Please don’t forget the houseplants. Just when you thought your gardening chores were about wrapped up, and you could sit before the fire with a cup of a tea and a good gardening read, that little African violet in the corner squeaks “feed me.” Or, how about the common houseplant treatment at our place that consists of shuttling rooted cuttings, in canning jars, between the kitchen sink and the front porch? That’s the current state of affairs for a slip of a night- blooming cactus that actually might grow if I pot it up soon.

Generally, houseplant growers tend to be overdoting, rather than neglectful. The most common problem for houseplants seems to be too much water. The best growers recommend watering when plants need it, rather than by a regular schedule. You can tell an overwatered plant by the yellowing lower leaves and the feel of damp soil on your fingertips when you dig them into the pot two inches down. The underwatered plant is a sad character, with droopy leaves and parched soil. Here’s a hint to avoid both predicaments – keep your houseplants in pots with drainage holes so that when you do water, the excess drains out.

Houseplant fans also suggest giving flowering plants more light, and foliage plants less. It’s best to avoid hot, direct sun rays for long periods of time. Bleached-out leaves indicate too much light. Spidery, thin growth means not enough light.

Then there are the drafts. Sudden changes in temperature, such as rushing my canning jars full of cuttings off the front porch and into the warm laundry room during an ice storm, can be lethal. Some plants are sensitive enough that abruptly moving them from a cold room to near a furnace or on the top of a television set can cause an effect, and not just the stupor that accompanies too much reality television. Wilting foliage and brown-tipped leaves will tell you that in plants – glazed eyes reveal the illness in humans.

Then there are the insect pests. Next to too much reality TV, insects can be very damaging to houseplants. Check the undersides of leaves regularly, especially on those plants brought in from outdoors. There’s no need to turn to a chemical insecticide – most often, a mild soapy solution or a cotton ball dipped in alcohol can be used to wash the insects off.

In addition to all of this attention, most houseplants like a fertilizer tonic in the winter to keep their leaves green. You can choose an every-other-month schedule for most houseplants in winter, because it’s not the active growing season. A compost tea or medium strength tonic (10-5-5) should do the trick.

If you plan to travel over the upcoming holidays, you might consider turning your bathtub or shower into a mini greenhouse to protect your houseplants. Jan McNeilan, Oregon State University Extension Service consumer horticulture agent, suggests lining your tub or shower with a plastic drop cloth and place layers of newspaper over it. Arrange the plants and wet the leaves, soil and newspaper. Then pull the shower door or curtain and drape another drop cloth over the top. If you have to, use tape to secure the top cloth to the wall. Leave your light on in the bathroom and the plants should be healthy when you get home.

McNeilan cautions against this method for African violets, cacti, or succulents with leaves that rot easily. A plant wick that transfers water, via capillary action, from a water jar to dry plant soil would be a better option.

Cathy Peterson belongs to the Clatsop County Master Gardener Association. Please send gardening news or comments to “In the Garden,” The Daily Astorian, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 or online to peterson@pacifier.com

Keep the home fires burningYou want to buy a load of firewood for the winter? Firewood is usually sold either “green” or “seasoned.” But buyers beware.

“Seasoned” is a relative term. What you really want to know is whether it’s dry enough to burn efficiently.

The Oregon State University Extension Service suggests looking for cracking at the ends of split wood. Cracks indicate that the ends are dry, although the center of the wood may still be wet. Knock two pieces of firewood with cracked ends together. They’ll make a sharp cracking noise if they’re dry. A dull thud indicates the pieces are wet.

Weigh a small piece of firewood cut from the middle of a large piece. Record the weight in ounces. Dry the small piece overnight at 200 to 300 degrees in your oven. Weigh it again while it is still warm. The difference in weight is the weight of the water in the wood. Divide the weight of the water by the oven-dry weight in the wood to find the moisture content of your firewood. Wood is ready to burn when the moisture content is less than 20 percent.

People can also borrow or purchase a device that determines the moisture content of firewood by measuring its resistance to an electric current.

And don’t forget – the only correct method of sale for firewood is by the cord. Wood sellers may use other terms such as face cord, rack, pile or truckload. But these are not correct methods of sale, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture. A cord is the known, verifiable standard. A cord is always the same amount – 128 cubic feet of compactly stacked wood in a rectangular form. It can be 4 feet high by 4 feet wide by 8 feet long; or 2 feet high by 8 feet wide by 8 feet long – so long as it stacks up to 128 cubic feet.