The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/751731
The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, November 16, 2016 D-3 HOME LIFE TO ADVERTISE: Call: 812-354-8500 Email: ads@pressdispatch.net Visit: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg Deadline: 5 p.m. on Monday Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. MAYA ANGELOU 9978 E. McKinley Street, Otwell • 3 bedroom home with a lot of living space. • Big living room open to the kitchen, new range, refrigerator included. • The interior has all got a fresh coat of paint and wood flooring installed. $22,000 Marte' Nelson-Daves Principal Broker/Owner PIKE COUNTY Live the Dream Call: 812-789-9510 Text: 812-766-0690 Email: martenelsondaves@live.com See our listings on Zillow, Trulia, Yahoo Real Estate and more! SCAN THE QR CODE with your smartphone to see all my listings New Listing! GM C: 619.459.1805 | O: 812.482.1424 | GinaMehringer@fcte.com | JasperHomeFinder.com Gina Mehringer F.C. Tucker Emge REALTORS ® OPEN HOUSE Sunday, November 20 • 1pm-3pm MLS# 201647820 206 N. Collins St., Winslow, IN 47598 • 3BR, 1 BA, 1914 square feet! • Partially finished basement! • Large level lot including 6 parcels! • Asking $89,900.00 - below market value! • Move-in Ready! • Close to Toyota and IPL plants! • Visit www.jasperhomefinder.com for more info! CONSIGNMENT AUCTION Groff Equipment Lot Saturday, Nov. 26 • 9am 3 mi. North of Laurenceville, IL on Hwy 1 Max Groff Auctioneer 618-943-4505 IL Lic #440.000060 Tractors, Compact Tractors, Backhoes, Skid Loaders, Forklis, Wheel Loaders, Semis, Trucks, Trailers and Farm Implements. NO BUYER'S FEE! For full updated sale bill, go to: auctionzip.com ID #11869 Website: groffequipment.com Groff Equipment & Auction Co. 216 W. 6th Street, Jasper, IN 47546 Opal SermerSheim BROKER ASSOCIATE 812-582-0776 mlS# 201650689 Call OPEN HOUSE $ 149,900 • 2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths • Full Finished Basement • 1.60 Acres • Has potential third bedroom in basement • 2 Car Attached Garage • Detached 24x24 Pole Barn Garage SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20 • 1PM-3PM By Fran Petit Press-Dispatch Staff Writer fpetit@pressdispatch.net It's getting cold, people — and that means it's almost past time to figure out what to do with outdoor plants. Although we have en- joyed an unusually long fall, along with some sum- mer-like temps, the leaves have turned their vibrant fall color, ushering in the threat of winter. I'm an avid gardener who loves bright, flowering plants that are meant more for warmer climates. I'm now faced with the decision to leave them out and buy new next year, or dig them up and put them somewhere until the last frost in spring. Gardeners in cold cli- mates never know what to expect during the winter. Even if strictly adhering to buying only plants that are hardy in our zone, there's no guarantee that Mother Na- ture has actually read the zoning rules. Some garden plants are perfectly happy to come in- doors and grow as house- plants. They can handle the drier winter conditions and enjoy the cooler tempera- tures. Warm weather perenni- als, for example, will grow all year if brought inside. Since homes have less light than outdoors, shade toler- ant plants make good choic- es for houseplants. But be- cause your house will also be cooler and less humid, tropical plants brought in as houseplants will need extra attention. Once temperatures start to dip into the mid-40s — like right now — tropical plants risk becoming dam- aged from the cold. Moving them from full sun and cool nights spent outside to a dim and warm room can be quite a shock. If possible, a week before bringing your full sun plants indoors, move them into the shade. Even the sunniest window inside your home receives less light than your plants are used to enjoying — and with this more grad- ual transition, you're less likely to see fewer yellow or dropped leaves. It helps them prepare for changes in humidity, air circulation and temperature. But before hauling them inside, give your house- plants a good cleaning by removing any dead or dam- aged leaves and flowers. Follow that up with a gen- tle spray from the garden hose. This is a great way to dislodge bugs and dust off leaves. Submerging smaller plants in a five gallon buck- et of water for 15 minutes is another way to ditch insects. But this shouldn't be done with plants that go dormant. It's also a good idea to in- spect the plants, too, before bringing them inside. That way, you'll catch any spi- ders or ants who are hitch- ing a ride. And since plants grow more slowly once they are brought indoors, now is the time to reduce your fertiliz- ing and watering habits. Overwatering is the fast- est way to kill a houseplant. Outdoor potted plants may have required frequent wa- tering during sunny days, but now that they're back inside, they don't need as much water because they won't get enough light to dry out. Here's how you can know when to water: let the surface of the soil get dry to the touch — and then you can give them a drink. If you bring Begonias in- side, remember that they prefer high humidity. They also like warm soil and a chance to dry out slightly between watering — and they'll do best in moderate light. Fuchsias benefit from a winter rest — so bring them indoors before frost and trim them to about six inches. Then, place them in a cool spot — about 45 to 50 de- grees — and low light. Wa- ter them only when the soil feels dry. In spring, move them back into a sunny spot and resume watering them regularly. Geraniums can overwin- ter nicely. In fact, if placed in a bright south facing win- dow, they can bloom all win- ter. Since they don't like hav- ing their roots disturbed, the ones that will do best in- doors have been growing in pots outside. Bring them in before it frosts and give the plants a trim. If you water them when they're dry and feed them monthly, they should bloom. Hibiscus plants adapt well to the house and may bloom all winter if kept in a sunny window. I always dig these up and bring them in be- cause each plant that I have costs about $40 and are ex- pensive to replace. I trim the plants, but hibiscus grows slowly in winter and may not see any new growth. I've had good results allowing the soil to dry between water- ings and misting the foliage several times a week. If you don't have an ideal, warm and sunny window, choose a cool spot with average light. They'll drop their leaves and go dormant. Elephant Ears are my very favorite, but the roots will freeze in cold soil and that kills them. I have two choices: to grow them in pots and keep in a frost- free area during winter in a dormant state, or dig tubers that I replant in the spring. Before the first frost, I dig some of them to move to the yard barn and a few smaller ones to keep as houseplants. An unheated garage or shed that stays frost-free and near 40 degrees or more works well to store them. I let the remaining Ele- phant Ears in the flowerbed get a bit of frost so the stalks die. Then, I cut all the stalks down at the soil level. When digging for storing, it's best to allow the leaves and stalks to die back naturally with the first winter frosts. Once they're kaput, cut back the foliage two to four inches from the soil, then careful- ly dig out the roots. Here's how that's done: Brush soil away from the surface then dig down around the outside of the root and lift it from the soil. TONS OF TIPS FOR SAVING OUTDOOR PLANTS THROUGH THE WINTER IDEAS AND This year, I'm letting the foliage on my Elephant Ears die out before I dig the bulbs. Fran Petit photo. The first frost didn't get my hibiscus, but I'm pushing it! Time to trim those back and get them to a warmer environment. Fran Petit photo. Then, remove extra dirt and pack the tubers in dry sawdust, newspaper or peat moss in a bucket or tub and dry them in a 50 -degree spot through the winter. In the spring when the temperature is consistently at or above 60 degrees and the dirt is easy to dig, I re- plant them. Usually, they thrive, with some growing to over six feet tall. It's enough to make you forget they were packed up for the winter.