The winter season is not just challenging for the human health, but for plant health too. Just like humans, plants are susceptible to winter sicknesses and require extreme care to get through this cold season. Indoor plants or houseplants are one of the most popular varieties of plants nowadays owing to the numerous health benefits they provide to human health. With the celebrations of Houseplant Appreciation Day, it becomes essential that we applaud the benefits which indoor plants provide to human beings. The plant care which they require is quite different from the outdoor plants as they are low-maintenance plants and require less supervision. But, just like other plants in winter, they too need special plant care which will help them thrive in the wintry days.
Let’s have a look at some of the best winter care tips which will help the houseplants to manage through the tough and freezing time of winters.
Table of Contents
1. Reduce watering
Just like human beings, plants feel less thirsty in winters as compared to the summers. As most of the houseplants need less water in the winter season, it is better to lower down the watering in plants. Overwatering plants or regularly watering them can develop diseases or perish in them. So, it is better to water the plant only when the soil becomes dry.
2. Avoid fertilizers
Houseplants are delicate and over-fertilizing can wilt them. As winter is already a dry season and plants rarely grow, it is better to skip putting fertilizers in the soil of your indoor plants. If you still think that your plants need some fertilizer for better growth, then dilute it with water and then add it to the soil. The spring season is the best time to add fertilizers in your houseplants for healthy growth.
3. Provide them sufficient sunlight
Plants are just like humans requiring good sunlight in the winter months. Sunlight keeps them healthy and warm and promotes plant growth. Keep the houseplants on the windows with good sunlight. Keep rotating your plants so that every part of the plant gets sunlight and grows evenly.
4. Maintain a proper indoor temperature
Extreme cold inside can wilt the houseplants even after providing them with everything they need. Temperature plays a crucial role in the plant growth and temperature very below from the room temperature can hamper their growth. Tropical plants such as Peace Lily, Philodendron, and Chinese Evergreen are very particular about the temperature they are kept in, so maintain great care of these plants in the winter months.
5. Lookout for Pests
The use of humidifiers, lack of sunlight, and the heat from the blowers are some of the reasons which can lead to pests such as fungus gnats, spider mites, and mealybugs in houseplants. Keep a strict check on them as they can damage the plant.
6. Improve humidity in homes
Just like human skin, plants too need adequate amounts of moisture for nourishment in winters. Plants require continuous humidity to tackle the dryness of this season. Keeping a humidifier in homes can improve the levels of humidity. Or you can keep your plants in bathrooms as there is a good amount of moisture there. You can also mist them twice a day to fulfill their moisture requirements.
7. Dust the leaves
Nobody liked a dusty and untidy home. We often dust everything on a daily bases so why leaves houseplants behind? Cleaning or wiping the leaves of the houseplants during winters improves their moisture and sunlight absorption rate and protects them from any plant diseases. Moreover, it will promote healthy respiration as dust on the leaves can enter your respiratory system and cause illnesses.
8. Remove plants from windows in evening
As sunlight is the sole motive of keeping your plants near the windows, it is better to remove them from there and keep them in a warm place. As the temperatures in winter drops at night, it is better to shift the plants to protect them from the freezing cold at night.
9. Avoid Repotting
The ideal time to repot your houseplants is summers and spring as they actively grow during these seasons. Shifting a plant to another pot is not ideal in winters unless there is an emergency. If the plant is wilting or drying, only then consider repotting them into a new pot. But, you can repot woody plants as they are dormant during winters.
10. Pruning
The growth of plants in winters can be leggy. Pruning them can promote good growth like bushiness and branching.
Some More Wintertime Houseplant Care Tips
- Bring in houseplants before you start heating your home. They can adjust themselves to the changing temperature.
- Wash them properly before bringing them inside to get rid of any pests.
- In case of freezing temperatures outsides, keep a cardboard between your houseplant and window panes.
- Avoid overwatering and fertilizing in December month as houseplants hardly grow in this month.
- Adding a few drops of ammonia in water for houseplants will improve color of foliage and increase plant growth.
- Starch water is great for plant growth.
- Ventilation becomes necessary for houseplants for better growth. If the weather is ideal and sunny outside, you can certainly open the windows for a fresh breeze.
The Final Words
Keeping plants healthy and green not just benefits them, but brings a lot of advantages to human health as well. When they are healthy, they will promote a healthy living inside homes. We are hopeful that these amazing plant care tips will certainly promote a good indoor plant health in the bitter season of winters. So, implement these caring tips for healthy and green houseplants and avail ample benefit from them!!!
Sakshi Ecavade is our in-house content developer having a good understanding about the gifting industry. She creates quality content surrounding flowers, chocolates, plants, cakes, and other products which makes excellent gifts for the people. Accurate and authentic information is what she tries to deliver through her blogs.