It sounds more difficult than it is to debug and clean potted plants before bringing them inside for the winter.
Before bringing your indoor plants back inside in the fall, there are a few easy actions you can do to make sure they are bug-free.
(Warning: Only debug plants that are growing in pots with drainage holes using this technique.)
How can I get my outdoor plants ready for the house?
- your plants in water. Put your plants, planter and all, in a bucket with a solution of insecticidal soap and water (1 tsp of soap per liter of water, or follow the instructions on the container) for around 15-20 minutes. This method of de-bugging plants also has the added benefit of providing plants with a thorough watering. To keep your plants clean when you pull them out, skim debris off the surface of the water while they are submerged beneath you. Take them out, rinse them out, and thoroughly clean the planter once they have finished soaking. Before bringing them inside, spread out some towels and let them absorb any extra moisture. Before watering them once more, make sure the soil is fully dry.
Since your plants will receive far more light outside than they will indoors, it’s crucial to gradually acclimate your houseplants to lower light levels in order to prevent transplant shock.
- Your plants need to adjust. Start by relocating your plants to more and more shady settings each day over the course of a few days, and then bring them indoors. The more time you give them, the better; somewhere between 5 days and 2 weeks is advised. After being relocated, they could drop a few leaves at first, but they’ll quickly get used to their new surroundings!
- Trim a little bit. You may foster new growth that will be more adapted to life inside by pruning your plants when you move them inside. This will also assist limit their size.
- The period is ideal for re-potting. If you discover that one of your houseplants is rootbound while de-bugging it, this is an excellent moment to upgrade it to a new container. Or, you might need to pot a plant for the first time if you’re trying to bring one in that was previously planted outside. In that scenario, remove the garden soil from the roots and entirely replace it with potting soil. Find out more by reading our repotting guide!
- Hold them apart. You may want to keep your plants separate from any other houseplants you may have for a few weeks after bringing them inside so you have time to monitor and ensure your de-bugging efforts were successful. It’s simpler to treat just your recently relocated plants rather than all of them if you missed any pests.
Once your plants are secure inside, keep in mind that the manner you take care of them will alter depending on the season. Consider plants in the winter as being on the verge of hibernation since their growth will be drastically slowed down due to reduced light and less thirst. Additionally, you typically won’t need to fertilize! Before watering, make sure the soil is at least two down and dry to the touch. For more details, read our watering essentials guide and our watering in the Wally Eco guide.
Your plant babies are now indoors for the winter, where you may enjoy their leaves and preserve them for the next year.
What should I sprinkle on plants to prepare them for indoor use?
As a general rule, bring plants inside before the nighttime low falls below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 C.). But it’s crucial to do some insect control on houseplants before you bring them back inside. In order to stop pests from spreading inside to your collection, such as mealybugs, aphids, and scale, they must all be eliminated.
Filling a tub or bucket with warmer water and submerging the pot so that the surface is approximately an inch (2.5 cm) below the rim is one technique to get rid of any pests that have settled in the soil. Give it at least 15 minutes to sit. Any pests in the soil will be forced out as a result. Let the pot thoroughly drain after removal.
Always check your plants, especially the bottom of the foliage and stems, for any webs, eggs, or bugs. Any visible bugs should be manually eliminated by wiping them off or even by using a strong water spray. If you notice any spider mites or aphids, spray the plant’s entire surface, including the underside of the leaves, with an insecticidal soap that is readily available in stores. Neem oil also works well. Neem oil and insecticidal soaps are both mild and secure while still being effective.
Additionally, you can sprinkle a systemic houseplant insecticide on the plant’s soil and then water it in. When you water the plant, this will be absorbed by the plant and continue to protect it from pests even after you bring your plants back inside. To ensure safe use, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions as stated on the label.
In order to prevent pests from spreading to other indoor plants, it is essential to debug plants before bringing them indoors. Bugs on outdoor houseplants are unavoidable.
Can you bring an outdoor plant indoors?
