I find that my house plants do best when I bring them in a few weeks before the furnace comes on.
Gives them time to adjust to the house before being blasted by heat.
A lot less leaf yellowing this way.
For me...that's about mid Sept.

'Course it depends on the plant but many can be left out to be just touched by frost.
Christmas Cactus is the one most suggested. Begonia should be allowed frost to kill the foliage before it is allowed to dry for a couple days before coming into storage.
Dahlia is not dug up until after a killing frost blackens the foliage.
Hibiscus is allowed to stay out of doors until temperatures
threaten to stay below 40º - 45º on a constant basis overnight.

Many plants, such as geranium (pelargonium) can be brought into a garage or shed at night, then back out to enjoy further sunny mild days.

Christmas Cactus, those that are given outdoor not-direct sunlight, can be allowed to be touched by near-frost temperatures to set buds.

While the weatherman might forecast frost, there are areas that can be relied on to be not touched by frost.
If you live close to a large body of water, then frost is much later than those areas inland.
Frost will not touch down if there is any kind of breeze.
Frost can be eliminated often by simple steps to protect plants. A picnic hamper, a garbage can, a bushell basket, thrown over a plant can protect against frost.
Mulching around the plant will keep the temperature of the soil up longer so that plants recently planted, can gain roots before winter sets in.
Sheets can be thrown over plants to prevent frost at night.
A simple spraying of water over the plant can often stop frost.
A potted plant can be put close to a building wall or amongst foundation plants to gain protection.
Potted plants can be buried to stand off frost.

I agree to the previous reply. 50 degrees and they come back indoors. Here is a pic of my kitchen windowsill garden today, filled with cuttings of pink flowering Begonias. It's the only place I have indoors for plants. I hope they look this good all Winter. http://s65.photobucket.com/albums/h229/Bostoncrocus/?action=view&current=100_2914.jpg

Here is a link that might be useful:

quirkpod very nice shelf for rooting and plants ---really miss kitchen sink window .we don't have one .

I think many people lose sight of what kind of weather the tropics receive at night. Since most houseplants come from tropical environments you would think they only get temperatures that we would consider warm.
On the contrary, many South American, South African, Mediterranean and East Indian areas of the globe endures weather that get down into the thirties and in higher elevations into the twenties and teens.
Yet their plants come through unscathed.

Taking a plant indoors at above 50 degrees is nonsense, many can stand up to much lower nighttime temperatures.
Plants that thrive in the tropics are hardy to temperatures that fall below 50 very often.
Where the rain forest makes a heavy blanket of shade many plants also thrive without sunlight which is the main reason the temperatures are so high there.
Yet at night, the temperatures there fall well below 50 and the plants come through.

By treating a plant to not stand up to cool nights, you are only causing it to stay tender and the first unexpected low chill will probably cause it's death because it has not been subjected to the occasional chill.

"Taking a plant indoors at above 50 degrees is nonsense, many can stand up to much lower nighttime temperatures."

That is a rather strong statement, so lets take a second to examine it. It comes in two parts. The first part is very adamant that the assertion uphread (that it's best to bring tropicals in before night temps are consistently below 50-55*) is folly, but then you reverse course and say that only "many" can stand up to lower temps. Since you said MANY and not MOST, that means you must allow that MOST cannot. There is also much you haven't considered.

What I said about the fact that chill affects the photosynthesizing ability of most tropicals is true. "Stand up to" is a very subjective term. What does that mean? Does it mean that it might not KILL the plant? that there may not be immediate visible evidence of the reduced ability for the plant to make food? Just because you cannot see the immediate effects of chill does not mean it is not happening. If we stand a man in a corner and feed him nothing but ice cubes for 2 months, he'll look just fine for a while, too; but .......

You lose sight of the fact, or hadn't considered that those plants you refer to that survive temperatures at elevation in the tropics to the 30s, 20s, and teens are not usually the plants we grow as houseplants. Most of them have a survival mechanism called dormancy and NEED a period of chill, which we cannot offer if we grow them indoors.

The OP asked about Ficus and philodendron. There really should be no argument that these plants will be in decline if exposed to consistent chill much below 55*. It's not much of a leap to include the majority of common houseplants with them.

"By treating a plant to not stand up to cool nights, you are only causing it to stay tender and the first unexpected low chill will probably cause it's death because it has not been subjected to the occasional chill."

