Your plants enjoy the warm temperatures and sunny days of summer just as much as you do! The Grow-HowTM Team provides all the information you need in regards to bringing your indoor plants outside throughout the summer.
Can all plants go outside?
Yes, during the hot summer months, all of our interior foliage plants can be moved outside. After all, there is where plants originated! They will appreciate breathing in the crisp outdoor air. When putting your plants outside, one of the most important things to consider is the strength of the outdoor sunshine.
Many typical houseplants thrive in bright, indirect light that is filtered by the canopy of taller trees above as they do in their natural habitat along the forest floor. You should avoid placing your plant in regions that receive direct sunlight if the plant you have indoors prefers indirect light. Additionally, it’s crucial to get your plant used to being outdoors.
How do I acclimate a plant to the outdoors?
The process of progressively acclimating your plant to a new environment, such as a change in temperature or light intensity, is known as acclimation. In order to avoid undue stress that can hinder growth or harm the plant, proper acclimation enables your plant to gradually adapt to its new environment.
Start acclimating your plant by putting it in a shaded place outside for an hour or two on the first day, and then gradually increase the amount of time it spends outside over the following seven to ten days. Most plants can tolerate direct sunlight during the morning hours since it is significantly less intense. About five days after you begin the acclimatization process, if your plant will receive morning sun, start putting it in the sun for brief periods of time each morning. It is better if plants with a preference for indirect light are protected from the sun by around 10 a.m.
Even plants that can tolerate direct sunshine, like a Bird of Paradise, Sansevieria, Ponytail Palm, and most cacti, need to be introduced gradually over the course of at least 10 days. This will prevent them from experiencing burnt leaves while they adjust to the strength of the full outdoor sun.
When do I know it’s safe to bring my plant outside?
When the outside temperature remains consistently above 50F, you can bring your plants outside without risk. Pay close attention to the forecast. Bring your plants inside for the night if the temperature is forecast to drop below 50F. When it becomes warmer, put them back outside.
They’ll probably be fine if you forget and expose them to lower temperatures for a brief time. Their growth may be temporarily stunted by temperatures below 50F, and leaf damage may result from temps as low as 35F. Most indoor plants will lose all of their leaves in freezing conditions, but if the exposure was only brief, the roots will usually survive.
How long should indoor plants be left outside?
To make the most of the rain, it makes sense to move indoor plants outside, but there are certain hazards to watch out for. Creative Commons license for the image
In San Diego County, we don’t ask that question very frequently. But now is a good moment to investigate this query because a pleasant rainstorm is expected to last the entire day. Why wouldn’t we want to use the rainfall to our advantage to conserve water and give our interior house plants a healthy drink and a pleasant shower?
Doesn’t it seem obvious what the solution is? Although it is generally a good idea, there are some dangers you should be aware of and steer clear of.
Good Reasons to Let Nature Water Your House Plants
There are various advantages to having rain fall straight from the skies to irrigate your plants. The first benefit is that it gives your plants a wonderful bath, which they undoubtedly need. Dust and any other dirt or debris that may be on your leaves are helped to wash off by rain. Be careful not to leave any indoor plants with delicate leaves outside during a rare downpour.
The salts and other minerals in your tap water that are still in the soil of your plants are dissolved by rainwater. Water in San Diego County is very hard, which means that it has a lot of dissolved minerals in it, particularly calcium and magnesium. Have you seen the white, crusty buildup on the fixtures in your kitchen and bathroom? Does it seem difficult to make your soap or shampoo lather up nicely? These are the results of the hard water’s mineral content.
People’s health is not in danger from hard water. But because of the buildup of calcium carbonate and salt from hard water, the soil (or roots) will eventually start to reject water. Rainwater is naturally “soft and can assist in removing these minerals from the soil in the container of your house plant. A regular leaching is beneficial.
Additionally, rainwater will clean the stomata, or breathing pores, on the leaves of your plant, enhancing its capacity to absorb carbon dioxide and nutrients for photosynthesis. It will grow better and be healthier. This also applies to your outside garden. Have you noticed how well your outdoor plants are now growing as a result of some recent, sporadic rain in San Diego?
Eww! Before bringing your indoor plants back inside, inspect them for hitchhikers. Imagination: Eriger/Creative Commons
Avoid These Hazards When Putting House Plants Out In The Rain
When you start bringing all of your indoor plants outside, there are a few things to keep in mind. Do they really need to be watered? The majority of indoor plants thrive when given a consistent wet and dry cycle, with some time between waterings to allow the soil to partially dry out.
However, even if the soil is already moist, home plants can generally handle being repeatedly saturated with precipitation. Compared to tap water, rainwater has more oxygen. You could believe that because they were left outside in the rain, your plants are seriously wet. The oxygen in rainfall allows you a margin of safety when the soil is wet after a downpour, even though there is a serious risk from using too much tap water.
