HouseplantsDiscover the right indoor plants for your home.
houseplant are often value the most during the dead of winter , when we ’re cooped up indoors and long to be surrounded by lush greenery . But just because houseplant grow inside in a controlled environment does n’t have in mind their caution need do n’t change when the season do .
It can be especially gainsay to keep houseplants healthy and happy during the cold months because of less - than - favorable shape , like dry out indoor heating system and dwindling day . Here are 10 tips for modifying your works care quotidian to get your houseplants through the wintertime and ready to welcome spring .
See also : Houseplant Care : 12 Tips for Healthy Indoor plant life
picture by Tatyana Aksenova / Shutterstock .
1 . Transition outdoor plants in
If you ’ve been grow your houseplants outdoors during the summer , part propel them indoors once overnight temperatures start dropping below 55 ° F. To avail ease the passage , acclimate your plants gradually by moving them into an unheated porch or service department at night and back alfresco during the sidereal day . If your plants have been enjoying a summertime in the sun , serve them get used to lower indoor light levels by placing them in a shady smirch for a workweek or so . Before bringing any outside plant life indoors , make indisputable it is pest - free by taking a close look at the leaves , stem , and dirt .
Get more tips formoving plant indoors .
Photo by Cristina Nakamura / Shutterstock .
2 . Cut back on watering
Although you may be tempted to irrigate your houseplants more oftentimes in winter because of the dry indoor melodic phrase , most of them actually do better with longer sentence between watering because they are growing more slow . Not only should you cut back on the absolute frequency of lachrymation , but also on the volume , using less pee than you normally would during the active originate season of spring and summer .
To help you mold when your plants need a drink , tick off the soil sobriety with your finger or use asoil moisture cadence . Other star sign that your plants are hungry let in brown leaf tip and droopy foliation .
Another crest : Always use room - temperature weewee during your houseplant lacrimation session . Anything too quick or cold can shock your plant and damage the roots .
picture by VH - Studio / Shutterstock .
3 . Take a interruption from fertilizing
If you ’re a negligent houseplant cultivator who tends to forget about fertilise , you ’ll really be doing your plants a party favor when winter arrives . Because most houseplant are semi - torpid during the winter month , using fertiliser to shake growth will foreclose your plants from getting the sweetheart sopor they need . Just be certain to resume regular feedings in springiness , as soon as you see sign of new growth .
pic by VI Studio / Shutterstock .
4 . Amp up the humidity
Many houseplants are native to the tropic and favor high level of humidity that are hard to reach in a het up nursing home . pass a humidifier in the room where your works are develop is one option , but a simpler alternative is to place the pots in a tray or saucer fill up with pebbles and water . As the water slowly evaporates , it will naturally prove the humidity around your plants . Just be careful not to submerge the bottoms of the pots in water because you do n’t require to drown the etymon .
Many houseplant agriculturalist try on to boost the humidness by haze over their plants frequently . Although this practice is unlikely to do any hurt , it does niggling to levy the humidity for a significant length of time . A good solution to is to moveplants that crave high humidityfrom dryer areas of your home into a well - light lav or kitchen . The moisture evaporation from showers and cooking activeness will offer a more solid and long - endure humidity hike .
exposure by Erik Witkowski / Shutterstock .
5 . Put them in the best luminance
To compensate for the lower angle of the sun and few hours of daylight during the wintertime , you may require to move your houseplants around to give them as much sun picture as potential . Plants that require very shining igniter , such as succulent and cacti , will do better in a room that receive direct sunlight from a Confederate States - facing windowpane . Forplants that choose medium or bright indirect light , move them to a spot in your home within a few feet of an east- or west - facing window .
If your industrial plant still seem to be struggling and showing polarity of light deprivation , such as spindly growth and yellowing farewell , consider investing in a grow light to help make up for the lack of light during this metre of class .
Another bakshish : If your works are n’t getting enough sun , you may also point out that they get down to list or stretch toward the light source . To ensure your plants receive even light exposure , turn out your gage a one-quarter - turn every time you irrigate .
picture by New Africa / Shutterstock .
6 . Avoid temperature extremes
Most houseplants like the same indoor temperature we do , about 70 ° to 75 ° F during the day and slimly cooler at night ( 60 ° to 65 ° F ) . Although normal temperature fluctuations are well - tolerated by most indoor plants , sudden blasts of red-hot or moth-eaten melodic line can cause leaf damage , leaf drop curtain , and even death upon prolonged exposure .
Keep houseplants off from heating vents , radiator , dynamic fireplaces , and insensate draft enter through doorways and window . If your plants are rest on a windowsill , make trusted the foliage does n’t stir the Methedrine on stale days . At Nox , use a window spook or heavy drape to obstruct out cold drafts .
exposure by Robert Lessmann / Shutterstock .
7 . Be on the lookout for gadfly
Although houseplant pests can be a job any time of class , their population tend to explode during the fall and wintertime . Factors lend to this seasonal surge include infest houseplants brought indoors after spending the summer outside , down in the mouth humidness horizontal surface , and overwatering , which is more common during the winter months .
wanderer mite , in particular , thrive in the warm , dry conditions of a het home . To spot a pest infestation early on , before it get out of control , scrutinize your plant life closely every time you water . Once pests get established indoors , they can multiply apace and be hard to get rid of .
find out how to key out and treat the mostcommon houseplant pests .
Photo by Alie04 / Shutterstock .
8 . Dust the leaf
Because there ’s less sunlight during the winter , it ’s particularly important to keep your plant ’s leaves free of dust so they can take in as much Light Within as possible . Use whatever cleaning tools you have on hand , such as a mild microfiber cloth , plume dust storm , or damp sponger . For plants with downy or textured foliage , such as African violet , try using a gentle - bristled paintbrush to dot off the leave-taking .
Photo by Pixel - Shot / Shutterstock .
9 . arrest off on repotting
Winter is not the good time to repot your houseplants because you do n’t want to get new increase during their rest menstruum . If possible , hold up off on repotting until outpouring , ideally until March or April . If you must repot , choose a new container that is no more than 2 inches in diameter larger than the current sens .
Photo by Proven Winners .
10 . Add to your houseplant collection
January 10 is Houseplant Appreciation Day , and there ’s no better way to fete than to summate a few new colorful , flowering , orunique houseplantsto your collection . plant life that bloom indoors in wintertime , such ascyclamenandChristmas cactus , are particularly uplifting at this clip of twelvemonth . A unexampled houseplant can also be a good monitor to give all your plants the extra TLC they need to pull round the season in ripe health .
