potted plants

If you want your potted plants to survive the winter, autumn is the time to bring them inside. Because most houseplants are tropical, they enjoy the warmth of the summer but can’t survive the harshness of the winter.

November in the south is an opportune time to bring them in, as it’s not too warm or cold at any point in the day or night. During the fall, your plants can accumulate to their new winter home comfortably. Before you bring them in, however, there are a few things to consider in order to keep your plants as healthy a possible.

Don’t Bring in Bugs

If your plant has been outside all summer, it probably has both leaf-dwelling and soil-dwelling insects, and you don’t want to bring them into your home.

To deter insects that are living on your plants’ leaves, simply spray the plants with a mixture of water and dish detergent. Check underneath the leaves and make sure to cover the entire plant.

Another solution is to soak the entire plant in a 5-gallon bucket of a water/dish detergent mixture for 15 minutes. This will bring insects and slugs all the way down in the soil to the surface. Succulents and other plants that require dry soil should not be soaked in water.

For other soil-dwelling insects, take out the plant from its pot and remove any visible pests. Slugs, ants, and most other pests like to stay on the outer layer and can be easily spotted. For an added deterrent, spray your plants with an insecticide before bringing them in.

Prepare Your Plants

Because light and humidity changes are so different from outside to inside, it’s important to acclimate your plants to the indoors when bringing them inside. If you don’t, your plant may experience wilting, leaf loss, and shock.

To acclimate your plants to the indoors start by only bringing them in at night. In the morning, return them to the outdoors. The next night, bring them in a little earlier and put them out a little later the next morning. Continue this gradual pattern until your plants are staying inside all day and night.

Follow these tips to keep your potted plants happy and healthy all winter.