I hope you have all had a chance to get out and enjoy some of the fall weather and changing colors of the trees. As we are now transitioning from the warm summer weather to the cool shorter days of autumn it is time to clean up our flower beds and gardens and if possible, we may want to bring some of our plants in for the winter. Here are some tips on bringing plants indoors.

Since the lighting may be different indoors than it has been outdoors, try to move the plants that you plan on bringing in to a shadier area of your deck or yard for several weeks before they get moved indoors.

Before taking plants indoors, inspect your plants for unwanted pests like aphids, scale or spider mites. Check on the underside of leaves too. Spray with insecticidal soap, you may need to do this several times.

Plan on moving many of your plants to an inside location before the temperature goes below 45 degrees. For transition time, if possible, move them into a garage for a few weeks since we do have some days that get warmer and open the garage door, or if it isn’t too much work move them outside so the plants will enjoy some of the last rays of sun. Because of the change of temperature and light, you will probably see a fair amount of leaves dropping off of the plants but they will probably not die. Continue with regular watering.

Some of the plants you may want to bring indoors are begonias, geraniums, coleus, impatiens, Mandeville and pentas. To keep the mess outdoors, cut back the plants like begonias and geraniums to about 4-6 inches. I know this sounds harsh and it does make me sad to cut off lots of foliage and blooms but it does help prevent some of them mess inside. The plant will gradually sprout new growth and leaves. You may need to do this again in March before taking them out in the spring so the plant doesn’t get too “leggy”.

For ivy and vine type plants, you can also cut them back, keeping the potted plant or if you want, try rooting the cuttings for new plants next year. You may be able to share with friends next year.

Potted ferns are lovely plants outdoors and indoors but can be quite messy when brought in for the winter. Before bringing in, cut out any dead stems and turn them upside down and give them a good shake to get out as much of the brown leaves as possible, after this I also give the foliage a good spray with the hose. When brought in they may continue to drop some leaves since they will be a bit “shocked” by the lower humidity, light and temperature change. Adding humidity to the air will be helpful and never place them close to a heat source.

While the plants are indoors it is natural for the plants to slow their growth so they won’t need fertilizer and less water, but don’t let the soil completely dry out. In March or early April, some plants may need to be trimmed back and then I begin some fertilizing. When I take them out next spring, I usually repot them with new fresh commercial potting mix.

I hope some of these tips will help you, if It is possible for you to bring plants in you will have a bit of a head start for outdoor planting and you will save money! Also, for me it is a mental boost to care for plants during the long winter months.

— Kris Winkler is a master gardener with the University of Wisconsin-Extension. She can be reached at kriswink56@gmail.com.