Winter plant care: how to keep your plants happy!

Most houseplants go dormant during the colder months but they do feel the change in season like we do. It can be quite daunting and stressful to see your plants deteriorate, so here are some of my go-to Winter plant care tips:

Cut back on watering

Your plants still need water, but not as much and as often as they’d need during the growing season. I like to monitor my plants’ soil moisture levels carefully and leave them to dry out a bit between waterings. 

Most of the time, plants can bounce back from underwatering but the same can’t be said for overwatering. When it comes to actually watering your plants, I’d also suggest you use room temperature/lukewarm water. Cold tap water can damage a plant’s rooting system. 

Limit your use of fertilisers

Most plants go dormant in Winter which means they won’t need to be fertilised as much, if at all. I’d suggest you cut back on fertilising completely and resume with this during Spring. 

However, if you choose to feed your plants in Winter, just make sure to do so with caution and use half the dose you would normally use. Fertilising plants when they aren’t actively growing can have an adverse affect on their rooting system if not done carefully. 

Adapt to better light conditions

We receive less light during Winter, so you might need to move your plants around a bit to ensure they get enough light. While most of them are not actively growing, they still need light.

Plants don’t do well in dark and gloomy spaces, so if you have this problem in your space, I’d suggest you keep some lights on during the day.

Position your plants carefully

Keep your houseplants away from close contact with heaters and cold, draughty areas. You might need to move plants around a bit to accommodate this. 

Up the humidity of your space

For the most part, Winters are quite dry in South Africa and some plants may need a little humidity boost. The use of heaters is small spaces can also dry a room out, which would further lower the humidity of a space.

Grouping plants together, placing plants on a pebble tray or using a humidifier can help stabilise the humidity of your home. 

Avoiding repotting your plants

Generally speaking, it is not a good idea to repot plants during Winter because it’s quite risky and can lead to shock and root rot. I avoid it if I can. Rather wait until Spring to repot plants that need it in a good quality potting mix.

And voila! I hope these Winter plant care tips help you keep your plants happy this Winter.