It’s that time again—time to make my New Year’s Gardening Resolutions! So here they are:
- Even though it is tedious, I resolve to go through my plants and examine them top to bottom for insect pests that may have hitchhiked a ride inside for the winter and are now chowing down on my plants. Outside, we have birds, lady bugs, etc. which can help a bit by eating pesky insects. Inside, we don’t, so insects have a “free ride” to munch all they like during the winter. I need to take each plant and go over it, even the stems and undersides of the leaves, looking for something that isn’t supposed to be there.
- Get a new humidifier. Outside, plants have 50 to 80% or more humidity. Inside, we have about 10% so they really don’t like the dry indoor air. While cacti, succulents, and some other plants handle it just fine, ferns, citrus and orchids in particular NEED it. My humidifier bit the dust this fall, so I need to stop putting off replacing it. A new one for the room will cost about $30.00. It will be worth every penny and my plants will thank me for it, Oh, I hear you ask: Can;’t you mist? Well, that does help–for about a half an hour. It dries fast though.
- I’ll remember to dust or wipe off the plant’s foliage. A layer of dust does biock a bit of light and our plants are already challenged with short dim winter days.
- Make a list of anything I want to remember about this past summer. Did I try something and was disappointed with how it did? Now would be the time to look it up and see where I went wrong. Did I try a new variety of something that did particularly well? I’ll write it down before I forget so I can tuck it in again. Did I have an insect problem that was a pain to get under control? Well, I’ll make a note to start looking for it early this year. If certain plants deter it, make a note to plant some. If Neem Oil is good to kill it, make a note to have some on hand.
- As always, I’ll make a note to be sure to dedicate time to sit on my deck and admire my work. Sometimes, we get so busy pruning, fertilizing, or watering, that we forget that part.
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So, what are your New Year’s Gardening Resolutions?