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What Temperature Is It Safe To Put Houseplants Outside?

There are certain plants that just thrive better outdoors and many homeowners cannot wait for the weather to warm up because they know it’s time to transport their indoor plants back out into the sunshine. But what is the right temperature to safely make the decision?

What Temperature Is It Safe To Put Houseplants Outside

What Temperature Is It Safe To Put Houseplants Outside? There needs to be night temperatures of 50 degrees consistently for a significant period of time. When it holds this range, then you know it’s time to move your plants outdoors again.

If you don’t have a green thumb and struggle with keeping indoor plant alive, welcome to the club. You might get a a week of warmer weather and think you are in the clear, but that’s just not the case. If suddenly temperatures begin the drop again, you must transfer the plants back inside. We all know that spring can be fickle.

It’s important to keep an eye on the weather – specifically the night ranges – and ensure that your green friends are never outdoors in degrees lower than 45 degrees. If you care for tropical plants, anything lower than 40 degrees will cause severe harm.

indoor outdoor plants

Things To Consider

  • When first transferring your plants, be sure to move them into a shaded area at first. You don’t want to overexpose them to the sun. They need to readjust to outdoor weather.
  • Too much water can be just as bad as too little. So, if there is a severe rainstorm, you must do your part to pull them from it. It’s not about just leaving them to their own devices.
  • Generally, most houseplants can live outside between the months of May and September. Depending on where you live, you might find that you can stretch this range a bit further. However, this is a good estimate.
  • Another good indication is to wait until 2-4 weeks since the last frost. Then everyone should be ready to move.
cold weather for plants

What Temperate Will Kill Plants?

Here is a rule of thumb that you should keep in your back pocket:

  • Is your plant subtropical? Then you shouldn’t have it out below 40 degrees. If the weather dips below 32, it will absolutely die.
  • Is your plant tropical? Then you shouldn’t have it out below 50 degrees. If the weather dips below 40 degrees, it will absolutely die.

Examples of Tropical Plants

  • Bromeliads
  • The Bird of Paradise
  • Cordyline
  • Peace Lilies
  • Amazon Elephant’s Ear
  • Ficus
  • Anthurium
  • Dumb Cane

Examples of Subtropical Plants

  • Brazilian Walking Iris
  • Frangipani
  • Agave
  • Heliconia

The Power Of Rainwater

rainwater and plants

If you are having a drought and your outdoor plant isn’t really getting a lot of natural rainwater, you should consider watering it from the house. However, consider keeping a bucket outside to collect natural rainwater as it falls because it really is the best for plant life due to the traces of nitrates naturally found in it which is essential for plant growth.

This is also great for any indoor plants you might have. So, if you hear of a storm coming up, consider adding a few bowls outside to collect rainwater!

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