Houseplants
Many indoor plants benefit from being placed outside on the patio for the summer. Moving many plants out of the conservatory will save them from baking under glass, and lessen some pest and disease problems, such as red spider mite.
Ventilate and shade sunrooms and conservatories to prevent scorch damage to remaining plants.
Water houseplants freely when in growth, and feed as necessary (often weekly or fortnightly). Water plants in early morning or late evening to avoid the risk of leaf scorch on hot days. Misting plants and standing them on wet gravel helps maintain humidity.
In the greenhouse
Damp down greenhouses on hot days.
Cuttings can be taken and grown on in the greenhouse. Fuschias and pelargoniums are good candidates.
Carry on pricking out any seedlings sown earlier in the season, when they are large enough to handle. Other young plants, already pricked out, may be ready for transplanting to larger pots.
Pest and disease watch
Many conservatory and greenhouse pests will be active during the summer months. Check plants regularly for signs of glasshouse whitefly, leafhopper, glasshouse red spider mite, mealybugs and scale insects.
Yellow card sticky traps are a valuable, low-cost tool for monitoring numbers and types of flying pests in the greenhouse. If large numbers of a particular pest are found, treatment can be instigated.
Ensuring that greenhouse plants are kept in appropriate cultural conditions will help them resist attacks by pests and diseases.
Tidy up fallen leaves, flowers and compost - this will prevent potential pest and disease problems.
