Confession: I’ve never met a plant I don’t love. From the very first zebra plant I bought at the grocery store as a kid (it probably lasted a week!) to my current collection of 60+ houseplants, I adore plants of all sizes, colors, and shapes. From the whimsical ric rac cactus to the tough and reliable ZZ plant to the colorful and low-maintenance aglaonema, houseplants fill every room of my house with color and warmth.
But while many people take their houseplants outdoors for a little extra heat and humidity in the summer, I don’t do it. It may seem logical that our houseplants would love a trip outside for summer, but I don’t find this practice helpful for the overall health of my plants.
It may sound silly, but plants don’t move around in the wild. They don’t even like being moved to another room most of the time. Once they’ve adapted to a site in my house and are content, they stay put.
In the past, yes, I have taken houseplants outdoors for summer. Certain plants, such as citrus trees and olive trees, love being in the heat. They put on new growth and look healthier than ever before by fall. But, inevitably, I have issues once I bring them back indoors again. For me, the risks outweigh the benefits of shuttling my plants in and out every summer.
Here are all the reasons I don’t put my plants outdoors for summer:
I Don’t Have Time to Acclimate My Plants.
Many houseplants are tropical in origin and live in the understory of the rainforest or in areas that never receive full sun. This means you can’t just put them outside and be done with it. You’ll need to acclimate them slowly to their new environmental conditions. If you don’t gradually introduce them to bright light, the foliage will scorch or drop. The brightest light indoors, even under a grow light, is not even close to being equivalent to the intensity of outdoor light.
Essentially, you first must move your plants to full shade, then slowly give them more direct sunlight over the course of 10 to 14 days, moving the pots around to accommodate where the sun is at any time of day. Even if you’re methodical, some plants, such as ficus, will drop leaves. Yes, they typically recover, but why am I putting my plants through this stress in the first place?
I Don’t Want to Adjust My Watering Routine.
I water when my houseplants need it, not on a schedule, and I always test the surface by poking my finger into the soil before watering. However, there’s definitely a rhythm to watering—I generally know when certain plants will need to be watered (or not) so no one misses a drink or gets too soggy.
But when you move them outdoors, you have a whole new set of conditions to deal with. When it rains, how do you know if your plant got a sufficient soaking? Or did it get too much rain, and now you’re battling root rot? It’s too unpredictable, and again, it stresses my plants (and me).
I Don’t Want to Go Through the Acclimation Process Again in the Fall.
That whole process you went through in the spring must now be reversed. You must move plants from full sun into shade, gradually decreasing the intensity of light levels over a period of two weeks. Once indoors, plants will sulk and drop leaves. But they can’t help it; you gave them outdoor conditions they loved, and now you’re taking away their bright light. Indoor light will never match the intensity of outdoor light.
Of course, most houseplants also do not tolerate cold temperatures. When nighttime temperatures begin to drop into the 40s (some don’t even like the 50s), it’s time to bring them in. It’s even more critical that you get them back inside if a frost or freeze is forecast. And somehow, that first frost of the season always seems to sneak up on me, so there’s a last-minute scramble to get everyone safely indoors.
And the Biggest Reason I Don’t Take My Plants Outdoors: BUGS.
If you’ve ever battled an infestation of aphids or spider mites (I’m looking at you citrus tree), you know what I mean. Indoors, your plants are happy and safe. Outdoors, you’re exposing them to every pest that comes along looking for a good meal, from whiteflies and aphids to spider mites, scales, and mealybugs.
While beneficial bugs in your garden usually keep down pest populations outdoors, you don’t have those natural enemies indoors. Hitchhiking pests, hiding quietly in the soil or underneath leaves, are just waiting for an opportunity to explode inside my nice, cozy home in winter. They’re also waiting to hop onto other houseplants that stayed indoors, and I don’t have room to quarantine everyone from everyone else.
In the past, I’ve gone through all the steps to mitigate pests from coming indoors with some success: spraying off plants with the garden hose, inspecting leaf surfaces, and watching them carefully once indoors. But in some years, I’ve still had infestations that could not be controlled with repeated efforts for months. Eventually, I had to sacrifice infested plants for the sake of every other plant.
Bottom line: I’ve learned that taking my plants outside just isn’t worth it to me. If my plant is happy and thriving indoors, I’m not taking it out there into the scary world. While you may shuttle plants indoors and out and never have an issue, there’s always a first time. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
