With the cold weather we have had already this season, gardening outside is pretty much over for this year. But that doesn’t mean you still can’t get your hands in the dirt. Caring for and repotting houseplants can be a big stress reliever during the long cold nights of winter, and there are benefits for keeping houseplants as well. First of which is fresher air, as houseplants are natural air filters. Then there is the cathartic effect of just getting your hands in the dirt. Ever since we were kids, most of us liked to play in the dirt, and that feeling you never outgrow. The simple act of repotting a plant can make you happier. Look at the art of bonsia, which has been taught for centuries. When I was a kid, we had terrariums which today have transformed into fairy gardens. 

I have a Philodendron in my house that is older than my, now adult, children. I don’t usually have the time to fawn over my plants, in fact sometimes they are lucky if I remember to water them. But they are a hearty lot, that seem to thrive on neglect. There are some plants that are just easier to take care of like aloe. We brought home an aloe plant a couple of years ago that was only about six inches tall in a plastic pot and now it is over two feet tall in a fourteen inch clay pot and starting to sprout babies. Next to the aloe is a citronella geranium that came in from the porch at the end of the summer, three years ago. It is only in a ten inch plastic pot, but it has now grown to almost four feet high since coming inside and it thrives on neglect too. Every spring I cut it back before it goes back outside and some of its stalks are over a half inch thick now. My aunt has a Christmas cactus that is over 45 years old and flowers for most major holidays. It has been in the same pot for over twenty years now.

But sometimes your plants need your attention, especially when they get bugs. There are plenty of insects that will just love to suck the life out of your houseplants if left untreated. Most are easy to kill, like aphids, spider mites and whiteflies, that can be controlled with insecticidal soaps, oil sprays and spinasad. If you need to spray your plants and they can be moved easily, then place your plants into the bathtub and spray them there. The reason for this is that some sprays could stain your carpet, upholstery and drapes. If you can’t move your plant, get a sheet or shower curtain to put around the plant to catch any overspray.  One insect that is a little tougher to tame is fungus gnats. Those little black flies that look like fruit flies but live on the soil of your houseplants. They lay their eggs in the soil and when the larvae hatch out they eat the roots of your houseplants. 

Beside spraying to kill the adult flies, you need to let the soil dry out between waterings to kill the larvae. The toughest insect to kill is scale. An insect that has a strong outer shell, like a turtle shell, that will protect it from any spray as it suction cups itself to your plant. The only way to kill them is with a systemic insecticide that you put in the soil and the plant sucks it up into the stems and leaves. When the scale sucks the sap from your plant, they ingest the insecticide. This works well for most houseplants, but you cannot use this remedy for any plants you might eat, like herbs growing in the kitchen window. Luckily scale doesn’t like herbs.