do plants in pots dislike being moved from place to place for better light?

Question

Question: Does my plant get moved around a lot? Yes, I got it a week ago in fine condition and I've been moving it around and put it in the best locations for light, which changes during each day, so I move it. However, the tips of half of the big leaves are starting to shrivel up. Someone told me that potted plants don't like to get moved around. Is that true?

Answer 1

Great question, Hope. The answer is yes, plants do mind being moved. They are able to adapt to lower light or higher light situations but it takes time to make the necessary changes; one is the epidermis thickness. It has to be thin for lower light and thick if in the sun light by a window and thicker if it is outside in the actual sunlight. There are differences between the light of the sun in a green house going through the different 'skins' of the greenhouse, between artificial light and greenhouse light, idoors near a window and indoors in the sun coming through the window, the only place I move all my indoor plants to in the summer is a covered patio. No acclimation needed.

The light on a covered porch is fantastic for indoor plants. Just the ambient light bouncing off the landscape gives plants a 'boost' before winter. You know that plants make their own food, store it in their roots for dormant times; winter, short daylight hours. As long as a plant gets water, air in the soil, drainage, CO2, and has the chemistry in the soil for photosynthesis...that plant is happy. The chemistry is NPK plus a dozen micro chemicals (not nutrients).

All soils will be deplete of these chemicals and have to be added very CAREFULLY. Less is always best. More will certainly kill. Before there is a chance of temperatures dropping close to freezing, you bring your plants in and put them in a place where they get lots of light but not direct sunlight. Avoid drafts and forced air vents. And that is their home for the winter until the growing season. No fertilizer during the winter. Add only before the go back out on the porch. Plants love being 'grouped'...not too closely or you'll get fungus amongus. When watering wash the entire plant down, gently, don't use pressure washer force spray. Allow the soil to dry before soaking the pot again. Being out of doors means more evaporation with the wind, breezes. If you have wind problems plant your plants in HEAVY clay or concrete type pots. Do not add rock or gravel to the bottom of your pot below the potting soil and drain hole. That actually makes drainage so slow you will get root rot.

And only use potting soil for all plants in pots. Hard and fast rule. I sure hope you have a covered porch. Otherwise, plants in pots take up to 3 weeks to acclimate or 'harden off' plants whether going from indoors to out of doors in the sun, greenhouse, artificial lights and the same amount of time to reverse the direction. Bringing out of door or greenhouse plants to the environment of the indoors takes weeks of 'acclimation'. That is why when people buy live Christmas trees and no one explains this acclimation process to bring them indoors to decorate...they rarely make it. They miss out on two acclimation and even conifers need this process. They are already in shock for Christmas in a dry hot home then they are dragged back out of doors to usually sit in a pot in their own balled and burlapped clay rootball. Doubtful they were able to get enough water as clay rootballs shed the water in a pot.

This is a lengthy explanation but this is one of the top reasons people are unsuccessful with plants. I use potted plants in my greenhouse to 'extend' the real estate of my beds in our greenhouse. But I acclimate my starts from grow room to green house before planting in the garden soil of my greenhouse. Every single potted plant has a proper sized pot for the size of the plant and always sterilized potting soil. Happy Frog makes a great potting soil that even comes with beneficial bacterias and fungi. Do not get potting soil with fertilizer, you want to control that yourself. I always recommend Osmocote 14-14-14 and use half the recommended amount and applications. Safe. Extended release. It lasts 4 to 6 months. Do it in the spring only unless you see symptoms of deficiency or excess...send pictures. And turning pots over to use as props to raise your plants to different heights helps with light and presentation and air flow.