When do I need to bring my indoor plants indoors?

ASK THE HORT AGENT

Question When do I need to bring my indoor plants indoors?

Answer I am not a big advocate of giving your indoor plants a summer vacation. However, many folks move their houseplants to their deck, patio or porch during the summer. A lot of houseplants come from tropical environments. Therefore, they do enjoy the higher humidity of North Carolina summers. Air conditioned homes tend to be nearly as dry in the summer as they are in the winter.

People often think they are giving their plants the pleasure of enjoying the summer sun as well. This “pleasure” can be more than most indoor leaves can stand. Whether taking your plants inside for the winter or outside for the summer, do it gradually. When coming inside for the winter, go from the deck to a partially shaded area, then to a fully shaded area. Lastly, go from full shade into the house. This whole process should take 1 to 3 weeks. This process is called acclimation. Most plants will still drop some leaves even if you follow this process.

Since most houseplants are tropical, they are sensitive to cold weather. Night time temperatures in the 40s (F) can be harmful. Freezing temperatures (and even upper 30s) can be fatal.

One of the biggest problems with moving plants inside is the transportation of unwanted critters. As the weather cools during the fall, many insects lay eggs on your plants. When they get into your warm house, the eggs hatch out. Some insects may be feeding on your plants outside. When your plants are moved indoors, the insects are able to feed and increase their population without being bothered by predators or parasites. Either of these situations is going to provide you with a bug problem.

Most plants can be sprayed with an insecticidal soap while they are outside. This will take care of most small insects. Systemic insectcides can be used on plants that have a history of being buggy. These insecticides can be poured around the plants roots. When it is taken up into the plant, it prevents insects from getting any free meals for a couple months. Basically, the bug takes one bite and falls dead without causing any damage to the plant.

When to bring plants inside? Allow enough time for acclimation and debugging, while dodging cold temperatures. For info on moving plants indoors, visit http://www.doityourself.com/stry/moveplantinside or http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic1454.htm If you don’t have access to the world wide web, then call me at 910-893-7533 or email me at gpierce@harnett.org

There is a funny story being passed around the internet related to bringing plants inside. As the story goes, a green snake is hiding in a plant. When it gets inside, the snake is spotted by the lady of the house who hollers for the man of the house. He was in the shower and comes running out to help, naked of course. The rest of the story involves a dog’s nose, heart attack, Emergency Medical Technician, neighbor, jealous wife, policeman, gun shot, house fire, fire department, and power outage. Needless to say, the next year when the weatherman said a cold snap was coming, the husband didn’t ask if they should bring their plants in for the night. You can find the whole story at http://www.snopes.com/critters/farce/hindlick.asp

Gary L. Pierce

Horticulture Extension Agent