Move houseplants outdoors

Move houseplants outdoors

Move houseplants outdoors for a summer holiday so they come back inside refreshed and ready to give you their usual superb display next winter.

Most houseplants enjoy a spell outside in the warmer weather, including cymbidium orchids, ficus, peace lilies, bromeliads, and Christmas cacti. Keep more delicate, water-sensitive plants like African violets and moth orchids (Phalaenopsis) indoors, though.

Move houseplants outdoors

The stronger light levels outside helps ripen the foliage, while rain washes away any accumulated dust. Choose a sheltered place, shaded from the heat of the midday sun so foliage doesn’t get scorched. Cover the foliage with a sheet of horticultural fleece for the first week to help acclimatise them to their new conditions. Then just keep the compost damp and watch them revel in the extra light and fresh air.

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