Plants normally flourish during the spring and summer season, therefore, the actual challenge is helping them survive the fall and winter. Taking care of your plants in the winter can be a little tricky. The dry winter air, lack of sunlight, low temperatures can ruin or take away the life of your plants. Moreover, considering the fact that most of the indoor plants are tropical in origin and need a humid atmosphere to survive and blossom, dry air can be destructive to them. Here are 10 useful winter plant care tips to keep your houseplants as well as outdoor plants happy.
OUTDOOR PLANTS
1. Make Sure They Get Enough Light
If the sunlight isn’t plentiful in the winter, expose your plants to artificial light to continue growing.
2. Mix Sand, Sawdust and Dung into your Soil
Soil that has too much water in it is likely to freeze in the winter, thus, mixture of sand and sawdust allows water to sap more efficiently from the soil. If soil surrounding the plant’s roots freezes, the plant will not be able to absorb water or nutrients from the soil and it will die.
3. Water Them Smartly
To prevent the water from freezing, use little and enough water to feed the plant for a short span and give some more when the plant has absorbed the last bit of water. This way, your plants are properly watered and there will not be stagnant water around that could freeze.
4. Layer Your Soil with Mulch
For an extra layer of shield, preventing the water from freezing and the roots from getting too cold, throw some mulch on top of your soil. It works like a blanket for the soil.
5. Keep it Humid
The air in winters is likely to be dry in your home as well, so make sure to keep areas where the plants are humid. This way the plants don’t dry out and the humid air can be a fractional alternative for water to the plant.
INDOOR PLANTS
6. Misting
Mist your houseplants with water once to thrice a day. Otherwise, you can place them near an indoor water feature, which will increase the moisture around them.
7. Dusting
Dust that builds up on leaf surfaces can clog their pores, making it hard for plants to breathe. Wiping off the dust from the leaves regularly with a damp cloth help the plants flourish.
8. Exposing to Light
The position of the sun changes noticeably during the fall and winter, which means plants that once obtained plenty of light during the spring and summer may be getting only half of it now. Move plants that need more light to a new location for the next few months, if needed. Remember to rotate the pot of your plants every week or two so they receive light evenly from all sides.
9. Avoid Fertilizing
The growth process of indoor plants slower down in the winter, therefore, hold back fertilizing them until next spring.
10. Avoid Overwatering
The most important thing in the winter is to modify the way you water your plants. Don’t water them as often as you did during the spring and summer. As their growth rate is considerably slower, they don’t require much water in the winter. Overwatering them can make them die. Water them only when they need water. Put your finger into the soil to a depth of two inches, if your finger comes out dry, your plant needs water. When you water them, rather than using cold water, use lukewarm water because plants don’t like a cold shower.
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