Surviving The Winter With Indoor Houseplants

During the winter months your plants will go through changes, just like the weather outside, and they’ll have to adapt to keep thriving. There will be less sunlight and colder temperatures so the growing conditions in your house will change and you’ll have to help your plants adjust accordingly. This month’s blog will be dedicated to our leafy friends and how to care for them in the winter months so they can continue to grow and thrive in the warmer months ahead. Let me start by saying that I am in no way an expert, these are just some tips that I have learned along the way that have worked for me when it comes to keeping plants alive through the cold Ohio winters.

Potted Green Indoor Plants by Huy Phan on Pexels

Adjust Your Lighting Situation (If Possible)

In the winter months, your houseplants will get much less light than they do during the summer months so you won’t need to water as much as you would in the summer. Generally, the less light a plant gets, the less water it will need. Think about if you took a wet sponge and set it outside to dry. Would it dry out quicker on a bright sunny day, or on a cloudy day. Plants won’t grow as much in the winter months without light so they will use less water as well. It can be tempting to stick to your normal watering routine, but just like humans adapting to the cold, plants have to adapt to the changes as well. Instead of watering your plants routinely like you would in summer, simply test the soil with your fingers before watering. If it’s dry 1 inch down into the soil, your plant could use a thorough watering. It’s better to underwater a bit than overwater so be cautious with your watering as overwatering can can cause irreversible damage.

Another helpful tip is to wipe the leaves down weekly. This will help remove dust and other potential buildup. This ensures the leaves are able to receive adequate light to grow. This is especially helpful during the winter months when your plants will need all the sunlight they can get. We like to either use a damp cloth or a microfiber cloth to wipe down small plants but when our plants are looking extra grimy, we like to turn the shower on and give them a little rinse.

Adjust Your Watering Routine

Person Holding Brown Ceramic Mug With Green Plant by cottonbro studio on Pexels

During winter in the Midwest, the sun rises later and sets earlier. As a result there is significantly less sunlight during these months. You can help your plants by moving them closer to a window light source. Or you can try setting up some external grow lights to supplement your plants lack of sunlight. If you do this, make sure the lights are placed far enough away from your plants so their leaves don’t burn, but close enough that they can get the light they need to thrive. We like to rotate our pots 1/4 of the way every couple of days so we can ensure even growth. If you can’t move your plants or add in grow lights, your plants will adapt accordingly so don’t stress this one too much. If you do try using any type of indoor grow light please, please, please try to follow any instructions that the lights you purchased may come with. Please.

Overwatering your plants can result in things such as fungus gnats and root rot that can become deadly to your plant if not treated quickly and properly. If you are lucky enough to catch root rot quickly enough, you might be able to save your plant. Remove all the rotten roots and any “mushiness” you may find with a sterilized blade and start your roots again from there. Depending on the plant, you can place it in either just water or dirt to propagate and grow new roots again.

Adjust Your Fertilizing Schedule

As mentioned earlier in this blog, your plants won’t really be doing much growing over the winter months so they won’t need you to fertilize them as often either. Winter is a time of rest so your houseplants are going to grow at all it will only be by a tiny bit. They won’t be producing new stems or leaves so you can stop fertilizing and the fall and adjust your schedule again when your plants are receiving more sunlight so they’ll begin growing again. If you feel like your plants absolutely need fertilizer, dilute it by at least 50% before using and try not to use after fall.

Avoid Drastic Temperature Changes

Make sure plants aren’t directly beside vents and windows. You wouldn’t want to live next to a drafty window or next to a blowing vent and neither do your plants. You could risk stressing them with cold damage or by drying them out with your hot air vents.

Green-leaved Plants by Huy Phan on Pexels

Speaking of vents, the air in your home will likely be more dry in the winter if you run your heat. We’re talking humidity levels between 10% and 20%. Most of your houseplants will grow the best when the humidity levels are between 40% and 50%. In which case, you can counteract the dry air by increasing the humidity in your home. There’s a few ways to accomplish this ranging from free to pretty inexpensive depending on the humidifier you choose.

First, you can group your plants together to increase both warmth and humidity levels. The water you put into your soil will evaporate into the air as well as water dispelled from your plants leaves both increasing the humidity around that area. Another method is to use a tray with pebbles and water underneath your plant. Again, this water will evaporate and increase the humidity levels right around your plant. Make sure the bottom of your pots are above the water so your plants don’t get root rot. Lastly, the most expensive route would be to buy room humidifiers according to your needs. They range in price so make sure to find what works best for you.

Wait to Repot

It’s best to wait to repot any houseplants until there’s more sunlight outside to lessen the stress on your plant. They adjust better to being repotted when they’re actively growing, not resting, so spring and summer is the best time to repot your plants. If you’re feeling desperate to get your hands dirty, you can try to start some seeds. Don’t shock your plants, just wait to repot.

Don’t freak out if your plant drops a few leaves. They’re more than likely old leaves and the plants needs to shed them anyway. Your plants are just adjusting to the new growing conditions and sometimes we all need to shed some dead weight to continue to grow and thrive. Speaking of dead weight, feel free to prune your plant of all dead and yellowing leaves. This will help your plant focus less on those leaves and more on staying alive.

We hope this blog helps you feel a little bit more confident in your ability to care for your plants this winter. It can be a seemingly daunting task, but with a little bit of effort, you too can help your plants survive the next few cold, dark months. After all, your houseplants can make your winter months stuck indoors seem a little less dull with their beautiful foliage.

Also as a special thank you for reading this blog, take 10% off your next order with promo code: “BLOG10”!