Do These 5 Essential Steps Before Moving Your Houseplants Outside for the Season

Many of the tropical plants we grow in our homes thrive in the warmer temperatures and higher humidity of summer. However, overwintering indoors can make them look dull and droopy when spring rolls in. Whether you bring your outdoor plants in for the winter or put your indoor plants out for the summer, it’s time to make that shift.

I look forward to moving my plants indoors in the fall, because for a time, it’s like living in a lush, tropical jungle. All the same, when spring comes around, I also enjoy putting them back outdoors to watch them get back to growing. Spring is the time for active growth, and the added humidity and better light conditions outdoors help maximize that growth.

If you haven’t gotten around to it, May is a good time to move houseplants outside. Of course, in warmer climates, you may already have made the switch. If you’re still waiting, we can talk about how to make this transition as smooth as possible.

Wait Until Nights Are Warm Enough

The most important step in moving your houseplants from indoors to outside is to wait until the weather is warm enough. You brought them in for a reason: they don’t like the cold. Just as you kept an eye on the weather forecast in the fall, it’s time to start watching again for the right time. 

If you’re unsure when that is, it can vary from one plant to another. Each one has a specific temperature, or range, which it tolerates, or doesn’t. Here are some common houseplants that don’t tolerate cold, along with their ideal temperature ranges:

Philodendrons

There are many types of philodendrons that we keep as houseplants. Some we think of as climbers and others as trailers. A few are even clumping. Philodendrons will suffer temperatures below 50°F (10°C), so wait until nights are consistently above that.

The ideal temperature range for these houseplants to move outside is between 65 and 80°F (18-27°C). Above 90°F (32°C), they may slow their growth and experience some stress.

Pothos

Pothos plants are similar to philodendrons when it comes to the weather they prefer. 50°F (10°C) is the lowest these houseplants can handle moving outside without some leaf browning and stress. 65-85°F (18-29°C) is ideal. In general, these are flexible and tolerant, but they don’t like extreme shifts. 

Snake Plants

These are similar and prefer slightly more moderate temperatures. They are happiest between 60 and 75°F (16-24°C), but they can handle hotter temperatures and fluctuations better. It’s still best to wait until nighttime temperatures are over 50°F (10°C). 

Fiddle Leaf Fig

These are a bit fussy, and they need a lot of indirect light and humidity. If you have a window that gets enough light, you can likely leave this indoors all year. However, if it doesn’t seem happy over the winter, it’s best to wait until temperatures are around 65°F (18°C) and move it outdoors. 

Succulents

Jade plants and most other succulents are a bit more cold-tolerant than other tropicals, as long as they’re hydrated. They don’t mind heat either. They tend to be more flexible in terms of weather shifts, as well. Still, waiting for consistent temperatures in the 50°F (10°C) range is wise to move these houseplants outside.

Calathea

Calatheas and other prayer plants are sensitive and delicate. They do appreciate the humidity they can get outdoors, but wait until nighttime temperatures reach 60°F (16°C) to prevent shocking them. They don’t like fluctuations at all. 

Orchids

Orchids are tricky because, depending on where you live, some will be happier indoors, and some outdoors. They all love humidity, but some prefer cool temperatures, and others prefer warm temperatures. In general, most can handle nights in the 40s (around 4°C), but a few cannot. If you’re working with a warm-growing orchid like dendrobium, phalaenopsis, or cattleya, wait until the nights are in the range of 65°F (18°C). 

Move Houseplants Outside Gradually

Just as you would with young seedlings, you should take some time to move and transition houseplants outside to avoid shocking them. Think of this in the same way that you would think about hardening off. 

Some plants can handle shifts in light and temperature, but many suffer stress with drastic changes to their environment. Very few prefer a stressful situation, so it’s not a bad idea to give them all a chance to acclimate. 

Some of the best things about moving them outdoors are the increased humidity and extra light they will receive. Too much of a good thing, all at once, however, can send them into shock, which slows their growth and can even kill them in some cases. 

I try to move my plants in stages. For those in the greenhouse, I start by leaving the door open for a few days, and then move them outdoors, but keep them mostly shaded. Once they get used to the humidity and fresh air, I move them to their more permanent locations. 

For houseplants, I try to keep my windows open for a while each day when the weather gets pleasant. Then I move them to an outdoor location that is under cover, and finally into their permanent spaces. 

Divide

Spring is the time of rapid growth for nearly all plants, indoors and out. You’ll notice their soil drying out faster right before they kick things into high gear. They can quickly outgrow their containers during this next season, so now is a good time to do some dividing and propagation. 

It’s important to know which ones to divide and which ones you can’t. Typically, you can tell by looking at the base of the plant whether you can propagate by division. Those that have a single stem, like dracaenas, fiddle leaf fig, and other ficus, and many with woody stems, aren’t ones you can divide. 

Ferns, clumping plants, cast iron, pothos, ferns, and African violets are all examples of plants you can propagate by division. Splitting them up will not only give you more plants, but it will also give the existing ones more space to grow this season. 

For most plants, the process is the same or highly similar. 

• Gently loosen the soil around the edges of the pot and tip it over. Gently slide the soil and roots out.
• Shake some of the soil out of the roots so that you can see the crown better as it emerges from the soil. 
• Use a clean, sharp tool or knife to cut between separate crown sections and into the roots gently. Make sure each section has both leaves and roots. 
• Replant each section in its own container with fresh potting soil. 

Re-Pot

This step is already done for those you divide, so you can skip ahead. For those plants that you won’t be propagating, but still need some additional space, this is the ideal time to repot them in larger containers. 

Throughout the year, and especially during the active growing seasons, your plants grow into the space you give them. They also use up the nutrients in their limited amount of soil. Repotting solves the problem of too little space and too few nutrients. 

For most plants, you can size up one size, or about two inches of pot size, to get them through another year. Some plants like to be root-bound, so those you’ll want to hold off and only repot every two to three years. Hoyas prefer to be root-bound and flower better this way. 

Make sure to work most of the soil out of the roots gently so that you can replace it with new, fresh, nutrient-rich potting mix. Don’t worry if some stays in there; you want to be gentle about it. Always water after you repot. 

Prune and Fertilize

Finally, it’s a great time to give your houseplants a little freshening up as they move outside for the season. As they are entering their rapid growth phase, you can take advantage of the opportunity to encourage them to become a more lush, healthy version of themselves. 

When we prune our plants, they redirect energy away from stems that may be leggy or sad looking from a lack of light or moisture. The energy then goes toward new, healthy, bushy growth. For many, trimming the end off of a stem encourages branching. For others, this can lead to more and better blooms. 

This is also an ideal time to start fertilizing again. You probably stopped or slowed down for the winter, as plants use fewer nutrients and are more vulnerable to fertilizer burn. Once spring rolls around, they begin their rapid growth, and a dose of fertilizer really helps to kick them back into gear and maximize the time. 

Once you’ve given them time to acclimate, space to grow, and a bit of encouragement, it’s time to sit back and enjoy. Watch your houseplants flourish, bloom, and thrive.