Bringing Your Houseplants Back Indoors

By goldfinch4
September 29, 2012

It’s that time of year when we’ll want to start bringing our houseplants back indoors for the winter. Most houseplants are tropical plants and will experience damage at temperatures below 40 - 50 degrees F. Before you bring them in there are a few things you can do that will help in the long run.

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Sep 28, 2012 7:22 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Lynn
Oregon City, OR (Zone 8b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages I helped plan and beta test the plant database. I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Database Moderator
Forum moderator I helped beta test the first seed swap Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Plant and/or Seed Trader Garden Ideas: Master Level
Chris, this is such a great time for me to read this article. Thank you for the reminder to get busy preparing my plants for the move indoors.
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Sep 29, 2012 4:10 AM CST
Name: Vicki
North Carolina
I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar I sent a postcard to Randy! Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Forum moderator Region: United States of America
Purslane Garden Art Region: North Carolina Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Master Level Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
Thank You Chris - I imagine y'all are getting cold up that way. It will be here too, before we know it!
NATIONAL GARDENING ASSOCIATION ~ Garden Art ~ Purslane & Portulaca ~
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Sep 29, 2012 8:21 AM CST
Name: Jean
Hot Springs Vlg, AR, DeLand, F
Daylilies Region: Florida Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Master Level
Great article Chris Thumbs up Also it is a good idea to put new plants you bring into the house into "quarantine" so that you won't infect your other houseplants.
Any day you wake up on the sunny side of the grass is a good day.

"The moving hand writes and having writ moves on. Neither all thy piety nor all thy wit can lure it back to cancel half a line nor all thy tears wash out a word of it." The Rubiyat by Omar Khayyam
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Sep 29, 2012 9:56 AM CST
Name: Paul
Allen Park, MI (Zone 6a)
Charter ATP Member Vegetable Grower Plant and/or Seed Trader Seed Starter Roses Region: Michigan
Canning and food preservation I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Container Gardener Composter Enjoys or suffers cold winters Avid Green Pages Reviewer
I've found that fungus gnats lay eggs in the soil that you can't see.
Bonide make an houseplant insect control that is very effective in controlling these.I use it a week or 10 days before bring the plants indoors.

If you don't you're liable to be infested a couple of weeks after bringing your plants indoors.
Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes. ~Author Unknown
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Sep 29, 2012 12:51 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Lynn
Oregon City, OR (Zone 8b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages I helped plan and beta test the plant database. I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Database Moderator
Forum moderator I helped beta test the first seed swap Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Plant and/or Seed Trader Garden Ideas: Master Level
Paul, is that the name it goes by at the store?
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Sep 29, 2012 1:46 PM CST
Name: Paul
Allen Park, MI (Zone 6a)
Charter ATP Member Vegetable Grower Plant and/or Seed Trader Seed Starter Roses Region: Michigan
Canning and food preservation I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Container Gardener Composter Enjoys or suffers cold winters Avid Green Pages Reviewer
Its Bonide Houseplant Insect Control
Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes. ~Author Unknown
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Sep 29, 2012 1:50 PM CST
Name: Chris
Ripon, Wisconsin
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Master Level Seller of Garden Stuff I sent a postcard to Randy!
Sempervivums Sedums Region: Wisconsin Hosted a Not-A-Raffle-Raffle Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Avid Green Pages Reviewer
Yes, it's getting cold up here already. In fact, about a week ago we had snow!!! It didn't stick, but it's about a month earlier than usual. Thumbs down
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Sep 29, 2012 2:19 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Lynn
Oregon City, OR (Zone 8b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages I helped plan and beta test the plant database. I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Database Moderator
Forum moderator I helped beta test the first seed swap Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Plant and/or Seed Trader Garden Ideas: Master Level
Thank you for the info Paul.

Wow Chris, snow already? We are still in the 80's daytime and high 40's to 50's night time. We are in the midst of a record breaking drought, the worst in recorded history for us.
July 1st to the end of Sept. we would normally have 3.30" of rain, we only got .25". It is very dry and the fires won't be totally under control until we start getting fall rain.

Now to go find some Bonide Houseplant Insect Control
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Sep 29, 2012 11:20 PM CST
Name: Gordon
Brooklyn , New York
Charter ATP Member Miniature Gardening Container Gardener Region: United States of America Butterflies Garden Art
Tropicals Plumerias Roses Ponds Birds Plant and/or Seed Trader
yes... the soil knat eggs hatch out.. to these larve...I kill them at that stage with some BT... a naturally occouring killer of larvie. making them sick and unable to eat.. it's the active part of mosquito dunks.. and safer caterpillar killer.. I'd been disolving the dunks.. but the caterpillar killer is so much easier... but the dunks have the advantage in that the flecks of the dunk.. slowly release the BT over time.. so you get a tiny boost of it with each watering.. but application is uneaven.. the flecks often get in some pots more than in others... and it's natural
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Sep 30, 2012 11:48 AM CST
Name: Sharon K. Winter
Las Vegas, NV
\"Mother Winter\"
Garden Ideas: Level 1 Charter ATP Member Roses Seed Starter Region: Southwest Gardening Birds
Plant and/or Seed Trader Tropicals Region: United States of America Purslane Plumerias Lilies
I am getting ready to put all my zone pushing tropicals in my garage garden in about a month. Thanks for the heads up. We have had a terrible time this year with some kind of worm, can never find it, that is making lace out of the leaves. I am getting ready to hit everything with BT so I will just do the same with the tropicals I move inside the garage garden.

