Since many of our houseplants are native to the tropics, placing them outside in the summer can be an excellent way to give them additional sunlight exposure, and can be done year after year by transitioning them carefully indoors and outdoors with the seasons. Palms thrive when placed in bright indirect light outdoors on our patios or decks, ferns look wonderful in hanging baskets, and a wide variety of other houseplants work very well with seasonal indoor/outdoor use. You may also wish to keep tropical plants you purchased as annuals, and the same can often be done for those plants.
The key when moving your tropical plants indoors in winter and outdoors in the summer is to provide them with the proper transition period and to provide winter care with attention to their environmental needs. We offer our guide to overwintering houseplants here, in a handy list of things to do, and things you don’t need to do.
Do: Treat for Pests before Transitioning Indoors
Spray your plants with insecticides before transitioning them indoors. Any plant that spent the summer outdoors may host pests. Outdoors the rain and wind help keep pests to a minimum, but when they’re transferred back indoors, these elements are no longer present to keep issues at bay. Before bringing any plants in, spray them 2 to 3 times, with each application about a week apart. We recommend Captain Jack’s Spinosad Horticultural Oil Insect Soap, BioAdvanced Rose & Flower RTU and Bonide Systemic Granules (applied to the soil, not the plants) as options to kill pests before bringing your plants inside. Make sure you apply these control products on all surfaces of leaves and branches.
Don’t: Repot in the Fall
It’s best for the plants to avoid repotting them right when you bring them inside. The best time to repot your houseplants is in the spring. Placing your tropical houseplants into a larger planter with more soil as the growing season ends risks an excess of water, leading to root rot and other issues. In the spring, with more light and longer days, placing your plants in bigger pots will help them grow faster.
Do: Offer Plenty of Light and Humidity
Provide your plants with adequate light and humidity, and be mindful of their temperature preferences. While every plant is different, there are a few general guidelines that work for most tropical houseplants during the winter.
Most houseplants will benefit from a humidity tray, or at least from being kept out of particularly dry areas of the house. Check your plant’s positioning and keep them away from drafts, air vents and fireplaces, and consider placing them on a humidity tray. Humidity trays can be made at home by layering pebbles in a tray or dish, filling the dish with water to just under the level of the pebbles, then setting your plant pots on top of the pebbles.
You can check your plant’s lighting by observing it throughout the day. Some areas of the house that work in the fall and spring may be too dark for houseplants in the winter that prefer bright light. Consider adding a grow light or moving your plants around if they need extra light.
If you aren’t sure about the conditions your plant needs, you can ask our plant clinic or consult our detailed care guides.
Don’t: Leave the Soil Continuously Soaking Wet
Consistently wet soil is a risk factor for root rot and can also invite in fungus gnats. Your houseplants’ watering needs vary by type, but there are some guidelines in common you can follow. A good rule of thumb is to place your finger into the soil and feel if it is dry or wet. If it’s moist, wait a day or two, then check again. If it’s dry at that point, you can go ahead and water your plant.
If you have a palm in your home, it will perform best if allowed to dry more than most other houseplants. You can allow it to dry about 1/3rd of the way down the pot before watering again.
Do: Acclimate Your Plants When Moving Them
Acclimate, acclimate, acclimate. When it’s time to bring your plants back outside next Spring, first, place the plant in a spot outside where it gets plenty of hours in the shade, especially in midday, for a few weeks. Gradually move your plants to brighter and brighter locations, sometimes into full sun. If you put it into direct sun immediately, you risk burning the foliage. Even cacti and succulents can burn! If it does burn, the damage will take some time to recover.
