This summer – that’s coming to an end much too quickly - my husband and I have enjoyed a lot of walking time together - probably more than we’ve ever done in previous years. And up until a couple of weeks ago, even though we’ve always invited the kids to join, it’s generally been just the two of us. Walking, my technologically-adept (captive) children claim is “soooo boring”.

Until we discovered the squirrels.

One evening in early August, as we strolled along a pathway in the apple orchard behind my old college campus, a squirrel hopped in our direction. This scenic area - that includes benches and picnic tables for students and passersby - is home to several squirrels. And how can it not be? With an abundance of trees in a remote area that offer homes to nests, a hearty supply of food, and safety from the dangers of urban life - including the ominous automobile and the occasional nasty human – it’s as close to a haven in a large metropolitan area as these critters can find.

With some clicking sounds, I managed to get this furry creature’s attention. He stopped, stood on his hind legs to get a better view and then bounced right over. Instead of being delighted, I felt terrible. Here was this friendly animal in front of me with his tail twitching in anticipation of the treat I was inevitably going to pitch; the treat that did not exist. I’d tricked him.

“Sorry little fella. I promise we’ll bring you something tomorrow”

And we did. We brought a bag full of peanuts with us the next day, and the next, and every day after that. That was a few weeks ago. Since then, whenever the weather and our schedule permit, we stop to feed the squirrels on our way to pick up coffee. The tamer ones come running towards us as soon as we step into the pathway of the orchard, and follow us to the bench where we park ourselves (okay, we lure them with a trail of peanuts). As we call out to gather in more squirrels, they begin to surface from all over – they dash across lawns, climb down trees, crawl under fences, bounce along pathways – until we are surrounded by them. Some evenings there are so many of them that the hefty food supply we arrive with is consumed within minutes. These buggers sure can eat. A lot.

It was in the midst of one of these captivating moments that the light bulb clicked on over my head and I said to my husband “Maybe the kids would enjoy this enough to come walking with us”. And I was right. For awhile, before school started and homework took precedence, we quite often had a couple of young people in tow whenever an invitation to join us for a stroll was extended. The heavy sigh, the rolling of the eyes and the “soooo boring” mantra was replaced by a wide-eyed, bushy-tailed “Sure!” Ah, the power of nature.

These engaging moments have become an integral part of our daily walk. Relaxing and soul-pacifying, they are a terrific way to connect with nature and disconnect from the harsh edges of urban life. But like anything else in these northern woods, the impending arrival of winter will put an end to it. Since squirrels retire to their nests way before dark, - and may not leave their nests for days during winter storms or severe cold - as soon as the days begin getting shorter and colder, our moments with them will decrease until there are no more - until the spring.
And just like the squirrels, we’ll also begin spending more and more time in the warmth and safety of our own brick-lined and insulated nests. We’ll close windows to keep the cold out, and turn on heating systems to keep the warmth in. Day length will shorten, cloudy days will reign, humidity will plummet and – if it’s not circulated - air will become stale. And just like our own health can suffer with all these unfavorable elements, so can the health of our plants.

Winter is an especially stressful period for indoor greenery. Dry air, low light, improper watering, unnecessary feeding and stagnant air are just a few of the cold season’s elements that can leave the hardiest of plants looking ragged. Moreover, when plants are weakened they are highly susceptible to other problems such as insect attacks and diseases.

But it doesn’t need to be that way. By practicing some of the preventive measures listed below – all year long – your plants will have no trouble at all getting through every season, even winter.


Preventive Measures To Keep Plants Healthy


Inspect New Plants

The worst thing you can do to your existing collection of houseplants is to bring home a new member plagued with something evil like Scale, Spider Mites or Mealybug that will spread from one plant to another like wildfire. Before you head to the cash, examine new purchases carefully. Never leave a store without a full inspection, especially to rule out pest infestations.

For more information: How Much Is That Flora In The Window?


