Q. What is the best way to clean indoor plant leaves?

It's a good idea to wipe down or wash your indoor plants occasionally. Dust-covered leaves can't photosynthesize effectively, and excess dust can attract pests. Smaller plants can be rinsed off under the faucet using cool or lukewarm water. Larger plants with big leaves (bird of paradise, some ficus, monstera, philodendron) that are difficult to move can be wiped off with a clean cloth moistened with plain water. For plants with smaller, more numerous, or delicate leaves, I like to use a spray bottle filled with distilled water. Tap water would be acceptable, but distilled water will not leave unsightly water spots.

I've also taken my plants outside and used the mister setting on my garden hose. The danger in doing this is that you forget to bring the plants back inside promptly. Leaving them out in the sun will result in burned/bleached-out leaves and this is worse than dusty leaves.

Q. How do I keep my pumpkins from rotting? I like to decorate my front porch with them, but they always go bad before Halloween.

I usually wait until the last week of October before putting out any Halloween decorations because we still can get 100-degree days in early October. In New York, you could put your pumpkins out in September and those suckers would be frozen solid until March. The downside is that you need a reciprocating saw to carve them.

When choosing pumpkins, avoid ones with any dings or damage since these are more likely to go bad sooner. Pumpkins that are heavy for their size are going to have thicker walls and are less likely to heat up and rot when left in the sun. Wipe them down with either rubbing alcohol or bleach to kill any mold spores. If possible, try to find a shadier spot to display them. Avoid letting them sit directly on a hard surface where moisture can accumulate underneath. Setting them on a bed of straw can keep them from rotting from the bottom by allowing some air to circulate underneath.

Wait until a day before Halloween to carve. We've found our smiling Jack O' Lantern turned wrinkled and toothless overnight due to our dry weather. Keeping the carved pumpkins in a cooler helped a bit.

For a unique decoration, you could poke holes in your pumpkin in the shape of a smiling face and leave it out in the yard for a few days. The squirrels and mice will gnaw away along the holes and the result will be truly disturbing. This is a great project if you have preteen boys.

Los Angeles County

[email protected]; 626-586-1988; http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/