Autumn is upon us. At higher altitudes, it may even look like winter already. Plants, like people, experience a seasonal transition that often requires special protection against the elements or other cyclical changes.

Here is a checklist to keep your outdoor and indoor plants healthy until next spring. 

• Dig up any tender bulbs and store in a cool, dark place until spring planting time.
• Clean flower beds of debris. Remove spent foliage of bulb plants but not until it is brown and dried. Bulb plants extract food for next year from the green foliage.
• Mulch any tender shrubs, Rose bushes, perennial flowers and herbs, fruit bushes, and newly planted trees.
• Prune trees or shrubs that require fall pruning. Remove dead branches that can weaken the overall tree. Do not prune flower buds off of flowering trees that have already set buds for next year.
• Rake your lawn of any leaves or pine needles which can smother your grass. Use them as mulch in other needed areas. Pine needles and some leaves are acidic so only use as mulch on acidic-loving plants. 
• Fertilize the lawn in the fall as it can store food and use it when needed. Do not fertilize other plants that will be resting and going into dormancy, including plants being moved indoors.  
• After harvesting the last of your edible crops, pull up spent plants to add to compost. If you do not have a compost bin, lay the plants down throughout the garden. Some gardeners till this plant matter into the ground in the fall or it can be done in the spring. Either way, it will return valuable nutrients back to the soil for next year’s garden. 
• Inspect any container plants that will be moved indoors very carefully for insects. Spray with a natural pesticide or insecticidal soap if necessary.   Place plants in areas with proper lighting conditions. Quarantine plants from other indoor houseplants until guaranteed that no pests are brought in. Indoor conditions are perfect for new insects to hatch and quickly multiply. Inspect plants every couple days for several weeks.  Plants will initially require less water going into a resting period and with less exposure to wind and hot sun. Once the heat is turned on in the home, watering needs may increase but be careful not to overwater! As always, keep any toxic plants away from pets. 
• Most indoor plants will slow in growth and take a rest. Cut back on fertilizer to avoid encouraging too much new growth. Due to shorter days, some plants may need supplemental light. Heat source and temperature in the home will affect water requirements. Know each plant’s preference and water according to the dryness of the soil rather than a set schedule. Plants that need high humidity may need frequent misting to overcome dry forms of household heat. They would also enjoy being in the bathroom during bath/shower time a few times a week. 
• Specialty indoor plants may actually be in their peak growth season and have opposite requirements this time of year from regular indoor foliage plants. Begin specific cyclical care early enough for expected blooming times for plants such as Christmas cactus, Amaryllis, or Poinsettias. Where such plants are grown outside in warmer regions, take precautions to provide needed care for blooming. For instance, Poinsettias are light sensitive and when planted where they will be washed with outdoor lighting or car headlights after dark, they will not bloom unless covered at night to block out any light. 
• Be ready for the unexpected. Imagine if citrus growers were not prepared for a killing freeze even though such weather may be uncommon in their region. Which plants can you save from bizarre, unexpected weather or natural disasters and how?