Winter is over and the first rays of sunshine are attracting people outdoors in spring. Some garden owners would like to decorate their kingdom with colorful flowers again. However, potted plants should not be put outside early.
When should you put potted plants outside?
Potted plants can be placed outdoors after the Ice Saints in mid-May. It is important to slowly get used to fresh air and sun. Sensitive plants should go outside later, when temperatures are sufficiently warm at night.
Put out in spring
Plants that have overwintered frost-free but cool are usually allowed to go outside into the garden or onto the terrace relatively early. But be sure to wait for the Ice Saints. If the days beforehand are already very warm, you can take the plants out into the fresh air for a few hours during the day.
For very sensitive plants, temperatures must not fall below 10 °C or even 15 °C, not even at night. Some exotic plants, such as lemon trees, fall into this category. You should only go outside when it is really warm enough. Some people can barely survive a cool northern German summer outdoors. If possible, give these plants a place in the winter garden.
Preparing for the gardening season
Slowly get your potted plants used to fresh air and, above all, sunlight. Burns on the leaves are not uncommon if the change is too severe. If the pot of one or the other plant has become too small, you should repot it.
Put young plants outside
Young plants are generally more sensitive than older ones, so they can often only be brought into the garden or onto the balcony later in spring. When choosing the right time, don't just think about the Ice Saints with frosty nights. Cool winds can damage young shoots even at temperatures well above freezing, as can persistent wet conditions.
The most important things in brief:
- wait for at least the Ice Saints
- Put out young plants and sensitive plants much later
- Get used to plants slowly
- repot and/or cut back if necessary
- possibly give long-term fertilizer
Tip
You should only put sensitive (young) plants outside well after the Ice Saints. The nights also have to be relatively warm for this.