This Bolivian begonia will continue to bloom indoors for a few weeks before losing its leaves for the season. For many years, we have maintained the tubers in the same pot.
Many of my annuals, herbs, and tropical plants will continue to grow all winter long, and some of them may even give me a bloom or two as a treat. These don’t appear to mind the low temps, but they will need an excellent location in the sun.
- Coleus
- Bulky begonia
- Fuchsia
- Geranium (if given plenty of light)
- Hibiscus
- Cymbidium
- Amaryllis
- Agapanthus
- Iresine
- Mandevilla
- Rosemary
Before bringing the plant completely indoors, it is preferable to let it get used to a lower lighting level for a few days. For instance, relocate a plant that is outside in direct sunlight to a more shady location. Try to place your plants in similar light indoors if they are accustomed to strong light, such as a south window or under timer-controlled plant lights for 16 hours per day. As the plants adapt to the circumstances inside, there is no need to worry too much about leaf drop; they will recover.
Additionally, prune your plant before bringing it inside if it needs to be cut back temporarily to lessen its size.
This hibiscus gradually droops and loses its leaves, yet springtime brings it immediately back to life.
Since the fuchsia tend to attract bugs, I remove their leaves and only water them enough to keep their roots alive. When it’s time to go back outside in the spring, they will start up again with brand-new growth and be in bud.
As soon as we bring the cymbidium indoors, it immediately sprouts a flower stalk and continues to bloom throughout most of the winter.
We also keep the geraniums blooming throughout the winter, but if you don’t have a sunny spot for them, you may let them fall dormant by pruning them back by roughly half, covering them with a bag, and only watering them if they start to wilt. Some people even take the bare-root plants out of their container and hang them upside-down in a cool, dark location while misting them with water every so often to keep them from shriveling up. In the spring, give the bare roots a few hours of soaking to rehydrate them before repotting.
Take some cuttings if a combination worked well and you wish to use it again the next year.
Get Rid of Pests
I vigorously spray all the leaves with water to remove any potential pests, and I thoroughly inspect the pots for bugs, snails, cocoons, and egg masses on all sides, especially under the rim.
Use an insecticidal soap or another insecticide that is labelled for these pests to eradicate an infestation as soon as they are discovered. I use a non-detergent soapy spray that I make by combining water and 1 tsp of liquid lavender Dr. Bronner’s soap since it smells so lovely. I attempt to spritz all the leaves with this solution. Due to their 7–10 day life cycle, weekly spraying usually stops the proliferation of spider mites. I’ll put up some yellow sticky cards to catch whiteflies if I see any. Don’t forget to spray the area at the bottom of the container as well as under the lip, where insects like to hide.
Indoor Plant Care Tips
Avoid overwatering! Since indoor plants don’t really need much water in the winter, this is the most frequent reason why they die. Before watering again, allow the top 1/2 inch of the soil to feel dry to the touch. When in doubt, avoid watering. When the soil has been dry for a few days, water succulents even less frequently. In overcast or wet conditions, avoid watering plants because they won’t receive enough light to dry out.
Due to reduced levels of light intensity, plants need little or no fertilizer in the winter. In the spring, right before new growth starts, fertilize.
By storing some of your pricey tropical plants throughout the winter, you can save a ton of money. Offer your extra plants to a gardening friend if your window space is limited.
This pink mandevilla was a gift from a friend who could not bear to throw it out because it was too big to put on a ledge.
Taking Cuttings
I also take cuttings of some of my favorite plants, including coleus, geraniums, impatiens, begonias, and iris. This is just to be safe. All will produce lovely houseplants and easily take root in water.
Cuttings are a fantastic and reasonably priced technique to produce new plants if you don’t have enough room to store pots over the winter.
To cut something:
- Just below a leaf node, pick healthy shoots and prune them by 2 to 3 inches. Any lower leaves and blossom buds should be removed.
