Winter can be a trying time for both people and plants. As the days get shorter and the nights colder, we retreat inside and crank up the heating, biding our time until the weather improves.
Indoor plants are a real salve during this winter retreat. The sky may be grey, but you can cultivate your own mini oasis in the controlled climate of your home.
But many favourite indoor plants have evolved to grow in tropical rainforests, where it’s reliably warm year-round. This means if you’re outside the tropics, winter weather is going to mean a challenge to keeping these plants happy and healthy. Fortunately, there are a few simple tricks that will help keep everything ticking over until the temperature starts to rise again.
Reduce watering
Many plants will slow down their growth at this time of year, and so need less water. Water that isn’t being used can sit in the potting mix, allowing diseases and fungus to grow. Check the mix has properly dried out before watering by digging your thumb down into it to the first knuckle.
Hold off on repotting
If you’ve got big plans for your indoor collection at this time of year, you may need to put these aspirations on hold. Repotting when the weather is cold is a bad idea, as the plant (and its roots) won’t be actively growing, leaving excess growing space to hold water and breed root-rotting pathogens.
Keep temperatures relatively stable
A lot of indoor plants also don’t like big swings in temperature. If daytime temperatures are in double figures but swing down sharply at night, the plants will soon get the message they’re not in the tropics anymore, and will start to suffer.
Moving plants 30cm away from windows, which are often the coldest part of the house, can be a big help. Going a step further and improving the draught-proofing and overall thermal comfort of your home can also help not only your plants but your heating bill. Simple, cheap fixes like sealing tape can be used to fix gaps in windows and doors, and stop the chill shocking your plants.
Maintain some humidity
Similarly, move your plants out of the path of any heater outlets, which can not only cause big temperature swings but strip vital humidity from the air. Although not essential, many indoor plants can grow and photosynthesise better in higher humidities.
Using a mist sprayer is a popular technique for boosting humidity indoors. Unfortunately, there’s little to suggest it increases ambient humidity for more than the few seconds it takes for the water droplets to fall to the ground. Leaves left sitting wet can also promote fungal pathogens to take hold.
Instead, a small humidifier can be had for as little as $20, and will be far more effective. Clustering plants together near it will not only make it more effective, but the water vapour released from the plants themselves will form a microclimate with higher humidity. If you want to go even further, a small battery-powered humidity meter is around $10 and will give you a more accurate read on what your plants are currently dealing with.
Winter can be a challenging time to be an indoor plant, but these simple techniques will keep them kicking and see you enjoying their spring emergence!
What are your best indoor plant tips? Why not share them in the comments section below?
