How and when do I bring my houseplants back indoors before winter?

Question:

How and when do I bring my houseplants back indoors after spending the summer outside before winter?

Answer:

Many of our houseplants enjoy a “summer vacation,” spending the warm summer months outside in a location with full or partial shade. If you placed some of your indoor plants outside for the summer, you will need to move them back indoors before temperatures get too cold.

Monitor Nighttime Temperatures

When nighttime temperatures start to dip consistently to around 50°F, it’s time to bring plants back indoors. Most houseplants are native to tropical areas and will not tolerate freezing temperatures. Many indoor plants will see damage when temperatures drop to the mid-to-lower 40s°F, and nearly all will die if exposed to temperatures below freezing. Watch the weather forecast and bring plants back indoors well before nighttime temperatures get too cold.

Check for Pests

Before bringing them inside, check for insects. Take the opportunity to thoroughly rinse off all the foliage while still outside. Let foliage completely dry before bringing it indoors. Once inside, keep plants isolated from other houseplants for 3 to 4 weeks. Typically, if there is going to be an issue with common indoor plant pests, such as scale, mealybugs, aphids, whiteflies, ants, or cockroaches, they will be evident within a month or so of being indoors. Inspect often and address any issues as soon as they are noticed to help prevent infestations on other plants.

Find the Right Indoor Location

Place plants brought back inside in bright, indirect light. Even the brightest locations indoors are a fraction of the light intensity found in shade or part-shade locations outside. Some houseplants, especially tropical hibiscus and weeping fig, will drop leaves in response to this change in light intensity. New foliage will grow to replace the lost leaves. Provide supplemental light if conditions are too dim indoors.

Adjust Your Care Routine

Stop fertilizing plants in the fall and winter months as they are not actively growing this time of year. The watering frequency should also change. The frequency at which houseplants need water depends on several environmental conditions, including light, humidity, and temperature. Since all of these conditions will change for the plant when it moves from outdoors back indoors, the amount of water it needs will change as well.

---

More Information

Learn more in this article: Moving Indoor Plants Outside for Summer.