Good morning! FALL IS in the air. Can you feel it? We have had some chilly numbers the past couple mornings! And the wind the past couple mornings...WOW! But, I wanted to share some information with those of you who are wondering about your plants this time of year! Our horticulture specialist, Jennifer Brennan from Chalet Nursery in Wilmette, shared this information with me this morning. I wanted to share it with you!
Hi, Tracy,
I have been getting many calls from people whoare concerned about their houseplants that are still outside "on summer vacation". The "magic number" is 40 degrees F. Most tropicals can tolerate temperatures in the mid 40's, but will not be happy once it drops to 40. Since most of the plants that work well in houses are from tropical areas (usually tropical rain forests - warm and shaded) they will not survive temperatures below 40. I have been watching your weather reports - it looks like people have until this weekend to get everybody moved back indoors!!!
Warn everyone to spray with an insecticide (whether it is systemic or just a contact earth-friendly natural) while the plant is still outdoors, let it dry and then move them indoors.
They will not bring any unwanted "visitors" indoors.
Just a helpful tip,
Jennifer
So, our lesson here is our plants will love us for paying attention to the overnight lows!
Tracy