While it's possible to harden a tropical plant to chill by exposing it to gradually increasing cold temperatures, you cannot prevent the chill injury caused by sudden chill. Sudden chill can cause phenolic compounds to leak from cells at temperatures in the upper 40s. The symptoms are remarkably like those caused by actual freeze damage. Additionally, why would you ever WANT to harden a tropical to cold when you'll be bringing it indoors in a week or two; and more importantly, because we know that the plants photosynthesizing ability is being compromised, which absolutely means the plant is in decline - possibly worse - at low (below 50-55*) temps? I can't find the logic in it.

Al

Interesting thread - and timely too!
I am about to turn my daughters upstairs bedroom into a wintering over room for my plants.(that will teach her to grow up and move out! lol) There is a large south window, and a west window. I will be running a humidifier in there, along with a gentle fan. Goind to put down some sort of plastic canvas on the floor for easy clean up. Any other words of wisdom here? This will something new for me, so I would appreciate any advice.

Thanks!

MonaRae

I had to bring in some plants early this year from some really sudden heatwaves in July. Anyway, I usually start bringing stuff in in mid to late September. Night temps are usually consistently in the low fifties then, and day temps are also tapering off by then too. It can occasionally get below 60 at night around this time of year where I live but most of my plants are on the porch, and the ones that aren't are containerized trees which don't go inside anyway, and some pineapples, which don't seem to be bothered by environmental conditions much.

By the way, I've heard S. Trifasciatas are pretty tolerant of lower temperatures and that prolonged periods of cold or drought are necessary to induce blooming. Anyone know anything about this?

If we stand a man in a corner and feed him nothing but ice cubes for 2 months, he'll look just fine for a while, too;

I want to hear more about this, I think it's exactly the touch my apartment needs. I have the ice cubes and can afford many more, but can I get the man at Lowe's or should I go for mail order?

Sorry for the total OT, but I couldn't resist :)

I'd go to the garden department at Lowe's and pick whoever's being the most abusive to the plants (overwatering them, knocking them over, packing them in tiny racks without any natural light. Stuff like that).

". . . but can I get the man at Lowe's or should I go for mail order?"

Either/or, but if you get a bad one, don't blame me . . . just feed him the ice cubes with a slingshot. He'll weaken or soon tire of your attention and slink off.

Al

I don't mind going OT at all, especially when it's so amusing! The whole "man/icecube/slingshot" thing sounds like fun, but trouble, too. : )

The mention of Christmas Cactus reminded me that I needed to move mine to an area where it can "notice" the shortening of days.

So I think I'll bring the ficus and philo in tonight since the projected low is 45*, then out again for 2 more weeks with projected lows of 55*-ish. Actually, I think I'll examine them first for damage/bugs, just in case.

thanks!
Jenny

On a related note, I have about a dozen house plants outside that will need to come inside in a few weeks. It's the first year I've left them outside long term. Any advice? Do I need to worry about bugs or other hitch hikers?

curzon, I never take my house plants outside. I have several that are twenty something years young. Just when shall I expect them to die from lack of exposure to an 'occasional chill'?

I'm just trying to plan ahead, after all.

Rhizo, you crack me up! You too, Al.

I had never taken my plants out before, I just had to leave these two out to protect them from the cat. So I can't really help with the bug question, whip, I just know I read somewhere (probably here) that it's a concern.

And since I'll have to perfect "anti-cat protections" over the winter, the plants will (probably) never go back out, thus their inability to handle the 'occasional chill' will never be an issue. No sleep lost.

On the other hand, I might consider moving the Chrismas cactus out to encourage budding as suggested above. No, too much trouble to monitor the weather down to projected frosts. I lost ferns out front this summer for failure to notice it wasn't raining anymore, oops. (I really need to stick with low maintenance plants!)

But I'll keep that in mind next year if it doesn't bloom this year.

Jenny

This is indeed an interesting thread and a timely one too as our temps are also projected to go into the 40's tonight. What I usually do is bring them all into the garage and line them up against the wall it shares with the house. I can move them out on warmer days and also the plants slowly gets used to the lack of light. I expect to bring them all fully indoors in the next couple of weeks. I am in zone 5a (Central Illinois). Hope this helps.
Hlily

For honest interested readers if you have a Christmas Cactus that has been kept indoors, leave it there...don't take it out of doors. If it has been outside, out of direct light, let it stay outside until temperatures chill down to 40ish, then take it indoors to a sunny window and watch the buds explode in number. As the plant produces lots of bloom, if it is wished to delay bloom, remove it from the light, water it less and it will hold off the buds opening.
Keep it though in a cooler environment...nighttime temperatures as low as practical at this time of season.
Plants == those taken indoors from outside and houseplants that have been kept indoors always, appreciate low nighttime temperatures. Keep out of drafts and away from where air currents from doors that are constantly being opened and closed changing their environment too drastically.

