Move Plants Indoors Before Hard Freeze

With the threat of a hard freeze in the forecast, it’s time to move any remaining outdoor ornamental houseplants indoors.

K-State Research and Extension horticultural agent for Johnson County, Dennis Patton, says all plants, even those kept in shade outdoors, should be placed in an area of the home that gets a lot of sunlight.

“Just to compensate for those lower light levels, shorter intensity of duration. The goal is not really to get ‘em to grow and thrive but the goal is keep ‘em alive so you can boot ‘em back out the next spring and have another season of color,” he said.

Patton also suggests keeping plants out of areas where hot air from the furnace blows directly on them. He said “that dry air will just cook the foliage out of the plant, and then cause a lot of the margins of the leaves to turn brown. So, we also need to kind of watch where we set the plants because winter air in a home is just dry and most plants, especially those tropical plants, really are more happy in a little bit more humid environment.”

While it may be tempting to set those indoor plants outside on warm fall or winter days, Patton doesn’t recommend it.

Story by Jeff Wichman / Kansas State University

 

 

 

National Weather Service Forecast:

  • Today – Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. Windy, with a north wind 16 to 21 mph increasing to 27 to 32 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 43 mph.
  • Tonight – Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 32. Breezy, with a north northwest wind 24 to 29 mph decreasing to 17 to 22 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 38 mph.
  • Friday – Sunny, with a high near 48. Northwest wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
  • Friday Night –Mostly clear, with a low around 25. North northwest wind 8 to 11 mph.
  • Saturday – Sunny, with a high near 53. Northwest wind around 8 mph.
  • Saturday Night – Mostly clear, with a low around 29.
  • Sunday – Sunny, with a high near 66.

 

 

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