Bringing Houseplants In for the Fall

When do you usually start bringing your tender plants in for the fall/winter?

Tonight I pulled in my Ficus Tree, a huge Dracena and a couple of hoyas. I think it is supposed to get into the 40s overnight. It seems early but last year I was running around the yard at the last minute like a madman at the with frost warnings.

Do you ever say to hell with it and leave something out? I have a hard time doing that although in the summer I tend to buy things I know I don't have the space for in the house? Then I drag the behmouth in and stub my toe on it all winter long.

You can leave plants outside as long as the temperature doesn't drop below 30 degrees. I usually bring mine in mid October or just before the first frost whichever comes first. Watch the weather reports.

Even many tropical and sub-tropical plants can develop some degree of cold-hardiness, but it varies widely by species & even more widely within species by genetics. That said, some plants, practically speaking, have nearly no ability to develop resistance to cold. These plants do not necessarily need to see temperatures even close to freezing to exhibit cold injury. Exposure, especially sudden exposure to cold can cause organic compounds (mainly secondary compounds like phenolics) to leak from plant cells, causing tissue damage closely resembling what occurs when tissues freeze.

I have 75 - 100 tropical & subtropical bonsai and other misc plants that need wintering indoors under lights. There are some I know will develop some cold-hardiness and be left out longer than others, but generally, I bring most plant material in when I'm sure there will be several nights in a row where temperatures will drop below 50* F. Some may scoff at the practice, but often cold injury is subtle & doesn't manifest itself for quite some time when earlier exposure to cold temperatures has been long forgotten.

Al

I am in the process of moving my plants inside now. I have to agree with Al on this. I start moving plants in while I can keep the house open to let them adjust to the new micro-climite. Also before you bring them back into your home ... check completely for damage, pests, disease, and critters (aka frogs), give them a good shower just before bringing them in helps also.

I usually start bringing them in between Sept. 15 & Oct. 1st. Around here we rarely see our first light frost until November, & frequently at Thanksgiving are still doing outdoor chores wearing T-shirts.

It really completely depends on your area, the plant, and the micro-climate the plants are located in. Ficus for instance NEED to be in by the time the weather reaches 40 degrees Fahrenheit. In some places that would be once every couple of years, in other places you might as well leave it inside all year.

Spider plants need to be in by 25 degrees Fahrenheit, I have a porch with a warmer micro-climate, I live in a 7a zone, so I normally set them over by the porch window, mulch with fall leaves and leave them out all year. But, two years a go we got snow that stayed around for about a week, and the leaves started to wilt so I brought it in. I thought I had killed it, but next year it came back better than ever. I think that letting plants get a little cold is good for them.

So in my opinion when the weather starts to get down to about 5-10 degrees above their lowest hardiness zone if you are worried about leaving your plants out, and when the weather report says that the lowest hardiness zone is going to be reached if you are only worried about keeping them alive. But, remember that once you bring them in, you can't put them out again until spring.

I've been worried about my plants to outside. It got really windy yesterday and coolish. I moved some of my tender plants inside to the greenhouse not one with a heater and zipped it all up. What does everyone do to the soil so that you don't bring in all the little critters?
:) Donna

I bag & bomb my plants before I bring them in for winter...if I can get it done before it gets cold...lol
I usually wait too long & am moving stuff in a hurry at the last minute because we go through a hot & cold cycle for several months before it really gets cold& they need to stay in or I just wear out from hauling them in & out.

Here's what I do...
I use a large garbage bag and place the plant inside it then I gather the top of the bag together and close it up. Some of it depends on what I'm spraying for,but I usually use Bengal Roach spray with a nozzel on it to run the lil critters out of the plants, like "stink bugs",etc.

I put the plant in the shade and leave it for 30 minutes or so and try to do it in the evening or early morning when it's cool (ie, under 90 degrees)...lol
Then I unwrap it and let it breath for a bit. Next, I sprinkle Mosquito granules on the dirt or "diotamatious earth" for gnats etc... it works pretty good for me but I also use a systemic granules most of the year anyway.

Hope that gives you some ideas...

