How To Winterize House Plants

Your indoor plants might benefit from upkeep in the fall so they are refreshed for spring.

Your plants must be brought inside before the overnight low temperature falls below 45 degrees (F). At temperatures below 40 degrees, and for some tropical plants even below 50 degrees, harm will occur.
Before bringing plants back inside, check them for pests and diseases and apply the relevant treatments. Insects can be removed from the soil by soaking the pot in a tub of lukewarm water for about 10 minutes. Take a shower before bringing your plants inside. Spray the leaves from the undersides as well, using your garden hose’s mist or shower setting.
Repot plants into bigger containers if necessary, ensuring sure to go one size up.
For instance, 4 inches to 6 inches and 6 inches to 8 inches.
Use a pair of razor-sharp scissors or other handheld pruning tools to remove any dead leaves or branches.
Expose plants progressively to lower illumination levels before bringing indoor houseplants back inside to avoid shock. If plants are in a sunny location, transfer them into bright shade a few weeks before the move is scheduled to take place. It is extremely typical for the plant to lose a few leaves after being brought inside. Don’t freak out if this happens; it’s natural!
The majority of houseplants, with the exception of African Violets, won’t require fertilizing over the winter.

Wilson’s, one of the largest garden centers in central Ohio, began as a modest farm market in 1958. We have greenhouses covering more than 2 acres that are always stocked with annuals, perennials, shrubs, herbs, fruits, veggies, indoor plants, and more. Many of the plants we sell are grown right here on the premises. Additionally, for the previous ten years, we have won the Consumer’s Choice Award for Central Ohio.

How can indoor plants survive the winter?

Every year, exactly before Thanksgiving, your houseplants start to look a little run down. As the leaves begin to turn yellow, they appear to be sad in general.

Your indoor plant pals are having a difficult time right now, especially if you reside in the Pacific Northwest where the days are so short. However, don’t worry! We have some advice to help you maintain indoor plants alive throughout the winter and get them to look healthy and green.

Tips to Revitalize and Keep Houseplants Alive in Winter

Reduce the water flow (and the fertilizer for that matter) crimson leaves? Strange insects buzzing around your pot? moldy ground? All of them are signs of excessive winter irrigation. In the winter, indoor plants all need less water. Winter is a particularly risky time to overwater. Your plants will appreciate it if you take care not to leave your pots too damp. Try halving the frequency of watering, or just water your plants when they appear to be thirsty. Oh, and reduce the fertilizer use as well while you’re at it. Right now, they don’t require it, and having too much is bad news.
Cleanse your plant. It’s hard to believe, but the excessive dust that gathers on the leaves of your plants, especially the giant tropicals, prevents the plant from photosynthesizing. The following time you water, make sure to rinse the entire plant and, if necessary, gently wipe it off with a paper towel. Your plants need all the light they can get right now. Pro-tip: Fill the bathtub with plants and turn on the gentle pressure in the shower.
Close those windows. Many plants are vulnerable to cold air, especially tropical ones. When it’s chilly out, they’ll start dropping leaves like crazy! To solve this issue, either relocate your plants out of the reach of cold drafty areas like windowsills and doors, or make sure your windows are sealed and insulated.
Put the light on. It is dark. Plants require sunlight. If your windows aren’t providing enough light, consider replacing the incandescent bulbs in the closest fixture with full spectrum lights. Or, it’s really simple to set up some grow lights if you’re as passionate about plants as we are.
Repotting should be delayed, but don’t be scared to prune Repotting your plant should not be done in the winter. I know! Even if the nursery’s new pot is adorable, your plant will appreciate it more if you wait until spring to put it up. Now is a quiet time of year for root growth. Large pots’ soil retains moisture longer. If you repot now, you run the risk of overwatering and root rot. Having said that, don’t be afraid to remove any leaves that start to turn brown or yellow as well as any vines that appear “leggy.” Although new growth won’t likely appear until spring, pruning usually improves the appearance of the environment in the interim.

If you follow these suggestions, your houseplants will soon look vibrant and prepared for a robust period of active development come spring. Do you have any advice on how to keep indoor plants alive during the winter? Let us know in the comments.

