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While houseplants have been outdoors for the summer, they've acclimated over several months to certain light, humidity, and temperature conditions. Chances are they’ve received more light and have enjoyed higher humidity than they did indoors. They have also adapted to temperatures that may have been fluctuating as many as 20 degrees between day and night. Having been watered and fed frequently, they have enjoyed a healthy growth spurt, even as the days began to shorten and the weather to cool at the end of the summer season.

Now, as we bring houseplants indoors, we will be changing their environment drastically in a very short time. They will be experiencing much less light and humidity than they did outdoors, as well as a much smaller fluctuation in day and night temperatures, and we will be reducing the water and plant food they had become accustomed to. In essence, we will be asking them to stop growing and start resting. It’s like asking a speeding freight train to stop on a dime.

Despite our best efforts, most houseplants transitioning from the outdoors to the indoors will show, to some degree, stress signs that include yellowing, wilting, parching, or dropping leaves. If the stress is too great, the plants will die. Here are 10 tips for making the transition from a summer outdoors to a winter indoors as stress-free as possible.

Start by taking a micro-environment assessment of the temperature fluctuations in your house. You want to keep plants away from direct cold drafts and hot air vents. You may have to rearrange furniture or acquire tall plant stands and wall or ceiling plant hangers to keep plants away from hot and cold extremes.
Prepare to mimic the relative light conditions the plants grew in during the summer. For example, spider plants and Christmas cactus will do better in brighter conditions than those tolerated by low-light lovers like schefflera. Choose a window with a southern exposure for plants that do well in brighter conditions or a window with a northern exposure for those that can do well at lower light levels.
If you have pets who like plants, and many do, prepare for putting the plants where pets can’t get at them. Not only don’t you want your plants damaged by curious paws and mouths, you also don’t want your plants to harm your pets. As a precaution, refresh your knowledge of household plants known to be toxic to pets.
Keep the plants in the containers they lived in while outdoors. This is not the time to disturb their roots, which would encourage new growth.
Inspect the leaves, stems, and soil for plant pests and other insects. Remove them by hand or use an organic houseplant insecticidal soap safe for humans and pets (if you decide to use an insecticidal soap, apply it after the final shower and air drying…see Tip 10, below). Over the years, I have found some rather fascinating creatures making themselves at home with the houseplants that have summered outdoors. Among them were spiders, ants, earth worms, and wasps.
Cut away any dead or damaged leaves and stems, disinfecting your cutting tools, with household bleach followed by a clean water rinse, from one plant to another to avoid infecting a healthy plant. Remove all dead and rotting plant material from the surface of the soil.
Refrain from pruning away healthy leaves and stems. Heavy pruning will encourage new growth, just as re potting. Remember that we want the plants to rest, not to embark on a growth spurt.
Scrub the outside of the pots thoroughly with a steel wool pad or nylon scouring pad dipped in a mild soap and water solution to remove dirt and mold. Steel wool works well for plain terra-cotta pots. For glazed, painted, and plastic pots, stick to a nylon scouring pad to avoid damaging the pot’s finish. If a mold infestation is particularly bad on a plain terra-cotta pot, you can add one part household bleach to ten parts of the mild soap and water solution. Just make sure you keep the bleach well away from any of the plant tissue.
Take the time with larger-leaved plants, such as schefflera and rubber plants, to wipe each leaf clean, top and bottom, with a cotton swab and plain water. Summer dust and pollen remaining on the leaves will further diminish the limited indoor light and prevent the plant from absorbing whatever moisture is in the dry indoor air.
Finally, shower each plant thoroughly using a garden hose with a mist or shower attachment. Get underneath the leaves, too. Then let the plants and pots air dry outdoors before bringing them in for their winter rest

Why Houseplants Brought Indoors for the Winter Are Susceptible to Plant Stress

Houseplants - Foliage

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