Thanks for the article. We need reminders like that. We are still in upper 90s but in the desert, when your temperatures move downward, they move quickly. I am so curious about this up and coming winter because last year we really did not have winter here. Thanks everyone for the ideas on different products.

Believe it or not, Las Vegas got your rain. 3.25 inches in September. More than we normally get in a year.
If it is not going to affect you five years from now, do not let it get you down.
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Sep 30, 2012 5:18 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Lynn
Oregon City, OR (Zone 8b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages I helped plan and beta test the plant database. I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Database Moderator
Forum moderator I helped beta test the first seed swap Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Plant and/or Seed Trader Garden Ideas: Master Level
Wow, Sharon that is a lot of rain for your area. We are still not expecting any for at least the next 2 weeks, which takes us to the middle of Oct. I would love to see a little rain right now. So would my yard.
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Oct 1, 2012 12:35 AM CST
Name: Chris
Ripon, Wisconsin
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Master Level Seller of Garden Stuff I sent a postcard to Randy!
Sempervivums Sedums Region: Wisconsin Hosted a Not-A-Raffle-Raffle Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Avid Green Pages Reviewer
Lynn, haven't had any more snow since (whew!) but the temps are 10-15 degrees cooler than normal now, rather welcome after our scorching summer. I hope the fires aren't any where near you.

Thanks Paul and Gordon for your suggestions! Thumbs up

Sharon, that is a bunch of rain for you. If you find out what that worm is I'd be curious to know. Good luck!
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Oct 1, 2012 8:54 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Lynn
Oregon City, OR (Zone 8b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages I helped plan and beta test the plant database. I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Database Moderator
Forum moderator I helped beta test the first seed swap Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Plant and/or Seed Trader Garden Ideas: Master Level
The fires aren't close by, but our air has been filled with the smoke from Oregon and Washington fires. I haven't been able to spend much time outdoors because of it.
Yesterday (Sunday) was much better. She be better today also.

Sharon, since they are feeding on the leaves, I wonder if one of the systemic drenches would work?
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Oct 2, 2012 3:50 PM CST
Name: tarev
San Joaquin County, CA (Zone 9b)
Give PEACE a chance!
Adeniums Cat Lover Garden Photography Region: California Houseplants Plays in the sandbox
Orchids Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Composter Cactus and Succulents Dragonflies Hummingbirder
Thanks for this reminder and tips..will have to face it soon with some of my plants.

Ah we are still in smoldering heat today, right now sitting at 97F heading to 100F ugh Grumbling but they say cool weather will start returning tomorrow! Looking forward to some much needed Fall cool relief! Have not seen any good rain since late April.
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Oct 3, 2012 12:46 AM CST
Name: Chris
Ripon, Wisconsin
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Master Level Seller of Garden Stuff I sent a postcard to Randy!
Sempervivums Sedums Region: Wisconsin Hosted a Not-A-Raffle-Raffle Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Avid Green Pages Reviewer
The cuttings I got from you are doing great tarev. I brought them in 2 weeks ago and they seem happy so far.
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Oct 22, 2012 5:31 PM CST
Name: BlueFox
Grand Forks, B.C. Cdn. Zone 5A (Zone 4a)
Romantic & Rustic, Xeric & Organic
Butterflies Enjoys or suffers cold winters Sempervivums Sedums Garden Art I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Charter ATP Member Region: Canadian Cactus and Succulents Xeriscape Garden Ideas: Level 1
I brought all my tender succulents in (lots of Aloe species, some Echeveria, Pachyphytum, etc) and because I had such a problem with mealy bugs I sprayed everything twice before I brought it indoors with Safers Insecticidal Soap, with the addition of isopropyl alcohol - I figured if it didn't kill the plants, it might kill the bugs - and it seems to have done the trick. I'm determined to keep on top of it this year *Blush*
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Oct 22, 2012 5:40 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Lynn
Oregon City, OR (Zone 8b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages I helped plan and beta test the plant database. I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Database Moderator
Forum moderator I helped beta test the first seed swap Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Plant and/or Seed Trader Garden Ideas: Master Level
Paul told us about the Bonide systemic insecticide. I found it at our local hardware/garden center. I will be giving that a try this year.
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