How to safely tease apart pot-bound roots, and planting a tree near a ground-up stump

Hi, guys!

It’s getting to be time to bring in your houseplants. I wrote about repotting them in this week’s AP gardening column, but there are some extra tips I’d like to share with you.

As I wrote in a column last year, I recommend giving vacationing indoor plants a good hose drenching -- leaves and all -- to remove any would-be pest hitchhikers before bringing them indoors. I also like to pour a bit of diluted Neem oil over the soil to kill any eggs or larvae that may be hidden in the pot.

If possible, plants should be gradually reacclimated to the decreased light exposure they’ll get in the house. I move them into the shade for about a week before bringing them indoors.

Unfortunately, a surprise frost prediction can take you off-guard, making the gradual reintroduction impossible. That’s when we see yellow, dropping leaves and somewhat sickly-looking plants. Although they should bounce back in time, there are steps you can take to ease their transition.

Grow lights, turned on for eight, then six, then four, then two hours a day during their first few weeks indoors will help. If you don’t have a light, place plants near your sunniest window during their initial weeks indoors. Even the brightest natural indoor light will be no match for the sunbathing they’ve done all summer, so it will serve as a good rest stop en route to their permanent winter residence elsewhere in your home.

Most houseplants grow a lot outdoors over the summer. And when they do, that’s usually a sign that their roots have also outgrown their containers.

Watch the video at the top of this page to see how to safely loosen pot-bound roots and repot your houseplants.

Cut back a bit on watering houseplants now, and refrain from using fertilizer until active growth resumes in spring.