822-Lanc«ster Fanning, Saturday, Novambar 4, 1995 Houseplants Brought In UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) —Those houseplants you’ve kept outside all summer may be harboring unwanted guests. “When bringing plants inside for the winter, it’s important to keep them on your porch for a few days, where they won’t be killed by a frost and where you can check them for insects and other pests,” says Dr. Robert Nuss, pro fessor of ornamental horticulture in Penn State’s College of Agri cultural Sciences. “Even one or two insects can be the start of an infestation.” I*ests to look for ate aphids, mealybugs, spider mites, white flies and scale. Aphids are small, black or green crawling insects that live in thick colonies along the soft parts of stems, sometimes covering them entirely. They excrete a sweet liquid called honeydew, which often attracts ants. “Aphids are quite destructive,” says Nuss. “They cause distorted and curled leaves, malformed flowers, and hardened buds.” Mealybugs are about the same size as aphids but are white and The new 7000 Gas Range The charm and beai'.ty of tha traditional range plus the latent features you’d expect from Heartland. • Six commercial size 10,000 BTU gas burner* with Infinite heat adjustment • Electronic Ignition • Sealed Burners • Timed Oven System • Built tn Exhaust fan • Pull out broiler drawer under oven • Natural gas or propane • Approved for residential or commercial use by American Gas Association and Canadian Gas Association • Available in Gas, Electnc and Woodbummg models Heartland IHI Appliances me. ,nS,OCk fuzzy. Masses of them, resem bling pieces of cotton, nestle and lay eggs where leaves and branches attach to stalks. Mealy bugs can stunt and kill plants by depleting their fluids. White flies also are small and white, but unlike mealybugs, will take flight if you shake the plank “You’ll never find just one white fly on a plant,” says Nuss. “They come in quantities and can spread to all the plants in your house.” Spide mites are miniscule but very destructive. An infested plant will have yellow-speckled leaves and may be covered with tentlike webs; “The mites look like grains of cayenne pepper,” says Nuss. '“They’re easy to spot if you hold a piece of white paper under the plant and shake the leaves so the mites drop onto the paper.” Scale appears as blister-like areas on stems and the undersides of leaves. These areas can be cir cular, oyster-shell-shaped or rectangular and are colored white, brown, grey or black. Scale also produces honeydew, which may drip from the leaves. “Scale seri ously stunts growth,” says Nuss. W« Dcllvtr (olema For Winter Need Special Attention “If not treated, it can kill the plant and spread to other plants. “With a small infestation, you may be able to wipe the pests off with a Q-Tip dipped in alcohol,” says Nuss. “Rinsing the plant under a gentle stream of water for a few minutes can wash away insects and eggs. Keep checking the plant for a recurring infesta tion during the next couple of weeks.” It’s also important to gently dig around the roots and look for pests in the soil, such as sow bugs, mil lipedes and slugs. You can remove most of these by hand, or you may want to rinse the soil off with a garden hose and repot the plant in new soil. Serious, persistent infestations can be treated with an insecticidal soap spray or a multipurpose insecticide containing a miticide. Both are available from gardening centers. “Be careful to follow the directions on the label exactly,” says Nuss. “Excess spray can be toxic to the plant. 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It also is a good idea to let & ; ilt slightl follow all Uiese precautions if watering) .. says Nuss . ..^ verwa . you ve bought a plant or received tering quickly can kill plants.” one as a gift, says Nuss. Even j s setting your plants outside well-cared-for nursery plants can worth all y* hassle? < The advan . " a “ K ? Pests. tages are great,” says Nuss. “Sun- Fall also is the tune to repot light, rain and warm weather plants that have been outdoors all summer. Turn the plant upside down and tap the bottom of the pot while supporting the plant. The roots and soil probably will come out in one piece. If the roots are crowded into the shape of the pot, it’s time to remove the old soil and move the plant to a pot one size larger. If the plant has grown exces sively, you may want to trim it to an appropriate indoor size. “Trim ming can stimulate more growth, so you might need to do it again later,” says Nuss. 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