Bringing Plants in for the Winter

Overview

If you live in a cold climate or you grow plants in containers that aren't hardy to your winters, bring your plants indoors for the winter to protect them and ensure they live to see another year. However, some plants are delicate and shock easily, so it is best to make the move from outdoors to indoors as painless as possible. Remember that your home might be warmer, but it also has less humidity and less light than the outdoors.

Step 1

Check each potted plant for disease or bugs before bringing them indoors, including the leaves and the root ball. Treat them for insect infestations if you find any before you bring plants indoors for the winter to avoid spreading pests to indoor plants.

Step 2

Re-pot any plants that need it, such as a plant outgrowing its old pot. Prepare new pots with clean potting soil and transplant each plant carefully to their new pots. Water them well.

Step 3

Place the plants near the brightest window in your home. Be sure the outdoor plants will get enough light before you bring them indoors. Clean the windows, inside and outside, to increase the amount of light the plants receive.

Step 4

Water the plants well while they are indoors. Do not allow the soil to dry out. Also mist the plants for the first few weeks to increase the amount of humidity around them.