How Does the Cold Affect Your Houseplant?
How Does the Cold Affect Your Houseplant?
Winter is a time for hibernation and dormancy for many outdoors plants. Similarly, indoor tropical plants also slow down their growth around this time of year. Winter calls for nature to preserve its energy due to the lack of sunlight (a plant’s main food source) which all plants depend on. This is very important because cold weather could also cause plants to die. To understand how important it is to change your plant care routine during the colder months, let’s look at how freezes and extreme changes in temperature can affect your indoor plants.
In the Winter, plants often slow down growth and conserve energy. This can cause health concerns if your plants are taken care of properly.
Even if your indoor plants are on the more cold hardy end of the spectrum, cold weather affects all plants. Unexpected drops in temperature can cause water to expand in the plants cells and damage the plant from the inside. This can cause plants to wilt, even after the cold weather has come and gone. Cold weather damage is often worse for younger plants, which haven’t grown in strength or structure, making them more susceptible to damage. Water can also freeze outside of the plant and freeze the soil. This freezing causes desiccation, the removal of water from the soil. This affects the roots of the plant significantly.
Cold temperatures can damage plant’s cells which can cause health problems even after things warm up
Cold weather can decrease plant enzyme activity. This then disrupts plant nutrient intake because plants secrete enzymes to digest surrounding materials from the soil. This can stunt growth or cause the plant to die. Changes in how water flows through the plant’s cells might also occur. This change in fluidity can have a damaging effect on the cellular membrane. The cellular membrane is responsible for ensuring that the plant cells are responsive to milder changes. They also support the growth and structure of the plant.
Frozen soil can prevent your plant from properly acquiring nutrients which can cause cellular damage if not addressed
Houseplants need the right amount of light, humidity, and mild-temperatures in order to thrive and all of these key things drop significantly during the winter months. The winter can be a stressful time for houseplants.
Let’s review some ways to support your plants and make it less stressful.
1. Keep your plant cozy
Most tropical plants are very sensitive to cold air. If you live in an especially frigid environment you may want to consider sealing off windows and doors. This is an extra precautionary step to take with plants placed by doors and windows. Sealing off these areas will prevent cold drafts and keep your plants as warm as possible. But be careful not to keep them too warm such as keeping them too close to a fireplace, candles, or radiator blasting warm air. This could be just as damaging as cold air. During the day plants should be kept in a temperature between 64-75 degrees Fahrenheit and above 50 degrees at night to prevent plants from becoming too cold.
Indoor plants thrive in temperatures between 64-75 degrees Fahrenheit and above 50 degrees at night to prevent plants from becoming too cold
2. Access to Light
Your plants need light more than anything else during the winter. The source of light that tropical plants need to live all but seems to disappear during the cold seasons. Move plants to rooms that get the most light. This could mean that one room of your house might get a bit more crowded temporarily during the winter months. It’s important to rotate the plants around this time of year to ensure that all sides of the plant are getting enough sun. If you’re not sure if your plant is getting enough light here are some signs to look for.
- Slow growth, although you should expect a slower growth you should still see some signs of new growth.
- Leggy growth, the stems are stretching very far.
- Pale or Small Leaves
- Leaning excessively to the sun.
Other tips to ensure that the plants are receiving adequate light is to wipe the leaves and wipe your windows. The cleaner your windows the more light for your plant family.
Because there is less light in the Winter, it is best to move your plants into the most well-lite room in your home
3. Don’t Overwater
The lack of light is also the cause of slow growth. When there is slower growth tropical plants need less water. They also need little to no fertilizer. Just like in the summer months, it is best to only water your indoor tropical plants when the soil is dry an inch or two below the surface. Plant parents during the summer months will usually follow a more consistent watering schedule but during the winter months soil becomes dry less often.
Moldy soil or yellowing leaves are indications that the plants may be overwatered. When this occurs its best to not water plants for the next week or so. Particularly in the winter, it’s important to not have plants stay sitting in water because it can lead to root rot which can be fatal for your plants.
Be sure to take special care of your plant family this holiday season. They are sometimes the first indicators that spring is near.
You should be sure to check the dryness of the soil before watering your plants in the Winter as the soil often remains damp for longer in the cold
Need some help protecting your houseplants from the cold weather?
Contact HousePlantSitter to get assistance from our plant experts