On a beautiful early summer’s day, I take my houseplants outside and rinse them off. The question immediately arises: Which plants can stay outside for summer freshness from now on?
I love my houseplants, but what I always avoid the most is dusting off their leaves one by one. With my long-leaved fig (Ficus maclellandii ‘Alii’) I would also have a lot to do … I prefer to carry it outside in spring or early summer and rinse it off vigorously from all sides with the garden hose. After that, its narrow leaves are shiny green and clean again. I always imagine how the plant really takes a deep breath afterwards. Because the leaf cells receive enough light again – and the stomata for the oxygen exchange are nicely exposed again.
Excursion for the rubber tree
Personally, I put my plant inside again, but theoretically the ficus could also spend the summer outside. This is what he always did on my city balcony until a few years ago. It is important that the tropical vegetation outside is a little shady and protected from the wind. The blazing summer sun burns his leaves, drafts let his leaves trickle. After all, it also grows on its natural site, the island of Java, under the canopy of tall trees. High humidity included.
If tropical indoor plants such as rubber trees & Co. move outdoors, they should not do so before June, when it is around 16 ° C or more. If the temperatures drop below 5 ° C only once, this can be fatal for the plants. Getting used to indoors and outdoors should take place slowly. It is better to take your protégés into the room for the night. Basically, the plants can stand it in the rain, provided you pour excess water from the saucers. But I think that they prefer a place protected from the rain because it is always protected there. However, you should never forget watering. In autumn it is better to put the summer fishermen inside a little earlier. Sometimes it can be very cold by the end of September. So, better be faster!
If you still want to do something good for your plants, give them a little extra power with a little fertilizer! Your plants will thank you if you give them a little fertilizer once a year. I can particularly recommend this fertilizer for indoor plants, I’ve been using it for years and I’m totally satisfied with this product:
Which plants tolerate summer outdoors?
Here is a small selection (without claiming to be exhaustive):
- Echeveria and Crassula species
- Succulents and cacti
- Hibiscus, bird of paradise, passion flower
- bananas
- Rubber tree species, dragon tree
- Palm trees
- leaf begonias
- ferns
Don’t put the following outside:
- Dieffenbachia
- orchids
- African violets
- Basket margin
