Caring for houseplants during the winter usually doesn’t require much effort. The main principle is to do no harm.
In the winter months, when there’s not much to do in the garden, many plant lovers turn their attention to the flowers on their windowsills. They get all the attention, and sometimes too much enthusiasm can lead to sad results. I thought I’d remind you what not to do with indoor plants in winter.
Actually, indoor plants go through winter much like perennials in the garden – they go dormant. So, how do you provide the best care for your ficus, ferns, and philodendrons, and what actions should you avoid?
Contents
1- Spontaneously Buying Plants
If you really want to get a new “green friend,” buying one in winter is definitely an option. Winter is often when discounts on certain houseplants are available, and many plant lovers take this opportunity to acquire, for instance, an expensive exotic plant without overspending.
Moreover, some plants bloom specifically in winter and are available in stores during this season. But here, it’s important to choose the most viable plant and transport it home without freezing it.
Transporting the Plant Home
At the exit of garden centers, various types of packaging are available (for free), which you can use.
Before taking your new plant outside, you’ll need to protect the leaves and flowers from frost and mechanical damage by wrapping it well.
Wrap the plant in two layers of paper, then in plastic film. The packaging should be tightly closed on all sides, even on top.
If you’re transporting the plant in a car, warm up the interior beforehand. It’s best not to carry the plant outside in cold weather.
Once home, don’t unwrap the paper for several hours. Let the plant gradually warm up and acclimate. Don’t water or spray it.
After a while, you can water the soil with any disease prevention product and spray it with a stimulator – such as succinic acid, an aloe solution.
2- Moving from One Window to Another
In Fall and winter, due to a lack of light, your plants may have elongated stems, and their leaves might lose color and become soft. In this case, it’s wise to move the plant to a south or east-facing window, but do it carefully and gradually.
The best way is to acclimate your houseplants to the new environment by placing them in the new spot for a few hours, then moving them back to their original spot.
You can do this every day for 2-3 weeks, gradually increasing the plant’s time at its “winter location.” For tropical herbaceous plants, it’s still better to set up artificial lighting.
3- Leaving in Drafts
In winter, it’s better to keep plants away from cold windows, ensuring that the leaves don’t touch the glass directly. Near the window, the temperature is usually 2-3 degrees lower than in the rest of the room.
Try not to keep houseplants on windows that are frequently opened for ventilation. If there’s no other option, remove the pots from the windowsills during this time.
Exposure to such drafts can be very dangerous for the plants. It’s important to keep the roots warm, so consider insulating the windowsill or using plant stands that elevate the plant off the cold surface.
4- Frequent Watering
Be more cautious with watering in winter. The days are shorter, and indoor plants receive less natural light from the windows.
Photosynthesis slows down, the plant enters a dormant phase, and if you continue to water it as usual, it will become limp and yellow despite moist soil in the pot.
Dormant plants don’t require much water, so you should reduce watering. It’s better to loosen the soil in the pots more often, using a method called “dry watering.”
Before watering, always check the soil with your finger and thoroughly moisten the plants only when the top layer of soil is really dry. If the soil is overly dry, place the pot in a tray of water and leave it until air bubbles stop forming.
Plants in small and ceramic pots need to be watered more frequently than those in larger or plastic pots.
While indoor plants don’t thirst as much in winter, this doesn’t mean they enjoy dry air. Water less frequently, but mist more often.
5- Watering with the Wrong Kind of Water
-Tap Water
Tap water is not suitable for watering because it contains chlorine and other impurities. Moreover, it can be excessively hard.
Let the water you intend to use for watering stand for at least 12 hours without covering the container. This allows volatile impurities to evaporate, and heavy metal salts to settle at the bottom.
So, when watering your plants, don’t pour out all the water to avoid these sediments.
-Boiled Water
Some plant enthusiasts water their houseplants with boiled water, but it’s also not ideal for watering because it’s almost completely devoid of oxygen.
Furthermore, boiling removes most of the beneficial mineral elements from the water.
-Cold Water
Cold water is absorbed by plant roots 7 times slower than room temperature water. Such water can cause rotting of the root system.
For tropical plants like monsteras, ficuses, and begonias, it’s recommended to water them with warm water, around 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius).
6- Feeding
In winter, most houseplants don’t need fertilizing. Accumulating fertilizer in the soil only harms the roots of the plants, which are in a state of dormancy. The exception is plants that bloom in winter. From November through February, you can feed them once a month, but only with half the usual dose.
For other plants, reduce the frequency of feeding to once every five weeks and gradually increase to once every three weeks as spring approaches.
7- Not Wiping the Leaves
Don’t forget to regularly wipe dusty leaves with a soft cloth dampened in water. A layer of dust on the leaves hinders the plant from absorbing necessary nutrients from the environment.
8- Repotting
Repotting is necessary only in extreme cases:
- If the pot has become too small.
- If the soil has become too dense, dry, and unsuitable for the plant.
- If you’ve overwatered your plant and the leaves have become limp, lost their color, turned yellow, or if mold has formed in the soil, and you need to urgently save the plant.
Repot very carefully to avoid damaging the roots and shoots. And don’t expect the repotted plant to start growing vigorously right away: repotting in winter is stressful for any plant. It needs time to adjust to the new conditions.
9- Placing Near Heating Radiators
In winter, houseplant leaves often develop spots that look like burns, or the tips of the leaves dry out. This is a result of excessively dry air. The warmer it is in the room, the more moisture evaporates, making it less comfortable for your plants.
Therefore, you often hear the advice to move houseplants away from heating radiators. But then the question arises: where else to place the plants in winter if not on the windowsill?
If there are no other options, try to isolate the plants from the radiators and attempt to increase the humidity in the air.
Cacti, aloe, sempervivum, kalanchoe, the jade plant (Crassula ovata), and other succulents tolerate the proximity to heating devices quite well.
How to Increase Humidity Near a Radiator?
-Place Plants in Trays with Water
Place your flowers in trays, and then put the pots with flowers in them. Pour a little water into the tray.
The key point here is that trays are only suitable for low pots. For larger plants, choose containers with higher sides, slightly above the pot, and add water as needed.
– Put Containers of Water Between the Pots on the Windowsill
This method isn’t very efficient and also clutters the windowsill.
– Use an Electric Humidifier
This is perhaps the most effective way to increase humidity, and nowadays, you can find affordable humidifier models.
– Install an Indoor Fountain on the Windowsill
It works similarly to an electric humidifier but also decorates the interior and is considered a favorable element in Feng Shui.
– Hang a Humidifier on the Radiator
These are available in regular flower shops and marketplaces. There’s a wide selection: cats, butterflies, flowers, and neutral options. All you need to do is hang the device on the radiator and fill it with water.
– Insulate the Windowsill
Cut a strip of foam to fit the size of the windowsill so that one edge extends over the radiator. The foam can be wrapped in a protective film or covered with a decorative mat for easier cleaning of dust and dirt.
10- Not Providing Additional Light
All plants that bloom in winter or are preparing to bloom need lighting for at least 12-14 hours a day.
Plants with variegated, colorful, decorative leaves need more light than those with green leaves; otherwise, they fade in insufficient light. Just be sure to place grow lights about 12-16 inches (30-40 centimeters) away from the plants.