If the plant has been kept in a room that is warmish...leave it there...don't remove it to a cooler room.
If it has been kept in a cool room, leave it there...don't remove it to a warm room.
C.C.'s are light sensitive and how they are brought along will often decide how much they bloom.

A Thanksgiving cactus is just one that has been brought forward to bloom in mid November. By pulling it back, one might delay it to have bloom at Christmas.
Many of these same plants bloom again at Easter.

"Where the rain forest makes a heavy blanket of shade many plants also thrive without sunlight which is the main reason the temperatures are so
high there.
Yet at night, the temperatures there fall well below 50 and the plantscome through."

I echo your statement, lol. It works out best for my situation!

{{gwi:7760}}

"Do I need to worry about bugs or other hitch hikers?"

I keep finding toads in my pots. And spiders. I thought I had spider mites but it looks like it was just regular spiders. Fun.

Anyway I guess the low tonight's going to be 49, so plants are going to be coming inside soon. Weird sudden cold snap, though, so I'll have to see what the night time temps are over the next couple of days. Last night the low was 61 or something.

I know they can generally handle temperatures into the high 30s, but for reasons al said, I don't want to expose them to that much longer than I really need to.

Some typical hitchhikers might be: ants, roaches, slugs, sow and/or pill bugs, spiders, worms and millipedes. Just to name a few. ;-)

Amccour:

I had a Sansevieria trifasciata about ten years ago that spent the winter on a glassed-in but uninsulated porch (as did I personally -- long story), and although nighttime temperatures did get down into the high 30s semiregularly (it's amazing what you can get through when you're in your mid-20s and have enough blankets), it did okay, and in fact even flowered. That said, cold isn't required to get them to flower; none of the other Sansevieria flowers I've seen in the past few years have appeared after chilling the plant. We've had some flowers recently at work that showed up following an incredibly hot spell, in fact.

I also don't recommend going below about 50F/10C for Sansevierias unless you really, really have to: they may not say anything, but I don't think they like it. My growers' guide (which has been wrong before, granted) says cold damage looks like "large, water-soaked blotches," occurs to Sansevieria around 36-46F (2-8C), and takes one to four weeks to appear. Damage is also allegedly worse if the plant has been getting a lot of fertilizer.

I have a long list of the minimum temperatures that my plants will tolerate when they go outdoors. It's even in 5 degree incriments for someone compulsive like me. I bring the list out every year and pin it up, although I have it just about memorised after decades of doing it. For most of them, the ideal temps are between 68 - 86 F for photosynthesis and growth. It's those minimums that keep me doing the "in and out - in and out" craziness from the unpredictable temps in April and October here in Georgia.

LOL, I'm taking the second week off in October and plan to stop the decades of in-and-out craziness - and just bring them all in and set up my lighting systems in each room. Let me tell you - it is a major project, but I so love each one of them.

I didn't know until a nosey neighbour told me 2 months ago that she counted 67 potted plants in my yard. She looked at me in astonishment and thought I was quite peculiar. (I guess she doesn't work for a living to have the time to count). Ha, she didn't know about the 133 other plants I keep inside. I won't tell 'Mrs. Kravits'. Her husband Abner wouldn't care anyway. But where is Endora when I need her help?

LOL John. Twitch your nose, perhaps Mrs, Kravits will disappear.
If that doesn't work, fold your arms together, blink your eyes, bow your head, and see if she's gone. Better yet, maybe you can blink spring back. lol.

Many plants will survive at temps as low as 40F, but it depends on other factors..Last week it rained, non-stop, from Thurs night until Sunday afternoon.. Night temps were in the 40's. The only plants that concerned me were succulents. Even though they're in well-draining soil, it was just too darn cold, and rain had flooded shelves. Normally, sux are one of the last plants to come inside for winter, but not this year.

I agree leaving Christmas Cactus outdoors until first frost promotes flowering. Same with Kalanchoes, Gardenias, Cycalmen and Azaleas. There's probably others but I can't recollect any at the moment.

Spiders are a huge, literal, problem this year. 98% of the plants that were brought in had either spiders and/or earwigs..Yuck! Each plant is hosed and rehosed, then pots are turned and hosed..and wiped.
Once indoors, they're taken to the sink or shower and hosed/showered again.. organic insecticide is then sprayed.
A dose of Fish Emulsion keeps scale away, and a last foliar feed, (after insecticide dries)

So, as long as rain isn't pouring 24/7, most plants will do fine in 40-50F temps..that is, unless you're like me, do not like working in cold temps, finish before those cold winds blow..Toni

Hi hopeful author! My nose twitch was a dismal failure, but Aunt Clara said she well understood. And 'Mrs. Kravits' paid another visit just today, and do you know what made her disappear? I asked her if might help me bring in my 8 foot Pachypodium before the cold weather sets in. POOF. She disappeared. Ah, we can't underestimate those mortal tactics.

