At Home Living: Indoor plants must end their summer vacation

Tips for getting indoor plants ready to move back in

By Jamie Hancock

Special to The Capital-Journal

Labor Day has come and gone, kids are back in school, and the weather is beginning to cool. I’m not sure that I am ready for fall. I love the fall colors and crisp mornings and I look forward to apple cider and pumpkins, but I could use a few more weeks of summer. Wishful thinking…. I do need to consider houseplants though. They have been on vacation all summer outside. It’s time to prepare them to move indoor again.

Many of you summer some, if not all, of your houseplants outside to give them a growth burst or to enhance outdoor living spaces. While outside, the plants acclimate to much greater light intensity, higher humidity, and temperatures. They have most likely experienced temperature fluctuations of 20-30 degrees in a day. Watering frequency and fertilization have increased. Plants have increased in size and vigor.

Bringing houseplants inside will drastically change their environment. They will experience much less light and humidity and the temperature fluctuations will be 10 or fewer degrees from day to night. Watering and food requirements drop off. Basically, we are asking them to stop growing. They have been moving at break-neck speed and we are putting a brick wall in front of them. Is it any wonder that they experience stress and leaf drop when moved indoor?

There are several things we can do to help mitigate the stress on transitioning plants.

 First, move the plants to a shadier location outside for a couple weeks. (Watch the weather, 40 degrees is critical and some tropical plants won’t tolerate night time temperatures below 50 degrees.) This will allow you to slow the watering and fertilizing as well as getting them used to lower light levels.

 Next, clean your windows inside and out. This will let more sunlight in. Your houseplants may still experience some yellowing or leaf drop from low light levels. Adding a fluorescent light over the plants will help.

 Inspect the leaves, stems, and soil for pests and other insects. Soaking the pot up to the rim in a tub of lukewarm water for about 15 minutes will force ants, sow bugs, millipedes, ground beetles, and the like to the surface. Insects living in the soil will either drown or float so you can remove them. Allow the pot to drain thoroughly.

 Inspect the foliage for aphids, spider mites, scales and slugs. Using your hose with the nozzle set on shower, wash the leaves carefully with water and/or use insecticidal soap (a mild soap with insecticidal properties that will leave a slight residual to protect the plant).

 Some plants will have outgrown their pots over the summer. Check for crowded roots by supporting the plant with one hand on the surface of the soil. Turn the pot over and tap it once or twice to remove the pot. If there appears to be very little soil and lots of roots it’s time to repot. Choose a pot 1-2 inches larger than the one it came out of. Too large a pot can make it difficult for the plant to make the transition.

 Cut away any dead or damaged leaves and stems. Avoid infecting healthy plants by disinfecting your tools with bleach and a clean water rinse.

 Refrain from heavy pruning. It will encourage new growth and now is the time for the plants to begin to rest.

 Scrub the outside of the pots and check under the rim for insect nests.

 Consider tossing diseased or unhealthy plants. Disease can spread quickly to other indoor plants.

 Over watering is the fastest way to kill a houseplant. There are no breezy, sunny days inside to dry the soil quickly. Stick your finger in the soil to the first joint. If you feel moisture, don’t water. If it feels dry, water. It is best to water thoroughly once in a while than to water shallowly and too frequently.

 Place plants away from drafts and heater vents.

These tips should help you have healthy, happy plants to enjoy all winter long.