And Al, if you're reading, what are the watering requirements when you expect frost? Transpiration rates decrease as soil temperatures decrease, so it is best for the plant when the soil remains nicely damp and fully oxygenated. We often see plants wilting in the spring, especially on sunny days, even when the soil is quite moist. The reason is usually because the cold medium renders roots less efficient. Compounding the issue is that cold water in the soil is also thicker, more dense or more viscous, making it more difficult for plants to access. When soil temperatures warm, or when air temperatures cool as evening approaches, the wilting usually corrects itself. From your other post: . . . but I also just read today that watering them might help them not freeze. I'm a little confused. Plant tissues freeze and die when the liquid inside of cells freezes & ruptures the cells, but fortunately, plants have intracellular soluble organic compounds (inside of cell walls) that act as antifreeze for the plant. These solutes are most highly concentrated when water levels inside the cell are low. From this, you can see that a well-hydrated plant is more likely to freeze than one suffering mild drought stress. Al

Since this is my first season having them in pots, I haven't crossed that bridge yet. Mine are all in terra cotta which I love even though it gets a bad wrap for being a water hog. Up until this year, I've cleaned out and stored my pots in the garage for the winter. I can't decide if I'm going to dig holes and sink them in the ground or what exactly to do yet. Anyone else want to chime in on this one? Stephanie

I think I would haul them in only if I thought the wood might be infested with termites. Even though redwood is resistant overtime weathered wood can apparently be infested. Those chemicals are ones used in soil fumigation but obviously not the same rate, formulations, etc. Some of these chemicals are being phased out and none of them are available to the homeowner to sterilize their soil. I don't think psyllids have a cycle where they are in the soil anyway (?) and I would not go to all that trouble for ants. Just use boiling water or soap and water. You could dump all the soil on a big tarp, add new compost, etc. and put the redwood containers in to be gassed. I tend to agree with the technician but I am no expert so could not tell you to go ahead and do it. I pour boiling water (VERY CAREFULLY) in containers invested with nematodes --would not be prepared to do what you propose because it seems to be the antithesis of Integrated Pest Management gardening where you go for the least toxic methods first.

Spider plants are one of the most forgiving plants when it comes to playing in their soil. They have huge roots that grow forever and continue to grow when disturbed. It's all your preference whether or not you want to pot them up separately or with the mother plant. If there is room in the pot, there is no reason not to unless the mother plant is diseased or suffering from root problems or you want to give one to everybody in your neighborhood. If you don't, you'll end up with hundreds of plants. You can also root them in a separate pot and when it's time to pot up the mother plant add the babies back in with it.