Keep your plants warmbut not too warm

Air that is too chilly can be quite damaging to many plants. Make sure they are shielded from the cold air as the first step in winter plant care. By insulating your home’s doors and caulking your windows, you can partially fix this problem. Additionally, during the hot months, if you store plants next to exterior doors or on leaky windowsills, make sure to relocate them to places where they won’t be stunned by the chilly air.

Keeping plants away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, and even heating vents is also a good idea. Blasts of hot air can harm your plant just as much as blasts of cold air. For the optimal conditions for plant life, keep your plants at a constant temperature of 65 to 75 degrees F (18 to 24 degrees C) during the day and above 50 degrees F (10 to 10 C) at night.

Reduce your watering and use warm water for plants in winter

The majority of houseplants “dorm” throughout the fall and winter even though they are inside. With less light, plants will grow slower and use less water and fertilizer. As a result, your indoor plants may require less feeding over the winter.

Observe the general recommendations for watering and only apply water if the soil is dry an inch or two below the surface. Keep in mind that leaving your plants submerged in water can result in root rot, fungus, mold, and a number of other problems. If you notice yellow leaves or moldy soil, you should lessen how often you water your plants. In the winter, you might also wish to give your plants warm water. It is best to water plants with warm water in the winter since it not only promotes faster and greater plant growth, but it also keeps the plants warm.

We advise you to stick to the typical “once per week” schedule used by most houseplant owners in order to maintain consistency and avoid disrupting the rhythm. But on the days you water your plants once a week, merely cut back on the water you give them by 25 to 50 percent.

Increase your home’s humidity

Low humidity during the winter months is a problem for both people and plants. Keep your humidifier on if you have one because plants prefer humidity levels of roughly 50–60%. If not, try grouping your plants in your home’s most humid areas—typically the bathrooms or kitchen—or setting them on top of a sizable tray or baking sheet that is moistened with water. Place some stones in the water, then place the plants on top of the stones (you just need to make sure the pots don’t touch the water).

Clean your plants

In the winter, the sun is scarce. Make sure the leaves of your indoor plants stay clean and dust-free so they can make the most of the little amount of light they receive. Put your plants in the bathtub once or twice a month, and give the leaves a gently rinse with a handheld sprayer or wipe them down with a moist towel to remove dirt and grime. Keeping the leaves clean will increase their capacity for photosynthesis.

Give them plenty of light

The final tip for maintaining indoor plant life is to remember that during the fall and winter, plants require light more than anything else. To ensure that every plant receives the necessary amount of sunlight, you must rotate your pots with extreme care. Use a full-spectrum lightbulb in a typical desk lamp to shine it on your plants for at least 12 to 14 hours each day if the amount of natural sunlight available is insufficient. Find out more about how to set up a grow light or buy an LED grow light from our shop.

As a final piece of advice, it’s important to remember that some of the suggestions we make in this post call for adjusting many variables.

For instance, if you relocate your plants away from a drafty window, the amount of light they receive will almost surely change, and possibly the humidity will as well. For this reason, after you’ve moved your plants, keep an eye on them every day. To get it correct, you might need to try a few different things or need to go back and undo some modifications.

When the season is over, what should you do with your potted plants?

Ten things to do:

1.) Don’t just clean, “sanitize.
2. Remove the dead materials.
3. Cut off the wilted perennial flowers.
4.) “Put compost on top of the gardens.
5. One final grass cutting.
6.) Apply lawn fertilizer.
7.) Guard the delicate material.
8. Examine the mulch.

Where should I keep my plants during the cold months?

Making space for the plants is the first step in how to keep plants alive throughout the winter (by overwintering plants in pots indoors), which is occasionally easier said than done. Even if you may have enough space in some parts of your home, plants may start to deteriorate if they don’t get enough light.

Install some hanging basket hooks or shelves in front of light-filled windows before bringing plants indoors. An above winter garden will prevent plants from taking up valuable floor space.

A key to keeping plants alive over the winter is giving them the warmth and humidity they require in addition to giving them enough light while they are indoors. The plants could suffer if you position the pots close to a heating vent or a drafty window because of the temperature changes.

Set the pots on top of stones in a tray or dish filled with water, keeping the water level below the base of the containers, to improve the humidity around plants.

