Indoor Gardening for the Winter Months
Roots & Shoots
November 2007
When our gardens are covered in snow houseplants can still provide us with the pleasure of foliage and flowers indoors through the winter, as well as improving a room’s air quality by absorbing toxins and increasing humidity.
If we want our houseplants to thrive we must provide them with the light, warmth, humidity and food that they need.
No plant will grow without some light, but a snake plant, ivy or fern might thrive in a shady room where other plants would fail. Sponge the leaves of shiny leaved plants occasionally.
Plants differ in their need for water. Most flowering plants need compost that is moist at all times, but for foliage plants let the top half inch of compost dry out between watering. For cacti and succulents, let the compost dry out almost completely during the winter.
African violets will not tolerate a cold room. Other plants may tolerate cooler temperatures, but only cacti will tolerate cold draughts.
Houseplants also differ in their need for humidity. Papery leaves generally need more humidity than thick leathery ones. We can increase humidity by misting with a fine spray -- use tepid water, or by grouping the plants together, which is also be an attractive way of displaying a plant collection.
Most houseplants are resting during the winter, not actively growing, which means they do not need feeding. The exceptions are flowering plants such as poinsettias.