Winterizing your oleander properly makes your oleander bloom more

Oleander blooms from May to mid-October and its beautiful flowers bring joy to any gardener. That is why we use it often to decorate balconies and terraces – despite the fact that it is highly poisonous. Oleander is sensitive to frost and you must move it indoors for the winter. However, staying in the living room or elsewhere in the house can seriously harm your plant. So, how should you winterize oleander properly?

In order to bloom nicely next year, your oleander needsto be stored in cold room during its vegetative rest period. Winterizing in a warm room is definitely a bad idea. It will start to lose leaves very soon, which are replaced by new ones, but these are twisted and unsightly.

Do not overdo winter care

The optimal temperature for this plant is 5 to 8 degrees and the room where must also be bright and free of drafts. Water oleander infrequently during the winter as the roots should never dry out completely.

Photo: Pixabay

Allow the oleander to rest until early spring.At the turn of February and March you musts place it in a brighter room(perhaps in a winter garden, etc.) and start watering it regularly.

In April you should fertilize to promote development, but above all, to make it bloom early.

When should you put oleander back outside?

You may spoil your wintering efforts easily, if you put it outside too early. Oleander can be outside only if there is no danger of frosts (let us say in mid-May), but not permanently. During the first week, leave the oleander pot on a terrace or balcony for few hours only and move it inside for the night…like your pet.

After that you can leave it outside permanently.Water abundantly and fertilize well. Continue in this mode until the end of September. If you feel that your oleander has grown a little bit too much, you can remove about 1/3 of shoots in the spring, preferably those just above the ground.

Preview photo: Pixabay