Overwintering Houseplants: What 14 Plants Need When Nights Drop Below 55°F
Overwintering houseplants starts when nights drop below 55°F. See what 14 plants, from monstera to tomato, need indoors: light, watering and humidity.
Bring houseplants indoors once nights are heading below 55°F, step them into shadier spots over about a week, then water far less than feels natural. Most of the damage that follows a move indoors comes from a light problem that gets treated as a watering problem. Some leaf drop is normal, and the 14 plants below split into four groups that each want something different from winter.
When should you bring plants indoors, and what do you check first?
Move plants in when nights fall below 55°F. Illinois Extension uses exactly that line, and Iowa State Extension says to act “when nighttime temperatures dip consistently into 50s°F,” because many indoor plants show damage in the mid-to-lower 40s. Clemson’s Home & Garden Information Center adds that several tropical species suffer chill injury at or below 50°F. My working rule: 55°F is the trigger, 50°F is the floor for anything tropical.
Don’t carry the garden in with them. Iowa State recommends rinsing all foliage outdoors and letting it dry completely, then keeping the plant away from your other houseplants for 3 to 4 weeks. Illinois Extension suggests a steady stream of water first, insecticidal soap for soft-bodied insects (follow the label), and flushing pots because earwigs and ants hide in the soil. If ants remain, repot. Heavily infested plants may not be worth saving. Know what you’re looking for: spider mites, mealybugs, and fungus gnats, which breed in damp potting mix.
Then step down the light. Clemson’s schedule is a lightly shaded spot for a couple of days, then full shade, over about a week. After that, give each plant the brightest window you have; Illinois Extension points to south or west exposures.
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Why is winter indoors a light problem, not a cold one?
Light drops far more than temperature does. Iowa State notes that “even the brightest locations indoors are a fraction of the light intensity found in shade or part-shade locations outside,” and the Illinois Extension Garden Scoop calls light “perhaps the greatest factor limiting houseplant growth in winter.”
The steepest number I could find comes from a nursery study. Turner, Reed and Morgan (1987) tested Ficus benjamina (weeping fig) and F. stricta against a simulated interior at 10.5 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹, about 0.6% of the 1,685 their full-sun plants received. That was a deliberately dim room, not a window, so don’t read it as your living room. But the results explain what you’ll see. Full-sun F. benjamina lost the most leaves, defoliation fell as shading before the move increased, and leaves dropped in “two or three periods” rather than at a steady rate. My reading: a ficus that sheds in waves after a move is adjusting, not necessarily dying. That’s an inference from a nursery trial, not a home test.
Less light means less growth, and less growth means less water use. Illinois Extension puts it plainly: “growth and water uptake are less in winter,” and “persistent moisture allows root rotting fungi to become established.” Another Illinois Extension author says nearly all houseplants are “coasting” all winter. So:
- Water by finger, not calendar. Push a finger to your second knuckle; if the mix is still moist, wait. Keep soil on the dry side, but never let a plant wilt.
- Stop fertilizing. Iowa State says plants aren’t actively growing in fall and winter.
- Add light before adding water. If a window is weak, a grow light does more than any watering tweak.
What does each of the 14 plants need in winter?
The quickest way to get winter right is to ask whether a plant wants warmth and humidity, a cool dry rest, or just to be left alone. The table sorts all 14 into those groups.
| Group | Plants | Winter watering | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slow-growing foliage plants | Monstera, pothos, philodendron, tradescantia, spider plant, ficus | Finger test; let the top of the mix dry first | Leaf drop, stretched stems, wet-soil root rot |
| Humidity lovers | Calathea, ferns, orchid | Finger test; never leave roots sitting wet | Dry heated air, drafts, cold nights below 50°F |
| Cool, dry rest | Jade, aloe, echeveria, snake plant | Sparingly; echeveria only every few weeks | Radiator heat plus wet soil, freezing |
| Short-lived crop | Tomato | Keep rooted cuttings lightly moist | Hard to light a full-size plant |
Monstera, pothos, philodendron, tradescantia, spider plant
These are the easy group, and the main job is restraint. NC State Extension lists monstera as preferring 60 to 85°F and says to let the top quarter to third of the mix dry between waterings; that is a sensible winter pattern for the whole group, with monstera watering as the model. I couldn’t find extension-tested winter minimums for pothos, philodendron, tradescantia or spider plant, so I’d use Clemson’s 50°F tropical floor and keep them off cold window glass. For species detail, see our guides to pothos, philodendron, tradescantia and spider plant.
Ficus
Expect it to drop leaves, and don’t respond by moving it around. Iowa State names weeping fig as especially prone to leaf drop after the light change and says new foliage replaces the lost leaves. Pick the brightest spot once, then leave it there. See the ficus growing guide for the species differences.
Calathea and ferns
Humidity is what goes wrong, not temperature. Penn State Extension says winter indoor humidity “can easily fall below 30%,” while Illinois Extension says most houseplants want 40 to 50%. Penn State also reports that a misting boost “only lasts until the water evaporates” and that pebble trays have almost no effect on a room’s humidity, so a humidifier is the dependable fix. Group plants if you can, and redirect heater vents away from them. I couldn’t retrieve a current extension figure for calathea’s minimum temperature, so I’d keep it well above 50°F and out of drafts. More in our calathea guide, fern guide and humidity methods.
