5 Tips to Get Your Houseplants Fall & Winter Ready
Bring in those houseplants!
Bring in your plants from any room that isn’t temperature regulated. If you still have plants outside, bring them in! When the temperature dips below 50 degrees, your plant may enter into a state of shock. If the temperature goes below 32 degrees, prepare yourself for your plant’s funeral. Freezing temperatures cause the cells in your houseplant to actually explode (we know, how dramatic are plants sometimes right!?) And you will be left with a soggy limp plant.
2. To fertilize, or not to fertilize…
Should you fertilize your plant in the fall and winter? We get asked this question all the time! First let’s talk about what happens in the winter months! When the seasons change, most plants enter into a dormant stage (like a lot of trees or animals that hibernate). Your plant is still alive and thriving during the colder months, it just slows its growth. Like us, plants know the winter is coming and this is their way of preparing for the harsh winter months! Plants will store the nutrients and sugars needed in their root or bulb system and grow very little to conserve their energy until the spring. When you fertilize your plants in the winter, you are encouraging them to grow. This is opposite to what they are trying to do. Keep this in mind! A little fertilizer is ok, but over fertilizing can push your plant into a state to grow when it’s not prepared to handle the new growth.
3. Hold off on repotting
Hold off on repotting during the fall and winter months if possible! There will always be those plants that are in serious need of a good repot. If that’s your plant, it’s ok to repot. But if your plant can hold off, then try waiting until spring! Repotting your plant during these months won’t hurt, but it isn’t necessary since the growing season is slower (see tip #2). Not sure if your plant needs repotted? Here are just a few things to look out for to tell if you need to repot! If you notice any of the below happening to your plant, consider repotting!
If your plant is having roots come out of drainage holes or start to stick out of the top of the soil
If your nursery pot is starting to have bumps on the side and the plastic pot is no longer its original shape
If your plant has been consistently struggling (there may be a root issue)
If your plant is tipping over in its pot (your pot is too small for the plant)
4. When to worry about yellow leaves
Don’t panic! A few yellow leaves are normal! Like the trees in the fall, plants go through a similar state. But they don’t drop all their leaves like the trees do. A few yellow leaves here and there is normal! Your plant is beginning to store sugar and nutrients in its roots for the winter and this shift can cause a few of your plant’s leaves to drop. Just prune those little guys off! If your plant is showing quite a few yellow leaves, there may be another issue going on! If this is the case, keep you eye on the plant! Not sure if your leaves are looking healthy or not? Let’s chat!
5. Add a humidifier
Let’s be real, who doesn’t have dry skin in the winter!? If your skin is dry, so are your plants. Plant rely on humidity in the air. When we turn on our heaters to get toasty warm in the fall and winter months, we are actually pulling humidity out of the air. Adding a humidifier to your home or plant area is not only good for your plant friends, it’s also good for you too!