How to Bring Tropical Plants Indoors

• Step 1

  Avoid traveling long distances with a tropical plant in the car because the summer heat temperatures will rise and destroy the plant in a short period of time. Place a shade shield on the car windows to keep the plant from getting too much direct sunlight in an already heated vehicle.

• Step 2

  Wrap plants when bringing them from outdoors to indoors during the cooler or extreme cold temperatures; even a short run from the store to the car in low temperatures can kill or severely damage a tropical plant. Wrap plants thoroughly with newspaper or paper bags, and place in the front of the car. Turn the car's heater on. Never place tropical plants in a trunk because it is too cold and drafty.

• Step 3

  Clean pots before use, making sure that residual soil is completely removed. Soak clay pots in water for one week to add moisture to the pot's dry clay material (and so that a thirsty clay pot won't absorb moisture from the potted plant).

• Step 4

  Use fertilized soil high in nitrogen to maintain plant health. Place large chunks of Styrofoam in the bottom of a clay pot. Fill pot with the correct depth of soil according to plant recommendations.

• Step 5

  Clean all windows--inside and out--where the plant is placed, so that tropical plants can get adequate lighting.

• Step 6

  Gradually introduce tropical plants indoors by reducing sunlight exposure, as recommended in the "Texas Master Gardener Handbook." Place tropical plants near a south window where sunlight is similar to outdoor light for 16 hours a day. Then, relocate the plant from the south window to a north-side window where light is not as damaging on the plant's leaves.

• Step 7

  Don't over- or under-water tropical plants. Water tropical plants only when two-thirds of the bottom soil gets dry. Use your fingers to feel the bottom half of the soil; if the soil is damp, don't water. Water the pot until water runs out of the bottom in order to wash away fertilizer residue and to guarantee that the bottom two-thirds of the plant has enough water.

• Step 8

  Set indoor temperatures between 70 degrees F and 80 degrees F during daytime hours. Create a cooler temperature for indoor tropical plants during the evening hours between 60 degrees and 68 degrees F. According to the "Texas Master Gardener Handbook," "The lower night temperature induces physiological recovery from moisture loss, intensifies flower color, and prolongs flower life."

• 3
• Shade shield Newspapers or paper bags Fertilized soil Garden scoop Clay pot Styrofoam
• Shade shield
• Newspapers or paper bags
• Fertilized soil
• Garden scoop
• Clay pot
• Styrofoam
• Skip watering the plant if it is cloudy or rainy outside; this type of weather will reduce plant sunlight and therefore, the soil won't dry out as fast.
• Skip watering the plant if it is cloudy or rainy outside; this type of weather will reduce plant sunlight and therefore, the soil won't dry out as fast.

References & Resources

• Texas Master Gardener: House Plants
• Plant Ideas: How to Pot Plants
• University of Vermont Extension Department of Plant and Soil Science: Bringing Houseplants Indoors