I wanted to share some tips on houseplant care with everyone. This is the time of year when we get a lot of questions about houseplants at Sunnyside. We Minnesotans are coming out of a dark, cold, dry winter season and your plants may be showing signs of distress.

Plants drop leaves over winter. They just don’t have the solar energy resources to keep all their summertime foliage lush and vibrant. Plant survival mode sets in around November and will have your plants dropping leaves all winter long…until about now. When spring hits, each day the mornings get brighter and the evenings too. Your plants are ready for some plant food to encourage healthy new growth, they are beginning to photosynthesize more and more each day. It’s time to make some new green!

Please wait to put your plants outside! Each year I see plants that get put outside too soon. Warm days do not beget warm nights…not yet. Houseplants are tropical, out of town visitors that would like to keep toasty warm and at least above 55 degrees (like me). It’s simple, if we have a warm day you can bring out your plants for sunning, but be sure to bring them back in before sunset and the cool overnight.

Noticing tiny creepy pests lingering around your indoor plants? Some micro bugs can cause major damage to the foliage and live undetected on the undersides of leaves and in the soil of your plants. If you suspect you have unwanted creatures lingering about, swing into the store for a quick consult on what you can do to handle it.

When all else fails, get something fresh and new. I always want something fresh and new growing at my house. We have greenhouses full of plants waiting to be adopted into a loving home.