Winter Plant Care Tips
by Sarah K. Grundy with images by Vogue Magazine, Invincible, Better Homes and Gardens and Costa Farms
Don’t allow the cold weather to wilt your petals! It’s that time of year for plant parents to keep their plant babies inside and help them thrive through the chilly days of winter. Amidst sunny days of spring and summer, plants nurture and uplift us, so it’s only fair we do the same in return during the darker days of winter. Here are a few plant care tips that can help keep your flora and fauna happy through the season.
What To Do
Plants love a steamy, moist atmosphere! Use a humidifier in any room to create optimal conditions and take the bite out of the surrounding chill. The bathroom naturally creates a great indoor greenhouse for your plants with every bath, or shower! Keeping your plants in the bathroom is a simple step to keeping them warmer and flourishing- especially ferns, bamboo, and ivy.
Not only do plants make ornate kitchen decorations, but something as simple as boiling a pot of water for cooking rice, pasta, or potatoes can easily create a warm misty mood in your kitchen, which is a treat for your plants! You can also save that leftover starchy water to feed your plants! It spurs the release of nutrients in the soil. Don’t use salt, store in the fridge, and wait until spring to use.
Use the change in seasons to prompt a repositioning of your plants. Bunch them close together to keep them warm, and in an area that gets the most winter sun.
What Not To Do
Hold off on repotting and fertilizing until Spring. Some plants even go into hibernation during the winter months and will need different care. Don’t overwater and make sure the water is warm. Overwatering kills more plants than almost anything else. Plants are drinking less water during the winter months, so rethink your watering schedule. Watering about half as much, as usual, is a good rule of thumb.
Winter Plants
Calendula flowers prefer the chill of winter. With their bright blooming golden flowers alerting us that Spring has sprung, these plants halt their growth when the warm summer days hit. Pansies, petunias, snapdragons, and herbs like kale also fare well in the winter months!
For more winter plant care tips, watch the expert on Apartment Therapy, Hilton Carter, and when you’re ready to start fertilizing, follow Kona Compost!
