The temperatures are definitely getting cooler and if your houseplants have been enjoying a change of scenery outside, it is time to prepare them for their move back indoors. Before you get started there are a few things you can do to help ease the transition for them.
First, if you live in a part of the country that has extremely cold winter temperatures, you don’t want to wait until the first hard frost to move them indoors. The change in temperature can be too drastic. A handy rule of thumb to remember is that when temperatures outside become similar to those inside your house, it’s a good time to make the move.
And once you get them inside, you want to make sure that the light conditions are similar to what they had outside.
If you’re not careful, you may be bringing in more than just your houseplants. Hitchhikers can be a problem. During the summer any number of pests can get in the soil and on your plants. And some of them are so small, you need a magnifying glass to see them.
To keep these little stowaways from creating an infestation in your home, try saturating your houseplants with an insecticidal soap, an earth friendly pest control that is available at any garden or home center.
Whenever you spray a plant be sure that it is well hydrated and out of direct sunlight. And always test spray the plant in a select area first, wait 24 hours and if there are no problems, go for the pests.
When applying the insecticide saturate the entire plant and be sure to get the underside of the leaves. After spraying, leave the plants outside for two or three days, then give them one last check before taking them inside.
One final tip to follow is that as the days become shorter and your plants shift from an active growth cycle they won’t require as much water, so don’t kill them with kindness by over watering.