Don't Jump the Gun when Moving Houseplants Outside Many indoor plants can benefit from being moved outside, but before you put them outside you'd better get them ready for the change. Putting houseplants out in direct sunlight on the first few warm days of spring could ruin all the work you did this winter keeping them alive.
Light provides the energy source that plants use to manufacture food.
So it should come as no surprise to learn that providing more light can improve the health and vigor of some houseplants. Hoseplants with higher light requirement usually receive the most benefit from a move outdoors, while the benefits of moving a plants with medium or low light requirements may not be worth the trouble. In fact, plants with lower light requirements may be injured by the higher outdoor light intensities, even after they are properly acclimated. A comparison of the difference in the light intensities of these two environments explains why it critical to prepare houseplants for a move outdoors. Plants that have been indoors all winter need about three weeks to adapt to the increased sunlight before they can be placed in direct sun outside.