September 22, 2012 · Garden Review / houseplant care / Pebble tray

Houseplants-bring them inside

Hybrid Chinese Evergreen

Spathyphyllum

As the end of summer approaches and night temperatures start to drop below 50 degrees, it is time to think about bringing your houseplants back inside. Summer vacation is over.

Most houseplants are, after all, tropical and are accustomed to warm climates. Plants such as winter jasmine, Christmas & Thanksgiving cactus and cymbidium orchids will tolerate cooler temperatures (40’s) and actually need the colder temps and shorter days to stimulate bud-formation for winter blooming.

Before you bring your plants indoors there are a few things you should do.

Two weeks prior
Move your houseplant into the shade to help adjust to the lower light indoors.
While they are outside, clean your windows. A clean window will allow more light to pass through than a dirty one.

Check your plants
Look for insects and eggs that may want to camp out indoors for the winter. To force out any unwanted pests, soak your plant up to the rim in a sink full of water. If that is not possible, try a soil drench – systemic granules that are sprinkled on the soil surface and watered in. It usually lasts up to 4 months. If necessary, spray the plant with insecticidal soap or a recommended topical spray covering the top and undersides of the leaves.
You don’t want to bring uninvited guests into the house. Infested plants will need vigilant treatments, so you have to decide if its worth the trouble.

No need to repot
Unless your plant is totally potbound there is no need to repot it. If you feel its necessary, refresh the soil with a lightweight soiless mix but do not change the size of the pot. Also, take the opportunity to check for insects. It’s best to repot your plants in the spring when they are ready to grow again.

Stop fertilizing
Plants should be fed when they are actively growing so they can take advantage of the nutrients. Low light conditions, short days will reduce plant growth therefore, fertilization should be stopped, except for winter flowering plants. Resume feeding in late winter.

Water less
Once indoors, your plants will require less water because they will grow slower or stop growing during the winter months. Check the soil before watering. The top 2 inches should be dry before watering again. Be sure the plant does not sit in water as that can cause the roots to rot. Overwatering is a major problem of houseplants.

More info on houseplant care: http://hortchat.com/info/how-to-make-a-pebble-tray

From the reader archive

Useful reader questions

I saw the post about soaking houseplants in water in the sink to get rid of pests, but what if the plant/pot is bigger than a garbage pail and you have no place to soak it? I have Merit that I use…

Read Kris discussion

golfish plant problem Hello, I have a 2 yr old goldfish plant, my question is, how can I get it to start blooming again. I tried moving it to different spots in the house, but no buds or “goldfish” on the plant…

Read Nancy Newell discussion

Hello! my mom bought a confederate jasmine and it has continued to bloom in the pot she purchased it in. My moms question is Should she leave it in the pot and place inside for the winter(lives in Virginia), or should she…

Read Muriel Wright discussion

help PLEASE – can I cut back the leaves on hibiscus. I took the plant outside too soon and there are almost no leaves left that are green. I do not think it will survive so I wonder if there is anything…

Read hayley discussion

13 Comments

Muriel Wright - August 30, 2004 at 5:36 pm

Hello! my mom bought a confederate jasmine and it has continued to bloom in the pot she purchased it in. My moms question is Should she leave it in the pot and place inside for the winter(lives in Virginia), or should she plant outside? Thanks for answering this question. Daughter M. Leech

Confederate Jasmine is hardy in zones 8-10. It looks like VA is in zone 7, it may be marginal for hardiness, therefore you should bring it inside for the winter. Keep it in a bright sunny window, maintain good drainage for the pot and give the plant some sort of support for it to climb on. It is a beautiful plant well worth the effort. Hope this helps. Kris

Reply
Kris - March 23, 2005 at 8:46 am

I saw the post about soaking houseplants in water in the sink to get rid of pests, but what if the plant/pot is bigger than a garbage pail and you have no place to soak it? I have Merit that I use on my roses, would this work if I do a soil drench? I am also concerned about the ants that seem to be in some of the pots. Does insecticidal spray work on them also if they are in the dirt? Thanks a lot.

The registered uses for Merit is an insecticide & miticide. It can be used to treat a number of insects, sowbugs, pillbugs and ants. Application can be a foliar spray on ornamental flowers and foliage plants. Check the label on your bottle if it is safe to use indoors on your particular plant. The granules are labeled as a soil drench. As with any chemicals, use precautions when spraying. Try not to spray indoors.

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Diahnne - June 11, 2005 at 12:41 am

I had a beautiful hanging basket with a plant called an Orchid Cactus when I lived in California. I rescued it from the trash and had it for three years. I am having a hard time finding this plant on the east coast. No one has never heard of it. It has the most beautiful blooms amid ugly cactus leaves. Please help.

Epiphyllum is referred to as an Orchid Cactus. They are available through Logees.com

Reply
Nancy Newell - July 16, 2006 at 7:40 am

golfish plant problem
Hello, I have a 2 yr old goldfish plant, my question is, how can I get it to start blooming again. I tried moving it to different spots in the house, but no buds or “goldfish” on the plant yet.. also where is the best spot to keep it ??
thanks, Nancy, Harvey’s Lake, Pa.

