Keep your botanical family happy during the cooler months with these five care tips.
The cooler months can be tough on your houseplants. There’s less natural light, lower temperatures, and drier air, which isn’t ideal for our tropical greenery. While we love cranking up the central heating, this can upset plants that thrive in humidity. But don’t worry – with a few simple tweaks to your indoor plant care routine, your green family will breeze through winter in top condition.
Here’s how to keep your houseplants happy all season long:
1. Reduce watering
As winter arrives, many houseplants enter a period of dormancy or slowed growth. This means they need less water than usual. Overwatering is one of the most common causes of root rot, so be sure to check the top 2-3 inches of soil before watering. If the soil feels dry, go ahead and water, but if it’s still damp, hold off for a few more days.
For plants like the ZZ Plant and Snake Plant, which are known for being drought-tolerant, you may only need to water once every two to three weeks during winter. Talk about being easy!
2. Ditch the cold water
Cold water can shock your houseplants, especially those that are used to tropical conditions, such as the Kentia Palm! Instead of watering straight from the tap, let water sit at room temperature for a few hours before using it. This is particularly important for sensitive plants like the Boston Fern, Swiss Cheese Plant, and Parlour Palm.
Pro tip: If you’re using tap water, consider using filtered or rainwater to prevent a build-up of chemicals like chlorine, which can affect plant health over time. Calathea’s are particularly sensitive to chemicals in tap water!
3. Increase humidity
Central heating and radiators might keep us warm, but they create dry air that can stress out your indoor plants, particularly those that love humidity, such as the Peace Lily and Spider Plant.
To keep your tropical houseplants happy, try:
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Misting them regularly with warm water
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Grouping plants together to create a more humid microclimate
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Using a pebble tray – place a shallow tray of pebbles and water beneath your plant pot. As the water evaporates, it increases humidity.
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Investing in a humidifier - this is a game-changer for plant lovers who have multiple indoor plants!
4. Give them more light
With shorter daylight hours, it’s important to reposition your houseplants to maximise their exposure to natural light. Move them closer to windows but avoid placing them in direct drafts, or they’ll get chilly!
If your space doesn’t get much sunlight, consider using an LED grow light to supplement light levels. This is especially helpful to those sunlight lovers, like the Swiss Cheese Plant and Bird of Paradise.
5. Take a fertiliser break
Since plants experience reduced growth during winter, feeding them fertiliser at this time can lead to a buildup of salts and minerals in the soil, which can damage the roots.
Pause fertilising until spring, when your houseplants will enter an active growing phase again. If you’ve been using a liquid feed, store it away until temperatures rise and plant growth resumes; it will appreciate the break!
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*All information is correct at the time of posting, and our ranges may change.