Moving Tropical Plants Indoors
Cold weather preparations are in full swing in my greenhouses.
As many of you know, I have quite a large collection of warm weather plants at my farm, including citrus trees and other tropical specimens. Because I live in a four-season region, during colder months, it’s vital these plants move indoors, where the temperature and humidity levels can be controlled. Plants that spent the summer at Skylands, my home in Maine, or at Lily Pond in East Hampton, were all brought back to Bedford for storage. Most of them are kept in one of two hoop houses designated specifically for these warm weather plants. They are all thriving, and have grown quite well in the last year - some grew too big for their pots, and needed to be removed, trimmed, and repotted into slightly larger containers. It’s a tedious process to put all these container plants away, but a very important one that keeps all my plants healthy.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Dwarf citrus plants and other potted tropicals can be kept outdoors as long as temperatures stay above 40-degrees Fahrenheit. Here in the Northeast, we recently had a couple nights of near-frost temperatures, so it was a scramble to get my collection indoors. Today, the region is expecting heavy rains and strong winds.
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- During the warmer months, I keep my potted citrus specimens outside in front of the vegetable greenhouse where there is ample room between each pot for watering.
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- This hoop house is in between the Vegetable Greenhouse and Equipment Barn. In past years, I’ve kept most of my citrus collection here, where I also keep agaves, and other tropical specimens.
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- Ryan oversees the moving of all these plants. Here, he is placing potted agaves on shelves made with lumber and tree stumps cut at the farm from felled trees. It is a very natural and economical way to repurpose old wood.
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- Here is Pete bringing in another agave. Agaves are so beautiful, but they should be kept in low traffic areas, as their spikes can be very painful.
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- These agaves are equally spaced on the shelves and positioned so none of them touch.
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- Before each plant gets placed into the hoop house, it is examined, and if necessary, repotted. There are a lot of plants in line to repot, so Wilmer oversees this process as other plants are moved indoors.
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- Some of the larger potted plants weigh hundreds of pounds. My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, uses a John Deere tractor to move them.
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- One of the benefits of using these hoop houses is that the tractor can just roll in – this makes moving the plants much easier for the crew.
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- The potted plant is slowly lowered into position on the gravel floor and then Dawa removes the strap securing the pot to the tractor loader.
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- The large potted agave is positioned in the back center of the hoop house, where the ceiling and walls of the hoop house are highest.
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- Outside, Wilmer is repotting an agave that outgrew its pot.
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- He uses a good all-purpose soil mix.
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- And adds some Osmocote fertilizer to the soil. This is a slow-release fertilizer.
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- Wilmer cuts off spent flower stalks at the point of origin as close to the body of the plant as possible. He also makes sure to cut through the stalk at a slight angle to encourage water runoff. Then the plant is placed in a slightly larger container, where it will stay until spring.
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- These plants actually spend about seven months of the year in this heated shelter – but they definitely thrive.
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- Citrus plants dislike abrupt temperature shifts and need to be protected from chilly drafts and blazing heaters. Consider the needs of the plants when deciding where to store them indoors.
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- I also keep a group of sago palms, Cycas revoluta. They are popular houseplants – pretty foliage and easy to care for, but keep them away from pets and young children, as they are also very toxic if ingested.
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- These potted plants are drying out, so the pots are placed on their sides as a reminder not to water them.
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- The left side of the hoop house is filling quickly.
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- Dwarf citrus trees require at least eight to 12 hours of full sunshine and good air circulation to thrive.
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- Here is a potted palm going in next. The pots are extremely heavy, and have to be moved in carefully, so their branches don’t get damaged.
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- Tall citrus trees are placed on the gravel floor, while others are placed on tree stumps. Varying the height of these plants saves a lot of space and adds nice texture to area.
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- This ‘Ponderosa’ citrus tree is the last pot to be stored in the hoop house. I always keep it in the front just behind the doors. This plant produces huge lemons, often up to five-pounds each! I am so fortunate to be able to grow citrus here in the Northeast. My potted citrus plants thrive in this temperature controlled hoop house during winter, and provide such delicious fruits. All the citrus plants are now safely tucked into the hoop house for the cold season.
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