Question
Hi
I purchased a lovely Hibiscus plant at Home Depot in June, its planted outdoors and was removed from the pot.
I live on the South Shore of LI and would like to know when shold I bring it indoors.
Thanks so much
Joanrl

Answer
Sorry for my tardy reply, Joan - Those Home Depot Hibiscus plants are as you know tender plants, frost-sensitive and totally tropical.  It will need to be put into a nice big pot and spend the late autumn thru spring days in your sunniest window.  In our area, I would bring it indoors any time in October.

The trickiest part of this exercise is the transition from outdoors to indoors.  Although it seems like an easy thing to do - after all, don't we all do this daily usually multiple times? - for plants, it's not so easy.  Any change of venue to a plant is a hoop to jump through.  Plant tissues acclimate to their environment.  A change - ANY change - is stressful.

The problem therefore with waiting until frost threatens is NOT that you might expose the plant to temperatures that are too cold.  The problem is that the plant, in this case a Hibiscus, turns itself inside out to get used to the very cool nights and moderate day temperatures, only to suddenly be faced with weather that's completely foreign: Your house.  Dry as a doornail, even temperatures, probably less light than it's used to, and tap weater instead of rain.  This is to a plant an ordeal.

For this reason, although the entire month of October will be safe IMHO in terms of being temperature-friendly to a Hibiscus, this plant needs that challenge like a hole in the head.  Lift your plant indoors earlier in the month.  And be ready with the humidifier and the bottles of water spray to combat Spider Mites, the bane of the indoor prairie and a threat to all things Hibiscus.  Good luck and let me know if you have any further questions.

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER