Fall Houseplant Care Guide
Fall is the transition season when plants slow down and prepare for dormancy. Learn how to taper watering and feeding, bring outdoor plants in, and ready your collection for winter.
From roughly September through November, daylight shrinks, temperatures cool, and houseplant growth slows. Fall is a transition period: plants are winding down from their summer push and preparing for the low-energy months of winter, so your care should taper to match.
This is also the season to bring summering plants back indoors before the cold hits and to prepare the indoor environment for heating season. Getting the transition right now prevents the shock, pest outbreaks, and rot that often appear in early winter.
Step by step
- 1Stretch out watering
As growth slows, water less often. Keep checking the soil, but expect most plants to need water less frequently than in summer to avoid rot in cooling weather.
- 2Give a final feeding, then stop
Apply one last light fertilizer dose in early fall, then pause feeding as plants slow down for the season.
- 3Bring outdoor plants in
Move summering plants indoors before nights drop below 50-55 F, easing them into lower light over 1-2 weeks.
- 4Inspect and treat for pests
Check every returning plant thoroughly and treat any pests with neem oil or insecticidal soap before they reach your indoor collection.
- 5Maximize available light
Clean windows and leaves, and move plants closer to bright windows to make the most of weakening daylight.
- 6Plan winter placement
Note where drafts and heat vents are and position humidity-loving plants away from both before the furnace runs full-time.
Taper watering and feeding
As growth slows, plants drink less, so begin stretching out the time between waterings. Keep checking the soil rather than guessing, but expect to water noticeably less than you did in summer. Soggy soil in cooling temperatures is the fast track to root rot.
Wind down fertilizer too. Give a final light feeding in early fall, then stop as growth stalls. Continuing to feed a plant that is slowing down only leads to salt buildup, since the plant cannot use the extra nutrients.
Bring outdoor plants back inside
Plants that vacationed outdoors need to come in before nighttime temperatures drop below about 50-55 F, which damages many tropicals. Do this gradually over 1-2 weeks, moving plants to shadier spots first so they re-acclimate to lower indoor light without dropping leaves.
Before they cross the threshold, inspect every plant closely and treat for pests. Outdoor plants almost always pick up hitchhikers, and a single infested plant can spread spider mites or mealybugs across your whole indoor collection.
Prepare for heating season
Once the furnace kicks on, indoor air gets warm and dry. Plan ahead by identifying which plants will need extra humidity and where the drafts and hot vents are in your home, so you can position plants well before the cold arrives.
Maximize light now, since it only gets weaker. Clean windows, clean leaves, and consider moving plants closer to bright windows. Hold off on repotting unless necessary; plants recover poorly heading into dormancy.
- Quarantine returning outdoor plants for a couple of weeks to be sure no pests came in with them.
- Some leaf drop is normal as plants adjust to lower indoor light; do not panic.
- Avoid repotting in fall; wait until spring unless a plant has root rot.
- Switch to checking soil by feel, since fixed schedules no longer match the slower pace.
FAQ
When should I bring outdoor plants inside in fall?
Bring tropical houseplants in before nighttime temperatures drop below about 50-55 F. Do it gradually over 1-2 weeks and inspect for pests, since most plants pick up insects while outdoors.
Should I keep fertilizing in fall?
Taper off. Give one last light feeding in early fall, then stop as growth slows. A plant heading into dormancy cannot use extra nutrients, and feeding it only causes salt buildup.
Why is my plant dropping leaves in fall?
Some leaf drop is normal as plants adjust to shorter days and lower indoor light. As long as new growth is firm and the plant is not collapsing, gradual shedding of older leaves is a natural seasonal response.