Viewing post #111715 by Steven

I grow alot of my plants in the basement which gets full south facing light throughout the day. It is definitely on the cool side in the winter which seems to keep plants happier over the winter and helps keep bugs away. I also mist everyday in the morning, happier plants seem to mean less bugs. For plants like brugs and pelargoniums/geraniums I basicly bring them in, shove them in a dimly lit corner and forget them most of the winter till they go back outside again aside from a few infrequent waterings. Other plants like flowering maples that will grow well over the winter and bloom get a good washing off with the hose and if there is a sign of bugs like spidermites those leaves get removed. One other thing that seems to work well is small frequent waterings, especially for flowering plants, give them a small ammount of water each day in the morning so the soil stays evenly moist....no wilting means less stress
I've done the same as Trish too, repotting in the fall. Never had any problems with that. I have personally found that as soon as plants are stressed in some way they attract bugs so I try to buy plants that will enjoy the conditions I have. These are just some of the things that have worked for me.


Lynn, I love that Bella Pink! I used to have the same one but I lost it. Now I have a nice red one that is looking to grow quite large!