Pointers for House Plants in the Winter

Houseplants are a growing trend in the United States, so it is important that new plant owners know how to take care of their plants in the winter months. First, pay attention to the type of plant because some hibernate in the winter months. During this time, plants will commonly grow less,require less fertilization, and less frequent watering. Additionally, some plants may seem to be growing too big for their pots, but it would be better to wait until spring to repot, unless the small pot is hurting the plants. Plant will likely grow slowly in the winter and may not adapt to new conditions as quickly as it once did and may die.

Furthermore, the winter months cause the temperature and humidity to lower outside as well as inside houses. It is important to take notice of the types of temperatures the houseplants can handle as well as the temperature of the room they are in. Even more importantly, many tropical plants like higher humidity, while succulents and cacti prefer lower humidity. To determine if the room has a humidity between fifty and sixty percent, it may be necessary to buy a hygrometer to measure humidity and get a humidifier for more tropical and exotic plants.

Similar to a change in humidity and temperature, the amount of sunlight coming into the room will lessen as the days get shorter and the angle at which the light comes in will be lower. Moving a plant closer to the window and lower to the ground will provide the plant with more sun. Inversely, the window sill and doorways are not kind to plants, leaving them much colder than the rest of the room, which can slowly kill their roots.

Another tip that is important all year round, but is commonly forgotten in the winter, is to clean the leaves of houseplants. In homes, dust can accumulate on the leaves, so it is important to take a damp towel and wash the leaves off. Since most plants are hibernating and not producing flowers, it is common to forget about this task.

Lastly, the best plants to grow in the winter include vegetables, sowing trays, and transplanted herbs. First, the winter is the perfect opportunity to grow vegetables in the home because they are strong plants and need little alteration in care in the winter compared to in the summer. The easiest to grow are lettuce plants, kale plants, broccoli and cauliflower because there is no need to dig under the plant to get the vegetable and lettuce and kale can be easily propagated by chopping the top of the plant off. Moreover, sowin trays are a great way to start a new plant collection. Place the seeds in a big pot during the winter so when the warmer months come they will be a lot bigger, and the next winter they will be strong enough to protect themselves against harsher conditions than if they were small. Finally, herbs are often propagated and can be left in a jar of water for a long time. During the summer, it is a great time to propagate because the plant is completely out of hibernation, and during the winter, the herbs will slow down their growth in the propagating substrate. After they start to slow down, it would be a good idea to plant them because they have time to get used to their new substrate before they start growing extremely fast.

Houseplants are fun and easy to take care of if these tips are followed during the winter months. It is important to acknowledge the seasons and the plants' needs in order to be able to have a beautiful and healthy plant.