Wintertime Care for Houseplants

Seasoned Gardener : Episode SGN-403 -- More Projects »

Are all of your houseplants in the same locations that they were in during the warmer months? Conditions in a home change from season to season. A plant that thrived in one spot from spring to fall may begin to suffer in that same spot during winter.

The spaces near doors and windowsills have different microclimates than areas near fireplaces and heating vents.

Microclimates exist in every home. A microclimate has its own distinct light, temperature and moisture levels. These microclimates change with the seasons and affect your plants differently at different times of the year.

For instance, the entryway is the first part of the home visitors see, so it's usually an ideal spot for showy plants. But in winter, this space can become a difficult place for those plants to survive. In the home master gardener Chris Dawson is visiting, the entryway philodendrons face winter and architectural challenges:

Doorways allow blasts of cold air to reach the plants.
Temperatures fluctuate.
If there is a stairway in the entryway, warm air rises causing an updraft that sucks cold air through the area. These cold drafts are hard on plants.
High ceilings allow the warm air to rise farther away from plants, leaving them surrounded by cold air.

Move plants that are not suited for these conditions to another spot. Philodendrons like an area that has lower light (east facing/morning sun), moderate to warm temperatures and relatively high humidity. Replace the plants with more cold-tolerant plants.

This gardenia plant has an aphid infestation. Infested plants should be quarantined and treated with an insecticidal soap before being placed in an area with other plants.

Anthurium likes light and moisture; it will become too dry near this heating vent.

In the living room, the homeowners have a tree-form hibiscus, a jade and a gardenia. This east-facing room was a great summer spot for these plants. In winter, though, these plants could use more sun and would do better in a south-facing window. When placing plants near a window, be sure that the leaves do not touch the glass panes, which can be very cold and damaging to the leaves.

Another wintertime trouble spot is the heating vent. Indoors, heated winter air can dry out your houseplants fast, especially if they sit next to or above a heating vent.

Dawson suggests moving humidity-loving plants, like ferns, into the bathroom for the winter, provided that the light level is adequate. A couple hours of indirect light each day will suffice. If you don't have the room to move your plants, you can increase the humidity around the plants.

Group plants to help maintain moisture. When one plant transpires, or releases moisture, the plants near it benefit by absorbing that water.

A pebble tray increases the humidity around a plant through evaporation.

Fill a tray with attractive stones and fill with water until it just covers the rocks. Set the planter on top of the pebble tray and water the rocks every two weeks or so.

Place marble chips in the bottom of a watertight container. Pour water over the chips until almost covered. Place the potted plant into the container over wet marble chips.

Use a humidifier in your home.

Of course, the best way to give plants the humidity they need is by watering. Check your plants every couple of days for moisture levels. Remember that houseplants enter a dormant stage in winter and may not need as much water as they did in spring and summer.

Also in this Episode

Seasoned Gardener : Episode SGN-403
•	Wintertime Care for Houseplants
•	Cleaning and Watering Houseplants
•	Hardy Houseplants
•	Creating a Mini Indoor Garden

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