Top tips on how to care for house plants during winter
- Reduce watering
- Move away from cold draughts
- Move closer to the light
- Stop feeding
- Keep them away from hot radiators
- Increase humidity levels
Reduce watering
During winter, house plants often turn dormant and stop growing. Because of this, they need less water and less food.
It is wise to test the soil and only ever top up when the top few inches of soil are dry. You can use a soil & light tester to check, or simply dip your finger into the soil up to your second knuckle.
You might find they don’t need to water for weeks. Don’t worry and overwater as this can cause more problems.
Move away from cold draughts
During summer, a bit of a breeze won’t really cause any harm – but once the weather turns cold during winter, you’re houseplants aren’t going to appreciate that cold air passing over their tender leaves.
Check near any doors or windows for signs of a draft and if they are situated near an internal door which could be exposed the cold winter air, try and keep it closed to eliminate any chances of damage to your house plant.
Move closer to the light
As the position of sunrise and sunset changes moving into winter, your house plants might not be receiving the same amount of light they were during the warmer summer months. It would be wise to check how much light they are getting and move them right up to the window in some cases.
Stop feeding
During winter, house plants don’t require any fertiliser. They aren’t absorbing as much water either, so the fertiliser can burn the roots if they are fed too much.
Keep away from hot radiators
House plants don’t like to be exposed to extreme temperatures and that radiator it was close to all year could start to scold and dehydrate your plant. Move your house plant away from any hot radiators during winter to avoid any casualties.
Increase humidity levels
As we have the radiators on during winter, the indoor air is much drier meaning plants will become dehydrated quickly and their leaves could become dry and crispy. A neat trick is to place a small bowl of water onto your radiators which will evaporate and help raise humidity levels in your home. Or, you could simply buy a humidifier – but these require additional electricity.
We hope you found our guide on how to care for your plants during winter useful.