Five Key Factors That Affect Your Potted Plants In Winter
Winter has an effect not only pot plants outdoors, but also indoors. Find out what are the key factors that affect your plants in winter and what you can do to help them stay healthy at this time of the year.
1. LIGHT is the very first element to consider. In winter,
when the light is not so strong, you can place your plants
closer to the windows, and rotate them regularly so all the
leaves receive enough light.
Choose the most appropriate location taking into account
the following window orientations:
-North: it doesn't receive direct sunlight, but it is a
good source of light for your plants. Most convenient in
summer.
-South: it receives the most sunlight. Very convenient in
winter.
-East: it allows early sunlight, which is very important
for an excellent growing of your plants.
-West: it receives much sunlight, but its convenience
depends on the amount of light the plant can receive.
2. TEMPERATURE is another key factor to consider because
in winter we increase the temperature of the room via
heaters, fireplaces and other heating devices. Plants
suffer many times because of this, and we do not realize.
When the temperature of the room increases, the water of
your plants evaporates quickly, and so it may be necessary
to increase the amount of water they receive. As always,
the exact amount of water will depend on the type of plant
you have.
A solution to this is to place containers with water close
to the plants. The leaves will absorb the water by
transpiration, in a natural way.
And a quick reminder: although plants show beautifully
when displayed on mantelpieces, remember to remove them
before starting a fire, as the excess of heat could kill
them.
3. WATERING your plants in winter is important for the
reason told above. To water your plants properly, do so
with abundant water fewer times, rather than with less
water and very often.
The reason for this is because the water needs to reach
all the roots of the plant, including the deepest ones.
When you use abundant water, the plant does not need
more water for a while, so you can space the watering.
If not watered properly, the plant may die, even though
the surface of the soil may appear wet.
4. VENTILATION is a key factor since some indoor plants
need air moving around them occasionally, so their stems
and leaves can gain in strength.
Although they do not need a continuous flow of air, the
truth is that they get exactly what they need under
"friendly" weather conditions, that is early autumn,
spring or summer, when we naturally open doors and
windows and allow breeze to flow.
But in winter we keep windows closed for longer periods of
time, therefore preventing air flows. Again you should
ensure that your specific plant is receptive to air flows
(not all indoor plants are).
5. Some plants may undergo a period of HIBERNATION during
winter. Hibernation is just a natural mechanism of the
plants to protect themselves of adverse weather conditions.
During this "sleeping period" the plant may stop growing
or even appear weak and loose their leaves. Consequently,
the owner believes (wrongly) that the plant is dying or
dead and ends up throwing it away.
The thing is, while plants hibernate, they don't need so
much water nor fertilizer. If you doubt whether your plant
is hibernating or actually dead, just leave it where it is
and water it occasionally, and you might just see it
alive again in spring.
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