Moving Those Houseplants Outside for the Summer

Spring is here and many are thinking of putting out the houseplants that have struggled through the long winter months of little light and low humidity. The time outside gives these plants the environment to become healthy again after struggling through the cold and dry months. This is one thing I DO NOT recommend to do. It may benefit the plants though the summer, because, after all, our summers are warm, humid and breezy with just best tropical elements these plants need to thrive. As soon as temperatures are in the 50 degree range, many hustle to drag out those monsters that sat pinning for summer all winter long.

Well, the plants do pick up almost immediately once outside, and continue to grow and thrive until it is time to bring them back in when the temperatures get cold. And here is where the problem lies. I have maintained tropical indoor plants throughout the United States for 36 plus years according to the needs of the plants and not mine. Yes, these tropical plants need the tropical-like conditions of the outside during summer, but is it the best for them to bring them back into a environment that is the direct opposite of what they desire when the temperatures turn too cold for them to remain outside? Of course, we have to or they will die. But bringing them inside to such a drastic change in the environment around them shock them severely. Most often those plants are brought in the day before the first frost, and immediately they have to adapt to these new conditions. It takes a plant several weeks to adapt to the drop in light, and in that time, it may drop several leaves to try to compensate for the lack of food. Even if the plant is placed in front of a large south-facing window when brought in, the light level is almost half of what it had outside in total shade. And if the plant was in full sun while outside, the light level is dropped by almost 75%. The plant is placed on a starvation diet immediately.

The Ficus benjamina (Weeping Fig) is one of the most common plants that are put in the full sun outside and brought in the day before frost. This plant reacts almost immediately to the change in light by dropping leaves daily until it can stabilize the amount of foliage it can maintain with the amount of available light. This is the plant that drops leaves if you look at it cross-eyed! So why make the poor thing go through such a shock?

The cons of putting your plants outside for the summer far out weigh the pros.
-In the spring the plant had the perfect environment to stabilize from the change, but in the fall it does not. This lack of light will cause such stress that the plant will suffer most of the winter.
-The plant will grow considerably all summer and usually becoming much larger when brought in. Remember that a small plant (just as in people) will "roll with the punches" much easier than a lager more mature plant. The larger they are, the greater the shock they suffer from the changes of the deteriorating conditions. Also, they are heavy.
-Never fertilize or feed a plant that is brought in until it is completely acclimated to the new conditions. Doing so will cause adverse effects that will harm the plant even more.
- A plant in stress has a greater chance of suffering insect infestations that it was exposed to while outside. Once inside, the lowered immunity of the plant due to the stress of the lack of light, the insects will multiply and the plant will have a harder time fighting them. And so will you.

So looking at this from the plant's point of view, it only makes sense to keep the environment as stable as possible all year, We also stay healthier in a more stable environment. When I design an interior space with plants, I make sure I know the amount of light that will be available to the plants that will fit their needs throughout the year. I will never place a plant in an area where the light level is ideal for the summer (with longer day light hours) and too low for it to thrive during the winter (shorter day light hours). I will place a low-light plant in that space even though sun is in abundance all summer. Remember that low-light plants will thrive in bright light, but hight-light plants will struggle (and eventually die) in low-light levels.

So if a plant needs to be put out for the summer because it has struggled and needs the boost of the outside to bring it back to prime health, it is not the right plant for that space. If you just have to have that plant but cannot give it all it needs to thrive all year, try to make the transition time slow so the plant will have time to acclimate before it becomes stressed. Begin bringing in the plant in about a month before the first frost is expected. Bring it in at night and out again the next day, shortening the time outside a little everyday. Yes, this is a lot of work, but it is best for the plant because it is less stressful to them. Moving them is also stressful, but the slow decrease in the light level will help the plant to remain stronger, and keep the stress level at a minimum.

With all this said, maybe it just might be better for the plants to stay put all year. Better for the plants and you!

If you would like more information on the proper care of houseplants from the perspective of the plants, go to www.nature-in-designs.com to view the houseplant manual I published that contains all the guidelines for maintaing and growing interior tropical plants that I have developed over 37 years as a horticulturist.