Time to Bring Your Houseplants in for Winter

You Can Grow That!

Vacation is officially over for your houseplants! Now that cooler weather has arrived, it’s time to move them back indoors. Once nighttime temperatures dip to 45 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, your tender tropical houseplants need to stop sunbathing and seek refuge indoors.

Your indoor garden inhabitants may protest at returning to the confines of your home after reveling in the freedom of summer vacation, but believe me, it’s a lot better than frostbite. You can tell your houseplants I said that!

Tips for a Successful Transition

Here are some tips for successfully making the transition from Tahiti to your indoor garden:

1. Inspect and Treat Each Plant:
   Wash your plants off outdoors with water, then spray them with organic insecticidal soap and let them dry. This process removes and destroys insect pests and their eggs. Bringing in unwanted hitchhikers now can make your fall and winter indoor gardening experience exhausting in terms of pest management.

2. Move Plants Inside into a Bright Area:
   A location with a southern or eastern exposure is ideal. Another option is to place them under full-spectrum lighting, which simulates the daylight your houseplants just left.

3. Provide Humidity:
   After frolicking in the equivalent of the tropics outside, houseplants need moist air. Mist the plants with a fine mist a few times a day, if possible. Setting houseplants on humidity trays also works well. Grouping houseplants together boosts humidity, too, as your plants will humidify each other while lamenting the end of summer. Warning signs that plants aren’t getting enough humidity include dry leaf tips and leaf drop, though some leaf drop (a protest about summer being over) is natural.

4. Water Sparingly:
   Houseplants can succumb to root rot if overwatered. As the days shorten and the nights get cooler—even inside your home—your houseplants will drink less. Water most indoor plants only when the top two to three inches of soil have dried out.

5. Hold Off on Fertilizing:
   Wait a month before feeding your houseplants. At that point, they will have acclimated to their winter “digs” and will be ready for a meal. Feed them with an organic houseplant fertilizer once a month.

A Promise for Next Year

Promise your houseplants another swell vacation next year. When your indoor garden dwellers look a little glum in the middle of winter, remind them of their summer fun. Let them know that it’s just a matter of time before you transition them outdoors again. And remember to find a houseplant sitter so you can enjoy your own vacation!