Now that the warm weather is here to stay for a while, it’s a good idea to give your house plants a taste of outdoor life. Tired looking indoor plants, with the exception of a few tender ones like African violets and some of the cacti, take a new lease on life in a shady spot in the garden or in a slat-covered frame. The shading or slats should cut out about one-half of the normal light.
Plunge the plants, pot and all, into well drained soil, but remember that whether inside or out the plants will need regular watering when necessary and will also require protection against insects. A good spray of Neem oil every ten days or so will do the trick, or you can use a combination spray. The directions given with the spray material for use on greenhouse plants are about right for house plants. It is also a good idea to give them an occasional feeding, and here I prefer liquid fertilizer, though a tablespoon of any soluble fertilizer mixed into a gallon of water and fed to the plants in the same way you apply water will serve the purpose well.
Adjust the lawn mower as soon as hot, dry weather arrives so that the grass will not be cut too short. Set it to cut about 1 1/2 to 2 inches. If you have facilities for watering the lawn turn on the sprinkler as soon as the soil becomes dry, and be sure to soak thoroughly. You will have fewer weeds and fewer bugs if the lawn is watered well when it needs it.
Chinch bugs are one of the worst lawn headaches. You find them on the soil surface. The adult is a small dark colored insect with transparent wings and the young are very tiny and of reddish pink color. The first brood hatches in early June, but you can control them at that time by spraying thoroughly with an insecticide labeled specifically for their control or call in lawn care professionals.
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