When the weather warms up in the late spring, houseplants can be placed outside. You shouldn't be too apprehensive to move your houseplants to the great outdoors; even a decent chill can blow the leaves off tender plants. Monitor houseplants while spending the warm months outside. If leaves are being wind damaged, then move plants to calmer spots. If pots dry out too rapidly, you should move plants into some protection from shade or wind, or even repot if desired. Inspect your houseplants for indications of insect damage. Pest control is much safer and easier while the plants are outside for the summer season, than after you bring them in during the autumn.
Houseplants that have been outside all summer should be permitted to make a basically slow transition to the indoor conditions. Swift changes in environment can result in leaf drop and yellow foliage. To prevent injury, it's wise to bring plants indoors before temperatures go below 55 F; you should not wait for frost warnings. Check for insect pests before you transport the plants, because it is easier to dispose of pests while plants are still outside. Wash the plants' leaves, and soak pots in water for about 15 to 20 minutes to saturate most soil-dwelling pests.
When plants are cultivated in strong light, they develop sun leaves which are organically wasteful. If these same plants are placed in low light, they must either alter existing sun leaves into evening shade leaves or even drop their morning sun leaves and cultivate a new set of shade leaves, which are organically more cost-effective.
During the winter months, wrap plants completely before leaving the garden center to transport them to your vehicle. A short run from the garden center to the vehicle in severely low temperatures can damage or acutely kill plants. You can wrap plants completely with paper bags or newspaper, and then place them conveniently in the front of the car before you turn on the heater. The trunk of most cars is obviously too frosty to transport plants securely during the winter months.
On a complete trip, make special arrangements so that the plants will not be damaged and frozen by the cold weather. Many foliage plants will be harmed severely, if the temperature drops well below 50F; therefore, it's important to maintain a warm temperature as much as possible around the plants when hauling them from one site to the next. Finally, never allow wind to blow over them from open windows of the vehicle.
