Keep Your Houseplants Alive in Fall and Winter With These Tips
- last year
Many people adopted houseplants amid COVID-19 to boost their mental health.
Here's how to make sure your oxygen-giving friends stay alive.
1. Keep them warm, but not too warm: 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and above 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night are ideal. Seal windows and doors, move to warmer rooms and keep away from heat sources such as fireplaces, radiators and heating vents.
2. Reduce watering: Most houseplants go dormant in fall and winter. Only water if the soil is dry about an inch or two below the surface.
3. Increase humidity in your home: Plants like humidity levels of about 50%. If you don't have a humidifier, keep your plants together in the most humid rooms of your house, such as bathrooms or kitchens.
4. Clean them: Every couple of weeks, spray your plants and wipe off their leaves. By keeping your plants clean and dust-free, they're more able to soak in what little light winter offers.
5. Provide plenty of light: Plants need light more than anything else in colder months. Rotate your plants as needed or shine a full-spectrum light bulb on them for at least 12-14 hours a day.
Here's how to make sure your oxygen-giving friends stay alive.
1. Keep them warm, but not too warm: 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and above 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night are ideal. Seal windows and doors, move to warmer rooms and keep away from heat sources such as fireplaces, radiators and heating vents.
2. Reduce watering: Most houseplants go dormant in fall and winter. Only water if the soil is dry about an inch or two below the surface.
3. Increase humidity in your home: Plants like humidity levels of about 50%. If you don't have a humidifier, keep your plants together in the most humid rooms of your house, such as bathrooms or kitchens.
4. Clean them: Every couple of weeks, spray your plants and wipe off their leaves. By keeping your plants clean and dust-free, they're more able to soak in what little light winter offers.
5. Provide plenty of light: Plants need light more than anything else in colder months. Rotate your plants as needed or shine a full-spectrum light bulb on them for at least 12-14 hours a day.