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Greenhouse owners should do a thorough annual cleaning

If you have a greenhouse at home, clear it out and wash all of the pots, trays and benches. Cleaning your greenhouse thoroughly will reduce pest problems in the coming year.

Wash the windows inside and out to allow maximum light over the winter - especially if you are planning to grow indoor plants over the winter. Scrub benches, fixtures and glazing bars with a disinfectant, such as one part bleach to nine parts water, to help reduce disease problems.

Be sure to thoroughly hose off all surfaces when you have finished scrubbing.

• During the winter, most houses are too dry for houseplants. If your plants are showing stress because of the dry air, try increasing humidity by placing plants on trays lined with pebbles and filled with water to within one-half inch of the base of the pot.

Group plants together so the water evaporating from the potting soil as well as water lost through the plant's foliage (transpiration) will increase the relative humidity in the vicinity of the plants.

A humidifier increases the humidity in a room or throughout the entire house. Misting would have to be done several times daily to appreciably raise the humidity level and is not practical.

• Herbs growing on windowsills, as well as smaller houseplants, can benefit from spending a few months under artificial lights to supplement the diminished natural sunlight. Homeowners can construct a light table using two 40-watt, full spectrum, fluorescent lights, one cool and one warm, for each foot of shelf space filled with plants.

Try to group plants with similar heights together so the light fixture can be set as close to the plants as possible - a few inches above the plants is best. Keep the lights on for 14 to 16 hours a day.

• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.

If you are fortunate enough to have a greenhouse, cleaning it thoroughly in winter will reduce pest problems in the coming year.
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