Educate Yourself
Most houseplants die within a year or two of being bought (or received) because growers lack the necessary skills to help their greenery thrive. Don’t rely on an ambiguous, generalized tag attached to the plant at the greenhouse to point you in the right direction; one size does not fit all in the world of plant care. Educate yourself for maximum success.

• Start by asking for the name of the plant and the type of care it requires while you’re in the greenhouse; reputable stores should have knowledgeable staff.
• Visit your local library, borrow reading material from friends or family or treat yourself to a new houseplant book at your local shop. Don’t just flip through the pretty plant pictures, read the text!
• If you are reading this, then you have internet access. What better way to learn about plants and their care than by researching about them on the World Wide Web?
• Make friends with established green thumbs. They’ll share valuable information, tips, tricks, secrets to their success - and maybe even plants!
• Join internet garden forums or local organizations where you can ask questions, share information and make new friends.

Along with learning about how to care for your plants, you’ll also learn to troubleshoot problems that appear. Getting the essential information for proper care is a smart move all around.

For some suggestions on books: Read All About It


Use A Quality, Sterile Medium Designed For Indoor Plants

Houseplants cannot be placed in ‘any old dirt’; they need to be grown in specialized soils. Never use weathered - or leftover - garden soil, black earth and top soil to pot up your indoor plants. Outdoor soils are not sterilized and may contain insects, mites, diseases and other detrimental elements that can weaken and kill your plants. A variety of good quality, sterile commercial potting mixes are readily-available and reasonably-priced so there’s really no reason why your houseplants can’t be grown in a preferred, uncontaminated medium important to their health. You can also choose to make your own potting mixes with simple and inexpensive ingredients available at your local garden center.


Ensure Good Drainage

A plant’s roots require water and air - two essential elements - to stay healthy. Therefore, houseplants should be grown in a potting medium that is able to retain proper amounts of moisture, allow sufficient drainage of excess water and be air permeable. Purchase an airy, porous medium (or mix up your own) to ensure that water and air are reaching the roots to keep them in good shape while lessening the chances of over watering.

Along with a good potting medium, a container with drainage holes is highly recommended. While it is possible to use pots without drainage holes, they are much more difficult to manage, and much more likely to cause over watering, which is a plant’s death sentence.


Keep Them Groomed

When leaves are clogged by dust and grime they can’t absorb as much light or breathe as well. This causes a plant stress. And a stressed-out plant is susceptible to pest infestations and diseases. Dust on outdoor plants is washed away by the rain and insects are kept in check by being blown away by the wind. Since those beneficial elements of Mother Nature are not available indoors, it’s up to us to meet those needs for our houseplants.

There are a number of ways to clean your indoor plants:

• hose them down outdoors (weather permitting)
• shower them in the bathtub
• rinse them under running water at the sink
• wipe their leaves with a sponge or cloth
• dunk their foliage in a bucket of water and swish it back and forth
• sweep the dirt away with a soft brush (ideal for fuzzy-leaved plants such as African Violets)

This maintenance step may sound like a lot of work but you’ll find that it requires very little effort, especially if you make it a habit of tidying up while you water your plants.


Circulate The Air

In the great outdoors there is always some type of air movement - from a light breeze to strong winds - even on those days when there seems to be absolutely no evidence of it, no rustling of leaves. This constant air movement, which helps to minimize pest and fungal problems, is very beneficial to plants.

Indoors the story is quite different. In poorly-ventilated, tightly-sealed, centrally-heated (and air conditioned) homes, the air becomes very stale - very quickly - creating a haven for insects and diseases. It’s important to solve this problem by taking appropriate action.

Keep the air in constant movement by running ceiling fans, floor fans, opening windows and keeping doors open for cross ventilation. Don’t overcrowd your plants; give them enough room to breathe. Good spacing, combined with adequate ventilation, discourages stagnant air, which helps deter fungal diseases such as botrytis and powdery mildew.


