Winter is one of the toughest seasons for indoor plants. The days are shorter, the temperatures are colder, and the air is drier, which can weaken even the hardiest of greens. However, with a little extra care, your plants will continue to brighten up your space during the cold months.
Here's how you can protect and nurture your indoor plants in winter:
1. Adjust Your Watering Schedule
During winter, plants grow naturally slower. That means they need less water. Combine this with cooler temperatures and reduced sunlight, and the soil takes a long time to dry. The mistake of overwatering during this time may result in root rot and fungal infections.
The best way to avoid this is by checking the moisture of the soil before watering. Put your finger inside the soil for about an inch and if it feels dry, it's time to water. If it still feels moist, give it a few more days and check again. For drought-tolerant plants like succulents and cacti, reduce watering even further, as they store water in their leaves and require minimal hydration during winter.
2. Provide Adequate Light
Winter’s reduced daylight can be tough on plants, especially those that thrive on bright, direct sunlight, such as aloe vera, spider plants, or money plants. Without enough light, plants can become leggy, weak, and may even stop growing altogether.
To give your plants the light they need, move them closer to south-facing windows, which get the most sunlight during winter. If the natural light is inaccessible in your house, consider using grow lights.
3. Raise Humidity Levels
Winter’s dry air, often worsened by indoor heating, can stress tropical plants such as the peace lily or bird of paradise, which prefer humid environments. Plants will begin to develop brown leaf edges, drop their leaves, and generally exhibit signs of stress when the humidity drops.
To increase the levels of humidity in your garden, place a deep tray filled with water and tiny stones near your plants. As the water will dry, it will increase the moisture or humidity in the air. Alternatively, you can group them together to create a micro-humid environment or mist them from time to time. But do not mist on very dry days as it encourages fungal growth.
4. Watch for Nuisance Pests
Dry indoor air stresses plants, making them an inviting place for unwanted visitors such as spider mites, aphids, and scale insects. These tiny pests seem to be more active inside during the winter months. So, be on your guard.
Be regular in inspecting your plants, checking for those pests under the leaves and along the stems where they tend to hide. Just wipe them off gently using a damp cloth or even apply a mild insecticidal soap on the plant if they seem quite infested. For infestations that just will not go away, you might want to repot the plant in fresh soil.
5. Postpone Fertilization
Winter is not the ideal time to feed them big time. Most houseplants are in a dormant phase or at least grow less vigorously in winter. The need for nutrients is consequently less and fertilization during winter may cause an accumulation of nutrients in the soil, which would harm the roots.
Only use a very diluted, balanced fertilizer when necessary, but no more often than once a month. Ideally, it is better to wait until spring when the plants are again actively growing.
With inputs from agencies
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