I put my indoor plants outside a few times. I will not do it again because: sun burnt leaves, bugs, shock.

I have also had negative results opening the drapes and putting plants in the window in the sun.

If you buy the right plant for the planned light, the plant will thrive. In my experience, follow the instructions, don't over do it.

Maybe I wanted my house plants to experience being outside, but based on my plants reactions, they didn't always enjoy being outside.

What are you growing and in what environment?

I will use the common names because I don't know the "real" names well yet. I have several different varieties of pothos, several different of the vining type philodendrons and an arrow head plant. I have a few succulents as well as a couple of spider plants. That is about it, nothing fancy.

I do vegetable gardening so my back yard is filled with tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers, beans, peas, cabbage, beets, carrots, a plum tree, strawberries and raspberries, etc.

I have read that raspberries can harbor spider mites and one of my raspberry plants did have some on it until I really soaked it several times with the water hose, used a insecticidal soap and then we had a couple days of rain. I think they are gone but I could see where my house plants could have been exposed and infested if too close to the raspberry.

Certain plants will benefit from being outside during the growing months, such as when nighttime temps stay above 55°.

Plants such as ficus can be placed in full outdoor sun. Though, you need to acclimate them. Place the plant first in an area that recieves only ambient light from the sky. Leave it there for a week, and then put it in the sun for an hour or so each day, and then after a couple days, put it in the sun for 3-4 hours and gradually move up until it stays in full sun.

Plants such as spider plants, peace lilys, etc should never recieve full direct sun. Place them in an area that recieves ambient light from the sky, but no direct sunlight.

Thanks Dave. We still get as low as the low 40s right now at night. Last week there was frost on my windshield when I left for work so if I put anything outside I don't think I would leave it out at night yet.

Wow, what part of the plant do you live on that its still that cold? I'm in Vermont, 40 miles from the Canadian border, and we haven't had a night under 55° since mid May. I thought it was cold where I live!

Not trying to rub it in, just curious!

Dave,

Northwest Montana. We are supposed to get to 44 tonight according to weather.com and that is usually pretty accurate. I was covering my veggies outside until last week and then like I said I got frost on my windshield and I'm glad I had covered my tomatoes. When the sky is clear here it gets really cold. I love Montana but the weather can be a challenge!

BTW, how can I put it in my signature like you have. I mean where I live?

I've driven through the state many times. Usually mid summer. I didn't realize it got that cold at night so far into the season.

Do you have a span at all in the summer where it stays above 55° at night?

and just click on your own name and you should see "edit profile." Adding your location and zone does help a ton with getting the right answers.

Jim Mat(9), You don't even open the drapes to let sunlight near your plants? What plants do you grow that can live without even opening the drapes?

If you do plan to put them outside, don't set them directly on the ground because insects can crawl up inside in the soil. I don't worry too much about insects just the ones that might crawl in like that. Make sure they are in the shade

I like the idea of the plants getting some outside fresh air and light. If I do it I will certainly put them in the shade and slowly get them accustomed to more sunshine. I would not put them directly on the ground. I do some container vegetable gardening and know how critters can get into the pots...don't want to bring them back into the house.

Dave, we do get warm nights eventually. We have had a cooler, wetter spring than "typical" this year. It is nice because we can have bad forest fires when it is a hot, dry spring. We often get short thunder storms that give little moisture but lots of lightening and that is usually what starts the fires. We had a storm last week with nickle sized hail. That played havoc with the tender garden, luckily I heard about it coming (again, weather.com) and covered my veggies.

Thanks all!

Massey...You gotta meet the needs of your plants first and foremost. Most succulents like the outdoors. Pothos thrives indoors year round. Plants seem to like getting placed outdoors for a gentle rain shower. ( good suggestion to indicate where we live. )

The first thing I try to remember is if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Could your plant be happier? If not, changing anything doesn't make sense. If yes, changing that which you think is preventing happier times does make sense. There are quite a few things that can happen to plants outside. Are they acceptable to you? Only you can decide.

I would do this more often but unfortunately our small garden has no constant shady spot and I have to be careful of scorching. If your garden does have a shady spot go for it. Bear in mind it could possibly pick up bugs while in a shady spot!

I like Socks' suggestion for not putting pots directly on the ground - helps discourage crawling pests from visiting.

