Winter Garden Chores for Houseplants

Find out what to do to keep your houseplants healthy and happy in the winter months. Lighting, watering, humidity and more!

#HealthyHouseplants #IndoorGardening #HouseplantCare #WinterPlantCare #GardeningTips #PlantLighting #HumidityForPlants #WinterGardening #HouseplantHealth

Video Transcript

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Hello and welcome to HealthyHouseplants.com, where we teach you all about gardening in the great indoors. If you’d like to support our show, please use our Amazon affiliate link below. Today, I’m going to be talking about winter garden chores for your houseplants, part of my seasonal care series on them. We have already covered fall, so now we’re moving into winter.

Though your houseplants are indoors in your home, they are still affected by seasons and temperatures. I do have other videos on that too, which I will put links to below so you can see about that. In the winter months, your houseplants, like this lovely Tananth, will slow down growth. This is why you will be changing some of the things you’re doing from fall to winter and then for the rest of the year as well.

I’m going to talk about the top things to keep in mind right now for your indoor garden during the wintertime. Firstly, very important—this is where a lot of things can go badly for your houseplants in the wintertime. The first area is lighting. Remember that today is the shortest day of the year, which means there is a lot less light than there is six months from now on the longest day of the year. Your plants are getting a lot less light. If you have high-light lovers or even medium light lovers like this Tananth, you will most likely want to supplement with some additional lighting.

There are some really good products on the market for grow lights. Just make sure when you get a grow light that it is a full spectrum lighting bulb or system. Full spectrum is very important because it simulates daylight. You definitely want to make sure you’re getting full spectrum. You can get full spectrum lights to go into just about any light fixture. They can go in lamps, and they make track lights for them too.

I like the clip-on lights because you can put this light bulb anywhere and clip it on to something nearby to give some extra lighting to your plants at any time of the year, but especially now during the shorter days of winter. It’s really important to keep in mind that light-deprived plants will take a while to show you that they are light-deprived. What plants do is live off their light stores for a while and they’ll look okay for you.

At the beginning of winter, you might think, “Oh, it looks okay.” I mean, the plant is not getting as much light as it was during the summer, spring, and even fall, but it’s looking okay. What happens is it will use up all its light stores, so maybe at the beginning of winter, it looks okay, but by the end of winter, it has started dropping a lot of leaves.

When plants don’t have enough light, they will, for survival purposes, start getting rid of parts of themselves. They will start with any flowers or fruit that they have, and then they will start to drop their lower leaves. The higher leaves are generally speaking the ones closest to the sun when grown outdoors. That’s the reason why they will drop the lower leaves. If you’ve had this happen to a plant over the winter months, where it starts dropping off its lower leaves and then looks bare on a stem, that’s what happened: it was a lack of light.

To avoid that, get those full spectrum lighting bulbs on your plants as quickly as possible so they can continue to have enough light. They may be running on less light than they will for the rest of the year, but by giving them this supplemental light, you’re going to get them through without a lot of leaf loss and still looking really healthy.

I do use the Aerogarden systems, and the cool thing about them is I do a lot of seeding in them and growing herbs throughout the year. They have such a great lighting system, a full spectrum lighting system that’s also LED, which will give a lot of light to surrounding plants as well. So that’s another little tip: you can put your plants near your Aerogarden for some extra lighting, as that’s really going to help them considerably.

Also, keep in mind that you may be thinking, “Well, I’ve got this really bright window,” and maybe you’re in an area where you do get a lot of bright light at least during those short days. However, remember that if the plant is a tropical Tananth and many of the plants you’re growing indoors are, if you put it too close to that window because you’re thinking, “Well, I got to get really close to the window to get a lot of light,” it can be very cold at the window. That lower temperature can also affect your plants, so that’s another thing to keep in mind when you’re trying to get them the lighting they need.

Hence, it may be better, especially if you live in a really cold climate, to pull them away from the window. Some leaves can even get frostbite by being on the side of the window at night, so pull them away a little bit and give them that full spectrum lighting.

I also mentioned watering, which is another thing that can go awry during the winter months, and that’s when you may lose a plant or two at the end of winter after you thought, “Okay, I got through,” and then it goes downhill. As mentioned, plants slow down growth considerably during the winter months. So, that being said, they’re going to slow down drinking, right? They’re not going to be taking up as much water as they were during the spring months when they’re growing actively, during the summer when they’re still growing actively, and even during the fall.

You want to pull back on watering for sure. Definitely use your moisture meter when you’re checking your plants for watering in the winter time. Most plants, even tropical ones, have some exceptions like the Maine Hair Fern, which you don’t want to dry out ever. But for most of them, you want to be around a moisture level of four, close to three, before you water.

Keep the plant in mind; there are some that like to be on the drier side and some that like to be on the moisture side. So you do want to keep that in mind, but as a general rule of thumb, being around four or close to three before you water is a good guideline.

What happens is it is colder during the winter, and if you have the plant in really soggy soil and it’s not taking up the water fast enough because it’s not growing as quickly, you’re going to end up with root rot. I do have a whole series on root rot; I’ll put the link below so hopefully you could save plants if this has occurred.

Do not overwater in the winter months. If you’re going to err for anything in the winter months, err towards the side of not as much water. I mentioned Maine Hair Fern, and that is one plant you don’t want to overdo it with. But for most plants, you do want to err on the side of less water. I also have a couple of videos on using the moisture meter that will help as well.