I've been looking at those minimum temperatures for tropical species, and keep in mind that they are given for plantings in the landscape. (Of course, for mounted epiphytes - that's another story). I usually add 10-20 degrees F because anything above the ground eventually takes on the average of the low and high temperatures. Container size and the potting media is another consideration, as well as moisture in the root zone.

And how many people know that a weather forecast is only good for about 1 to 3 days? The 5 to 7 day forecast is based on temperature averages from previous years. "Don't rely on it", a chief meteoroligist told me personally when I was in the TV studio.

Takes different kinds of weather to make me bring my plants in. The visits of Gustav and then Ike had a lot of plants here in danger of being blown to Texas! This is the first time I've begun to wonder how many hurricanes I want to experience. Most of them are back outside now--we won't have weather below 40 'til November probably. Many plants I know should go in have to stay out 'cause I just don't have any more room, but it's surprising how well they do--if it actually gets a little chilly I use frost blankets. I prefer the ones that are supposed to protect down to 24, tho' there's next to no chance it'll get that cold. Place looks like I've decorated for Hallowe'en when I do that!

Jeannie7 wrote:
"A Thanksgiving cactus is just one that has been brought forward to bloom in mid November. By pulling it back, one might delay it to have bloom at Christmas.
Many of these same plants bloom again at Easter."

Perhaps I misunderstood your statement, but Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving Cacti are different plants that bloom at different times.

That said, I agree about letting plants adapt to a natural chill. My jades and christmas cactus are still outside, with the nights dropping into the upper 40°'s. I think October 1st is a good day to bring plants in for my nor Cal zone 7.

Josh

I have been bringing them in for the past week. But my breezeway will be full for a few more weeks anyway. It's been in the 80's here for the past few days-absolutely wonderful. I think I could have left most plants outside for a few more weeks. But I was able to downsize my collection with my plant sale/give away. I do not have any babies left in my house and no duplicate plants. I am really having fun placing one plant instead of several on shelves,end tables, window sills etc. So bringing my plants in has been a ball.

Would you believe I have had my Selloum Philodendron plant for 22 long years? Yes. The (same plant.)
My friend gave me this Selloum Philodendron as my house-warming party gift back in September 1988.
Quite a few times in those 22 years...I've almost Killed my Philodendron by just being lazy and Not watering it. I'd go 4-5 weeks "without watering" this Philodendron. --> By me soaking my Selloum Philodendron plant in my sink in Miracle-Gro plant food, I guess my Philodendron does have 9-Lives after all :)
I have to say Selloum Philodendrons are very very hard to let die in my book. lol

TONIGHT!!!!

Here it has been in the 70's most of the month, and now 40 today and 30's tonight..Sheesh!

Mike

Mike,
that's the standard swing for my part of the country...
my succulents have all seen 33°F this past week, with day-time highs betwixt 70°F and 80°F.
I left them outside, but I didn't water them a drop.

Josh

About twenty minutes ago.

Seriously it's May. Get warm.

I have (had) a beautiful red christmas cactus until a few days ago. It was thriving beautifully on my enclosed front porch..It was flowering more than it ever had over the past 6 years. I made the mistake of forgetting to bring it in one night during very cold temps and the next morning all the leaves were lemp and hanging over the side of the pot...all but 2 or three blossoms were also limp and hanging. I surmise I killed it. I was so sad that I let this happen...now do I have any options? It does have a small section that doe not seem affected by the freeze. I live on the east coast and our temps are very cold right now.

Hi Barb,

Just so you know, generally one starts a new post for a new question. Yes, it was related to when to bring in one's plants. But in this case it deserved its own post something like "Froze my Xmas Cactus - Help"

So your CC got too cold or semi-frozen? Sorry, have never known someone to have this happen. Hard to know if you can save your plant; you can sure try.

Bring it indoors, place it somewhere where it can warm up & get some bright indirect light. After a few days it should be easier to tell which parts are dead & which are not. Pls. do not water it, nor let it get chilled again. Watering now will almost guarantee killing it.

Just give it time & see what it does; could be part of it survives, I'd suggest giving it time & patience.

