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| Photo Credit: Donna W. Moramarco |
| My prized indoor begonias enjoy fresh air and an eastern exposure during the summer. |
Let’s face it – it’s no fun to be stuck indoors in the summertime. And it’s no fun for your indoor plants either. After all, summer’s a perfect time for your houseplants to enjoy the great outdoors!
Why bring your plants outside for the summer? Consider the typical lower light conditions and lack of humidity in your home – especially during the winter months, when the heat’s on and the days are shorter – and how it affects your plants. By bringing them outside in the warm season, they’ll get the chance to bathe in better light and higher humidity – and that’ll only help them flourish. For 20 years I’ve put the same areca palm on my deck for the summer. And during the three months that it’s out there, the plant puts on its greatest growth – because arecas, like most plants, enjoy the higher humidity and light. (But I’m careful to duplicate my home’s growing conditions, which means dappled light – never full sun.) Are you afraid of shocking your houseplants with too much of a good thing? Don’t worry. Just follow these simple ABCs to sending your plants on a summer vacation: A. Place plants in light conditions similar to what they enjoyed inside your home. Never put them in full sun. Just like you, they’ll get sunburned – and there’s no SPF sunscreen for houseplants!
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