Bananaman88

Annie,

You shouldn't need to do anything overly special to your plants. They have genetic coding that tells them when to "wake up". All plants basically respond to environmental conditions, such as warmth, moisture, and light. The most important thing for you to do is to make sure that you are past any danger of frost before moving your babies back outside. You may want to slowly adjust them to the light again, but if they have no leaves, this may not be necessary. However, be aware that any leaves that have grown inside over the winter will most likely either break over or burn (or both). They will need to be reaclimated to the sun and wind.

Once you place them back out (either in the ground or potted) give them a light watering. Let the plant give you your cues as to when to water more. Once you see some growth begin to resume you can slowly start watering and feeding again.

As for your plant with the withered top, just cut it off below the dessicated portion as you mentioned. Look for healthy center tissue. If it looks brown in the center you may have to remove more, but most likely the mother plant is fine. Good luck!