Place the cutting in a wet rooting media, such as sterile potting soil, vermiculite, or coarse sand (which typically contains both peat and perlite). Add at least one leaf node beneath the medium surface as well. Advice: Although it is not required, think about soaking the cutting in a rooting hormone before planting. It might raise your chances of success.
Place the cutting in direct light that is bright. Ensure a constant moisture level. The amount of moisture lost will be decreased if the container is covered with a clear bag or plastic hood.
Depending on the plant, rooting normally takes one to three weeks. The roots can be transplanted to a larger pot once they have grown well.
Moving Plants Back Outside in Spring
Your plants will begin to sprout new growth in the spring, at which point you can move those pots back into direct sunshine and restart watering them. I will provide them with a new pot and fresh soil if necessary.
Move them back outside after the final frost to be on the safe side.
A Few More Winterizing Tips
- Containers made of wood and plastic may be kept outside over the winter. Clay vessels made of terracotta, however, should be taken inside because they can shatter.
- Remove garden hoses from any outside faucets before it gets below freezing (32F or 0C). To keep out any bugs and dirt, completely drain the hoses and clamp the ends together. Then keep them in the garage or beneath the deck.
- Good tools are not cheap! Take the time necessary to properly care for them. Sharpen the surfaces and use a wire brush to clean the tools. WD-40 or another light oil can be applied as a coat to metal surfaces. Use an all-purpose cleaner to clean hardwood handles, and then lightly treat them in wood preservative. Learn about maintaining and sharpening gardening tools.
Can I bring indoor plants in pots from the outside?
I’ll respond to a few of the most frequently asked questions I receive regarding debugging plants before bringing them back inside in this section. Ask your question in the comments section below if you can’t find the answer there.
Can I use Dawn or Ivory soap to soak my plants?
Personally, I’ve never soaked my plants with these soap products. Detergent is usually present, and some even have degreasers. Sensitive plants can be harmed or even killed by detergents and degreasers.
Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild, which has no ingredients, is what I use and suggest. Having said that, I’ve heard from readers who have successfully used these products.
But I always have the same response to this inquiry. Regardless of the brand of soap you’re inquiring about (Ivory, Dawn, or any other), you should test it on your plants first before soaking them to be sure there won’t be any harm.
Will this method kill bugs and eggs in the soil?
Yes, washing your plants with soapy water should also destroy any insects or their eggs that are hiding in the soil. However, occasionally there may be air pockets in the soil where they might live.
Soak them for a little longer if you’re worried. After the mixture has completed bubbling, gently tap the pot to try to release any remaining air.
A crucial first step in preventing indoor plant pests is to debug potted plants before bringing them back inside.
This approach of soaking indoor plants in soapy water to get rid of pests works well for the majority of plant species and will ensure that you bring indoor plants from the outdoors without pests.
Believe me when I say that having clean, healthy houseplants will make caring for indoor plants SO MUCH easier for you during the long winter. However, if you do experience an infestation, find out here how to get rid of houseplant pests.
My Houseplant Pest Control eBook is a must-have resource if you need additional advice on how to keep pests away from houseplants. It will help you get rid of pest problems once and for all. Get your copy right away!
How are plants sanitized before being brought inside?
During the winter, houseplants are more susceptible to pests because they are in a dormant period where development is slower and new growth is weaker than usual. To prevent your plants from being taken over, it’s crucial to act quickly and start debugging your indoor plants as soon as you identify a problem. Here are some tried-and-true methods for sanitizing plants as well as advice on how to stop pests from wreaking havoc on your priceless collection of indoor plants.
Inspect Your Houseplants Regularly
Even though it can seem a little obvious, it’s crucial to check every inch of a houseplant for pests. Sticky leaves, yellow patches, chomp marks, fine webbing, and, well, live bugs, are just a few of the unmistakable indicators. However, some of those bugs are really tiny, and if you don’t keep a close check on them, a little group of them can quickly grow into a large mob. It’s much simpler to remove a few critters from a single houseplant than it is to remove swarms from all of your houseplants.
