Plant Questions
Gertens carries annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, water plants, house plants, edibles, cacti/succulents, seasonal blooming holiday plants and a wide variety of bulbs and seeds!
Annuals are plants that complete their life cycle in one growing season (spring – fall/frost).
Perennials are plants that live for more than two growing seasons. They die back in winter and re-emerge in spring.
Hardiness is the capacity of a cultivated plant to withstand adverse conditions, usually its tolerance of low temperature. Plants are given a hardiness rating by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 11 zones based on the coldest or warmest temperature in that zone. The southern part of Minnesota is in zone 4 and the northern part is in zone 3.
Tropical plants are usually enjoyed for the summer and then discarded or brought indoors for the winter. Some tropicals go dormant in winter and can be kept in a dark cool place. They do need to be watered infrequently to keep their roots moist. Other tropicals need to be kept in a sunny window and may need grow lights and added humidity.
Attracting hummingbirds, butterflies and bees to your garden is best done with flowering plants, usually native perennials and grasses. Grasses can provide habitat, while flowering natives provide nectar. There are also a variety of annuals and tropical plants that flower.
Yes! Apply neem oil early in the morning or at night when beneficial insects are dormant. Keep in mind that it does take time for neem oil to work and you may need to reapply. Follow the directions on the bottle. Neem oil does have a strong smell so be mindful of that.
To take care of a butterfly bush during the fall put the plant in a pot and bring it inside (an unheated garage is fine) during winter. Deadhead as necessary. Water once a month.
A short list of perennials that do well in shade include Coral Bell, Astilbe, Aralia, Snakeroot, Hosta, Ferns, Bleeding Hearts and more.
Yes, an unheated garage should be just enough extra protection for zone 5 plants. Don’t let the plant dry out for long periods, water it about once a month.
Spider mites are common on house plants in our warm dry homes but are easily controlled with diluted rubbing alcohol or dish soup sprayed on the infected plant. Pyrethrin is an organic insecticide that will kill most insects on houseplants. The most efficient way is to treat the soil where the eggs are.
Plants growing in pots should be repotted when the roots start growing out of the drain holes. Typically, the new pot should be just one size larger than the pot it’s been growing in. Never use garden soil in a pot. Always use a soilless container mix.
If you have a southern facing window with all day sun, you may grow seedlings in a windowsill. Be sure to rotate the seedlings frequently to ensure the plants do not lean heavily towards the sun. For more even results, use a grow light, positioned roughly 4” above the topmost leaves of the seedlings.
A short list of perennials that will attract butterflies includes Yarrow, Coneflowers, Blazing Star, Asters, Milkweed, Butterfly weed, Black-eyed Susan and Bee balm aka Monarda. These are all hardy to Minnesota.
Yes, bring the plant inside and put it in a sunny window. Cut the plant back as far as necessary to move into the house. Bring them indoors when temperatures drop below 60 degrees F. Don’t expect any blooms over the winter months.
The ideal time to spray fungicides would be mid-summer. Spray every 2-3 weeks.
Yes, you can overwater plants. Especially in pots but also in the ground, however, planting in the ground allows for better water dispersion so the odds of overwatering are less. Low lying areas may be more prone to flooding. Areas with clay soil also tend to hold water.
Grow lights should be kept roughly 4-5” above the top of seedling leaves. If you are using very powerful LEDs, you could even keep them 8-10” away.
Indoor lighting and supplement lighting are big topics. Fluorescent lights have been used to grow seedlings and must be within inches of the plants to be useful. The introduction of LED lights has improved the usefulness of grow lights dramatically. LED lights produce high quality light without the damaging heat of fluorescent and incandescent. Various plants require different light qualities.
Monarch butterflies are attracted to all types of native Milkweed. The female Monarch lays her eggs only on Milkweeds - plants in the Asclepias genus - where the caterpillars will hatch, feed and grow before forming a chrysalis. Adults also love Butterfly weed (a part of the Asclepias genus), Asters, Joe Pye weed and much of the same plants any other type of butterfly would enjoy.