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Living in Zone 8B: Is it time yet to bring the houseplants in from the patio? They have really thrived this summer, and I'm hoping they will be happy to "hibernate" for a while inside.
Living in Zone 8B: Is it time yet to bring the houseplants in from the patio? They have really thrived this summer, and I'm hoping they will be happy to "hibernate" for a while inside.
If you are in Zone 8 then your average first frost date is likely pretty late in the year.
When you bring the plants in depends upon what kind of plants you have, the forecasted temperatures and of course any kind of microclimates around the patio.
Most houseplants have a lower temperature tolerance to only around 50-55 F. Some of the hardier types like cacti and succulents can tolerate down into the 40's but definitely watch the weather forecasts. A few nights of weather around 50 F likely won't hurt them but you don't want to do extended time for them in cooler weather.
I am in Zone 5a and have brought some of mine in that are more tender. Mine are on the patio but close to the house which creates a warmer microclimate for them. They have done great this year as well and are going to be mad about being brought in from all of that humidity Well, I guess the cacti and succulents won't mind anyhow...
Wish there was some solid date but just watch the weather forecasts at this point. We go by the forecasts ourselves since some Octobers are pretty mild and we can keep the plants out until the second week or so and other Octobers we end up having snow on the ground and frosts by the 2nd week.
Good luck with your plants and hope they continue to do well indoors when you decide to bring them in for winter.
Living in Zone 8B: Is it time yet to bring the houseplants in from the patio? They have really thrived this summer, and I'm hoping they will be happy to "hibernate" for a while inside.
I would, if they're tender house plants and you don't want to be taken by surprise by hail or a sudden overnight freeze. You're in Seattle, yes? You aren't that far from me, I'm just a 100 miles north of you in a warmer, 9B zone in the Fraser Valley and we already had a quick overnight frost one night last week that sneaked up on us after a really warm day and took us by surprise.
And that frost came from the south, from your direction, not from the north. It all melted as soon as the sun came up and the rest of that day was very warm again but it had still been enough time overnight to chill the soil, roots and leaves of potted plants on the decks and made them all go limp. It shocked all my potted tomato plants enough to cause all the tomatoes to drop off the plants. So I took all the houseplants indoors and they revived and now they are happy again. I won't be putting them back out again now until spring.
Zone 6a and I have only taken in one house plant so far.
Coldest temp yet was 6C (44F).
Mild days ahead this week including low 80s highs on tuesday and wednesday,
but new weekend will be below normal and will taken all houseplants,
including my Cyad Palms...they can handle right down to freezing but I don’t risk it.
I'm in 8b in San Jose, CA, and I have huge coleus plants outside and they're actually doing even better as the weather starts to cool down.
I don't bring any plants inside over the winter. They are either pure annuals or perennials that will survive. I have some indoor plants under grow lights (3 kinds of basil and right now, some bok choy) and i don't want any outside bugs coming inside. So, that's just me - it will either live outside or it will die, but I'm not bringing any bugs inside.
In San Jose, anyway, the weather is still really warm - around 80 degrees during the day, and the 50's at night, so it's not necessary to bring anything inside yet anyway.
But, my annuals - I grow them myself from seed, so when they die, they don't cost me anything, really. I just start new ones in the spring, like coleus and nasturtiums, etc.
Also, depending on the plant - do you provide it with some kind of artificial light over the winter? What plants are you growing outside that need to be brought inside?
Living in Zone 8B: Is it time yet to bring the houseplants in from the patio? They have really thrived this summer, and I'm hoping they will be happy to "hibernate" for a while inside.
As others have said, it depends on your plants.
I also am in the Puget Sound area, and haven’t brought any in yet. Begonias will be the first ones to come in, and that will happen soon, when night temps are consistently in the low 40s. Fuchsia and several others will be good until we consistently hit the high 30s. The rosemary will probably stay outside most of the winter, unless we have a spell of below freezing weather.
You have to know your plants, and a lot depends on which direction your patio faces and whether your plants are under an eave or other structure or are fully exposed to the rain.
I pretty much brought ours in the other day, but left a few that are blooming well out in the front. Some of the shade plants, now ones that are house plants as well I let die and will drag the planters into the garage in the next few days. We are having a get together this Sat here, so will just buy some mums for the front porch.
The USDA zone does not correspond to the first frost. It also doesn't mean some of your plants are doing well in low 40s in October. 8b is eastern Georgia and they are 30 degrees warmer than Seattle this time of year so they would not be bringing in plants while you might need to.
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Well, I guess the cacti and succulents won't mind anyhow...
