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 first frost date.
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, repot 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 types of houseplant insect pests aren’t normally a problem when potted indoor plants are outside.
But they can quickly turn into a major infestation during the winter if they are brought inside on your houseplants.
How To Debug Plants To Bring Indoors – Step-by-Step
Debugging and cleaning potted plants before bringing them 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! For those without drainage holes, follow my tips for debugging a plant that’s too large to soak below.)
Supplies Needed:
- Large utility tub
- Mild liquid soap
- Large kitchen strainer
- Flower pot scrub brush
- Spray bottle
- Neem oil
- Wash bucket
- Old towels
Step 1: Fill tub with soapy water – Fill your large utility tub with tepid water, and your wash bucket with warm water, and add a few squirts of a mild liquid soap to each as you’re filling them.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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)
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, or try a pre-mixed organic horticultural oil.
Yellow houseplant sticky stakes work great on flying pests like fungus gnats and whiteflies, 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 spray any toxic chemical pesticides in your house. To learn more, read about my natural pest control home remedies for houseplants.
FAQs
In this section, I’ll answer a few of the most commonly asked questions I get about debugging plants before bringing them back inside. If you can’t find an answer to your question, then ask it in the comments section below
Can I use Dawn or Ivory soap to soak my plants?
I personally have never used Dawn soap to soak my plants, but have had success with Ivory in the past. But you have to be careful because these brands can contain detergent, and some also contain degreasers. Detergents and degreasers can harm, or even kill, sensitive plants.
I use and recommend Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild, which has no additives. That being said, I have heard from readers who have used the other brands with no problem at all.
But my answer to this question is always the same. Whether you’re asking about Ivory or Dawn (or any other brand)… you should test any type of soap on your plants before soaking them, to make sure there’s no damage.
Will this method kill bugs and eggs in the soil?
Yes, soaking your plants in soapy water should kill any bugs or eggs that are living in the soil too. Sometimes there can be air pockets in the soil where they can survive though.
So if you’re concerned, then soak them a little longer. Also, gently tap the pot after it has finished bubbling to try to release any extra air trapped in there.
How do you debug plants that are in pots without drainage holes?
To debug plants that are in pots without drainage holes you can wash the leaves with soapy water or insecticidal soap and rinse them off well after. Then you can spray the leaves with neem oil. But always be sure to test these treatments on a few leaves before spraying the whole plant.
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!
More Posts About Houseplant Pest Control
- Where Do Houseplant Pests Come From?
- 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.
Jessy Sharrock says
Will Dawn Dish Soap be ok? What temperature of water?
Amy Andrychowicz says
I personally do not use that brand because it contains chemicals and degreasers that can damage plants. But some of my readers have used it with success. No matter what type of liquid soap you want to use for debugging your plants, always, always test it on a few leaves first to make sure it won’t damage them. Some plants are more sensitive than other, even to organic products.
Josie says
Can I soak my plants in the same water or do I need to change it with every plant
Amy Andrychowicz says
You can use the same water to soak all of your plants. Just use a strainer or something similar to remove any floating debris between plants, like I show in the article.
Jessica Heath says
I was very excited to find this! I gathered all supplies and got to work! But the pots floated back up so I got some rocks. Now ALL the soil is coming up out of the pots 🤦♀️(3 down to the roots completely) any suggestions? I’ve got 503 plants to do, I need to find a solution.
Amy Andrychowicz says
It’s common for the soil will float out of newly potted plants, so it’s best to only use this method on the ones that are established in their container.
Payal says
How do you do this with plants that are in pots WITHOUT drainage holes?!
Amy Andrychowicz says
For those without drainage holes, you can follow the tips above for how to debug a plant that’s too large to soak. Just wash the leaves with soapy water and rinse them off well after, then optionally you can spray the leaves with neem oil. But always test the soap and oil on a few leaves before treating the whole plant, because some are very sensitive to any type of spray. (And P.S., if you put your plants outside, then they need to have drainage holes or they will drown when it rains and eventually rot.)
Dolores Schwebel says
What is the ratio of water and soap in the tub? I had a hard time keeping the plants submerged without them falling over. How do you keep them submerged?
Amy Andrychowicz says
I don’t have an exact ratio of soap to water. I have always just turned on the hose to fill up the tub, then poured in the liquid soap until it creates a nice thick foam on top of the water. If I had to guess, I would say it’s somewhere between 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of soap, and my utility bucket is about 70 quarts. Sometimes plants in plastic pots will float, yes. I weigh them down with rocks or bricks.
Mellissa says
Thanks for sharing souch great gardening advice.
Does this washing method also work for succulents? Is it okay to dunk them?
Amy Andrychowicz says
I have used this method for my succulents for many years with great success. However, some types of plants can be sensitive to soaps, so it’s always best to test it on a few leaves before treating the whole plant.
Margie morales says
What about cockroaches? I’m quite fearful of bringing them inside . Will this method work for them also?
Amy Andrychowicz says
Humm… honestly I’m not sure. We don’t have cockroaches where I live, so I can’t speak from experience. The soap *should* kill all types of bugs, and/or the water should drown them.
Sabrina says
how often do you believe I can do this with my plants? every second or third watering or could I replace it with watering until all my bugs are no more?
Thanks!
Amy Andrychowicz says
This is not the best method for long-term pest control. I recommend only doing it before bringing your plants back inside for the fall. There are other less risky methods to use to control/get rid of bugs for the long term.
Sherry Johnson says
When the debugging my plants do I put the whole pot with soil and plant in soapy water.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yep, the whole pot, soil and all. I do have a video in the article that shows me doing it, so take a look.