Bringing Plants Indoors for Winter

I have moved from a house with south facing windows and skylights to an apartment with low sun light. When I move my plants off the balcony for the winter what should I do differently?

Hi Lori,

First of all, when you move your plants indoors for the winter, do it gradually. If you do it all at once the plants may die from the shock of going from really good light to poorer light. So try to do a few hour inside at first, gradually increasing it over a 2 week period. The next important thing is to remember is that with lower light the plants will not dry out as quickly so be VERY CAREFUL NOT TO OVER WATER.

Bringing plants indoors into lower light also means the plant grows more slowly especially since it’s winter when many plants are resting. Most plants do not need to be fed during the winter months. If you feed a plant when they really don’t need it, the fertilizer builds up in the soil. The salts in the plant food burn the roots and cause brown leaf tips on the plant.

Finally, be sure to check for outdoor insects and bugs before bringing your plants inside. Caterpillars are cute but not when they’re roaming around your house.