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Despite what it may seem, indoor plants need more care in winter than in summer. This is because, although the conditions inside a home are apparently better than the cold winter weather, some actions that we carry out on a daily basis during the cold months can put the survival of some plants into question, even of the most resistant. If you want to know how to care for indoor plants in winter, keep reading Green Ecologist and we give you a series of tips that will help you make your indoor plants survive without problem.
Protect plants in winter: cold and heating
The first thing to keep in mind when it comes to caring for any plant during winter is the cold. Obviously, outdoor plants are the ones that will suffer the most in the winter months because of the cold. However, although the exterior is usually colder than the interior, this is not always the case.
Therefore, it is essential to ensure that the average temperature of the house does not drop excessivelyespecially at night when most of the heaters are off. In addition, if it is a second residence, it must be taken into account that the temperatures that are reached in these cases when the home is uninhabited can become colder even than those that are reached outside, so it is better to transport the indoor plants to the habitual residence.
However, despite the fact that the cold is the protagonist during the winter months, we cannot forget that the main enemy of indoor plants in many cases is the heating itself. The heating will present a double problem, on the one hand it increases the excess temperature and, on the other, dries up the environment.
To protect indoor plants from heating, it is best to lower the thermostat to a standard temperature that do not exceed 21 ºC. In addition, it will also be important moisten the environment. To do this, you can choose to:
- Place some containers with water on the radiators.
- Spray water on the leaves of the plants once a day.
- Another of the fundamental aspects that must be taken into account when it comes to protecting plants from heating will be to place them away from radiators, since direct heat can be deadly for many of them.
How to care for indoor plants by watering
On the other hand, in winter it will be necessary to control watering the same as in summer and even more carefully. In summer it is best to be generous with water. However, in the winter, it is important that the soil of the plants is moist, but never in excess, as it may lead to the appearance of fungi or rotting of the roots. To do this, the irrigation will have to be controlled, which will require that it be a perfectly balanced irrigation between the evaporation caused by heating and the excess humidity caused by low temperatures and outside humidity.
For this, the best will be space the waterings (adapting them to each type of plant). In addition, it will be essential to touch the surface of the soil with a finger to check if it is too dry or even lasts longer without being watered and, to prevent water from accumulating in excess, all pots should have drainage holes in the bottom.
Likewise, precisely because of the difficulties that can arise when correctly calculating the irrigation, as well as because of the especially low temperatures, during winter it is more fungus likely to appear in many of our indoor plants. To avoid this, it will be necessary to space the risks and, to solve it, it will be possible to choose add ground cinnamon or sodium bicarbonate.
Ground cinnamon is an easy natural fungicide to obtain, as most people have it in their grocery store. To use it, just spread a small amount over the surface of the earth or the affected areas. In the event that the fungi appear on the leaves, they can be sprayed with a mixture of a liter of water and a tablespoon of baking soda, which will serve both for the leaves and for the plant's soil.
The best place is near the window, but be careful
Another aspect that will have to be taken into account when caring for indoor plants in winter will be that the hours of light and its intensity will be less. Therefore, it is very important plants are located near windows so they get as much light as possible. However, when we do, we must also take care of do not do it near radiators, which, in general, are also usually placed on the windows since they constitute the most important heat escape points in a house.
In addition, another important element that we will have to take into account when caring for indoor plants in general, and in winter especially, will be do not stress them by moving them too much. Many people tend to put them at home at night and take them outside during the day to make the most of the light. Despite this, this can be counterproductive, since the temperature changes will be more extreme, which can weaken the plant more than the lack of light itself, so it is best to find a site:
- Inside.
- Front of the window.
- With enough light.
- Far from any radiator.
- Leave them there permanently.
Care adapted to each species
Finally, another aspect that we cannot ignore is that each species of plant will require a series of proper care depending on its particular characteristics. Thus, in addition to taking into account all the tips mentioned above, it will also be important that let us find out about the specific care that each type of plant that we have at home will need.
It is important to note that some plants will need more watering than others, that some may need more or less light, as well as that some will go into hibernation during cold months and others will not. Therefore, it is essential that we adapt general care to each specific case. In this way, we can be sure that our indoor plants will survive the winter without problem.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to care for indoor plants in winterWe recommend that you enter our Indoor Plants category.
