Many people choose to bring their houseplants outside during the summer to bask in the sunshine and humidity… but, how do you bring plants back indoors without the bugs!? In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to debug plants to bring indoors for the winter, step-by-step.
Summer is a wonderful time for growing plants. Indoor plants really benefit from being outside for a change but, when fall comes and it’s time to bring your houseplants inside for the winter, things can get ugly.
Two things that will help you avoid major problems with your plants later on are knowing when to bring houseplants inside, and also how to bring plants indoors without bugs.
It’s important to take a few steps to ensure the transition is painless for both you and your plants, and avoid bringing bugs and houseplant pests indoors.
When To Bring Plants Inside
One of the most common questions I get from readers is when should I bring my plants inside for the winter?
Plan to start bringing your houseplants back inside several weeks before cooler weather hits in the fall.
If indoor plants are left outside for too long, cold weather could trigger them to drop their leaves.
Or worse, it could kill the plant.
Plus, the transition of bringing outdoor plants inside will be more of a shock to them if they are left outside too long when the weather starts to cool down in the fall.
A good rule of thumb for when to bring houseplants in for winter is at least two weeks before your average last frost date.
Bringing plants indoors for winter
Tips For Bringing Plants In For The Winter
If you have a lot of houseplants growing outdoors, I recommend bringing plants back indoors in small batches.
Trying to do a marathon weekend of debugging and moving plants back inside can be very stressful and exhausting for you (and hard on your back!).
Trust me, I know.
Also, if you discover that a houseplant is pot-bound, re-pot it into a larger container before moving it inside. That way the mess will stay outside.
Debugging and cleaning potted plants before bringing them back inside is a crucial step to avoid houseplant bug problems.
Aphids, mealybugs and other houseplant insect pests aren’t normally a problem when potted indoor plants are outside, but can quickly turn into a major infestation during the winter if they are brought inside on your houseplants.
Debugging And Cleaning Houseplants
How To Debug Plants To Bring Indoors – Step-by-Step
Debugging and cleaning potted plants before bringing plants inside for the winter sounds harder than it really is.
There are a few simple steps you can take to ensure your houseplants are bug-free before bringing them back indoors in the fall.
(Caution: Only use this method to debug plants that are growing in pots with drainage holes!)
Supplies Needed:
- Large utility tub or bucket
- Mild liquid soap
- Large kitchen strainer
- Flower pot scrub brush
- Spray bottle
- Neem oil
- Wash bucket
- Old towels
Supplies for soaking plants in soapy water
Step 1: Fill tub with soapy water – Fill a large tub/bucket with water and add a few squirts of a mild liquid soap (I use mild liquid soap).
I want to stress using a mild liquid soap. Be sure not to use any soaps that contain degreasers or detergents. Those can damage (or even kill) sensitive plants.
Use mild liquid soap for soaking plants
Step 2: Put plants into the water and soak them – To kill any bugs on houseplants, soak the whole plant, pot and all, in the tub of water for about 15-20 minutes.
The soapy water will kill any bugs that are on the plant or in the soil.
Step 3: Clean plant leaves that are not submerged – If any of the leaves aren’t completely covered by the water, use an organic insecticidal soap to clean the plant leaves that are sticking out of the water.
My recipe for DIY insecticidal soap is 1 tsp of mild liquid soap per 1 liter of water in my spray bottle. If you don’t want to mix your own, you can buy an organic insecticidal soap instead.
Cleaning plant leaves
Tip: When you put the plants into the water, dead leaves, bugs and other debris will float to the top. So remove all the floating pieces you can before removing your plants to keep them nice and clean.
I use a wide kitchen strainer to skim all the debris off the top of the water before removing the plants from the tub.
Remove floating debris to keep plants clean
Step 4: Remove plants and scrub the pots clean – After soaking your plants, pull them out of the tub and scrub each pot with a scrub brush to clean it (here’s the one I have Flower Pot Bristle Brush).
Scrub the plant pot to clean it
Step 5: Give the plant and pot a good rinse – Once you’re done cleaning your plant and the pot, rinse the whole plant and the pot thoroughly with the hose to get all the soap and dirt off.
Rinse off soap before bringing plants inside
Step 6: Allow the water to drain completely – Set the clean plants aside and allow all the water to completely drain from the pots before moving the plants back indoors.
Debugging plants to overwinter inside
Step 7: Remove all the dead leaves and other debris floating on top of the water (using your trusty kitchen strainer) before soaking another batch of plants.
Remove debris before soaking more plants
Step 8: Bring your plants back inside – Now that your plants have been debugged and all of the excess water has drained out the bottoms of the pots, you can move them back inside.
Once you have them put back into their indoor spot and ready for winter, be sure to allow the soil to dry before watering them again to make sure you’re not over watering them.
Bringing plants indoors without bugs
Benefits Of Soaking Plants In Soapy Water To Kill Bugs
Of course the main benefit of soaking houseplants in soapy water before bringing them back indoors is killing all the bugs, but there are a few other benefits too.
This method for debugging and cleaning potted plants is great because now your houseplants will get a good watering before you bring them back indoors!
