Its the end of September which means that fall is officially started and winter isn’t far behind, too. And with fall being here we start to think about finishing out outdoors gardening tasks and moving indoors, which also means that we need to move some of our house plants, that are growing outside, indoors. So to make sure that this transferring goes as smoothly as possible and your plants don’t get overly stressed, here will be a guide how to transfer house plants indoors smoothly and painlessly.

When is time to transfer your plants indoors?

One of the first questions people have when they start inquiring about transferring your plants indoors is when exactly to do it, so it is not too soon and also not too late. The rule of thumb here is to transfer the plants to an indoors space, when the temperatures during the night start dropping to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) and lower, since in low temperatures your plants can sustain damage or their growth can significantly stall. If you transfer your plants indoors but the temperatures raise again, that’s okay, because it usually happens for a short period of time and then they permanently drop to 50 and below. The important thing is to not let your plants freeze outside, so really better transfer your plants indoors sooner rather than later.

Which plants can you overwinter indoors?

cat-1154593_1920The other thing that sometimes is not completely clear to people is what plants you can and should transfer indoors. Main plants, that are suitable for overwintering are perennials or plants that live two and more years because that means that they won’t just die after they bloom or produce yield. And even though there are plants that can survive even the coldest of winters, because they are made for these types of climates, warmth loving plants and house plants will definitely need to be brought indoors if you want them to continue growing in the spring.

What is the process of transferring plants indoors?

1.Check the plants

First before you do anything you need to check your plants for any diseases or pests. Pests and different plant diseases tend to thrive in warm conditions, and since once you bring your plants indoors the conditions there will be just that – warm and cozy, if you transfer plants with these problems, you might infect all of your indoors garden. So I would suggest to either threat the plants outdoors and bring them inside only when the disease or pests are gone or to just let that plant go and care for those, who are healthy and pest-free.

2. Acclimate the plants

Once you have determined which plants you will be bringing indoors, you can start to acclimate them to the indoors conditions by putting the plants in a shady spot of your garden a few weeks before you are about to bring them indoors or by bringing them indoors just during the nights for the first few weeks. This way the plants will be used to the indoors conditions and won’t be as stressed when you bring them inside fully, because even if you are supplying the plants indoors with grow lights, they still will feel the difference and can take quite some time to get over the stress of the move.

pots3. Pot the plants

If you are transferring indoors plants that aren’t already growing in containers, then now will be the time for you to pot these plants. Make sure that the pots have drainage holes and that you use potting mix, since this will help you avoid bringing in diseases or pests with your soil. Once all the plants are in their pots, acclimate them for a few weeks and then bring them indoors and set them up in your indoors garden.

4. Care for the plants

And lastly once your plants are indoors don’t forget that the way you care for them needs to change, too. For example often these plants require less water and probably won’t need any nutrients or fertilizers, since the colder season is a rest period for perennials that are brought indoors, when they rest and build up strength for spring when they will start growing again.