Most of the current generations have the passion and perseverance to have variety of houseplants at home. One main reason is, indoor plants suits well for an independent bungalow, condominium as well as packed flats. They require minimum maintenance, be it water, Fertilizer or light/shade. But one factor that eludes most of the owners is How to maintain them from drying up during winter – House plant winter care. This is well explained from the fact that all these house plants exhibits leaf wilting, curling, changing to brown color and finally plant drying up altogether. So the whole plant which germinated & thrived during spring, flourished throughout summer and autumn, finally reaches a sad end by winter. As a result, all the hard work put forth by the host goes down the drain.. Hence in this post , I bring the basic needs and care to be done for House plant during winter so that they just don’t survive the harsh cold temperature , but come out healthy and fine.
Table of Contents
House Plant Winter care – Issues faced :
Following are some of the major issues faced by houseplants during winter season:
- Plant Drying up
- Plant freezing
- Leaves discoloration
- Stunted growth
- Leaves wilting.
There are umpteen reasons for the above common issues faced during winter. If left unattended, the leaves will wilt leading to plant death. Let us see in detail about each point.
House Plant winter care – Ways to keep them alive :
a) House Plant winter care – water :
“The main problem faced during winter months is over watering.”
- This may be a surprise to many. But the fact remains that , we fail to understand that the ambient temperature goes down , so is evaporation. As a result, the water requirement of the plant is reduced too.
- Take a scoop of the pot soil and inspect closely. Unless the soil is completely dry, do not water unnecessarily. Ensure that moisture is 100 % available. That’s more than enough.
- After each watering cycle , rotate the pot by 90 deg. .This would ensure that all sides of the plant receive equal amounts of sunlight and some sun shadow leaves are not starved for the sparsely available light. In house plant winter care , watering is a major aspect that affects the plant.
b)House Plant winter care – optimum Humidity :
“Contrary to popular belief, the ambient air will be drier during winter, as there is no rain. This is definitely not good for house plant.”
- Dry air will make the plant suffer. During winter resort to misting occasionally. Also one home humidifier can be installed and will serve the purpose.
- If humidifier is working continuously, it means that the humidity requirement is taken care of. Then the watering frequency can be further reduced.
- If you find it is difficult to mist regularly, keep them in the corner of bathroom, away from direct water falling on the plant. The high level of humidity available in your bathroom will do wonders for the well being of the plant.
- Another area is kitchen which too will be more in humidity due to the cooking activity.
- If humidifier is not your list, go for grouping of plants. Plants release water through their leaves by transpiring, As a result , the moisture will find use to the plants grouped.
c) Ensure light
“Light is a precious commodity during winter months, particularly in countries in temperate and polar regions. The sun shines hardly for 4 hours during extreme winter”
- Remember that plant is a living organism and just like other animals, they too need light for survival. Without photosynthesis, plants can’t survive. In countries situated near Arctic Circle, the sun shines hardly for 4 hours during winter months. Even those angular rays may not be sufficient for your house plant.
- Compared to days of other season when sun is available throughout the day, during winter it’s less than half than time. If a plant requires around six hours of direct sunlight during a normal day , it will definitely need around 14 hours of supplemental light to give energy. Hence, keep your plants in rooms and portions of the house where you get light for longer duration. Locate them in a bright spot within the home.
d) Ensure optimum Temperature
- Most plants thrive well in temperatures between 65 to 75 deg. In any case, the temperature needs to be above 50 deg.F and nighttime temp above 50 deg.F.
- To ensure such environment, keep them away from both cold drafts.
- Also ensure that there is not much fluctuation in ambient temperature within the home. High variation can kill the plant as easily as extreme levels of heat.
e)Go for pruning :
Winter is the ideal time for pruning. Here you remove dried up, discolored and wrinkled leaves so that news leaves sprout during forthcoming spring season. It depends on the type of plants In case of succulents pruning may not be all the more necessary. However you will need it for vines.
f) Go for Repotting :
Repotting won’t be necessary in case of succulents. But woody plants become dormant during winter. So it’s better to go for repotting during winter months. This will make them ready to for sprouting new shoots when spring season is around.
g)Eliminate pests :
Though winter months are accompanied by dry ambient air, continuous use of humidifier and heating systems will be a thriving bed for pests like mealy bugs, spider mites ..etc.. Do get them removed and eliminated as early as possible. You can also use mild pesticides or diluted soap solution.
h)Go mild on fertilizer
During winter, most of the plants go on hibernation, keeping only their vital activity intact. So most of the plants are not in real need of any fertilizer. It’s better to hold back further fertilizing during winter.
i)House plant Winter care – beware of freezing your plant :
It is very important to place the plant near the window to get maximum sunlight during shortened day time. As you receive less and less light, one tends to move the plant closer to the window. But see that window doesn’t freeze over. Otherwise you run the risk of freezing over your plant too, which will make to die in hours and all your efforts will go in vain. So do take care
j)Clean Your Windows
Make sure that your windows are clean as cleaner windows allow more light than a dirtier and dusty one. The small increase in quantity of light can make your plant happier and healthier during this winter period.
k)Dust off your Plants
Always wash off the leaves of your green friends with a damp cloth . This will not only improve the aesthetic look of the plants as a whole, but help to absorb more light. In turn , it results in increased efficiency of the food making process.
l)Addional Light
Try for a new heating lamp which will partially compensate for the loss of heat due to temperature drop.
m)Keep Plants Away from Drafts or Heating Vents
You need to keep the plants ate optimum temperature. At the same time, don’t be over ambitious and keep them near heating vents. This will result in immediate burn out of the plant leaves.
House plant winter care – How to keep the warmth?
In addition to the above points to be taken care during winter, plants definitely need few more good practices so that they stand a better chance of survival during the winter.
Indirect heating :
During winter season, it is necessary to keep the houseplant in bright spots of the home which receives additional and extended sunlight. In case an electrical appliance is available in that area, say a Refrigerator or freezer, you can place the plants on top of it. The small amount of heat that dissipates through the equipment’s panel will help the plants from freezing over. This will result in double advantage .At the same time, take care while watering above such electrical appliances from safety point of view.
Wrap in cover :
Wrap the houseplant with a cover. This will help in loss of heat from plant as well as cold attacking onto the leaf. You can dress the plant with any wrap cover, say air bubble material.
Adjustable radiators
Install a heater with localized heating of one room. Once put in auto control, the temperature control will vary according to change in ambient temperature of the room . This will help the house plants in the long run.
Hibernation may be big word for the state of plant during winter. Plants throttle down most of their regular food metabolic & growth activities during winter. This is done to conserve energy when the environmental conditions are not favourable. Over centuries plant have evolved certain genetic adaptations to maintain their well being under such harsh conditions. Even shedding leaves during winter is one of such strategies to conserve nutrients. Photosynthesis too slows down for many such plants. Once winter season is over, plants bounce back to their routine work at the same pace.
The above post helps in devising house plant care to a large extent during extremely cold temperature. It may still vary to a minor scale depending upon each variety of plant , their endurance to cold weather , watering frequency..etc. Feel free to post your views and comments in the section. Regards
- Team Dailydews.com