how to keep tropical plants alive in winter

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. If you have tight space constraints, you may want to lightly prune away large limbs or growths. So light is a necessity if you intend to keep your tropicals alive and actively growing all winter. This will keep the plant alive and active during the winter months. Tropical plants are vibrant, colorful additions to your garden. Limited beer, wine sales allowed with to-go orders of food, but cocktails still prohibited. Danielle Ernest: The definition of over-wintering means to care for a plant (annual or tropical) that typically doesn't make it through the winters in your zone by bringing that plant into your home - living area, basement, garage - to keep it alive from year to year. This is essentially a piece of fabric used to completely cover and protect plants from cold damage. You should inspect your plants well for insects before bringing them inside. Use a frost cover, which are available at most home and garden stores. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Gather all tubers, bulbs, and corms. [1] By using our site, you agree to our. Water and humidity are the next issues. “If you have lots of houseplants, put them together in the bathtub, then fill the tub … Protective barriers - Keep the snow, wind and ice off your plants with protective barriers. This article has been viewed 3,782 times. Small potted fruit trees that spend the summer on a deck or patio can also live indoors for winter. You can remove your drop cloth once you are certain your plants are clean and the dirt properly contained. Chances are good your unheated greenhouse is a simple cold frame or hoop type of structure. Shorter days, limited light and changes in temperature are just some of the challenges to overcome. Now, I get four or five exotic blooms on the plant between February and May each year. If things start to get really dark, try placing an artificial bulb above any … Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. Even an old blanket, carefully wrapped around a plant, can work as a frost cover. The hip-hop outlet Go 95.3 FM and rock station Go 96.3 will change formats early next year. Or you may be the sort of gardener who gave in to temptation, unable to resist the charms of a “tender” plant better suited to a slightly warmer growing zone. Moving Potted Plants Indoors for Winter . After planting, you'll have to care for your plant according to its needs. There are 19 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Use garden shears or a spade to cut stems to approximately 6" (15.2 cm) long. How to keep tropical plants alive, even thriving, during a Minnesota winter. Tropical hibiscus, jasmine, bougainvillea and small citrus trees will do quite well indoors if they’re in a bright spot where temperatures are at least 60 degrees. As either a container plant or landscaping plant, a palm tree (Arecaceae) provides bold, evergreen foliage and a tropical-looking growth form. However, these kinds of plants tend to be more sensitive to seasonal changes in temperature. Last Updated: March 29, 2019 This page at Gardener’s Supply Co. answers many questions about overwintering tropical plants: gardeners.com/how-to/how-to-overwinter-tender-plants/5019.html. Fill the bathtub. : Tropical hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) trees are great patio plants with showy flowers. To prevent this damage, you'll have to "overwinter" your plants, which is a term used for cold weather protection measures. Hibiscus often do this. Then, carefully dig up the plant. All of these plants need a gradual transition to the reduced light of the indoors. Pretty much any heat source will sap any … Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Dear D.B. Tropical plants, both mounding and vining mandevilla varieties thrive in temperatures above 50F (10C). Generally, you should lightly water your plants after transplanting. You may want to have a permanent cover, like a plastic mat, to catch any loose dirt or decayed plant matter and keep your hibernating location clean. Canna, Colocasia (elephant ears), caladium After the first light frost In many cases, decreased growth indoors is common. Moving your plant frequently throughout your house is harmful to its health. Generally, you should transplant your tropicals in the evening and lightly water them following transplanting. Here's how. Using Bulbs, Tubers, and Corms to Regrow Plants Identify plants that can be replanted. Can I Keep My Mandevilla Outside Over Winter? Plant protection in winter can take many forms: you can warm the soil, you can wrap a shrub, you can block the wind. These include: Heavy mulch - At least to two inches. Putting your plant in this kind of location will trick it into thinking it's still in its growing season. Keep your plant in the same location. “Most plants only need water once a week in winter,” says Clark. If you grew a few tropical plants in your garden this summer, here are some ways to keep them alive indoors until next spring. Increase Light! Each plant will have its own ideal temperature range, but most kinds of tropical plant suffer damage when exposed to frost or temperatures below 50°F (10°C). Some plants may take up to two months to start regrowing. Had I kept the banana in its own pot, I could have overwintered it in a cold, dark basement room where it would have gone dormant, and I could have repotted it in the spring for another summer of growth. Most tropical hibiscus are true zone 9 plants, so it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to grow them outside through the winter. Don’t be alarmed if most of the leaves fall off. Come Spring, pull the plants out and place them back into the shallow water for the warm weather months. She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014. This structure is very simple to use in the winter and fairly low cost. If you have a sunny window where the air temperature stays about 60-70 degrees, you can keep most tropicals growing and possibly even blooming right through the winter. How to Overwinter Tropical Plants as Houseplants. The much needed sunlight will still come through but the extra layer of protection will keep your plants safe at night. I smile thinking that those little seeds I planted decades ago in a pot on my bedroom window sill in Bloomington have spawned descendants that are scattered around the country. Alternatives to Amazon abound — from online holiday markets and virtual personal shoppers. It is generally not a good idea to transplant a tropical plant back into the ground, as you will need to remove it again next winter. Find the average temperature and humidity of that region in the winter, and copy it as best as you can in your home. This article was co-authored by Lauren Kurtz. Keeping Your Banana Plant Alive. My bird of paradise never flowered until I began setting it outside in a protected sunny spot during the summer. Research source A technique that is sometimes successful is to move potted perennials indoors for the winter. The ideal winter environment for most flowering tropical plants would be approximately 50 degrees at night and 65 degrees during the day. However, you may want to clean these off, first. I don’t have a good spot in the house that’s both sunny and warm in the winter, and if it doesn’t bear fruit soon, I’ll give that away, too. 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