1. Move your houseplants to a sunny spot
We’re going to kick off this list with probably the easiest thing you can do to help your houseplants out this winter. Simply, move them to a sunnier window. There’s less light to go around this time of year (dark at 4pm noooooo). So it’s important to let your houseplants make the most of what little light there is.
2. Clean your windows!
If you’re not cleaning your windows already, here’s your kick to start! Our first tip isn’t much good if your windows are covered in a layer of dirt or dust. This is especially true if you live near the sea- you’re going to need to clean your windows more often to clear away unavoidable salt build up.
Your houseplants (and you!) need to make the most of that precious winter sunlight.
It’s alright for you… you can hoist your lazy self outside to bask in vitamin D goodness. But, if you hadn’t noticed already, your houseplants are mostly immobile. They’re relying on you to keep your windows clean! Do it for them.
3. Get hands on and dust your houseplants
Seriously. Treat your darling houseplants to a good old dusting. You dust everything else in your house (right? right?…) so why not those big beautiful green leaves? Plants rely on their green leaves to suck up sunlight and if they’re covered in a layer of dust… less sunlight.
Just use a damp cloth (obviously no cleaning products- just water!) to wipe the leaves. For prickly cacti we find using a small, clean paintbrush works well.
See it as a way to bond with your houseplants.
4. Plants drink less water in the winter!
You’ll need to reduce how much you water your houseplants by half or more during the winter. Like most of us, plants basically get lazy during these colder months. They grow less and become more dormant.
Keep an eye on them though. If any of your plants show signs of being thirsty- top them up!
Cacti and succulents need even less water during winter. In fact, you could even get away with not watering these plants at all while it’s still cold.
And finally, nobody likes a shock. That includes your houseplants. Try not to use cold water straight out your tap. If you can, use room temperature water. They’ll be very grateful to you.
5. Avoid temperature extremes…
Your little (and big) darling houseplants can be very sensitive to extreme temperatures. Try to avoid placing them next to radiators, which will dry most plants out. Also try to avoid draughts!
Remember tip #1? The bit where we said to make the most of the limited winter light? The bit where we suggested you move your houseplants nearer to windows? Well… the flipside to this is make sure you don’t freeze your poor plants to death.
We’re blessed in Ireland with fairly mild winters, but we’re not immune to the odd night of frost on the windows. If that’s ever the case try to remember to either move your houseplants away from the window for the night or draw the curtains!
Above all else, get to know your houseplants. They’re usually very good at telling you if there’s something wrong.