Always examine a houseplant’s undersides when examining it. Pests like to hide here, and it’s a secure place for them to deposit their eggs (ew). Pick up a magnifying glass if your vision isn’t perfect 20/20 so you can take a closer look. Check the soil as well because some insects like to congregate around the soil’s surface and play havoc with the roots of your plants. You need to maintain a close eye on your plant’s roots because they are the most vulnerable and crucial component to safeguard.
Spray Insecticidal Soap
For obvious reasons, we strongly oppose the use of harsh chemical insecticides. They end up endangering populations of beneficial insects like ladybugs, butterflies, and bees when applied outdoors. When used indoors, you put your family, your pets, and yourself at risk from harmful substances. There are significant drawbacks regardless of how you use them. Alternately, you may efficiently troubleshoot houseplants without using any harmful chemicals or carcinogens by using an all-natural pest control approach. Both the earth and you are safer!
Insecticidal soap is the solution if you’re wondering how to debug plants before bringing them inside. It’s among the simplest methods for both indoor and outdoor garden plants to be debugged. While a small amount of mild dish soap diluted with water can be effective, we prefer to use castille soap because it is all-natural and less abrasive on more sensitive houseplants. Simply dispense some soap into a spray bottle with water, shake it up, and mist your plant leaves all over, paying particular attention to the undersides. By using this method, you may quickly and easily rid your indoor plants of the majority of common garden pests with little risk of injury. After you’ve sprayed down your houseplants, be sure to move them into an area with sufficient air circulation since mildew could develop if the moisture remains in the foliage rather than evaporating.
Use Neem Oil
This all-natural, organic pesticide, which is derived from the neem tree, works amazingly well for debugging either diluted with water or purchased as a pre-mixed spray. You won’t need much because it is fairly powerful. It has a powerful punch, killing insects if they eat it, repelling them with its garlicky smell, messing with their hormone systems so they can’t reproduce. A neem oil solution will be very helpful if you have any plants that are prone to powdery mildew, such as flowering dogwood trees, as it is not only excellent for debugging but also a natural fungicide.
Try Pyrethrum Spray
Don’t be misled by the product’s name; although seeming like a strange chemical spray, it is actually a natural substance derived from the chrysanthemum flower. Because it interferes with insects’ nerve systems and paralyzes them nearly instantly upon touch, it’s excellent for debugging. Although it is natural, we advise against using it to debug indoor houseplants because it may endanger helpful insects like ladybugs and bees. You don’t need to exert too much effort because it’s fairly potent. It is intended to be applied locally.
Wipe Leaves With An Alcohol Solution
Give your houseplant a good wipe-down with an alcohol wipe to successfully debug it if it has larger, thicker leaves that aren’t too delicate. It should only require a small amount of isopropyl alcohol in water; you don’t want it to be overly concentrated because alcohol has a drying impact (as anyone who has woken up with an unquenchable thirst after a night of shenanigans can attest). The solution is excellent for removing dust accumulation and disinfecting to help prevent fungus.
Suck Up Flying Insects With The Vacuum
Gnats and other flying insects can be quickly removed from the windowsill where you keep your indoor plants by sucking them out of the air with the vacuum. But kindly take care not to get a piece of your houseplant stuck in the vacuum nozzle. What a catastrophe that would be.
Repel Houseplant Bugs With Garlic
The vampires of the plant world, insects prefer to hang out in shadowy areas and feed on the sap of leaves in typical Dracula fashion. It turns out that they also detest garlic, which gives them another thing in common with those frightening guys. Press one or two peeled garlic cloves into the soil of your indoor plants. This will assist in warding off vampires as well as bugs. Never err on the side of caution! Pull out the garlic cloves, trim the stems, and push them back into the pot if they begin to sprout green or grow.
Come see us at Salisbury and we’ll assist you solve your pest problem if you’ve found any nasty things lurking out in your houseplants and you need to debug them ASAP. You can forgo the nasty chemicals and choose an eco-friendly option that you can use within your home because we have plenty of instruments and natural, organic solutions for troubleshooting.