Stepping Out

When moving your houseplants outdoors, take a moment to inspect them closely for insects and disease. If left unchecked, this cushiony scale will take over the plant. Spray the plants lightly to remove the dust that has collected on leaf surfaces.

There comes a time in mid to late spring--or early summer in some parts of the country--when temperatures begin to stabilize during the day and night and consistently remain well above 50 degrees. This is the magical time when gardeners can safely move their houseplants outdoors. But how you go about helping your houseplants make the transition from the indoors to the outdoors can mean the difference between success and failure. Master gardener Paul James offers the following tips:

What you need to do:

If you take a houseplant that's been growing in filtered light for months and abruptly place it in full sun, chances are it won't last more than a few days. Instead, place all your houseplants in full shade for the first week, then move them to a spot where they receive only two or three hours of morning sun for at least another week. Houseplants will do best when left in a spot where they receive only morning sun. Although most houseplants are tropical, which suggests a sunny environment, most of them grow beneath the shade of tall trees where they receive filtered light throughout most their life. Even banana plants, which are usually grown in full sun throughout tropical and subtropical regions, do well with as few as four hours of sun.

Wind is tough to control, try to find a sheltered spot that provides some protection from the wind.

If you have large houseplants, you might need a dolly. For those plants that don't fit on a dolly, you'll need to recruit some help.

Once you've positioned your plants in a protected spot, examine them carefully for any signs of insects or disease. On one of James' plants, a cushiony scale has settled in; if left unchecked, it would take over the entire plant. One of the great things about having your houseplants outdoors is that you can spray without worrying about making a mess. In this case, James sprays with some insecticidal soap.

Spray all your plants lightly with water from the hose to remove all the dust that collects on leaf surfaces indoors. Misting also provides tropical plants with the humidity they need.

Plants that needed water only once a week indoors may need to be watered every day outdoors--depending on the plant's location, the size of the pot, the porosity of the potting mix and the amount of sun and wind they're exposed to.

Houseplants also require more fertilizer outdoors, because it's there that they'll begin their most active growth phase. More frequent watering means nutrients will be more quickly washed out of the potting mix. The fertilizer James prefers is a dilute solution of manure or compost tea (a handful of compost steeped in water for an hour or two) which he applies directly to the potting mix or as a foliar spray every 10 days or so.

Although most people place their houseplants on the patio during the spring and summer, you can also put your tropicals in established beds or plant them in the ground. In garden beds, houseplants in their pots can make great accents or specimens. And when planted in the ground, they serve the same purpose as annuals. Treat them as annuals or you can bury a tropical plant--pot and all--in the ground and dig it up before the threat of frost arrives.

Also in this Episode

Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-626
•	Easing Chores
•	Growing Grapes
•	Stepping Out
•	Major Moves