Proper care can ensure houseplant longevity

A friend of mine has some houseplants that he faithfully takes outside every spring, cares for them all spring, summer and fall, and is now thinking about again taking them inside to overwinter. It is a lot of work, but he does it because of their sentimental value. One of them belonged to his mother.

His mother started the "grapefruit" tree from seed more than 25 years ago. His mother gave the tree to him as a housewarming gift when he moved into a new home about 20 years ago. Since his mother passed away, he has been very diligent in caring for it. One morning a few years ago he brought one of the "grapefruits" into the coffee shop. He wanted to show off his crop. We still laugh about it. His "grapefruit" turned out to be an orange.

His mom's orange tree is still going strong. It is about 8 feet tall and in a 24-inch diameter pot. We counted about 50 small green oranges on it a few weeks ago.

I have heard similar stories from several gardeners. They have house plants that belonged to their mother or grandmother. They want to care for it as long as they can, and then pass it down to their children.

What is the secret to their success? Each spring my friend places his houseplants outside around his swimming pool and patio area. He waters them religiously and fertilizes them on a routine basis until the fall. At this time of the year he prepares to bring them inside for the winter.

This orange will ripen for picking in the spring. It’s on an orange tree that will be moved indoors for the winter in Cape Girardeau. (Fred Lynch)

If you have a houseplant you want to bring inside, I suggest you inspect it carefully. Prune off any dead branches, dead branch tips or leaves. If the roots of the plant are so intertwined that you can't get your finger into the soil you may want to repot it.

In order to repot, remove the plant from the pot and open up the root system by using a knife or a jet of water. Roots have a tendency to grow in a circle inside a pot. You need to change the direction they are growing.

Then choose a pot that is 1 to 2 inches larger than the pot it was growing in. If you repot it into a much larger pot there is a tendency for root rot to ensue.

Use a lightweight potting mix that is composed mostly of peat moss, vermiculite and pearlite. It should contain no fertilizer or moisture control. You -- not a potting mix manufacturer -- want to control the fertilization and watering, Place the plant into the new pot and carefully fill in the open space in the pot with your potting mix. Water the plant with enough water to fill every pore in the old and new soil. Then let the excess water run out of the container.

Since you have repotted your plant, it now has room to grow new roots. You can encourage the root growth by adding a high phosphorous fertilizer such as a 9-58-8 to the initial watering.

This orange tree will spend the winter indoors at a Cape Girardeau home. (Fred Lynch)

Plants that have been outside during the summer quite often have minor infestations of insects. Spray the plant two to three days before you take it inside with a pyrethrine-based insecticide.

Since insects have a tendency to lay eggs in soil around plants or on twigs and leaves of plants, it would also be a good idea to place some systemic insecticide granules containing imidacloprid on the potting soil surface and water it into the soil. The systemic insecticide will kill any insects that hatch later. This insecticide cannot be used on plants producing edible fruit or vegetables. Make this soil application two to three days before moving the plant inside.

When you move your plants inside, place them next to windows so they can receive as much light as possible. Remember, light inside a building is not as bright as it is outside. Your plant may take some adjusting to the new light regime.

Plants outside need water quite often, while those growing inside require much less water. Be careful that you don't overwater your plants after bringing them inside for the winter.

With a little effort this fall, you can ensure your sentimental house plant will be passed on to your offspring in the future.

Send your gardening and landscape questions to Paul Schnare at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO 63702-0699 or by email to news@semissourian.com.