Houseplants outside...

Anyone in the northeast daring enough to start moving the houseplants outside yet? If so, how are they faring? I am getting the itch to get them all outside!

I've been taking them all outside for a few hours a day to get them used to the sun, bringing them in a night though. They are very happy about it!!

I wouldn't do it just yet, unless you can do so for just a few hours a day like threegardeners.
I've been working two jobs and I just *know* I'd forget about them., lol!!

We've had frosts as late as May 19th around here, so I'll wait until after then!

I do have a Gardenia that has a few buds that I've been taking out in the morning, bringing in at night. I leave it right by the front door so I don't forget it!

I agree with threegardeners also, it's still to early for us here in NY to leave them out over night. Last night it got down to 42 by me. Give it another couple weeks.....

I haven't put mine out yet. I think it's still too early (supposed to go down to 32 tomorrow ight) the weather is unpredicable. I'll probably start doing it in a couple of weeks, staarting in shade.

None of you are thinking about putting your houseplants out for the summer in the SUN, are you? Summering in the shade is of great benefit, but I don't know of any houseplant that wouldn't get a terrible sunburn if left for any amount of time in the sun. Has anyone actually done this successfully? I've always put my houseplants out under a small grove of young maples, once they leaf out. At the most, they get very light sun through the leaves of the trees, but never any direct sun. Let me know how you make out. Maybe your climate has more diffused sunlight than here in the Midwest?

hehehe...full Canadian sun is probably equivalent to bright shade down there...LOL

I put my Hibiscus, Oleander, a couple of Hoya in full sun. The rest in part-day(morning or evening) sun.

LOL, I live in Florida and talk about Intense sun ...we have very intense sun down here! I have some hoyas on the east side of the house and they get early morning sun filtered by a crepe myrtle tree. In my screened pool enclosure I have some Philodendron's, Geraniums, Grape Ivy, Epiphyllums, Ficus trees, and a bunch of other plants that are in full sun that is filtered by the screen. Later in the summer there are a couple of things that I will have to move to a shadier location so they don't get sunburned. Schefflera, Hibiscus, Oleander, Croton are all full sun plants. I have Schefflera, Hibiscus and Crotons planted in the ground as well as in containers. And, we have Oleanders growing in the ground.

I guess there are a lot of plants grown as landscape plants down here that folks in the North grow as house plants. Some do well in full sun and others only in shady locations ... just depends on which plant it is.

If they're plants that can live in full sun in their natural climate you can put them in sun for the summer (assuming your summer temperatures aren't a lot warmer than the native climate of course). But you need to adjust them to it gradually. You can't just take them from your house and plop them in full sun, then they will get badly sunburned. But if you give them a little bit of sun, then put them back in the shade, and gradually increase how long they're spending in the sun each day, then they'll be fine.

Wow! I guess different regions need different approaches to summering houseplants. For those of you who acclimate houseplants to full summer sun in the spring, do you have to reverse the process before moving those plants back indoors in the fall, putting them back into shade before moving them back inside?

plantladylin: Years back, many "houseplants" that we in the North can get at the big box stores are Floridan grown in full sun. They don't adjust well to living indoors. Nowadays, they are better grown in shaded or greenhouse conditions and have a much easier time adjusting to indoor living.

Regardless, I have had continued success summering my houseplants in dappled-to-moderate shade. They grow and really freshen up. Just have to watch in the fall that I don't bring in any pests with the plants.

Happy gardening!

It's not really about different regions handling things differently, it's about where the plant itself is native to. If it is from a place where the summers get as hot (or hotter) than where you are and if the plant lives in full sun there where it's native, then you can put it in the sun too as long as you acclimate it gradually. Since they also get by in the lower light conditions inside your house, there's no reason you have to put them in the sun if you don't want to, but some of the flowering ones (like the hibiscus and oleander that threegardeners mentioned) may bloom better if you give them more sun. As for me, my houseplants are houseplants and stay indoors year round. I have a number of tropicals as well but those stay in the greenhouse during the winter and then come out in the spring, but for them the sun difference between the greenhouse and outdoors isn't as big so the whole acclimation process isn't a big deal.

And yes, we have to reverse the process to bring them back into the house. I failed to do it one year, waiting until it was going to be a really cold night before bringing them in and they all thanked me by dropping every single leaf. They grew back, but they sure didn't look pretty for a few weeks!!

Mid-Atlantic here and I put my Schlums outside in Mid-April. A lot of them are budding up now! This is definitely a first and I attribute it to the cold temps at night. I'm used to these blooming only in the Fall or early winter. Whoo hoo!!!

I've since put some others out, but nothing too tender like Philos, Sans or Episcias.

Alright... what are Schlums?

Tee hee.... I was wondering the same thing. Glad you asked. I even tried looking it up on google.... nothing.

Schlumbergera...aka Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus

Oh-h-h-h! I have those too! They really enjoy summering and definitely set tons of buds when left out well into the fall's cool nights before the really frosty nights arrive. Thanks.

Kim,
Wait one more week. Play it safe!

Having had a mild winter, many of my 'houseplants' stayed outside all year this year. I did take several plants to my classroom so I had more room for plants inside. I usually end up swapping - many of those that stayed outside for the winter come in to avoid the heat, and those that came in to avoid the cold go outside for the summer. My African violets stay inside all of the time, as well as streptocarpus, b. richardsonia, some of the adeniums, and lipstick plant.
I envy those of you that have milder summers...

Jackie

I usually have everything out by mid May, somethings a week or so earlier, but I am careful to avoid any spots where there is full mid day sun, at first.