Q: Last fall, I think I brought my houseplants indoors too late. They lost a lot of leaves and languished for weeks before recovering. I almost didn't take them out this summer, but I enjoy them on the patio; they probably grow better with the summer sun rather than indoor lighting. What can I do to make this work better?

A: Most people wait until the last minute before bringing in the plants. They delay until there is a frost warning that will kill the plants. By then, the weather has been too cool during the night — and possibly during the daytime — for tropical plants to thrive.

Houseplants that have been outside over the summer should be brought indoors during the few weeks where the outdoor temperature matches the indoor temperature. That is the period when you don't turn on the air conditioner or the furnace. Moving plants during this time will reduce the temperature shock.

To reduce lighting stress, try to give the plants similar lighting conditions indoors. Leaves that have been growing outdoors in bright shade or full sun will not receive enough indoor light.

If the conditions between outdoors and indoors are too different, the leaves will fall off — new ones will develop for the current environmental conditions. Some plants, such as ficus trees, are more sensitive to these changes; they will do better if left indoors all year.

Before bringing them indoors, wash off the plant. Get rid of as many insects on the leaves as possible. If the plant is small enough to pull out of the pot, check the root system to see if it is harboring roly-poly pill bugs, earwigs, spiders and other creatures that you don't want indoors.

Q: Some of the fish in our little pond grew quite large this summer, plus we have many baby goldfish. We don't know what to do with them. What can we do to protect them?

A: This is a problem that occurs to many people with ponds. They buy large fish and then the fish have babies. Sometimes, many of those babies survive until winter — the pond becomes overstocked with all these large and small fish during winter. Large fish need more oxygen than small fish since they have a greater amount of muscle and tissue mass. But under the ice, small fish gain better access to small bubbles and other sources of air compared to larger fish. When there is not enough air for all the fish, the large fish die. A good amount of small fish die too; however, they go unnoticed because there are many small fish still alive.

This time of year, every pond owner (even in areas that don't get cold winters) should look at the number of fish as well as the sizes of the fish. If a large number of new ones are present, then it is a good idea to give them to someone that can use them. Keep the pretty ones — the ones you brought for a good amount of money and the friendly ones that come up to be fed. Try to get rid of all the rest; it is the kindest and safest thing you can do for your fish.

Start now since it may take some time to find a good home for the extra fish. Many pond clubs have fall meetings and trade shows where your extra fish can be taken to find a good pond home.

Q: I've read about the benefits of manure. If I dumped some in my fall garden beds would it age sufficiently when spring arrives? What advice can you give concerning hauling some of the extra manure from a nearby farm?

A: There are several benefits to adding composted manure to your garden beds. The manure contains organic matter that will loosen heavy clay soils, giving them better air and water movement; it provides sandy soil with a better water- and nutrient-holding capacity. It contains beneficial nutrients and microorganisms for plants.

Unfortunately, raw manure is also high in salts and raw nutrients that are not available to plants. The salts will burn plant roots and stems, even if the plant is dormant for the winter. Salt damage will also show up as yellow or brown leaf edges.

The urea, ammonia and ammonium forms of nitrogen are all unavailable to most plants. The microorganisms, which convert these chemicals into the nitrate form for plants, have needs of their own — they require warmth, moisture and air to form healthy colonies.

Manure will not compost quickly if it is spread out too thin, since it will not stay warm and moist. It will not remain warm over the winter in cold climate areas. Therefore, the manure won't break down into compost at all.

The manure can contain many weed seeds, pill bugs and maggots. Let the farm keep the manure until it is composted. Then use a pickup truck that can be easily washed clean. Many farms are looking to get rid of manure; check with local ones to see what they do. Avoid taking the raw kind, unless you have a place to make a compost pile for it.

E-mail questions to Jeff Rugg, Kendall County unit educator, University of Illinois Extension at jrugg@uiuc.edu. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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