Winter in Estonia it's the most challenging time for plant lovers. Not only it is dark and cold, which makes it hard enough for plants, but also heating and ventilation become an additional challenge to overcome. The main sources of light, windows, also become the sources of cold. At the same time heating and ventilation drastically reduce humidity, which can be fatal for a lot of plants. Here are some care tips that might help you keep your plants alive during winter.
1. Eliminate cold drafts. If you have small cracks or slits around your windows, that let some cold air inside, make sure to fix them, or, as a quick solution, tape them down. Also, consider slightly moving your plants away from the window, just so that the leaves don't touch the cold glass.
2. If you have radiators as sources of heat, move your plants away from them, intense heat may burn or dry out the leaves and even the root system, which can be fatal for plants.
3. Consider investing in a humidifier and humidity meter. Chances are that hearing and ventilation at your home drive air humidity way below 50 or even 40 percent. A lot of houseplants don't tolerate such dry air. So first, consider getting a humidity meter, and if it shows below 50%, it's a good idea to get a humidifier. If you manage to keep your humidity levels at 55-60%, most of your plants will be alright.
4. Consider investing in supplement lights. Our winters are very dark, way darker than most houseplants can endure. That's why it's a good idea to add some artificial lighting. There is a huge variety of growlights out there, from standalone growlamps to lightbulbs that can fit in lamps that you have at home.
5. Be very careful with watering. This is the most crucial and the most difficult aspect of winter houseplant care. First of all, all plants slow down their metabolism in winter, so they require much less water and any excess of water can kill them. But at the same time, we must consider heating, ventilation and low humidity, which make the soil dry out much faster. Best practice would be to pay close attention to your plants, monitor them daily, of as frequently as you can. As a general rule of thumb, if the soil is most, don't water the plant. And if it's dry, try giving your plant a small amount of water and see how it reacts to it next day.
Finally, don't panic when you see a yellow leaf on your plant. It's just the way it is: some plants will lose some leaves in winter. Some plants may even louder all their leaves and go into complete dormancy (for example oxalis triangularis and chameleon plant), don't throw them away, just stop watering them, they might come back to life in spring. And some plants may die, don't blame yourself for it and don't give up on plants. It's a part of life with plants, a part of learning and becoming a better plant parent.
5. Be very careful with watering. This is the most crucial and the most difficult aspect of winter houseplant care. First of all, all plants slow down their metabolism in winter, so they require much less water and any excess of water can kill them. But at the same time, we must consider heating, ventilation and low humidity, which make the soil dry out much faster. Best practice would be to pay close attention to your plants, monitor them daily, of as frequently as you can. As a general rule of thumb, if the soil is most, don't water the plant. And if it's dry, try giving your plant a small amount of water and see how it reacts to it next day.
Finally, don't panic when you see a yellow leaf on your plant. It's just the way it is: some plants will lose some leaves in winter. Some plants may even louder all their leaves and go into complete dormancy (for example oxalis triangularis and chameleon plant), don't throw them away, just stop watering them, they might come back to life in spring. And some plants may die, don't blame yourself for it and don't give up on plants. It's a part of life with plants, a part of learning and becoming a better plant parent.