Moving plants indoor 2 outdoor

16 years ago

Hi there,

I have a pothos sitting in my north facing window in NY, and want to put it out on my fire escape now that it's summer, so's it can get more light. I can bring it back in at night. (I want it to grow a bit more.) Not sure if this is a good idea, if it will be happy out on the escape during the day. Any advice will be appreciated.

Also, I've had the same plant about 5-6 years and not repot it. Do I need to, just because it's been so long or leave it alone?

Many thanks.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

birdsnblooms
16 years ago
Hi Sanjna..how much sun does your fire escape get? If it's direct sun, it might burn..Pothos thrive in medium light, and placing it in direct sun would either burn or fade foliage.
Your Pothos has been in the same pot 5-6 yrs? What type of pot is it in? What size? Do you see roots atop the soil or growing out of drainage holes? If you answer yes to the last two questions, then it needs a larger pot.
Oh btw, why would you bring the Pothos back indoors at night? If you decide to place it on the fire escape, leave it there 24/7....Warmth during the day and cooler air at night helps plants.
BTW, if you dicide to set outside, do so on a cloudy day..Cloudy days = stronger light than what it's used to getting. But wait for a wk where they predict rain and sun is behind clouds..Good luck, Toni
sanjna
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks Toni. The fire escape is on the north side so it gets both the east and west light - some direct sun for a few hours until the building shadow falls on it. So not a good idea then?
The pot is a plastic one, I bought the plant from a supermarket where it was hanging in the window...love at first sight. I guess. Anyway it's about...a hand and a half width and about a hand in height, if that makes sense. Also no roots in the drainage holes and not too many on the top.
Thanks for your help..sanjna
Related Discussions
Moving houseplants outdoors and planting?
Q
Comments (14)
Josh, you're not the only member here who has planted house plants in the ground. :) Karate. Planting in the ground has its pros and cons, unfortunately, more cons than pros. Pros...plants will grow like weeds. Con. Depending on the plant, it might grow too big. For example. One spring I planted two, 1' Musas/Banana Trees in the ground. By autumn, they stood over 15' tall, 7-9' wide. Because of their sizes, I had to leave them out to die. I also planted a 7" Brugmansia. By autumn, it stood 3-4' tall. I dug up the Brug..many roots broke, but not enough to kill it. The following spring, I planted the Brug in ground again. It grew another 2-3', and bloomed profusely. From then on, it was kept in a large container. I also planted a few palms and a hardy Citrus. The palms didn't put on much growth, but foliage was full, compact and very green. Some of your plants would do okay in ground, but don't forget the cons.. Cons: Broken roots, bugs, disease. If you decide to plant in the garden, when you dig up, hose entire plant, including roots. Some of your plants that could be planted in the garden: Jerusalem Cherry Ardisia Elephant Ear Canna Opuntias Most of your other plants would do fine outdoors, in pots. Be very careful with the Pothos and Philo. Leaves could burn. Keep us posted..Toni
...See More
Meyer lemon: bad move from indoor to outdoor
Q
Comments (4)
Hi Jill, First of all, congrats on having a lemon tree in Minnesota! That's probably not too common of a thing. Well before any big gains can be made, it is going to be helpful if we knew a little more about your plant. One main thing is the soil that is in, I have just learned this recently. A lot of members and myself now included don't like many potting mixes and prefer to either do a 5:1:1 mix or Al's gritty mix, you can look those up here if you are curious as to what they are. Generally the problem with potting soil is that the water does not drain well enough and the soil stores too much moisture, which can lead to gnats or root rot. So it is probably to your advantage to change it. The next thing is what type of fertilizer you are using? Since it is a container plant, the nutrients in the soil get used up quickly, especially nitrogen. These deficiencies in nutrients could be the cause of the yellowing of your leaves. My guess that the reason that it goes into shock outside is because it hasn't had time to adjust. Usually you want the plan t in shade for a week or two before putting it in full sun. Another thing to worry about is how cold it is getting a night, so make sure to watch those temps and bring it in for the night if needed. I am by no means no expert like many on here so the information you provide about the kind of soil you have now, fertilizer you use, your watering habits and the general habits of how you take care of your plant will help others help your plant. this is only a start to a massive amount of help you will get! Nate
...See More
Plants started indoors want outdoors?????
Q
Comments (5)
My plants have been outside for 3 weeks or more. I have 2 of those mini greenhouses and I have them set on the south side of my house. Some of them are left outside at night without the greenhouse. They get put in when there is a threat of frost only. This year my blooming lilies in pots that have stayed outside in this spot through the hard frosts. Right by your house you have a micro-climate. I've been leaving my plants outside for years like this.(This is the first year with the greenhouses.) The odd touchier plants may be bitten by frost a bit but only when the tempature dips quite low. I now only grow plants that tolerate a bit of frost. Really touchy plants like begonia's, I don't bother planting. (Even though I truly love them.) Mother Nature has played tricks on me way to many times. Shelley
...See More
Starting indoors then moving outdoors?
Q
Comments (9)
Seed starting does not take up much room. I have mine in various salvaged plastic containers on top of my refrigerator. I started some on top of my hot water heater it is only warm there not hot. Don't forget to check them because the minute they start pushing up, you need to get them under a light. After they get their true leaves, you transplant them to bigger cups. You can start saving soda cups; I have some black plastic 3 and 4 inch nursery containers from plants I bought last year. If you haven't grown your own from seed before, the hardening off part is very critical as DigDirt said. You already know what size you want if you have purchased plants and how to protect from frost and cutworms. Do a search for hardening off plants; it isn't hard to do but is a step where you can lose your plants.
...See More
watergal
16 years ago
I'm not sure it would appreciate that much light. I think you'd be better off keeping it indoors.

They can stay in the same pot for a LONG time. If you don't see roots, and the plant is doing well, I would just leave it alone. If you know how to repot, you can knock it out, look at the rootball, and decide if it's ready to move up or not.
gabro14
16 years ago
Even if he doesn't go up in pot size, should he repot just to renew the soil? I know nothing about pothos, but I just thought I'd throw it out there.
Gabi

Moving plants indoor 2 outdoor

Comments (4)

birdsnblooms

sanjna
Original Author

Related Discussions

watergal

gabro14

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Moving plants indoor 2 outdoor

Comments (4)

birdsnblooms

sanjnaOriginal Author

Related Discussions

watergal

gabro14

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

sanjna
Original Author