Just a reminder that if you have had some indoor plants vacationing outdoors for the summer, now is a good time to begin acclimating them to being indoors for the winter.
Place the plant in the spot you intend for it to grow for the winter season. Keep it in for a week and then bring it back out for a week. Repeat this a few times and the plant will have acclimated to its new home without experiencing a major shock.
Many plants show that they are unhappy with a move by shedding leaves.
Of course there is the temperature variation from very cool nights, which our furnace corrects indoors producing more of a constant temperature.
And then there is the light issue. Outdoors, these plants are surrounded with daylight even if they are sitting in shade. Indoors, the only light they receive is what comes through a window, and that is a limited amount augmented by our day length getting shorter. Considering that the amount of daylight a plant receives is what determines how much foliage it will retain, low light is usually the reason a plant aborts foliage when it comes back indoors.
Over- or under-watering will result in the same leaf loss. And then if you invited some hitchhikers along indoors, those critters will also cause leaf drop.
Conclusion: acclimating the plant to indoors gradually will help it adjust to the lower light. Check soil moisture before watering. As the days get shorter, the plant growth diminishes so it uses less water. The soil surface should feel dry to the touch before you add water. I recommend maintaining a weekly schedule so you have a routine to guide you.
Use an insecticide spray on upper and under leaf surfaces to ensure you’re not bringing in unwanted guests (insects). Bonide brand Eight is a good all-purpose broad range insecticide.
Don’t get generous with fertilizer. The plant is going into a rest period and will not need or use those nutrients. If not utilized by the plant, the fertilizer accumulates, becoming a form of salt in the soil ... that’s not a good thing.
If your plant is a hibiscus, enjoy the ongoing bloom display indoors. Any blooming plant, verses a green foliage plant, has a higher light requirement to maintain its energy as it continues to develop flower buds, so locate that plant where it will receive direct light.
Wait with cutting it back until early March when we are back to lengthening days.
Bonnema is a gardening enthusiast and former greenhouse owner. He can be reached at flowergb@iw.net.