Learn how to care for houseplants in winter with tips on watering, feeding, pruning, and repotting to keep them healthy and thriving.
Caring for Houseplants During Winter
Indoor plants are a great addition in the home, bringing colour, life and a sense of calm, also helping to purify the atmosphere around them. They do, however, need a bit of care during the Winter months to keep them healthy and strong. As most houseplants are semi-dormant in Winter add slightly less feed throughout the season and reduce watering until the compost feels dry to the touch.
The only exceptions are flowering plants as they need weekly feeding plus watering to encourage more blooms, deadheading spent flowers regularly, also succulents grown as houseplants that require a drink of water once a month.
Aloe Vera (the Jade plant) and the Snake plant (commonly known as mother-in-law’s tongue) are both in this category. It’s very important to remove any dust particles on houseplant leaves regularly with a damp tissue as plants ‘breathe’ through their leaves.
This will enable the leaves to absorb the air more easily and keep the plant healthy. Indoor plants need a good source of natural light to thrive so try to position the plant in a light space, and, depending on the variety of plant and its preferences, away from direct sunlight.
Different houseplants have different requirements, some love a sunny position, some prefer a more humid atmosphere, such as a bathroom, while others thrive in a cool, shady spot, so always check your plant preferences for a happy houseplant!
Pruning and Repotting for Healthy Growth
Late Winter is a good time to prune indoor plants before any new growth appears. Cut back dead stems using a sharp pair of scissors, and give the plant a general tidy up, checking the compost for any dead leaves.
Check to see if any plants have outgrown their pots with roots appearing through drainage holes. Repot the plant in a size larger pot using a good quality houseplant compost in late Winter – early Spring.