Montana is such a cold place in the winter! It's no a wonder that the insect levels are typically lower during the rest of the year. =)

Ive always put my plants outside in the shad on a north facing patio or balcony from june-october, its much healthier for them but you also must watch out for wind knocking them over check them daily for water, strong thunderstorms and I bring them in and I water every other day.

So yes, outside in summer is great for them just make sure they are well protected.

Since you are in Montana you may like to know that Jerry Meslik (ficus bonsai guru) keeps his plants indoors under lights all year round. His reasoning is that, even in summer, conditions are not favourable long enough for ficus to move them outside.

Plants grown outside will definitely attract bugs but they will also be much healthier and stronger (if they have the right environment) to fight it off. Some bugs like Japanese beetles are much harder but they attack very specific plants. If I notice ants in pots then I will dunk the pot in water for a few hrs and that takes care of them. Containers usually do not get soil dwelling bugs unless the soil mix is unhealthy for the plants in the first place. Some plants will have aphids but they are easy to spot and control. We do not get extended period of dry weather and so spider mites are usually not a problem outside. They are there though waiting to start the party when plants are brought indoors.

Before bringing my plants in for winter I usually will use insecticidal soap, hort oil and alcohol. I still do get some bugs and usually starting in January when the plants are much weaker.

Holy smokes, 9x 1000W MH lamps! Jerry's setup is quite something.

My plants always thrived being outside for the summer. They got fresh air, rain (which washed the dust off of them) and humidity. Your location already shows up after your name.

That's too much electricity for summertime when you can just put the plants out in the shade. 9,000 watts is about what my entire apartment takes at it MOST. Not very environmently friendly or pocketbook friendly to raise plants this way tho im gonna get some of those cheap floursent lights at Walmart to supplement in the winter time.

Folks, I am not advocating growing under lights but thought you would like to know some one person's solution to Montana weather. I think the reason is that moving those huge pots in and out every year is just too much considering the weather barely cooperates there. Plus, I am guessing they are probably worth probably upwards of 50K each.

Tropic - Understood and I can relate. =)

Over one hundred of my most valuable plants are still growing inside under lights and will remain there.

The other hundred of my more resilient plants (and less valuable for the most part) have been moved and are growing outside.

Most of my low light indoor plants would not go outside (these are 99% tropical plants) due to bug concerns. It gets really hot down here, so they would likely wilt, even on a shaded porch.

Succulents and trees (ficus, etc.) tend to do much better, but still keep a watch out for pests. Bringing them back inside for winter will be a challenge, since a few pests may decide to hitch a ride.

jentsu: What is your general location, zone, etc? I am curious what kind of pests you get. In warmer areas I can see why it can be a problem.

I am in the southern U.S. Besides the usual plant bugs (mealies, etc.) one very annoying little thing you can bring in is ANTS! And lots of them. Other things I have seen crawling around after transferring outdoor plants back inside are small beetles and spiders. If you don't mind the cleanup later on, I guess it's fine.

Use these for ants - Terro outdoor liquid baits. By far the most effective, just check the reviews on Amazon.

I live by a forest so ants of many species can be a major issue. For the past three years with these I don't even think about them anymore.

I think you can transfer them outside for some hours. What determines, the health status of houseplants when taken outside is their species, the season and the climate of the region. As long as you know how to move indoor plants outside, there’s no problem giving your houseplants fresh air.

This is a very old thread, but still, it's not so simple. Plants conditioned to low light indoors can very quickly suffer severe damage (photo-oxidation - aka sunburn) if moved outdoors into direct sun, even for intervals of only an hour or two ..... and this isn't a species/genera-specific issue. Sudden chill injury can also cause damage at temps as high as 50*F, causing contents of cells to leak into inter-cellular spaces, so those unfamiliar with the pitfalls should arm themselves with knowledge before doing their plants a favor that ends up looking more like a punishment.

In the end, what determines a plant's "health status" (level of vitality) is how well the plant is able to cope with the cultural hand it's been dealt. Any time a plant is asked to deal with conditions near or beyond the limits it's been programmed to tolerate, stress results, which is a limiting factor directly linked to the severity of the stress.

Al

And here is the very reason I joined this site...... Al's amazing knowledge, insight, and common sense about plants! I have learned so much from your posts over the years, and I cannot thank you enough for your sharing of such valuable information- my plants can't thank you enough either! ;)

Thank you for your kind thoughts, Shonna. Anytime I learn my offerings have helped someone get more from the growing experience, I count it as a blessing. Take care.

Al