Has anyone started to bring in their tropicals or anything else? I have plumerias, EE's, and citrus that I am overwintering and wondering if I should start bringing them indoors. Thanks
Tina
Bringing in plants
The EEs should do well through the winter in the ground with occassional watering.
LouC..(Christi) told me to dig plumerias before frost / freeze and lay it down, dry root on a dark shelf. Then replant in the garden in the spring. It worked the year before, but last year we put in daylight grow lights and I forgot about my "stick". It had rotted by spring.
Citrus... I have three in large pots and do bring them in but only if a freeze is coming. Under the grow lights inside the shop and they bloomed and set fruit for me. I do have one in the ground that made if fine last year, but it is younger.
We still have a month or so before any chance of freezing temps, I believe.
Others please chime in....
A bit further south but we usually see our first frost around Thanksgiving here. I am starting to treat the plants that will go in the GH for bugs but if I moved them in now, they would fry.
Tina ~ I would say leave them out and enjoy them in your yard now that the weather has turned pleasant. You will have time to protect them.
The long range forecast is for a warm winter. Unless you have room inside to keep them in tropical conditions, I'd say leave them out for now.
Ours are in a south-facing area sheltered from the wind, so they stay out most of the year. They'd probably have more fruit if I could get them somewhere warmer, but they're healthy enough.
I do have to always be attentive to watering this time of year. Even though it's no longer so hot, at least here, it's still a lot drier than the tropics.
I would leave most EE outside for the Winter. The only one I bring in is my giant Alocasia because it just gets bigger every year. If I gave you one of these, I would dig it up and wash the soil out of the roots, cut off all leaves but the newest one and keep it from freezing.