Rain may be very cold, even in our moderate environment. It’s far cooler than your indoor plants are used to. Your indoor plants shouldn’t be left outside for too long, especially during the chilly evening hours. Temperatures can quickly fall into the 40s and frost range in our inland valleys. Only during the warmer months should you leave them outside overnight; otherwise, bring them inside before you go to bed.
Only the appropriate potting soil needs to be added to your plant containers. Picture: Creative Commons License, SweetLouise
Rain frequently coexists with wind. Your indoor plants may be knocked over, and huge leaves may be harmed. Your houseplants are not naturally wind-tolerant. If one of your more expensive, finer containers blows over and smashes, you won’t be thrilled. Find a covered spot, or gather the rainwater in a bucket and use it to water plants indoors.
Before the cloud cover clears after the rain, you must bring the plant back inside. Your indoor plants will be burned by direct sunlight, and leaves may suffer from searing damage.
Check all of your plants quickly for any hitchhikers, such as slugs, snails, caterpillars, or other pests. They can spread infection to your home’s other plants very quickly. It shouldn’t be a major issue as long as you don’t keep your plants outside for longer than a day or two.
When your indoor plants are outdoors, keep them out of the reach of children and animals, especially if they have leaves that could be harmful or irritant. Plants, animals, and toddlers typically get along poorly.
When you can, give your indoor plants a great sip of rainfall. They’ll give you good health as payment! Image by PeterFacebook/Creative Commons
Put indoor plants with fuzzy leaves inside and keep them out of the rain. They dislike it when the rain falls straight on them. A good example is African violets, yet there are some African violet specialists who believe this is acceptable.
Enjoy our unusual rain. Let us take care of your plants if the Good Earth Plant Company has piqued your curiosity in adding more indoor plants without the hassle or time commitment of caring for them. Your house or place of business could become a cheerful green space thanks to us! Plants improve people’s quality of life.
Can I place indoor plants outside?
One of the most important elements causing plant shock is light. In actuality, outdoor sunshine is much more intense than indoor sunlight. Even while most houseplants need enough light, they can be difficult to transition from one extreme to another without the right preparation.
You shouldn’t put any indoor plants in direct sunlight outside in order to ensure a successful transfer and minimal plant stress. Instead, find a spot that is nicely covered, such as your patio or a tree, and let your plants enjoy some fresh air there for a few hours every day. Then gradually relocate them to a location with some sunlight, increase the amount of time they spend outside, and eventually leave them outside all day. The houseplants should be fully accustomed to their outside surroundings after a few weeks and can stay there all summer.
When is it too hot outside for indoor plants?
The arrival of summer brings with it a one-two punch of extreme heat waves. Long durations of extreme heat require us to remember to stay hydrated and find creative ways to cool down.
Plants are unable to drive to the mall for the free air conditioning or jump into a beautiful cool lake. Whether they like it or not, they are forced to endure the heat and harsh glare. There is a limit to how much heat they can tolerate, despite the fact that their biology includes certain mechanisms for controlling temperature.
So, how hot IS too hot for plants?
Generally speaking, with a few exceptions, the answer is somewhere around 90 degrees F. This indicates that when temperatures exceed 90 and stay there for a while:
- Wilted leaves. High temperatures cause water to evaporate into the air more quickly, depleting a plant’s water supply. In dry heat, this is especially true.
- Flowers drop, particularly immature flowers. Some plants must give up their reproductive objectives in order to regulate their own cooling systems with the energy they have available. Less flowering may result from heat waves.
- To stop water loss, they cease breathing. Some plants will lock their leaf pores, or stomata, in an effort to prevent water from evaporating. This has a cost because the pores must stay open in order to absorb carbon dioxide, which is necessary for photosynthesis. As a result of their reduced defenses, plants with low CO2 levels develop more slowly and may become attractive to pests.
What can we gardeners do about it?
Plant the appropriate heat-loving plants in your dry or humid location. Tropical plants like warm, muggy conditions, but xeriscaping (drought-tolerant) plants do better in hot, dry areas. Both groups of plants are excellent options for withstanding heat waves because they are accustomed to doing so.
Mulch and water. Always make sure to water your plants well when the temperature rises above 90. This will stop them from wilting and allow them to control their internal systems without being concerned about losing too much moisture. You may keep the soil around your plants cool and prevent water loss by mulching them early in the season (and renewing the mulch 1-2 times throughout the season).
Create fertile soil. More water may be held in the soil, which reduces evaporation. When perennial plants have deep, broad roots, which are enabled by good soils, they are best able to withstand severe temperatures.
Defensively plant. In particular, make some shade for the afternoon sun. This could entail constructing a sizable building, shrub, or bush on the western side of your preferred perennials, or it could entail purposefully transforming a sizable area into a Shade Garden. You and your plants will benefit from a shady refuge if you can reduce the temperature in your yard by fifteen degrees.