You might have been thinking about giving you house plants a little summer vacation outdoors. Most houseplants flourish with a little time outside in the summer. One of the keys to their success lies in where you place them outside. When you take a plant from its indoor environment and place it in the outside elements all at once, the plant can easily become stressed as a result of shock. Acclimating houseplants slowly to outdoor conditions is the best way to lessen the amount of shock and achieve successful adjustment to this new environment.
Many houseplants are not acclimated to full sun, so care should be taken to place them in spaces where they will receive filtered light Instead. Seek out a nicely shaded area, perhaps your patio or under a tree, and allow your plants to take in the fresh air for a few hours each day. Try tucking you ferns, begonias, jasmines, and other under the canopy of an oak tree or in a shade garden.
Another shock-factor can be temperatures changes, wind, or hard rains. Porches or patios that have some overhead protection are great places.
There are still a few considerations to bear in mind. First of all, during the warmer months ahead, houseplants will be using more water and nutrients. This means you’ll have to increase their watering and feeding intervals, but be careful not to overdo it. Too much water or fertilizer can be just as bad as too little.
You may also be dealing with pests. Inside, houseplants are not typically bothered by insects or other pests so much as they are outdoors. Become familiar with some of the more common insects pests so you’ll be better prepared at fighting them off, if it comes down to that.
When summer’s end is near and the evenings are becoming cool again, it is time to bring the plants back inside. Keep in mind that it will be dry for them in your house, compared with the humidity of the outside. You may find that there will be some dieback until they get used to being back inside in lower humidity and light conditions. When you bring your plants back inside, wash them off well with a warm spray of water and inspect them regularly for insects.