There are several varieties of Columnea referred to as Goldfish plant. Some are easier to care for than others. In general it needs a moist environment (misting or pebble tray)night temps of 55F-65F at night and keep the soil on the dry side in the winter. Also provide bright indirect light. I put mine outside in the summer. Some cultivars will need short day lenghts and cooler temperatures in the winter to bloom in the spring. When it starts to actively grow give it a high-phosphate fertilizer.

Reply
Kris - September 18, 2006 at 12:10 am

I have a flowering house plant that I don’t know what it is. Is there someplace where I can go to identify it? Thanks

Botanica is a great big book on plants with pictures but it would take days to page through it. The flower can be the easiest to identify, then the leaves. Give us a description and perhaps someone will ID it for you or send you in the right direction. Another idea, is to take it in to your local extension office, nursery/greenhouse and ask. They will be happy to help.

Reply
Kris - September 20, 2006 at 6:09 am

Houseplants-bring them insideSOMETHING KEEPS EATING MY ALOE VERA PLANTS. WHAT COULD IT BE AND HOW CAN I STOP IT? I’VE TRIED PUTTING BLACK PEPPER ON MY PLANTS BUT DOESN’T STOP WHATEVER IT IS.

I’m not sure what is eating your Aloe Vera.You can try to stink them out with a hot spray mix: use 2-3 cloves garlic, 3-4 hot red peppers (Habaneras, serrano) grind up in a blender and mix in a gallon of water along with a few drops of dishwashing liquid and spray on the plants. If that doesn’t work try a product like Repel ,Liquid Fence, Ro-Pel, they may or may not work.

Reply
Kris - October 22, 2006 at 10:00 pm

hi i have project do and i dont how to keep a plant alive

A green houseplant may be the easiest to maintain. I find plants like pothos, nephtytis, snake plant (Sansevieria), peace lilies (spathyphyllum) are some of the easier plants to keep in the house. They can take a lot of abuse and do well in indirect light. Be sure to check the light requirements needed for the plant-low, medium or high. Watering is usually the biggest problem as people usually overwater or underwater. If the plant is droopy, or the top 1st inch of the soil is dry-water the plant. Give it enough water so that it will drain out from the bottom, do not let it sit in water. Allow the soil to dry between waterings.

Reply
Lilia Lopez - February 18, 2007 at 9:23 am

I have worms, and really small centapedes. I think that is what they are in my plant is that good or bad. I got rid of all the dirt was that ok. What do I do

Probably something you brought in from last season. Yes, getting rid of the dirt was ok. With houseplants, if you use outside dirt you can get all kinds of “special friends” ( insects and pathogens ) in your soil. Use sterile soil with your potted plants. An insecticidal soil drench may also help get rid invading insects.

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cheryl - August 30, 2007 at 12:34 pm

i live in canada and i was wondering how i could bring in my pot of roses indoors for winter what steps can i take to save them

The easiest way is to let the rose go dormant by keeping it outdoors as long as possible. It will tolerate a few light frosts. Once the cold sets in and your rose has lost its leaves, store the pot in a cold (above freezing) space like a garage. The important thing is to keep the roots from freezing during the winter. You can also wrap the container with an insulator. Another way is to plant the rose in the ground and give it winter protection. A third way is to bring it indoors instead of the garage and keep it as a houseplant in a bright sunny window. For more info see comments on mini rose plant care

Reply
drenda - October 9, 2007 at 8:36 am

I have 2 Pygmy Date palm trees that i planted this summer. Last night the temperatures got down to about 24 degrees. I wanted to know can these trees stand these temperatures? We had a hard freeze for several hours, is this going to kill my trees? Is there anything i can do to save them? thank you for your help

Pygmy Date palm (Phoenix roebeleni) can tolerate temperatures as low as 21.5 degrees for a short time. A longer frost period will result in minor leaf damage. There are precautions you can take to protect your palm from frost. Go to http://www.texasriviera.com . click on Winter protection. They have detailed instructions on how to protect your palm. Basically, you wrap the palm in a blanket.

Reply
Rudy Hein - October 21, 2007 at 12:48 pm

I live in Canada, i have a Guava tree about 10 Years old ,i put it in the Garage for the Winter ,just under a light ( no Windows),should i change the Soil before bringing it inside

You may check the soil for insects and if you do have any use a soil drench or try to flush them out by soaking the soil with water. No need to change the soil at this time. It’s best not to disturb the roots- wait till spring to change or amend the soil.

Reply
hayley - April 10, 2009 at 5:07 pm

help PLEASE – can I cut back the leaves on hibiscus. I took the plant outside too soon and there are almost no leaves left that are green. I do not think it will survive so I wonder if there is anything more I can do???

Hi Hayley
Yes, you can trim back the stems by 1/3 on you tropical hibiscus, this can be done as a regular pruning routine after a winter stay indoors. If the plant was just damaged by the cold and not totally frozen, then it should send out new growth and pruning it will give you a nicer, fuller tree. Make sure you slowly acclimate it to the bright light outdoors or you will scorch the leaves. Good luck

Reply
russell - October 19, 2012 at 1:58 am

our proplem is our house dosent have hardly has any windows so when we bring in our plants they start wilting and leaves begin to fall off and we have alot of plants

Hi Russell
Have you considered grow lights?

Reply

Before you bring your plants indoors there are a few things you should do.

Useful reader questions

13 Comments

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