One of the most challenging parts of winter is protecting your plants from harsh sunlight and winds, and keeping your plants from drying out. Rapidly fluctuating temperatures in Florida do not benefit your plants. Young and immature roots need to be brought indoors otherwise they won’t acclimate well when exposed to the cold, and will die off before they have a chance to flourish. With a screened in porch or patio, it provides a safe haven for your animals, children, and plants.
During strong windy days, you can bring plants inside your screened in patio for protection. Be sure to place a heavy stone or rock in the bottom of the pot to keep the plant from getting knocked over. If you have plants already hanging in baskets inside of your screened in patio you can use strong chains to fasten them. It is best to place the plants in the corners of your screened in porch for additional safety, but make sure they are receiving plenty of sunlight.
Before the first frost of the winter you should water your plants well and check for any small unwelcome insects before bringing them inside your porch, your garage or your home. Any easy way to get rid of aphids, mealybugs and spider mites is to spray them strongly with a hose. If that doesn’t work then you can try neem oil. Neem oil gives off a bitter taste to the pests and a sulfur smell, so because of this it’s naturally repelling.
To help keep the plants well insulated, place some soil or mulch on the top layer of soil. For the larger plants that you cannot take indoors you can wrap them up in blankets, sheets, or anything creative that will keep the heat inside overnight. Keep your potted plants together when you bring them inside. This way they are grouped together creating a larger thermal mass of heat. If you have time you can also arrange the plants that are most delicate to be surrounded by the more adaptogenic plants.
When your friends and family come over, all the plants on the screened in patio will make a colorful attraction filled with green foliage. At Tripod Aluminum we will be happy to install a screen enclosure in Palm Bay, Melbourne, and all of Brevard and St. Lucie Counties. We have been proudly doing business since 1993, and we would love to have the opportunity to help keep your plants protected with a screened in patio.
