How to Keep Leaves From Falling Off Your Houseplants

 Photo: vadim kaipov / Unsplash

Article Courtesy of Garden Gate

Q: I like to take my house plants outside for the summer, but when I bring them back indoors, they drop a lot of leaves. How can I prevent this?

A: Sudden changes in light, temperature and humidity stress plants, causing them to drop their leaves. Some plants, like ficus, are especially prone to this. The best way to prevent leaf drop is to make the transition inside more gradual. When nighttime temperatures start to dip below 50 degrees, bring your plants in at night, and set them back outside during the daytime. After a week of this, they’ll be more acclimated to indoor temperatures. If your plants are too big or you have too many to do this, move them inside before your furnace is on at night to ease the transition. If your plants do shed leaves, keep the soil moist, but not wet, and keep them away from heat vents — they’ll regrow new foliage fairly quickly.

See also: Gardening Gear