Up here in Southern Wisconsin- Frost comes anytime after Oct. 10th -I have Gerainiums and Flowering Plants & 2 Large - 4ft tall Palms grown from being SPIKES, taht are now 10 yrs old, that I store inside my Heated Garage over winter for yrs now.. I want to give them as Much SunLight as I can and thus I keep them Outside as long as i can and move my Potted Plant Flowers onto my Patio Table, set up a Mini Greenhouse with Thick Plastic come the 1st week of October ..Normally by Halloween its time to trim them back and bring them inside my Heated Garage-( ave 45-50 Degrees) with 3 large Windows on the southside of the Garage and Store them there.. and Protect them from super cold blast when Opening the Garage to Come & Go with the cars and Snow Blower ..

I water them ,Lightly -once a week thru out winter! Come March They awake and Start Growing new branches etc.. then back outside when its 40's at nite ( In Late April - Early May )

You can even set up a Plastic Greenhouse with also using a small -500 watt-Space heater to set to keep things at 45-50 over nite.. can cost about $25 for the heater and cost about 6 cents /hr runs on and off ave 25-50 cents a nite cost for electricity! Est $15 a month to get an extra Month or 2 outside..( But might be better off to just buy new One's instead, if not Heirloom or Personal Value Plants..! Mine are from my mothers collection she nurtured for yrs..

And check the Plants and Soil for Bugs & Big Queen Bees before bringing them inside ! Bees make their Homes in the Soil ! Nothing more scarey seeing them come out of the soil in the dead of winter, walking accross your Floor !

There is a reason why we call houseplants, house plants. and outside plants outside plants!!..I take my ferns, and spider plants inside, when the weather drops down to 50 degrees° Because let's face it the weather could turn on us at any time? One minute it's 65° degrees couple hours later it could be down to 40° degrees? I definitely won't take the chance of a frost coming anytime soon?..Why Take CHANCES?

Perspective ~ Why DO we call any plant a "houseplant" when there are no plants that have evolved to the point that an indoor setting is in fact where they naturally occur? "Houseplant", it would seem, will always be something of a misnomer. What we do call houseplants, as opposed to nonhouseplants, I suppose, are simply those regular every-day-ordinary outdoor plants that tolerate indoor conditions without the full-on rebellion of the more finicky of the lot.

Al

Not sure if anyone mentioned this but plants with roots in the 'ground' where temps are more stable and warm with surrounding ambient air are much more protected than those in containers exposed to the colder temps...

I personally see a much bigger decrease in vitality when any plant I have is subjected to colder temps although they do survive at best..

My CC and TC are never exposed to temps lower then the 50's in order to bloom...)

Ditto- But I'm just Mentioning my Perrinial Type Plants, that I have Kept Not just going for many yrs but Super Big in size as what they are from their Original warm yr round Orgins/County. I did it just as a Challange , Test to see and its worked and being Cheap . While saved the Money ( Ave $100) Rebuying them every year, I paid for it in Time and Effort .. and have you ever seen "Spikes" 4-5 ft Tall, like Mini Palm Trees? Or the same 5 ft tall Gerrainiums? or 6 ft accross Asparagus Plants? Not only blow the minds of Family and friends vistiing, but I bring one of them to our Annual-late Summer Garden show in town and have won an award every yr these past 5 yrs..Nobody has a Such Large ones as I have ! Especially all the Women & Pro's that have been doing Gardening alot longer than I have. I got One Pro Gardening Business doing the same now and they are catching up with the size of mine now! Went into their lace last Feb. and saw them in their Place/Atrium....selling for $100-$150 each! Germs 5x bigger than the usual $25 baskets with Stalks the size of Small Tree trunks! Takes Loopers to cut them or a hand saw! Just like Growing those 500-1,000 Lb Pumpkins! I grew them too for 5 yrs ! my Biggest was only 465 lbs..but started the Annual Largest Privately -Locally Grown Pumpkin contest in our town ! This Season? the Biggest was 678 lbs! by some 83 yr old Woman, that nursed it like it was one of her Grandkids, she said..! And since we're a Lake Resort town? The Great Pumpkin Boat Race was held this Yr for the 1st time too! 8 entered to win the $100 1st prize, $50/2nd and $25 for 3rd and Alot of Laughs! by the Jaycees! Special Prize ribbon went for the sexiest Owner- a 61 yr old former Playboy Bunny woman ( The Playboy Club Resort was in our town ), she did that job for its last 2 yrs in business here and She still looked GREAT in her Old Bunny Costume no less!

Maybe she let out alittle In the Butt and alittle more support in the chest and wore a Wig, but her Bunny Tail & Ears were very cute & Sexy! ;-)