Houseplants and other warm weather plants that have spent the summer vacationing outside will need to be back indoors before the night time temperature drops to 50 degrees. Some hardy plants can stay out until the temperature drops to 40 degrees, but if you leave them out and it gets colder than that, they may go into shock, get frost burn and eventually die.

Bringing in your house plants before it gets too cold out will help your plants avoid the shock of sudden changes in  temperature, humidity and light.

Here are a few tips to help your plants adjust to living indoors again:

Before bringing in your plants:

• Clean your windows inside and out. Clean windows let in more sunlight.
• Move plants in the shade about 2 weeks before bringing them indoors. This will help prepare them for the drop in light in your home. Once inside your house your houseplants may have some yellowing leaves or dropping leaves from not having enough light. You may need to add light from a fluorescent glow light.
• Soak your pots up to their rims in a tub full of lukewarm water to force insects like ants, sow bugs, millipedes, and ground beetles to the surface. Insects that are living in the soil will either drown or float to the surface so you can remove them.
• Inspect for other insects. Other insects like aphids, spider mites, scales and slugs will be happily living in the foliage of your plant. Inspect the foliage thoroughly. Wash the plants leaves carefully with water before bringing the plant inside. You could also use
  Plant Guardian Houseplant Insecticidal Soap to wash off the leaves.
• Stop fertilizing. Most plants need a rest period, or dormancy. Fertilizing when plants aren’t actively growing results in a buildup of fertilizer salts in the soil that can damage plant roots.
• Don’t over water You probably watered your container plants every day during the summer but indoors they will not require that much water. Let the soil surface get dry to the touch before watering.

Plants that have outgrown their pots over their summer vacation will need to be re-potted.

To check for crowded roots, turn the pot upside down while supporting the plant with one hand on the surface of the soil. Ease the plant out of the pot. You may need to give the bottom of the pot a few taps to loosen the root ball.  If there is a mass of roots and very little soil, then you will need to repot into a larger container. If the root ball looks good but there is a heavy top growth you may want to prune the top.

Add Pot Stickers to your new and old pots to help keep insect infestations to a minimum.

Got any tips for your fellow gardeners? Click here to Contact BornToGarden.com and share your best tips with our community!

Regardless of where you purchased your trees, from on line / internet garden sites and plant stores or at a local nursery, your baby plants should be potted up in their new homes as soon as possible.

Some basics to know prior to planting your dwarf citrus trees:

Temperature: Citrus plants thrive in temperatures between 55 and 65 degrees

Placement: Citrus light and need sun, but not too much. Outside they prefer southern or western exposure; inside you should place them near a sunny window or under “grow lights“.

Soil: Citrus trees and plants need an acidic soil. Some signs that your soil is off include leaves turning yellow, indicating that the soil needs more acid.

Maintain the acidity of the soil by dissolving 1/2 teaspoon of magnesium sulfate (aka: epsom salt) into 1 quart water. Use this formula once every 2-3 months. Also, every 3 months, feed your citrus trees with an acidic fertilizer.

Watering: Citrus trees like water so keep the soil moist, but not saturated. Test the wetness of the soil by poking down into it with your finger about 3 inches. If the soil is dry tothat depth, water the tree.

Pot Size: Matters! To save on excessive re-potting, start even small plants in a 10-15 gallon pot, this will accomodate a tree for growth up to 8 feet or so. Don’t go much bigger than that or your “dwarf” tree might grow larger than intended. Since citrus trees have shallow root systems, a wider pot will always be better than a deeper pot. Make sure the pot has good drainage.

Planting: Start by layering stones on the bottom of the pot – this will greatly aid drainage. Then use potting soil mixed with perlite*, being sure to cover only up to the top of the root ball, then finish with peat moss.

Re-Potting: Should be done every 3 years or so.

*Perlite: A light and porous substance that helps root development by allowing for better drainage. Natural volcanic rock that is heat expanded to increase soil porosity. Perlite provides aeration and drainage retaining and holding substantial amounts of water and later release it as needed, it is sterile and free from diseases. Encourages strong root development. Has a neutral pH

*Peat Moss. : An additive to improve soil texture. Increases water-holding capacity. Provides natural organic matter to help improve all soils. A soil conditioner used to loosen soil, add organic matter, and improve moisture retention. Enhances a soil’s ability to store and release nutrients. Can be mixed into potting soil to help reduce the impact of over watering.

My next post will talk more about growing citrus, especially dwarf citrus, trees on your patio in pots. We’ll cover ongoing care and pruning.

Click Here to Contact Us or Ask A Question

Click Here to Learn More about Growing Fruit

Even though I live in a condo, I’m an avid gardener. I have my little front garden and my little back garden. This year I am concentrating on the back garden and patio.

I’ve always love the idea of planting trees. So I set out to find what sort of trees would make sense for my limited space. The answer: citrus trees. That idea really took root, so to speak. Citrus trees grow easily in containers, and while they do need to be taken indoors for the winter months, they emit the sweetest smells and add tender landscaping to your living areas.My next goal was to find out just what type of trees I wanted and of course, who had the best deal. I may be a gardener, but I’m also a bargain hunter. Plus I wanted quality plantings. I’ve had some bad experiences before, so I needed to do some citrus tree due diligence.Here’s some of the information I found about types of trees, quality of bulbs and plants, and naturally, guarantees:

Gurney’s Seed and Nursery offers a “dwarf citrus collection” which consists of 3 trees: lime, lemon and orange. The cost is about $40, which isn’t too bad as you can often also get discounts for spending at least $40 or other internet special incentives. Here’s the guarantee offered by Gurney’s – “We want you to be satisfied. If you’re not happy with one of our products, we’ll replace it, give you a credit or refund your money for the full amount of your purchase price. All nursery stock, trees and plants are guaranteed for as long as you garden. All seeds and merchandise are guaranteed for one full year.”

Henry Fields Seed and Nursery has a bunch of really exotic dwarf fruit trees. While I was sort of stuck on sticking with citrus, I’m already thinking about what I can add to my collection for next season: dwarf fig, dwarf pomegranate, dwarf banana, guava pineapple and even a coffee plant! I do love coffee… And, Henry Field’s Guarantee:“Henry Field wrote the guarantee we still honor today: “Your money’s worth or your money back.” If not completely satisfied, you will get new merchandise, a credit or a refund for the full purchase price–whichever you prefer. We honor this guarantee on plants and nursery stock for as long as you garden. Seeds and merchandise are guaranteed for one year.”

Spring Hill Nursey also had a citrus tree trio, which included dwarf Meyer Lemon, dwarf Navel Orange, and a dwarf Lime. Each costs about $19.99, but again with internet specials, first-time buyer specials and other incentives, you could probably get that price down. Spring Hill’s Lifetime Guarantee: “No-Risk Gardening for You – We guarantee all of our plants to be true to name and to reach you in perfect and healthy condition. If, for any reason, you aren’t pleased with any plant upon receipt, after planting or once it grows, just contact Spring Hill anytime–no time limit–for as long as you garden. No need to return any plant. We will refund every cent you paid for that plant or send a replacement without charge–whichever you prefer.”

Overall, I’ve got to say the choice was a hard one. But I knew I wanted and I just made a choice. Honestly, I could have gone with any of the above suppliers and gotten a great deal on the trees, a iron-clad guarantee, and beautiful plantings. I’ll keep everyone posted as to how my patio citrus trees progress. I know I won’t have fruit for a couple of years, but that’s ok because when my trees do bare fruit, I’ll know I raised them myself!

In my next post, I’ll talk about how to plant and cultivate patio citrus trees.