When watering, especially during the winter months—and I do have a whole video on this—you want to use warm to tepid water always. Think about this, especially if you’re in a really cold climate and your water is coming up out of the tap at 30 or 40 degrees, or in some climates, even less than that, and you have your plants at maybe 60 degrees.

There’s a huge temperature variation there. Studies have shown that when plants get too cold of water at their root zone, it can cause root dieback, which then can cause root rot eventually. It will also cause spotting on the leaves and cause shock to the plant. I mean, you would be shocked too if you were in your 65- to 70-degree home and someone threw you into a thing of water that was 20 or 30 degrees. It would shock you too, so that’s something to keep in mind—the water temperature as well.

Warm water is really good. Now, you don’t want it hot, but you want warm, tepid, or room temperature to be the coolest you would want to go.

Another thing that occurs during the winter months that you want to check on is humidity because plants will dry out, especially if you have a heating system. Even if you have a fireplace heating system, the air gets drier as it is being heated.

I really recommend using a hygrometer. I love this tool; it shows you the temperature in the room and the humidity in the room. Now, as mentioned, I am in Southern California, so it is currently 68.2 degrees Fahrenheit with 50% humidity, which is not bad. Houseplants generally like to be somewhere between 45% and 65% humidity, and they can go higher on humidity.

They don’t do very well with lower humidity unless they’re something like a succulent, which doesn’t like the humidity. But overall, that range is something you want to aim for. A hygrometer is a great tool to show you right away what the humidity is like and what the relative humidity is in relation to the temperature.

This will show you and these are fairly inexpensive too, which makes them really nice. That will show you very quickly what you’re looking at in terms of humidity and temperature. You can make sure that the plant is in an area of the home that has the right temperature, and then it’ll show you humidity.

Maybe you move a plant into an area that is warmer because it’s near a heater or heating system, but then you find out, “Geez, the humidity just plummeted to 20.” If this plant likes humidity, then you know you may need to move the plant around until you find the perfect spot.

To keep humidity up, you can mist plants or create a humidity tray with pebbles and water, where you can set the pot on top of the tray of water and then the humidity will help with the plant.

You can also create terrariums. I mean, you can put a bunch of your plants in a terrarium or cloche, and then it creates a little environment where it is self-watering, so you can also keep an eye on that as well.

Also, keep in mind that during the winter months, you may want to consider cleaning your plants. They get dusty too, just like everything else in your house does. Dust settles, especially if you have heating going on. This can not only block light from getting to the plant, but it can also block the leaves from being able to photosynthesize.

You want to wash off your plants. The best way to do that is to take them to the sink and gently rinse them. Just make sure to do it slowly and carefully, and make sure that the water does not get too cold or too hot. Just a gentle warm rinse will get a lot of that dust off.

Alternatively, you can take a damp cloth and wipe them down. You can also take a dry paintbrush and brush off some of the leaves. They’re fairly durable plants; just be gentle with them, but they need to be kept clean to continue to do well during the winter months.

You may even want to consider fertilizing, depending on the type of plant you have, as most indoor plants don’t need to be fertilized during the winter months. However, some can benefit from fertilization if they have low-nutrient soil. If you have a plant that is a heavy feeder, that may be the case.

You can look for a slow-release fertilizer, as this is the easiest way to do it. Just add it to the top of the soil so it will feed the plant slowly throughout the winter months, but do be careful because many of the plants are dormant, as mentioned, and they’re not actively taking up nutrients, so just be cautious about that and try to avoid over-fertilizing.

If you have a light-feeding plant, such as a succulent, then hold off on fertilizing them during the winter months.

Lastly, you may want to repot some plants. A lot of people like to do it during the spring, but some can also benefit from it during the winter months. I have found that if you need to repot a plant, doing it during the winter months can work out well. You want to make sure you keep it in a consistent environment while the plant adjusts to the new soil.

So keep those tips in mind for your indoor garden this winter. Be sure to check the links below for more information and links to my other videos. Until next time, happy gardening!

FAQ's - Winter Garden Chores 101

Winter Garden Chores for Houseplants

What should I consider about lighting for my houseplants in winter?

In winter, houseplants receive less light due to shorter days. It’s important to supplement with full spectrum grow lights to ensure your plants get enough light to prevent leaf drop.

How should I adjust my watering routine for houseplants in winter?

Plants slow down their water uptake during winter. It’s crucial to reduce watering and use a moisture meter to check levels. Aim for a moisture level around four or close to three before watering.

What temperature water should I use when watering my plants in winter?

Always use warm to tepid water. Cold water can shock the plant’s roots, leading to issues like root dieback and leaf spotting.

How can I maintain humidity levels for my houseplants during winter?

Humidity often drops in heated homes. Use a hygrometer to monitor levels and consider misting plants or setting up humidity trays with pebbles and water to maintain adequate humidity.

How can I keep my houseplants clean during winter?

Dust can accumulate on leaves, blocking light and photosynthesis. Gently rinse plants in the sink, wipe leaves with a damp cloth, or use a dry paintbrush to remove dust.

Should I fertilize my houseplants in winter?

Most houseplants don’t need fertilizing in winter, but heavy feeders may benefit from a slow-release fertilizer. Avoid over-fertilizing as many plants are dormant.