What Do I Need To Do To Bring My Plants Indoors?
Step 1: Acclimate
If your plants are outside in the sun, move them to a shaded spot for a couple of weeks before you want to bring them inside. This will help them acclimate to lower light levels.
Step 2: Clean Them Up
Start by washing down your plants and pots with your garden hose. This knocks off the dust, debris, etc. you don’t want to bring inside. It may also dislodge some pests if there are any present on your plants. Be sure to get the entire plant—the top and the bottoms of the leaves.
Step 3: Give Them A Haircut
Change is hard, right? Moving from the bright outdoors to lower light conditions inside shocks a plant. Most plants are rooted in place, so in their natural habitats, they’re not exposed to sudden changes. A lot of common plants react to this shock by dropping leaves. It’s just how they deal with it. But giving them a good trim right away means there are fewer leaves to drop. It also pushes the plant to produce new growth which will be adapted to an indoor environment. Depending on the variety, trim as much as 25 percent of its total growth.
Step 4: Examine for Pests
Give your plants a thorough examination after you trim them back for signs of pests. Outdoors, beneficial insects usually keep bad bugs under control. But inside, pests can build up populations rapidly. Because most pests like to feed from a plant’s tender young foliage, you may have already dispatched a lot of any pests when you trimmed your plant. If you spot any remaining pests, treat them with insecticidal soap, neem oil, or an insecticide.
Step 5: Bring them Inside
Now your plants are just about ready to come in. Place them in a bright spot, such as within 3 feet of an east- or west-facing window, and keep them watered as needed. Avoid placement near heating vents.