Winter Plant Care - Blogmas Day 17

Admittedly this is more of a winter themed post than a Christmas one, but it’s still quite appropriate for this time of year. As much as I’ve always had some form of house plant floating around wherever I’ve lived, from the many Aloe my old cat used to routinely knock off the windowsill, to the Desert Rose that was never happy, to the various little succulents I’d grab while doing a weekly shop, I’ve never considered myself much of a collector of house plants.

 

I think it’s very safe to say that over the lockdown period I, like many other people, have drastically expanded my plant collection, and even started to venture into the realm of collecting a few rare plants as well. Whilst I’ve never lost a plant over the winter, the care does certainly differ from what you would do in the summer, so todays post covers a few things I’ve learned about caring for your plant babies when it starts to get cold.

 

Water less often

Plants don’t need anywhere near as much water in the winter as they do during a boiling hot summer, and overwatering can very quickly kill your plant either by drowning it or causing root rot. Obviously different plants have different water requirements to each other anyway, but more or less all will need a reduced amount of water over the colder months.

 

Light

It’s no surprise that light is an issue when it comes to houseplants in the winter. Not only are the days not as bright, they are also significantly shorter. I tend to move my plants to either my kitchen or our upstairs spare room, as these are the two places that get the most light. For my more expensive houseplants I also try to make up the difference with the use of a grow light.

 

You can give your plants an extra helping hand when it comes to light by cleaning your windows to allow the maximum light to pass through. I also wipe many of my plants leaves every now and then to ensure there is no dust on them that may otherwise block off valuable sunlight.

 

Temperature

As much as I have just said to move plants closer to windows and such, don’t move them too close. Have you ever placed your hand on your windows when its frosty outside? The glass can get extremely cold, so make sure nothing is in direct contact with the glass and maybe thing about placing plants more towards the edge of the windowsill instead. Fortunately both Mike and  are currently working form home, which means the house is far warmer during the day and doesn't get all that cold. 

 

Clustering plants together can apparently help regulate heat and humidity, but make sure not to allow your plants to touch each other as this can cause problems if any of them pick up any pests. 

Stop Feeding

Plants don't really grow much over the winter months and therefore don't require fertilizer or feeding. I give mine a teeny tiny bit every now and then, but they don't really need to resume feeding them until they start to show signs of growth in the spring. 

Keep an eye out for pests

Sadly bugs and pests don't disappear over the winter so make sure you regularly inspect your plants and keep an eye on them. I know I'm guilty of bothering my plants too much, and probably check in on them a few times a day, but this does mean I can spot and sort any problems before they get out of hand or do too much damage to my plants. 

There you have it! My 5 tips for keeping your beloved plants alive through the winter months! I know that plant related content is not the usual over here, but if you would like to see more plant related stuff, I have recently set up a new Instagram account, 'The Plant Trio' with two of my friends which you can find here. 

If you would like to see more plant content here let me know! However, if you want to just look at the occasional pretty plant photo then head on over to our new account. 

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