I live in Michigan, where the daily temp is very cold, and the air is extremely dry. The leaves fell off all of the trees outside long ago, and the weather swings between gray and sunny.
The dramatic weather shift outdoors has affected the plants indoors as well, particularly if you live somewhere similar to where I live. You can gauge how significant those changes may be by assessing whether you feel them too.
Is your skin, lips, or eyes drier than usual? Are the dark days emotionally affecting you? What about the cold?
Your plants feel it too.
There are a few commonly discussed points about winter that I’m going to summarize here, but then I’d like to discuss a few more interesting changes that you may not be aware of:
- Sunlight levels, overall, are lower, and therefore your plants may grow less or not at all, and may not require as much water
- Because of less light, plants may use water at slow rates, making them more at risk for bacterial and fungal disease if they stay wet for too long
- Due to less favorable conditions, the plants are a little more stressed, and that makes them a little more prone to pest infestations, so keep an eye out for unwanted guests
While these points are sometimes true, it is not always so!
Let’s discuss a couple of ways winter changes how we care for our plants so we can help them make it through these cold, dark months.
#1 Light levels in Winter aren’t always lower.
It may surprise you to learn that houseplants sometimes receive more light in winter than in summer. Here’s why!
Two changes happen simultaneously during winter:
First, the sun rises for shorter periods, is farther away, and is lower in the sky. The result is that the available light is less intense, and the time that sunlight is available is also shorter.
However, we also have a major second change! Many trees and bushes around our homes drop all of their leaves.
Trees and bushes are often planted strategically to reduce the amount of afternoon sun directly on the home. This reduces the amount the home heats up during the summer and in the afternoons, but it also reduces the amount of light houseplants receive when trees and bushes are leafed out during spring and summer.
When those leaves drop in fall, and the sun rises lower in the sky, the sun is able to shine more readily in those previously-blocked windows. The rooms heat up more, and the light levels may be as high as or higher than in summer.
A similar effect can happen with porches and overhangs. While the porch and overhang may not move, the lower position of the sun in the sky may allow more sunlight directly into window.
And all of these factors could promote plant growth, increase water needs, and so on.
#2 Your plants may need more water – a lot more water!
Winter’s cold air and low humidity cause houseplants to dry out surprisingly quickly. This can feel counterintuitive when light levels are lower, and the plants may not be growing as much or at all.
However, if your plants are similar to mine, you may find that they are shockingly dry. I have been really struggling to keep my plants well watered this winter because the temperatures have been so cold and the air has been so incredibly dry.
One of the signs that your plant may be thirstier than you may think is finding the bottom leaves on the plant yellowing regularly or more frequently.
Bottom leaves, or those closest to the soil, are typically older and the first to drop due to drought stress.
These older leaves will also naturally die off over time, but if you notice them dying off more rapidly or more regularly than usual, it is often a sign that the plant is underwatered.
Disclaimer
This advice may not work for every houseplant grower, but it works for me and my plants!
If you do something different that works better for you, share it in the comments below!
That’s how we learn and grow as a community.
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