Time to Bring Your Houseplants Back In

Any houseplant that summers outdoors necessarily has to come back indoors again in the fall. But when?

Be aware that many tropical plants adapt to the cool nights and high humidity of fall without much trouble, but when you suddenly bring them back indoors to a vastly different environment, the hot, dry air created by heating our homes (the situation in October and November), they’re in for a major shock. Often leaves start to turn yellow and drop off.

That’s why it’s best to bring tropical plants back indoors very early, in early September or even at the end of August, when the humidity and the temperature outside and inside are pretty much equal. That makes for a smooth transition, with no shock or leaf loss.

Of course, you won’t want to bring insects back in with the plants. To learn how to control them, read Bring Your Houseplants Indoors Without the Bugs.