MsC

Systemic granules? What are they and what is a good brand to use? I always seem to bring gnats inside when I bring my plants in for the winter. Thanks, Lou

Lou,
There are many brands you can get and all have a little different formula but what I use is Bayer Advanced Garden Rose & Flower Care-2n1 Systemic.I use it on most all of my flowering outside plants and any that I plan to bring back into the house.
I also use the same brand Mosquito repellant granules it has a form of BT in it.
You can get it in a liquid form & it doesn't really matter which one you use. It works very well on gnats for me. I treat all new plants with it when I buy them for the house.I just sprinkle about 1 tsp or 1 tbsp (per size of plant) of it on top of the soil and water it in.
I place the plants on the patio or in the garage for a day or 2 and then bring them inside.
I like it because it doesn't seem to hurt my pets especially birds if they get into it,the granules have no smell.:)

Does that help any???

MsC

Yes, Thanks so much for the information. I'm trying to get a head start on potting up some to bring in for the winter. I usually wait until a frost warning and then, I'm in a hurry and don't get them debugged properly or adjusted to pot life. I still have plenty of time to purchase these and really appreciate your help., Lou

I'm glad it helped some..I hate gnats in the house but some of my birds have a feast on them...lol

I know what you mean about last minute arrangements for the plants.I do it every year myself:)

MsC

MsC,

I have always thought that those bug bombs would hurt plants...I am glad i read this thread cause i was just thinking about what to do with my 30+ houseplants i have outside that i must bring in soon...Will have to try that. So let me get this straight, I understand the garbage and plant inside and gather at the top...but when you put the spray/bomb inside do you just set it in there and let the fumes all inside the bag for what say like a hour or do you have to have it in there longer, and is this for certain types of plants. All of my plants outside are houseplants...like umbrella tree, cacti, umm why cant i think of there names now lol....but anyways, I was thinking of maybe just doing what you said with the bombs and just hosing them with a light spray and then bringing them in....does this sound ok...I dont like spiders and other creepy crawlers so i want to do something and bring them in..it only gets like high 50's here at night now..but like everyone said above i dont wanna be rushing around doing it later and end up having to settle with just bringing them in with the bugs. And i wanna get them all used to the indoors..It seems that i lose alot of plants when i bring them in for the winter, I dont know why, i place them in the sun and actually tend to them more then when they are on my front porch, maybe i just neglect them and see how they do ..lol

So I will think about what to do and wait and see what you suggest. Thanks in adavance

Char :o)

HIya Char,
I can't tell you if the spray will hurt any particular plants, but I can tell you what I use and what I have used it on.
Maybe you can go from there???

I use Bengal Roach spray from Wal Mart, it has a lil straw attachment you put o the spray nozzel. I use a huge bag like 30 gallons...mostly cause that's what I have on hand, and most any plant will fit in there.:)
Or you could do several plants at one time....

Place the plants inside the bag and make sure it is in the shade, maybe in the morning when it's cooler or in the evening. Gather the top up to close it but leave enough of an opening to stick the straw in. Then aim the sprayer up & down in a sweeping motion but away from the plants (but just inside the bag. )Spray enough so you think you have it pretty full of fumes. Then close it with a bread tie or rubber band.Let it set for 30 minutes to maybe an hour if it's cool enough. Then un do the bag and let the plants breath before bringing them inside.
I did this last year AFTER I brought my plants inside full of nasty stink bugs! UGH! I took them all back outside and bombed the heck out of them and I only toasted the top of one regular ivy in the process. Mostly because the sprayer was pointed right at the foliage. I used it on regular house ivy, swiss cheese ivy, a few bromeliads, ferns, a palm or two....it does work well for most flying bugs, but it's certainly not fool proof...lol Combined with a regular systemic,while they are outside, it does make a huge difference & I think it's worth the time & effort....even the losses IF you have any. Otherwise you get to spend the winter with creepy crawlers...

Is that anymore help???

MsC

MsC,

YES!!! Thank You so much..I am gonna try it and I will let you know how it goes..

Thanks Again,
Char

I've never tried MsC's suggestion, but it sounds like good advice as it works well for her!

I have too many plants to individually 'bomb' them, so I invested in a two- gallon sprayer (less than $10) and bought some insecticidal soap *concentrate*. I spray the plants 'head to toe' a couple of days before bringing them in.
I do this under a shade tree, so they're not exposed to any direct sunlight with the 'solution' on their stems & leaves.

Insecticidal soap seems to be benign enough that you can also drench the soil with it while spraying.

Also, keep in mind that palms and ferns, in particular (among other tender tropicals), are very sensitve to insecticides.