Your Monthly Grow-zine

December 2023

Things to do in the garden this month...

Shop at your locally-owned nursery for winter annuals and new plants for your garden. Avoid the box stores and support small businesses.

Get ready for winter weather. Remember to water early in the day if cold temperatures are predicted for that night. If your area gets occasional frost, have frostcloth (available at most nurseries) on hand to cover any tropicals in danger of being damaged. For more info, see our page on Cold Protection.

Water once a week if it hasn't rained. 

Look for pest damage. Place cuttings of affected plants in plastic bags and take them to your local nursery for diagnosis and treatment options. 

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FROM THE GROW-ZINE ARCHIVES

Christmas Cactus care

This excellent container plant can last for generations if well cared for.

Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) is an epiphyte that comes from a high elevation jungle atmosphere. It needs bright indirect light and shelter from too much heat and too much cold. 

Four to six weeks before you want it to bloom, make sure  it gets total darkness at night.

Water regularly but let the plant go dry between waterings. Cut back after flowering, and repot every few years with fresh soil.

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Bargain plants - worth it?

I have a friend who loves to shop the bargain table at nurseries and box stores. She brings home sad little plants that, for the most part, remain sad little plants.

If you're like her, wanting to "rescue" and save bargain plants and nurse them back to health (and spend less money), consider the fact that these plants look sad and scraggly for a reason.

Granted it might just be lack of care. But you may be introducing pests and disease into your own plant areas. 

My opinion? Buy healthy flourishing plants and forget the bargain ones. The money you spend on a better plant is well worth it. 

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Merry Çhristmas!

Chase Landre

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