That means you won’t have the added step of watering all of your houseplants once they’re inside (you’re welcome!).
Another added benefit of soaking plants in water is that all the dead leaves and other debris will float to the top, making it easy to discard.
Your plants and their pots will look sparkling clean too, probably cleaner than they’ve ever been. It feels great to have such clean, healthy looking plants, and it’s good for the plants too!
But wait, what about houseplants that are too large to fit into a tub to soak?
Soaking potted plants to kill bugs
Debugging Houseplants That Are Too Large To Soak
Soaking houseplants in soapy water is great for small to medium sized potted plants, but I have several that are too large for this method. So, instead I use a modified version…
I wash the plant leaves and the stem of the entire plant with soapy water (using the same mild liquid soap I use for soaking plants), and then rinse it off thoroughly using the garden hose.
Once the leaves are clean, I spray the whole plant with neem oil. (some houseplants are more sensitive than others, so be sure to test any type of spray on a few leaves before spraying the whole plant)
Debugging houseplants that are too large to soak
Tips For Controlling Houseplant Pests
Keep in mind that even if you go through all the steps to debug and clean your houseplants before you bring them indoors, you can still have problems with plant pests.
Mealybugs are especially tricky because they can live for several months without a host plant, and hide in tiny cracks and crevices.
So, if you find any plant bugs after bringing houseplants inside for winter, you could spray the infested plant with a Neem oil solution, a pre-mixed organic horticultural oil or hot pepper wax spray.
Yellow houseplant sticky stakes work great on flying pests like soil gnats and white flies, and are also non-toxic.
I recommend using these all-natural products to kill plant bugs because they work better than the synthetic ones – plus, I’m sure you don’t want to be spraying any toxic chemical pesticides in your house. To learn more, read about my natural pest control home remedies for houseplants.
Bringing outdoor plants indoors
Debugging potted plants before bringing them back indoors is a critical first step in indoor plant pest prevention.
This method of soaking houseplants in soapy water to get rid of the bugs works great for most types of plants, and will help to make sure you bring outdoor plants inside without bugs.
Trust me, starting the long winter off with clean and healthy houseplants will make indoor plant care SO MUCH easier for you! But, if you do end up with an infestation, then learn about how to get rid of houseplant bugs here.
If you’re looking for more help for how to keep bugs off plants, my Houseplant Pest Control eBook is an essential guide to help you debug your houseplants for good! Download your copy today!
Organic Pest Control Products I Recommend
Recommended Reading
- Winter Houseplant Care
- Houseplant Pest Control
- The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual
- The House Plant Expert
More Posts About Houseplant Pest Control
- Where Do Houseplant Pests Come From?
- Organic Pest Control Supplies
- How To Use Neem Oil Insecticide On Plants
- Fungus Gnats vs Fruit Flies: What’s The Difference?
- How To Keep Cats Out Of Houseplants
How do you debug plants before bringing them in for the winter? Share your tips in the comments section below.
Elaine says
I’m growing a jasmine plant indoors. Should I spray routinely with neem or Dr Bronner’s to prevent mealybugs from coming? Thank you
Amy Andrychowicz says
If the plant has had bug problems while indoors in the past, then yes, you could treat it to keep them from coming back. However, I would use neem oil rather than just the soapy spray. That way, you’ll only have to spray every other week or so, and it has a residual effect. Here’s more details about how to use neem oil, and also my detailed article about how to get rid of (and prevent) mealybugs. Good luck!
Lynette says
Thanks for the great information! Wish I’d known about this some years ago when I had a Boston Fern outside on patio. Brought it back inside to hang in bathroom over tub. When taking my shower, I was joined by newly hatching baby grasshoppers. Yikes!
Amy Andrychowicz says
LOL, too funny! Yes, it’s always a good idea to debug plants before bringing them back inside.
Angela Clarke says
Hi! I really enjoyed your informative article, but I was wondering what you do about acclimating your plants before bringing them in? My understanding is that you should transition plants over the course of a week or so, by gradually keeping them in for a few more hours each day. How does this work with the debugging process? Should you acclimate first, then debug (but doesn’t that run the risk of bringing the bugs inside) or debug & then acclimate (but that increases the chance that you’ll pick up new bugs?). Feeling a bit confused….. thanks!
Amy Andrychowicz says
You don’t need to acclimate them when bringing them back inside. That’s only when you bring them outside in the spring. I bring my houseplants back inside right after debugging them in late summer, and that’s where they stay until spring. Here’s an article that is all about fall houseplant care, and it will give you more details about moving them back inside.
Becca says
This is awesome! I’m so excited to be able to do this and save some plants from winter for next spring!! Yay! One question, will this work on succulents if left outside or if indoors but has gnats coming off it when touched/watered? Thanks!!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yes, this method of debugging plants will kill bugs on the leaves and in the soil. However, if your succulents have gnats, then that means they are being overwatered, and are at risk for rotting. I definitely recommend letting the soil dry completely before watering, and that will get rid of the gnats. Here’s more info about them… How To Get Rid Of Fungus Gnats In Houseplants Soil.