Caring for your pot plants during winter

Plants, like animals, need adequate care to thrive and maintain a healthy growth all round the year. Especially during winter, when the weather is characterized by dry air, lower light levels, shorter days, and a fall in temperature – the perfect recipe for poor growth and possibly short life span in potted plants.

But, despite these harsh conditions, do you know there are simple steps you can take to keep your indoor plants in shape and green as ever?

I know you’re wondering what they are, so read on to make your indoor plants happy this winter.

4 Steps to take care of your pot plant in winter

1. Protect them from lower temperatures:

Most indoor plants prefer temperatures between 65-75 degrees F (18 – 24 C) during daytime and above 10 degrees C at night. In winter months, the temperatures drop lower than this and that can be harmful to your dear plant. What to do? First, adjust your thermostat to keep the room warm and protect your plants from blasts of cold dry air from the col weather. Second, seal up and insulate your windows and doors to make your thermostat or heater even more effective. Remember to keep your houseplants far away from direct heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, and heating vents as hot air can be harmful to them too.

2. Give your potted plants less water:

Everyone knows that water is good for plants – when they’re in the right quantities. During winter, most people tend to give their pot plants too much water than they can handle, and that leads to root rot, yellow leaves, mold, fungus and also attracts weird bugs.

What to do? Cut down on the amount of water and fertilizers they get during this time. Cold weather doesn’t help your plant use as much water, because their growth is slower during this period. You should only water your plant when it looks thirsty or when you can notice dryness in the soil that extends about an inch or two below the surface. Also, endeavor to water them with warm water as that keeps them warm and enables them grow faster.

3. Help them get more light:

Plants need light. If your windows are well sealed and insulated, and they let in enough sunlight, take your potted plants closer to them. Clean your windows regularly to enable your plants receive maximum sunlight. Remember to rotate your plants at intervals to allow equal distribution of sunlight across all parts of the plant.

If you notice dust particles on your plants, bath them to remove the dust. This helps your plant get maximum sunlight and feel happier to live with you. Furthermore, if getting natural sunlight isn’t very easy or your plant isn’t just getting enough, try using full spectrum lights as alternative. Shine them on your houseplants for a minimum of 12 hours daily for better results.

4. Provide more humidity:

During winter, humidity levels drop significantly. Plants naturally thrive when the air is 50-60% humid. But, they only get about 10% during winter and that causes crispness and browny leaf edges. Boost the humidity in your home by using humidifiers. Not only your plant will benefit from it, even your own body needs well humidified air for better performance.

If you don’t have one, try huddling your plants together as that helps them to enjoy more humidity. You can also relocate your plans to areas that often receive more water in your house, such as your bathroom or kitchen. Beware of putting plants in “too humid conditions” as this can attract pests like fungus gnats, whose larva stage enjoy moist soil and feed on plant roots.

Finally, if you notice dead leaves and buds on your houseplants, cut them off. You want to provide your plant with all the energy it needs to survive the winter months, and dead leaves and buds are only energy wasters. There you go! Now you can keep your beautiful indoor plants happy and in shape during winter, just as they usually are in their growing season.