Orchid (Phalaenopsis)
Phalaenopsis tolerate roughly 50°F to 95°F, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden’s fact sheet, and rapid temperature changes and drafts cause bud drop. The useful twist is that autumn is when they decide to flower. The Missouri Botanical Garden says nights around 55°F for several weeks in autumn initiate flower spikes; the American Orchid Society says a 15°F night drop for two or three weeks. Those agree if your days run about 70°F, since 70 minus 15 is 55. A house held at one steady temperature never gives that drop, which is the first thing I’d change if an orchid won’t spike, though I haven’t found a controlled home trial. Once a spike appears, keep conditions steady, water in the morning so leaves dry before nightfall, and skip the ice cubes. Full care is in the Phalaenopsis guide.
Jade, aloe, echeveria, snake plant
Cool and dry beats warm and damp. The NYBG’s Mertz Library says jade prefers about 50°F in winter with “no bottom heat from the radiator, please,” and 50 to 55°F nights, and adds that it may flower around Christmastime. UC Master Gardeners in Glenn County say aloe vera should come inside and needs protection when temperatures stay below 32°F for more than a few hours; that is a freeze line, not a comfort line. The Royal Horticultural Society says echeveria “aren’t hardy,” should stay above 10°C (50°F), and want only “a light watering every few weeks” in a cool, dry rest, “otherwise the roots may rot.” Succulents are also the exception to the humidity advice above: Penn State notes some cacti and succulents don’t need extra.
I found no extension-tested minimum for snake plant, so I’d treat it like the others in this group: in before nights reach the 50s, kept dry. The same rest logic runs through our overwintering cactus guide, and species care sits in the jade, aloe, echeveria and snake plant guides.
Tomato
Take cuttings instead of hauling in the whole plant. A small rooted sucker fits on a windowsill, while a full-size plant is a much bigger ask of winter light. The University of Georgia’s Frank Watson describes rooting healthy suckers three to four inches long in a jar of water covering the ends by one to two inches, kept in a cool, well-lit spot until roots form. That article is about summer replacement plants, not winter indoors, and I found no extension source on carrying a mature tomato through winter or on how much light indoor fruiting needs. Treat any specific hours or yields you read elsewhere as grower lore. Illinois Extension’s two general routes for tender plants, digging up the whole plant with as much root as possible or propagating it, are a reasonable frame, though that page doesn’t mention tomatoes. Pot the cuttings under a tomato grow light and do the same pest check as for any houseplant.
Your first-week checklist
- Watch the forecast and move plants in before nights drop below 55°F.
- Rinse foliage outdoors, let it dry, flush the pots, and quarantine for 3 to 4 weeks.
- Step plants into more shade over about a week, then place them in your brightest window.
- Stop fertilizing and switch to finger-test watering.
- Raise humidity for calathea, ferns and orchids; keep succulents cool and dry.
Frequently asked questions
What temperature should I bring houseplants inside?
Bring them in when nights fall below 55°F. Illinois Extension uses that line, and Iowa State says to move them once nights consistently reach the 50s. Tropicals can show chill injury at or below 50°F.
How long should I quarantine plants that spent summer outside?
Isolate them from other houseplants for 3 to 4 weeks, and inspect often, according to Iowa State Extension.
Why is my plant dropping leaves after I moved it indoors?
The drop in light is the usual cause. Iowa State names tropical hibiscus and weeping fig as especially prone, and new foliage grows to replace lost leaves. In the 1987 ficus trial, leaves dropped in two or three waves.
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→ View My Garden CalendarShould I fertilize houseplants in winter?
No. Iowa State advises stopping in fall and winter because plants aren’t actively growing, and Illinois Extension says not to feed inactive houseplants.
Can I overwinter a tomato plant indoors?
Rooted cuttings are the practical route. Root suckers three to four inches long in water, then grow them under a light. Whole mature plants are harder to keep going on winter light, and I found no extension data on how hard.
Sources
- Ken Johnson. Bring houseplants indoors before the first frost. Illinois Extension (September 2020)
- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. How and when do I bring my houseplants back indoors for winter? Yard and Garden
- Millie Davenport. Prepare Houseplants to Move Back Inside. Clemson Home & Garden Information Center (2018)
- Turner, Reed & Morgan. A Comparison of Light Acclimatization Methods for Reduction of Interior Leaf Drop in Ficus spp. Journal of Environmental Horticulture 5(3): 102-104 (1987)
- University of Illinois Extension. How to overwinter house plants. The Garden Scoop (2019)
- Richard Hentschel. Houseplants, winter, watering and humidity. Illinois Extension (2022)
- Lois Miklas. Humidity and Houseplants. Penn State Extension (updated December 2024)
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Kemper Center for Home Gardening. Orchids: Phalaenopsis fact sheet (2020)
- Sue Bottom. Why Orchids Need a Drop in Nighttime Temperature. American Orchid Society
- Royal Horticultural Society. Echeveria
- Tammy Cripe. Aloe. UC Master Gardener Program of Glenn County (2015)
- New York Botanical Garden, Mertz Library. How are jade plants grown and propagated?
- Frank M. Watson. Rooting tomato suckers can provide great mid-season replacement plants, extend harvest. University of Georgia Extension (2013)
- Brittnay Haag. Overwintering Tender Plants. Illinois Extension (2018)
- NC State Extension. Monstera deliciosa. Plant Toolbox
