The One Mistake To Avoid When Bringing Your Plants Inside For The Winter

Just as a refresher, indoor plants should be brought back inside once nighttime temperatures in your area dip below 55°F, gardening expert from Bloomscape, Lindsay Pangborn, previously told mbg. “Most plants prefer temperatures above 60°F, so be mindful of the forecast if you plan to keep your plants outdoors through the fall,” she adds.

Once it’s time to bring your plants in, founder of The Bloom & Grow Garden Society, Maria Failla, tells mbg the biggest mistake to avoid is not checking for pests. She likes to rinse plants with a hose (a shower also works here) to wash pests away before even settling them in their indoor spot.

“Be sure to look at both the top and underside of the leaves,” Pangborn notes, adding to carefully inspect the stems and soil, and remove any dead and decaying leaves where critters like to hide. If you do spot a few insects, she says, gently remove them. And if there’s an infestation, “an organic neem oil insecticide spray can be used to help deter the pests,” she adds.

Once your plants are nice and clean, it’s still not a bad idea to “quarantine” them from other plants, just in case. This tip comes from Failla, who waits several weeks to monitor for pests before bringing them near her other plants.