Get A Grip On That Watering Can

Most of the problems encountered with houseplants occur from poor watering habits. One of the biggest mistakes houseplant owners make is to water their plants on a fixed schedule. There are a number of elements that affect when your plants need watering – plant, pot, environment, season - therefore it is utterly impossible to place any plants on an inflexible thirst-quenching program. Scheduled watering routines are a dangerous habit to develop; stay clear of that compulsion. Focus instead on a more positive practice: observation; your best guide to handling watering matters.

While I do agree that watering is one of the most difficult things to master, it is also one of the most important. Learning to manage water requirements carefully – especially during the winter - through education (books, research) and a hands-on approach pays off in the long run with healthy, actively-growing plants.

Provide Sufficient Humidity

During the winter, when the heating system is running, humidity can plummet down to less than 20%. A plant growing in such a terribly dry environment will lose moisture rapidly and develop stress-related symptoms if exposure is prolonged. Some warning signs that humidity levels are much too low include: brown leaf tips and margins, premature bud loss, lack of blooms, defoliation and curling of leaves. To top it all off, dry air is an invitation to pests (especially spider mites).

There is no need for your houseplants to suffer. There are many ways that you can increase the humidity in dry areas. A few suggestions include: misting, pebble trays, double-potting, grouping, humidifiers, terrariums and strategic positioning (placing humidity lovers in rooms where humidity is generally higher such as kitchens and bathrooms).

For more information: Improving Humidity


All The Extras

Along with everything that’s been mentioned so far, you should also keep plants out of the direct path of drafts, heaters & air conditioners, provide ideal temperatures, adjust light levels accordingly (intensity/quality changes with seasons), avoid temperature fluctuations, wash your hands after treating infested plants to avoid spreading pests, quarantine infested plants and fertilize only when (and if) it’s necessary.

For more information: No More Summer Nights


Above are some of the preventive measures you can carry out to preserve the health of your plants all year round, especially during the dismal months of winter. But the most important cultural practice to carry out regularly is observation. Plants give clear signs if something is ailing them – by means of symptoms – so peek in on them from time to time to check on their progress. This will reveal the emergence of problems in their early stages, way before they spiral out of control, giving you the opportunity to nip them in the bud and restore your plant’s health quickly and efficiently. And plants are just as quick to give signs of contentment when their needs are properly met by showering you with an abundance of blooms and new, healthy growth.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Even in the plant kingdom.


Just For Fun:

Since my bushy-tailed friends inspired this article, I’ve included a small tribute to them below - including photos.

Some Interesting Squirrel Facts...

1. The sweat glands of a tree squirrel are located on their feet, between the foot pads and on their paws between the toes.

2. Squirrels communicate through a series of chirps. The frequency and the duration of the notes communicate everything from laughter to alarm.

3. A squirrel will break the shell of a nut with its teeth then clean the nut by licking it or rubbing it on its face before it is buried. This action applies a scent to the nut which helps the squirrel find it later, even under a foot of snow.

4. Squirrels are the cleanest animals in the rodent family. If a squirrel's nest becomes infested with fleas or other parasites, it will move to, or build a new nest.

5. Gray squirrels build nests in unusual places; attics and crawl spaces are the most commonly-chosen areas, but automobiles, chimneys, barbecue grills and the underneath of porches have been used.

6. A squirrel’s teeth never stop growing. Gnawing keeps teeth from growing into a squirrel’s neck.

7. When frightened, squirrels dart back and forth to confuse predators. This doesn't work well with cars; most city squirrels don't live longer than a year.

8. The gray squirrel’s diet consists of nuts, seeds and fruit. But it will also eat bird eggs, bugs, and even an animal carcass if there is no other food source available.

9. Gray squirrels bury their acorns all over the place ("scatter hoarding"), then forget where. Forgotten acorns become trees. This forgetfulness is the main way oak and other hardwood forests grow and spread, scientists say.

10. Gray squirrels are called "living fossils" because they haven't changed much in 37 million years.

A FEW PHOTOS OF OUR SQUIRRELS
* mouseover a small image to see a larger format or click to open it in a new window *

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