While I’ve only been a plant-carer for a year, my father has successfully kept his in-home garden alive for years. His tried-and-true tips have helped his plants stay leafy and nourished, surviving winters that lasted as long as eight months at a time.
Houseplants endure winter similarly to bears — many just turn off and rest until springtime is ready. While bears and other mammals call this period hibernation, most houseplants enter an equivalent state called dormancy, where they require little to no water as a method of self-preservation. It’s not so much the cold weather that is detrimental to plant life, but reduced sunlight and over-watering during the winter months often lead to wilted or dead plants. Houseplants still require a full day’s worth of sunlight in order to survive their dormancy, but there are clever ways to make this happen.
Because of reduced sunlight during winter, artificial lighting may be helpful if your plants need bright light. Depending on what sort of plant you have, there are certain lights that will work best to suit their needs. Incandescent lights are best suited for low-light plants, while fluorescent bulbs are recommended for plants that seek medium light or for indoor vegetable gardens. Of course, constant use of light will increase your electric bill as well, but you can find ways to reduce this cost by compromising with lower wattage.
Fluctuating household temperatures can also risk the life of your plants. As the cold sets in, windows can develop a cold draft if they’re not properly sealed; but there’s also the risk of overexposure from fire places, heaters, radiators, and wood stoves that generate excessive heat and can damage your plant if it’s placed nearby. Too much of any temperature is detrimental to their health, so it’s important that their display resides a safe distance away from these areas. In my experience, if the window is properly sealed and there’s no risk of a cold draft, leaving the houseplant on the windowsill during daylight hours should be fine, but come nightfall, they should be properly vacated to elsewhere in the home unless you have thick blinds.
Your watering routine during these darker months can have a serious impact on plant health. During winter, plants require less water thanks to their dormancy, and unless you have an air humidifier, it tends to become much dryer in the home. You should always test the soil by sticking your finger in to determine if the plant needs water; if it’s still damp, your plant is fine. I keep a single succulent and most recently adopted an aloe plant as a Christmas gift, and I only water them once a week, as needed.
The snow won’t last for long, and the sun will be obnoxiously present again soon. Watch out for signs of dryness, like brown, dried leaves or wilting. Invest in artificial lights as needed. Plant needs are quite minimal, and so long as you’re making an effort to adapt to a winter-friendly routine, they should have no trouble surviving the chilly season.
Image: Krystina Spracklin/The Cascade
