To avoid the shock of a drastic difference in temperature and humidity, all houseplants that have summered outside should be brought inside before the heat goes on.

Most need to be back indoors before the night temperature drops to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and though some hardy ones could stay out until it regularly approaches 40 degrees Fahrenheit, most of them will also do better if they can start readjusting before the difference between indoors and out starts getting extreme.

In most cases it's better to err on the side of safety, but it pays to know your plants. Several, including winter jasmine, cymbidium orchids, and Christmas and Thanksgiving cactuses, actually depend on cooler temperatures to start their flower-bud formation.

Before bringing in your houseplants, get the house ready by washing your windows (clean windows allow much more sunlight through). If possible, while the plants are still outdoors, move the plants to a shady location one to two weeks before bringing them indoors to prepare them for the drop in light in the house. As you bring the plants indoors, soak the pots up to their rims in a sink full of water to force insects, especially sowbugs, slugs, and millipedes, to the surface, where you can make scoop them up and dispose of them outdoors.

It's best to leave repotting until just before the new growing season begins in early spring. Moving to larger pots means more growing medium, which holds more water. With lower light levels and shorter days, over watering is more dangerous than being a little pot bound for the winter.

Most importantly....stop fertilizing. Begin again in the early spring when your houseplants will need the extra nutrition for new growth.

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Mark Roscoe
CLP, CTP, Certified Applicator
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