Plant care
Amy Jordan
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Our indoor décor may become rather barren during winter months. Poinsettias from Christmas may be hanging on, their purpose served yet we can’t bring ourselves to throw them out.
Indoor growing conditions are not optimal for houseplant growth, and their appearance may begin to wane. Winter is not a time for encouraging growth due to less sunlight and lower temperatures, but it is important to maintain growth.
Ward Upham, horticulturist with K-State Research and Extension, offers some pointers on winter houseplant care.
• Water by touch, not by calendar. Irrigate only when the top inch of soil is dry. Provide enough water that some flows out the bottom of the pot, helping wash away the salts that build up in potting soil. Watering too frequently fills the air spaces in soil. Plants can become oxygen-starved.
• Feed less. Flowering houseplants should get one-half the amount recommended on the fertilizer container. Foliage plants only need one-quarter as much food. During winter, a summertime fertilization program produces leggy, weak plants.
• Don’t place plants where they’ll be in contact with cold windows or on the receiving end of drafts from either heating vents or doors to the outside. Being next to window glass or a home entry in winter is a sure way to get chilly. In fact, it can be damaging or a sure death for houseplants — most of which are tropical natives.
• Most indoor plants prefer temperatures above 50 degrees. Particularly sensitive plants need at least 60 to 65 F of warmth. These include the Chinese evergreen (Algaonema), flamingo flower (Anthurium), croton (Codiaeum), ming and balfour aralia (Polyscias), and extremely sensitive false aralia (Dizygotheca).
• If you monitor temperatures, you may find you need to move some plants away from windows and entrances — which may mean you also have to supplement their light artificially. With others, you’ll just need to move them from a sill location before pulling window shades or drapes, especially in the evening.
• If possible, move plants into the brightest indirect light available probably near a window with a southern or eastern exposure.
• If possible, keep the humidity up. In homes without a humidifier, plant owners can group plants together to increase humidity around the plants. Misting plants does not effectively increase humidity. Gradually return to “normal” care levels when spring brings more light and renewed plant growth — indoors and out.
• If a houseplant still looks thin several weeks into spring, cut it back so it can put out new, thicker growth. Also, knock the plant out of its pot to check whether it’s root-bound. If so, move it into a somewhat larger container.