Bringing The Outdoors In

Transitioning your indoor plants

It’s almost that time of year again. Your indoor plants have been vacationing out on the deck this summer, but soon they’ll need to return to their cozy indoor home.

When overnight temperatures drop below 50 degrees, it’s time to bring your tropical and semi-tropical plants back indoors. This usually happens in October for our area.

Before bringing the plants right back into the house, you’ll want to do a few things. First, gradually start moving the plants to areas with a little less light. Your home, in general, has a lot less light than the outdoors. When bringing indoor plants back inside, you will want to take care in not shocking them too much with the dramatic change in lighting. Transition the plants over about a week with each day receiving slightly less bright light. You can expect to lose some leaves as your plant adjusts back to its indoor home. 

Second, prepare your windows and indoor spaces for the plants to come back inside. Have your plants grown? Do you have the right space for the plants? You may need to give your plants a trim in order to bring them back indoors or add extra shelves to house them on. Now is the time to start preparing for the migration back home. 

Third, inspect your plants for any bugs or insects that may have used your plants as their home. It’s much easier to wash plants free of their insect friends while they are still outdoors. Need something a little bit stronger than just water? Neem oil is a safe and effective treatment alternative.

Next you’ll want to check your plants for trimming and repotting. Do you have potting soil, the right size pots and a good fertilizer ready? Many annuals make great indoor houseplants as well. Consider taking cuttings of impatiens, begonias, geraniums and coleus to pot up for some added indoor beauty. 

Lastly, fertilize your plants with a high quality fertilizer to give them an added boost. Don’t over-water, but rather let them dry out a bit between waterings. Add pebble trays underneath pots that like a lot of humidity as well. Your plants are back indoors and it’s time to enjoy!