KEEPING INDOOR PLANTS HAPPY THROUGH THE WINTER
Although the cool weather is upon us and our gardens have pretty much gone to bed for the season, we can continue to enjoy those of our plants that do well indoors. Because the days are shorter, daylight is reduced, the air inside our homes tends to be dry and temperatures tend to be cooler than outdoors, winter is a great time for our plants to take a much needed rest while still providing us with the joy of their presence. Here are a few simple tips to keep our indoor plants healthy and strong through the winter.
GIVE YOUR HOUSEPLANTS THE LIGHT THEY NEED: In addition to giving your indoor plants the amount of brightness they require, when placing them indoors you need to consider the amount, intensity and spectrum of light appropriate for each. The amount of light is determined by the number of hours of daylight they enjoy; the intensity swinging from full sun to full shade, and the spectrum by warm and cool colors.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Indoor plants which require direct sun should be placed within 2 feet of a south or southwest facing window or on a window sill that floods with light. If you have an indoor greenhouse, conservatory or sun room, then your sun loving plants will have hit the home location lottery! Indoor plants that are happiest in a bright but indirect light location should be placed within 4 to 5 feet of an east or west facing window, 3 to 5 feet from a south or southwest facing window or anywhere that the sun shines into the room for several hours. Since many indoor houseplants are happy in a low light location, then placing them in an east facing window where the sun shines into the room for only a few hours in the morning will do fine. Those few that really want to live in the shade can be placed more than 6 feet away from a south or southwest facing window, near windows that are shaded by trees or at the interior of your home in hallways, staircases or at the corners of rooms.
DETERMINING IF YOUR PLANTS ARE GETTING THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF LIGHT. You’ll know that your plants are getting too much light if their leaves wilt or develop brown scorched patches. Your indoor plants may not be getting enough light if their new leaves are small, turn yellow or fall off, new shoots stretch out toward the light, or there are long spaces between the leaves. When your flowering plants don’t bloom at all or provide you with totally unimpressive blooms, you might want to relocate them so as to provide more light.
WATERING: A dear friend of mine who has a lovely greenhouse attached to her New Jersey home would often tell me that as far as winter watering of indoor plants would go, one should always “Respectfully Neglect in Winter”. By that, Jayne meant that indoor plants usually require less water during the winter season. You should check the moisture level of your houseplants at least once a week to determine if water is needed. A moisture meter is a relatively inexpensive and helpful tool but for those of us who like to keep things simple, you can check the soil by hand at a depth of 2 inches and if the moisture meter or your fingertip indicates the soil is dry, then fill up your watering can. If the soil at that level is damp or moist then hold off – too much water can easily rot the roots and kill your houseplants. If the plant does indeed need water, you should water it thoroughly making sure the water drains completely. Most plants hate to have their feet wet, i.e., they don’t like to have excess water left in the saucer or at the bottom of their container.
FERTILIZING: Improperly timing fertilization of houseplants is mistake many folks make more often than not. Houseplants regularly need food when they are actively growing, so feeding in the Spring and Summer are absolutely necessary but doing so in the Winter is not. If your particular houseplant really needs to be fertilized during the Winter, then dilute the fertilizer by at least half (or even a bit more). Although a bit of fertilizer during the Winter months will not necessarily be lethal, it is much better to wait until you see new plant growth in the very late Winter or early Spring to fertilize.
INDOOR TEMPERATURE: Unlike we transplanted Yankees who dealt with the cold northern winters by cranking up the thermostat from Labor Day forward, most houseplants would rather have daytime temps of 65° to 75°F, and at night let the thermostat hover between 60° and 65°F. Houseplants also love a humidity level of 40 to 50 percent but this is not achieved by misting – a good humidifier is needed to increase your home’s humidity. Alternatively, you can fill a large saucer with pebbles and add water to raise the humidity around a particular plant but make sure you don’t leave the pot sitting directly in the water. Remember – No Wet Feet!
CLEANING HOUSE PLANTS: Winter is a good time to give your houseplants a thorough cleaning, removing dust and debris that has built up and generally sprucing them up. Keeping the plant’s leaves dust free not only makes it look good; it helps keep the insects away and gets your plant the light it needs to grow. Make a solution of tepid water with very diluted liquid dishwashing soap. Place your plant in the sink and sponge off the leaves with the warm soapy water. I find that using a wash cloth to give my hibiscus a bubble bath on a regular basis kept most of the mealy bug population at bay but I always discarded the cloth afterwards so as to avoid transferring the insects to other plants. If you have African Violets or other plants which have hairy leaves you can use a small paintbrush or other soft brush to remove the dust and dirt. Plants such as ferns that have fragile fine foliage can be cleaned by gently spraying water on them but make sure you don’t let the soil become soggy or waterlogged. After you’ve sprayed them carefully, shake off the excess water and return them to their favorite spot in your home.
Enjoy gardening indoors until the spring sun gets you outside again.