Potted plants may be brought indoors for the winter.

It’s time to bring many of your outdoor plants inside when frost is forecast. Only indoors will many delicate annuals, bulbs, herbs, and tropical plants make it through the winter. Here are some tips on which plants to bring indoors this fall and how to prepare potted plants for the winter.

When to Bring Plants Inside

True annuals and plants that we cultivate as annuals (which are regarded as sensitive perennials in southern regions) are unable to withstand the chilly winter months. But you don’t have to say goodbye to these plants forever! Even delicate plants that require a winter dormant period can be brought inside as “annuals” in many cases. Ideally, these should be brought inside before the temperature drops below 45 degrees at night (7C). Start bringing the plants inside for the winter when October approaches and nighttime lows dip approximately 50F (10C).

At temperatures below 40F (4C), and for some tropical plants even below 50, harm is likely to occur. To acclimatize them, you must take action well before any actual frost or ice.

Where to Put Plants

I still struggle to find space for everything, despite the fact that the greenhouse we have attached to the house receives plenty of sunlight and never gets colder than 45F. For my benefit, a lot of these plants would experience a dry season in their natural habitat and don’t mind resting under a bench. Particularly when the pots are large, the greenhouse quickly fills up.

Consider making a shelf or area where you may put plants that require high humidity together if you don’t have a greenhouse but have a lot of them. While some people mist their indoor plants, this only has a temporary beneficial effect. Putting a pebble tray under your plants is a better long-term solution. After adding a layer of gravel and lining the trays with waterproof material, add the pots on top. Do not dry out the gravel. You might wish to attach some ceiling hooks if you have hanging plants. Cleaning your windows both inside and outside will help guarantee that plants receive enough light throughout winter.

Which Plants To Bring Inside

You might need to decide what should be brought inside and what should be kept outside. Which flora stand out to you? Which ones cost the most to replace? Additionally, only keep healthy plants; throw away those that have disease or pest issues. Additionally, the lighting in your home is crucial. Even a west or south facing glassed area in winter only has the summer shaded area’s winter light intensity.

Plants that can be carried indoors can be divided into two categories:

plants that need a time of winter hibernation.
plants that can continue to thrive while dormant during the winter.

Some delicate bulbs need to spend some time “dormant” in a chilly environment where the temperature is still far above freezing. Numerous of these pricey bulbs are worth overwintering. Tender bulbs include, for instance:

Caladiums
A calla lily
Cannas
Dahlias
Animal ears
Gladiolus
tubes of roses

Simply stop watering fragile bulbs in pots, remove the withering leaves, and tuck them away in a dark, cool place. Periodically check the soil moisture.

Dig up and trim back the leaves of fragile underground bulbs. By hand, remove as much dirt as you can from the bulb. For 7 to 14 days, leave them in a warm, dry location to dry. This gets rid of extra moisture. Separate them with shredded newspaper or dry peat moss and place them loosely in a cardboard box or open container. Get cozy somewhere chilly and gloomy. To get a head start on the season, pot them up in the spring about a month before you intend to set them outside.

In the winter, should indoor plants be watered?

Except for plants that continue to develop, most indoor plants have a slowdown in growth throughout the winter, so it’s better to cease watering until the spring.

Before adding lukewarm water, allow the compost to dry out completely. Drain any surplus water to prevent the pot from standing in water. Feeding a plant that is dormant is unnecessary.

Houseplants prefer a consistent temperature, not a hot room that cools off rapidly at night. Avoid placing plants on window sills that will get quite cold at night for this reason. Move plants away from radiators and draughts if at all possible as both may harm them.

It will be easier to duplicate the ideal conditions if you are aware of the plant’s native environment. For tropical plants, spray them frequently, or place the pot on a saucer with some gravel and water in it.

Maintain warmer temperatures for desert plants. African violets, Steptocarpus (Cape primrose), and Poinsettias thrive in hot climates but Cyclamen and Azaleas do not. Hardy plants like Yucca, Palms, and Aspidistra thrive in chilly environments.

To keep leaves looking their best, lightly brush or remove dust with a soft cloth before wiping with a damp towel.

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