Indoor houseplants can be a wonderful addition to your home decor, but they can be a bit tricky, especially during the winter months. In this article we will address common issues that houseplant owners may run into at this time of year.
Humidity levels are low inside during the winter months, and this can negatively affect humidity-loving plants, such as ferns, carnivorous plants, and Norfolk pine. If you are caring for plants that prefer more humidity, consider the following tips. Set plants in a saucer that is filled with clay pebbles and water (water is below the top of the clay pebbles). The water in the tray will evaporate over time, adding moisture to the air around the plant. Group houseplants together; this can create a mini-greenhouse effect. Put humidity loving plants into a terrarium (enclosed container), these are
commonly used as mini-greenhouses or vivarium. If humidity is still an issue, consider choosing houseplants that do not require humid environments.
Supplemental lighting may be necessary for houseplants in the winter months. If plants are bending to reach light sources, adding a lamp overhead will help alleviate stretching. Turning plants, so each side has equal access to the light source every few weeks, can even this out as well. No special grow lights are needed, just a full-spectrum light source, LED works too! Turn lights on from 5-8 p.m., allowing plants to receive around 12-14 hours of light a day.
Pest control can be a chore indoors and outdoors, but inside, many pests do not have natural predators, rain, or other environmental factors to keep them in check. Common indoor houseplant pests include spider mites, mealy bugs, scale, fungus gnats, and white flies. Catching pests before they get out of control is bes,t and quarantining new additions is recommended, until you are sure there are no unwanted visitors that could spread to other plants. Most of the common houseplant pests can be treated with off-the-shelf products successfully.
Repotting houseplants can happen at any time of the year. Houseplants are generally repotted either when they are first purchased or when they have outgrown their container. Make sure to pot houseplants into a container that has a drainage hole; this will allow excess water to escape and prevent root rot. Plants should be potted into bigger containers in no more than a 2-3” increase in diameter size from the original pot. Plants put into “too big” of a container can be susceptible to root rot. Houseplants will tell you when they need to be re-potted in a couple of ways. The most common way is during watering. When there are more roots than soil in the pot, water will drain quickly out of the bottom. Other signals that a plant may need to be re-potted are that the plant becomes top heavy tipping over easily, roots are growing out the bottom or top of the container, or the container breaks from the pressure of roots pushing out. In some cases, the plant may need new soil and not an upsize. Soil can get old; plants that grow slowly or are not watered often may need fresh soil. If this is the case, some signs may be stunted growth, water is not absorbed into the soil, and/or fertilizer is not effective.
Want to learn more
Questions about this article or local assistance, please contact Clay County Extension Educator, Jill Patrie at 218-299-7338 or [email protected].