Bringing Houseplants Indoors After Their “Summer Vacation”

Just like us humans, many houseplants enjoy spending their summer vacations outdoors. Bringing your houseplants back inside after a nice summer in the sun can be a rewarding process that allows you to enjoy their beauty year-round. With a little care and patience, you can help them transition their environment and thrive in their indoor habitat during the colder months.

The benefits of outdoor life: 

• Plants love to go “on vacation” outdoors as much as we humans.   
• The warm air, refreshing rain and unfiltered sunlight rejuvenates them.   
• While outside they are able to store enough energy to look good through the winter months.   
• By early October it is time to get them ready to come back inside.

Fall Curfew is the first average frost date in Chicagoland – October 15th

• When night temperatures dip below 45F   
• Most tropical plants will suffer damage when temperatures drop below 40F, a few at 50F  
• Gradual reintroduction is best because conditions vary widely between inside and outside your home  
• Sudden changes in temperature, light and humidity can be traumatic  
• Results are yellow leaves, dieback, wilting or even death 
• The timing dilemma is controlled by the weather
• Take advantage of the late warm sunny days as long as possible 
• For less stress, move plants inside before the furnace is turned on
  

Frost damage from freezing temperatures.

Get Ready for the Move 

• Clean the windows – inside and out – to ensure that the plants get enough light. 
• Re-pot the plants only if they need it 
• If they grew so much that the pot tips over. 
  
• If they are so root bound that you have to water more than 2 times per week to prevent wilting. 
  
• Only use sterilized potting mix and clean containers
• Never increase the pot size more than 2 inches in diameter.
• Build a wide shelf in front of a window or purchase a plant étagère. 
• Add ceiling hooks for hanging pots. 
• Plan to increase humidity around the plants
  
• Humidity trays or trays filled with gravel and water 
• Room humidifier – (even if there is a humidifier attached to the furnace.) 
• Misting – but you must be compulsive to be effective (some people are, but I prefer the humidifier).

Clean up the plants while they are still outdoors.

• Wash leaves off with water both upper surfaces and lower surfaces 

• Inspect leaves for insects and diseases  
• Use a systemic insecticide in the soil – effects last for 30 days (Bonide Systemic Insect Killer) 
• Spray with Bio-Advanced 3-in-1 Insect, Disease & Mite Control – Ready-to-Use spray or Ready-to-Spray Hose-End Sprayer. 
• Spray with Bio-Advanced Rose & Flower Insecticide (RTU – Ready-to-use spray, cleared for use indoors or outdoors – systemic active ingredient stays in plant 30 days) 
• An organic alternative is to spray with insecticidal soap or a pyrethrin based insecticide – spray 2 to 3 times 2-3 days apart. 
• The insect treatment should be done one week before the plants come back into the house. 
•  Just before the move inside, check each plant again to make sure no insects tag along – if still present, repeat the insecticide treatment and isolate the plant. 
• Check the plant every other day before placing them next to other plants. Check plants weekly to make sure the systemic insecticides are working effectively.

• Fertilize once more while outside
• Applying fertilizer is easier when the plant is still outside, take advantage and give the last application before the “dormant“ season 
• Use a synthetic like Schultz’s Houseplant Fertilizer (with 3 micronutrients) or Superthrive Grow 7-9-5 Liquid Plant Food (with 11 micronutrients)

Moving Plants Back Inside

To prevent shock when bringing back indoors, expose plants gradually to reduced lighting. 

•  Realize that shade under a shade tree outside is brighter than a sunny window indoors. 
•  When light levels are lower, expose plants to lower temperatures to reduce their metabolism – 65 degree temperatures are best. 
•  Lower temperatures also reduce the risk of mite eggs hatching. 
•  It’s best if they have been in high light outside to put them in similar light indoors like a south window. 
•  Use a plant light to supplement low light levels indoors – 16 hours of exposure per day is equivalent to a day of full sunlight. Use a timer for best results.

Acclimating back to indoors

“Balancing the checkbook” 

•  Expect some leaves to yellow and fall off   
•  The ones that formed in the sun will not be as efficient in lower light 
•  The chlorophyll cells orient vertically in full sun as opposed to  horizontally in shade  
•  So the plant will form an abscission layer and the leaves will drop off  
•  Do not worry – new ones will form in the lower light to take their place
  

Do Not Overwater  

• Indoors the plants will not require as much water as they did outdoors 
•  Let the soil surface get dry to the touch before watering again 
•  Avoid allowing plants to sit in a saucer full of water, this will kill roots. (15 minutes is the maximum amount of time to sit in water) 
•  Use a turkey baster to suction the water out of the saucer if the plant is too large to lift 
•  Place the pot on top of 2-3 bricks to elevate the pot above the standing water in a saucer; or use a Down Under Plant Stand set in the saucer to set the pot on. The larger size with the 1 ½ inch feet is best to allow more space for drainage water to keep the bottom of the container out of water 
•  Water succulents and cactus even less frequently than foliage plants 
•  If weather is cloudy or rainy, reduce watering as plants will not get sufficient light to need water and the soil will not dry out