How to Keep Tropical Plants Through the Winter
2024-11-19
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1Are you dreaming of a vacation to a warm place next to the sea?
2You may be thinking of sitting under a palm tree, or next to a banana plant.
3Or you may dream of walking on a faraway island in the tropics surrounded by colorful flowers such as birds of paradise and cannas.
4Tropical plants make us feel like we are in warm places with a pleasing climate.
5In cold climates, these plants can grow outside during the summer.
6But they suffer in cold weather.
7The gardening expert for the Associated Press, Jessica Damiano, says most people in the United States have to treat tropical plants like annuals because they do not survive cold winters.
8An annual plant is one that dies after one growing season.
9Following her guidelines you will find out how to save both tropical plants and money.
10You also can make future summers at home feel like an exotic getaway.
11If you bought potted elephant ear plants, also called Colocasia, cannas or caladiums, bring the pots inside instead of putting them into the waste collection.
12Place them near a sunny window, water often and fertilize as directed with ordinary houseplant fertilizer at half strength.
13If the plants are too big for the house or have been planted in the garden, leave them outdoors until the first frost turns their leaves brown.
14Then cut the plants down to 15 centimeters tall and dig them up.
15Rinse and separate their roots, which might have small, rounded parts, and let them dry completely.
16Then prepare a box with some air holes and peat moss to store the roots. Place the box or container in a cool, dark place.
17Examine them once a month, adding water if they seem to be drying out, and throw out any rotten pieces.
18Plant outdoors and fertilize when the soil has warmed up to 16 degrees Celsius in spring.
19You also can start them indoors in potting mix one month earlier.
20Set them by your sunniest window or under grow lights, keeping the soil a little wet.
21Gardeners should also bring potted hibiscus and angel trumpets, also known as Brugmansia, indoors before the first frost.
22Treat them as houseplants by placing them next to a sunny window during winter.
23These plants may lose their leaves, but they will come back in the spring.
24If there is no room for the plants in your living space, you can help them get through winter by storing pots at six to seven degrees Celsius.
25Examine them twice a month and water them very lightly when the soil feels dry at finger depth.
26Before moving them outdoors, place the plants in a warm, sunny spot.
27Lightly prune them, water and fertilize the plants about one month before it is safe to move them back outdoors.
28Potted banana plants should be cut down to soil level when the first frost browns their leaves.
29Store the containers in a dark place at roughly six to seven degrees Celsius.
30Look at the soil monthly, watering very lightly only when completely dry.
31Growth will begin again in spring but keep the plants indoors until the danger of frost has passed.
32Fertilize and resume regular watering.
33Do not cut back bananas that are growing in the ground in the fall.
34Just dig them up and contain their roots in a plastic waste bag.
35Store them as you would a potted banana plant.
36Cut them down to 15 centimeters in spring and plant them in the garden after the danger of frost has passed.
37Then, put the money you would have spent on new plants toward a water container, a firepit or tropical fruit juice.
38You can then sit back and enjoy your tropical backyard oasis.
39I'm Jill Robbins.
1Are you dreaming of a vacation to a warm place next to the sea? 2You may be thinking of sitting under a palm tree, or next to a banana plant. Or you may dream of walking on a faraway island in the tropics surrounded by colorful flowers such as birds of paradise and cannas. 3Tropical plants make us feel like we are in warm places with a pleasing climate. In cold climates, these plants can grow outside during the summer. But they suffer in cold weather. 4The gardening expert for the Associated Press, Jessica Damiano, says most people in the United States have to treat tropical plants like annuals because they do not survive cold winters. An annual plant is one that dies after one growing season. 5Following her guidelines you will find out how to save both tropical plants and money. You also can make future summers at home feel like an exotic getaway. 6Colocasia 7If you bought potted elephant ear plants, also called Colocasia, cannas or caladiums, bring the pots inside instead of putting them into the waste collection. Place them near a sunny window, water often and fertilize as directed with ordinary houseplant fertilizer at half strength. 8If the plants are too big for the house or have been planted in the garden, leave them outdoors until the first frost turns their leaves brown. Then cut the plants down to 15 centimeters tall and dig them up. 9Rinse and separate their roots, which might have small, rounded parts, and let them dry completely. Then prepare a box with some air holes and peat moss to store the roots. Place the box or container in a cool, dark place. 10Examine them once a month, adding water if they seem to be drying out, and throw out any rotten pieces. Plant outdoors and fertilize when the soil has warmed up to 16 degrees Celsius in spring. You also can start them indoors in potting mix one month earlier. Set them by your sunniest window or under grow lights, keeping the soil a little wet. 11Potted hibiscus and angel trumpets 12Gardeners should also bring potted hibiscus and angel trumpets, also known as Brugmansia, indoors before the first frost. Treat them as houseplants by placing them next to a sunny window during winter. These plants may lose their leaves, but they will come back in the spring. 13If there is no room for the plants in your living space, you can help them get through winter by storing pots at six to seven degrees Celsius. Examine them twice a month and water them very lightly when the soil feels dry at finger depth. 14Before moving them outdoors, place the plants in a warm, sunny spot. Lightly prune them, water and fertilize the plants about one month before it is safe to move them back outdoors. 15Banana plants 16Potted banana plants should be cut down to soil level when the first frost browns their leaves. Store the containers in a dark place at roughly six to seven degrees Celsius. Look at the soil monthly, watering very lightly only when completely dry. Growth will begin again in spring but keep the plants indoors until the danger of frost has passed. Fertilize and resume regular watering. 17Do not cut back bananas that are growing in the ground in the fall. Just dig them up and contain their roots in a plastic waste bag. Store them as you would a potted banana plant. Cut them down to 15 centimeters in spring and plant them in the garden after the danger of frost has passed. 18Then, put the money you would have spent on new plants toward a water container, a firepit or tropical fruit juice. You can then sit back and enjoy your tropical backyard oasis. 19I'm Jill Robbins. 20Jessica Damiano reported this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. 21______________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23tropics - n. the part of the world that is near the equator where the weather is very warm 24exotic - adj. of a plant or animal - not living or growing naturally in a particular area: from another part of the world 25potted - adj. grown in a pot, a round container usually made out of clay, ceramic or plastic 26frost - n. a thin layer of ice that forms on the ground, on grass, etc., when the air becomes cold 27prune - v. to cut off some of the branches of (a tree or bush) so that it will grow better or look better 28oasis - n. an area in a desert where there is water and plants 29What do you think of this story? Write to us in the Comments Section.