After a few long months of bitter cold and harsh weather, your houseplants are ready to head back outside, and thrive in their natural environment. There are a few tasks that should be taken into account, before employing your houseplants outside full-time.
Wait until the last frost to take your plants outside. Prematurely putting your houseplants outdoors, will subject them to brutal temperatures and could end up highly damaging or even killing them. Just as you shouldn’t keep your houseplants by drafty areas of your home, you shouldn’t subject them to the cold temperatures of early spring.
Slowly acclimate your plants to the outdoors, by placing them on your porch, a few hours every day, for a few weeks, before leaving them outside. Keeping the houseplants away from direct sunlight is ideal, and allowing them to set in a shaded area, will familiarize them with new outdoor elements. After some time, you can introduce them to early morning or late afternoon sun, but leaving them in direct sunlight all day, will burn them.
Keep in mind that increased wind and higher temperatures may create a higher demand for watering. It is important for your container’s soil to remain moist, thus preventing your plant to dry out. Leaves may drop initially, due to the plant’s new atmosphere, but foliage should grow back as normal within a month or so.
Following these simple steps will allow your plants to happily thrive in the outdoors during the warm summer months. Remember to keep a close eye for signs that they may be under attack by insects or disease. The outdoor environment harbors many threats to your plants, that your home did not. Using Safer Brand’s EndALL will help kill 45 different insects in all life-stages, from egg to adult, organically, while not harming the plant or the earth.
For tips on how to bring your houseplant indoors at the end of the summer season visit Houseplant Solutions and keep your houseplants healthy over winter!
