Kathy’s Home & Garden Tips – Caring for Indoor Plants in Winter

We sometimes forget that our indoor plants might need special attention during the winter months. With a little more care, they can come through the season healthy and thriving. Plants improve our feeling of wellbeing. They also increase humidity, reduce CO2 levels, and some airborne pollutants.

First, remember that your house is much drier in the winter. This doesn’t automatically mean you need to water more. Make sure the soil is completely dry before watering and water until the bottom saucer has a ½ inch of water or so. Wait 15 minutes, then empty any water not absorbed. Water more thoroughly- not more often.  High humidity plants can benefit from placing a shallow dish with small pebbles under the plant. Fill with water to just the top of the pebbles. As the water evaporates, it will provide humidity for days. Weekly spraying with water will help greatly too.

The light coming into the house can vary greatly during winter. Some windows that have plenty of light in summer may have much less in winter. Try to place your plants near an east (or better yet southeast) facing window to capture as much light as possible early in the day. You may have to relocate all your plants to this area. Make sure the window is clean! Dirty windows filter light. Dust plant leaves to ensure they absorb as much light as possible. Do be careful to keep tropical plants at a certain distance from the window. Temperatures can be 10 or more degrees lower close to the window. Some tropical plants can benefit from a growing light if the winter light in your house is limited. 

Now is a good time to prune and repot- woody or vine plants especially. Even with extra care, some plants go somewhat dormant during winter. Remember to go up no more than two sizes when repotting. Keep an eye out for pests like spider mites and mealy bugs- they do bug us in winter too! Use a good insecticidal soap to keep them in control.

We can keep our indoor plants healthy and thriving all winter with a little extra care. When spring comes, they will be ready to take off!

KATHLEEN WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO