How to Care for Plants in Winter
Do your houseplants look a little sad in winter? It’s pretty typical for plants to look like they are struggling or lose some leaves as we make our way through winter and head towards spring. Learn how to care for plants in winter with these tips.
If you saw some of my plants right now, they don’t all look amazing.
Some look pretty good, but others look a little sad and depressed. It’s normal for plants to look like they are struggling about now.
Winter can be a tough time for houseplants with less day light and dry heat indoors. I always say, if you can get your plants to make it until March, they’ll be OK.
Especially once they are able to go outside and get some fresh air.
Plants naturally go through a phase during the year known as dormancy. Dormancy is a time where plants take a little rest and store energy for the next growing season.
When fall arrives and plants move indoors, there is less light. The indoor air is full of dry heat with less humidity. And they aren’t being fed anymore.
While plants are dormant, foliage growth slows down, some leaves may fall but the roots will continue to grow, thrive and do their thing.
So it’s only natural that by February, they start looking a little sad and unhappy.
They are kind of similar to people who also grow tired of long winter days.
Understanding dormancy and how it affects plants helps us learn how to care for plants better in winter.
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How to Care for Plants in Winter
Believe it or not, plants don’t need as much care as you might think they need during the winter. Plants are resting and don’t need much from us right now.
Here are some basic tips to keep your plants happy and healthy this winter.
(And if you need a refresher on basic houseplant care, click here.)
Avoid Drafts and Heat Exposure
Much like real estate, location location location is the key to successful houseplant parenting.
Keep plants away from cold drafty windows and doors where they will be exposed to winter elements.
And in the same vane, keep them away from excessive heat. This is why I use faux plants around certain spots in my home, like the fireplace.
Ideally, plants want to be in 65-75 degree environment that does not dip below 50 at night.
Does that mean you need to keep them away from all windows? No because plants need light. But check where they are to feel if there is a draft.
Stop Watering Plants on the Same Day Every Week.
That’s right put the watering can down and read this because overwatering houseplants during the winter is a surefire way to kill them.
While they still require water, they need less while in dormancy.
Most of my friends and family who think they kill houseplants mistakenly believe they should water their plants on the same day every week.
And that’s just isn’t true!
Particularly in winter when they are dormant, they actually need much less. So if you are one of those plant parents that blindly waters on the same day every week, stop.
Plants that are succulent like aloe, snake plant, string of pearls, etc. don’t need that much water. Less is more with these guys. They almost prefer a little neglect this time of year.
I water mine like once a month, if that.
With all other plants, check the soil on the same day every week instead of watering. Follow this simple test to determine whether the soil is dry or not before watering. You can also use a moisture meter like THIS instead.
Since I started watering less in winter, my plants have been doing much better overall.
So it’s really important to keep an eye on the watering and only give plants what they need when they need it.
Add Humidity to the Air
Most houseplants are tropical and thrive in humidity. But during the winter, most of our homes have drier air from running the heat.
If you notice plants getting a little crispy, it’s a good idea to add some humidity back into the air. There are a few ways to do this:
- Create a micro-climate by grouping plants together.
- Add a humidifier near plants.
- Leave a tray of water out around plants to evaporate and add moisture to the air.
- Mist plants. Be consistent and do often.
For me, I just group plants together and they seem to do OK. I used to mist plants too but felt like it didn’t do much for them., so I stopped.
Last year, I ran a humidifier in the sunroom for my Boston fern and for the first time ever, I was able to keep it alive.
And I’m happy to report, it’s still doing amazing today!
Are Plants Getting Enough Light?
Depending on your particular plant’s needs, make sure they are getting the right amount of light.
If your not sure, google your specific plant and look it up. Because, in general, houseplants fall under one of 3 light condition categories:
- high
- medium
- low
3 Types of Light Conditions
High Light: southern or southwestern exposure window.
Medium Light: east or west window with direct exposure or bright indirect light from filtered spots near a southern exposure window.
Low Light: north windows or indirect light that is several feet from east, west or south facing windows.
So make sure your plants are getting the light they need.
When to Fertilize
It’s really important to let plants go dormant in fall. That means, stop fertlizing them in late summer/early fall (depending on what you are using) so the plant can naturally go into dormancy.
When the days get longer and we start approaching spring, I start feeding my houseplants again with a slow release fertilizer like THIS.
I typically start feeding my plants in late February or early March to encourage plants to wake up from dormancy and start the growing cycle again.
Check out my latest YouTube where I show you how to do it.
How to Tell if Your Plants are Alive
Don’t toss the towel on your plants if they are looking a bit sad.
If you aren’t sure whether your plants are dead or alive, there are a few easy ways you can tell.
Snap a Branch
Take a branch that’s roughly the size of a pen and break it.
If the plant is dead, the wood inside will be dead and dry.
If it’s still alive, you’ll see signs of life with moist wood or green inside.
Scratch a Branch
Scratching a branch is my preferred method, and one that I use on both indoor and outdoor plants if I’m questioning whether a plant is alive or not.
Simply scratch some of the bark off a woody stem. If there is green beneath the bark, it is alive.
If that stem looks dead and dry, the plant may or may not have survived. Further investigation is required.
Check other parts of the plant near the roots to see if its all dead or just a portion of it.
Inspect the Roots
If I’m not sure whether a plant is alive or not, I inspect the roots of the plant.
This involves removing the plant from it’s container or digging it up and physically checking the roots.
Do they look healthy or are they dry and shriveled up?
Clean Your Plants
It’s important to keep plants free of dust.
Wipe the leaves down with a cloth or get them in a shower and hose them down.
Not only does dust promote some pest problems, but it also limits the amount of light plants can take in.
How to Revive Plants If They Are Declining
If you’ve been overwatering or neglecting and the plant is still alive, there is hope.
As long as you see some signs of life there are ways to bring them back.
Follow these tips to revive your plants.
And that’s it!
I hope you learned out how care for plants this winter and found this helpful. I can’t wait to hear how your plants are doing!
Happy Gardening!
More Houseplant Care Tips and Tricks
- 7 Simple Ways to Keep Your Houseplants Alive
- How to Revive Plants to Save Them
- How to Style Your Houseplants
- Monstera Plants and Why You Should Grow One
- Propagating Pothos Plant
- 7 Easy Indoor Gardening Ideas for Beginners
- What You Need to Know About Easy Care Houseplants that Purify the Air
- The Secret to Keeping Houseplants Alive
- How to Propagate Pothos Plant
- Have a Green Thumb With These Indoor Gardening Ideas
- Christmas Cactus Care
- Dividing an Aloe Plant
- Amaryllis Care
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