed directly on the radiator mats. If air conditioning is used, avoid placing the potted plants near the air conditioner's outlet. Hot air and floor heating can damage the plants, causing the leaves to dry out, turn yellow, and potentially killing the fine roots.
2. Killing Germs and Insects for Potted Plants when Bringing them Indoors
Before bringing potted plants indoors, they should first undergo a comprehensive germ and insect killing process. This reduces the likelihood of diseases and pests indoors because the warm indoor environment can easily spread germs or insects. It is recommended to use mancozeb or carbendazim mixed with acetamiprid for a thorough spray, followed by drenching with螺螨酯 to kill any red spiders that may be hiding in the soil. After a complete germ and insect killing process, it is safer to move them indoors.
3. Pruning and Trimming
For some tall potted plants, pruning can be done when bringing them indoors, cutting off dead, weak, and diseased branches, shortening long branches, and trimming branches that are growing intertwined. Pruning before bringing them indoors is not only to maintain a good plant shape but also to reduce space occupancy. If the canopy is too large, it will take up a lot of space indoors, leaving no room for other potted plants.
4. Increasing Environmental Humidity
Another point to note, especially in northern regions, is that with indoor heating, the air can become very dry. After potted plants are brought indoors, attention should be paid to increasing the humidity.
You can use a water tray or frequently spray water to increase humidity, or it's best to use a humidifier for timed humidification to increase the air humidity. If the indoor air is very dry, potted plants may not adapt immediately and may experience leaf drying and other issues. Therefore, it is recommended to spray more water to increase humidity when first moved indoors, and then gradually reduce the number of sprays. Once the plants have adapted to the dry indoor environment, there's no need to consciously increase humidity.
The above shares the complete content of site preparation, killing germs and insects for potted plants when bringing them indoors, and pruning and trimming, for your comprehensive understanding and reference!