Plants suffer from the confinement that we impose on them all year round by keeping them indoors where the atmosphere is not the one that suits them best. Outside, during the summer, they can enjoy a high luminosityof a aeration perpetual, of therainwater benefactress that dusts off the foliage while giving the plants a mineral food essential to their well-being. Taking them out in the summer can only be theirs beneficial provided that we take certain precautions, and we can even have the pleasant surprise of seeing to bloom some of them for the first time. So let’s see the points to respect so that a stay outside is for indoor plants a real cure of youth.
Take out your indoor plants: yes, but not too early
If you plan to give indoor plants a breath of fresh air, you should not rush all the same. We know that in the spring, the risks of late frosts are frequent, and if we are not careful, a bit of a biting frost can be fatal for these plants used to living in confinement. To get them out, you have to wait until the outside temperature that is at least 15°C and that the risks of frost are no longer to be feared. Expect end of May, or even June 15is reasonable, especially in harsh climates.
Take out your houseplants: mandatory acclimatization phase
The mistake would be to change their atmosphere point blank. On the contrary, you must allow your plants to acclimatize to their new environment by gradually taking them out of their confined universe. A too sudden a change being strongly discouragedwe observe a period of transition between the inside and the outside which must absolutely be prolonged for 10 to 12 days.
During this acclimatization phase, the plants are only out for a few hours a day, especially when the nights are still particularly cool. But it’s just as important for them to get used to the light, which is generally much more intense than in a house.
Air your indoor plants: choose their location in the garden
A houseplant that spends the summer outside takes advantage of this privileged environment if it is well placed. Whether it is installed on the terrace, the balcony or in the garden, it is advisable to reserve a area well sheltered from drafts, wind, and which benefits from good shade.
Full sun is absolutely avoided, especially in the afternoon, so that the leaves cannot be scorched. The good idea is to install mosquito nets or a openwork canvas to shade indoor plants. At the same time, they will be protected from insects. But be careful not to place them too close to a white wall or glazing because the phenomenon of reverberation is particularly important there.
Indoor plants in the garden in summer: take care of the watering
When they spend the summer outside, houseplants become more water-intensive because photosynthesis is a process that intensifies under abundant light. However, outside the substrate in which the potted plants are installed dries out very quickly. It is therefore fundamental that the watering be more frequent than usual. We remove the saucers of course or we empty them without waiting, so that the roots do not bathe in water.
You have to be particularly vigilant because in just a few hours, the plants can collapse, completely thirsty. To avoid this type of hazard, we recommend installing a drip systemwhich makes it possible to meet the needs of the plants even in the event ofprolonged absence, which is often the case in summer. A device equipped with a programmer is the must.
Indoor plants released in summer: essential maintenance
At the end of the day, when the sun is low enough, it is useful to mist the foliage indoor plants that have probably suffered a little in the event of scorching temperatures even if care has been taken to keep them in the shade. In this case, it is very useful to spray the top and bottom of the leaves to refresh them.
Regularly, it is necessary prune dead stems, damaged branches if necessary, eliminate faded flowers and remove yellowed or dried out leaves. A verification general is also necessary because insect pests may have taken up residence on certain plants. If this is the case, we do not wait to apply the appropriate treatment.
Finally, even if spending the summer in the garden can only do good for many indoor plants, it does not exempt them from fertiliser. You can add liquid fertilizer for green plants to dilute in the irrigation water once or twice a month, but never on a dry substrate.
Bring in your indoor plants: before the end of September
In most of our regions, the arrival of the month of September marks the end of the summer season. The temperatures drop slightly during the day but the nights become cool, sometimes even quite cold. We therefore do not wait to put an end to this stay in the open air which has allowed indoor plants to recover their health…. and a beauty. It would be a shame to ruin the countless benefits it has brought them. All this little plant world must reintegrate its penates September 15 and even earlier as daytime and nighttime temperatures began to decline.
Take out your indoor plants in summer: exempt species
We are very careful with the equatorial plants which do not support the temperatures lower than 10 or 11°C which they can undergo in some of our regions even in the middle of summer. What also represents a danger is thethermal gap due to the consequent temperature variations between day and night. This is brutal and this generates a stress. In addition, equatorial plants benefit in their natural environment from high humidity that cannot be reproduced here unless all the expensive equipment is installed, which is not worth it for such a short period.
It is therefore better to avoid going out in summer chilly indoor plants of tropical origin but also all those whose foliage must absolutely not be wet, the best example being the Saintpaulia (or Violette du Cap) with its downy foliage which rots quickly under humidity. A shelter is therefore necessary, otherwise they are kept at home. As for those that do not tolerate direct sunlight in any way, there are many of them. This is the case, for example, with certain begonias, indoor ferns and many species of orchids.
Pour avoid mistakes can cost the life of your indoor plants, do not hesitate to inquire at the time of purchase about the possibilities of taking them out for a few weeks in summer.
Any stay outside during the summer months is very beneficial for a large number of houseplants. But it is important to remain attentive because during the summer months, some thunderstorms are possible. The heavy rainthe violent gusts of windeven the hail devastating can cause serious damage. It’s up to everyone to plan a plan B to quickly protect their indoor plants in the event of an announced weather hazard. The ideal is to be able to temporarily place them under a porch, an awning or to install a hail net of very good quality.