BUFFALO, N.Y. — The weather is starting to get chilly and it's great for those who enjoy the cold, but what about our plants?
2 On Your Side visited the plant experts Tuesday afternoon at Put A Plant On It in the Elmwood Village to get tips on keeping your garden alive as you move your plants inside this fall.
Johanna Dominguez at Put A Plant On It says generally you can bring your plants inside this fall in groups based on what their low-temperature tolerance is.
"So you don't have to bring in, you know, in my case four hundred plants, or however many plants you have, that way you can just focus on a small amount of plants at a time," said Johanna C. Dominguez, who owns Put A Plant On It.
This week, Dominguez started posting tips online with groups of plants that are okay outside in certain temperatures. Many plants can tolerate a night or two out in the cold.
"Oftentimes they come back even stronger after experiencing some little bit of a trauma because that's the plant's response to regenerate more growth," said Johanna C. Dominguez. "You don't want them to be wet and cold because when they're wet and cold, they suffer a lot more. If it's dry and cold, they can be totally fine."
In the winter, plants slow down, so you don't need to give them as much water once you bring them in. And, try not to report them this late in the year. That could cause problems, too. Also, you probably don't have enough natural light in your home to keep your plants healthy.
"I always recommend growing under grow lights. I grow mostly under grow lights in my house. There's some stuff that I have in windows," said Johanna C. Dominguez.
The most common question about bringing plants inside though is how to get rid of pests.
"I don't like to treat preventatively. I like to treat proactively because otherwise, that's how you build pest resistance. So I always say people like give your plants a hose down to expel any spiders or anything like that. I love spiders, they eat all the bad things," said Johanna C. Dominguez.
If you have any questions about your plants, you can ask Put A Plant On It on social media, but they also have a house plant hospital service - basically a plant doctor - you go online to book an appointment and bring the plant in for them to diagnose and treat.
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