Is anyone else struggling to keep your houseplants alive during the shorter days of winter? I probably have as many plants indoors as I do in my outdoor gardens. Of course, most of my outdoor plants are having a long winter’s nap.
I recently read a great article about how to keep your houseplants alive during the three “months of death” for houseplants – November, December and January.
My otherwise healthy, green and lush plants start to die during the winter season. Even though I talk to them tenderly, I mist them and give them as much love as I can.
It turns out that plants need light to survive. The right light is crucial to their success. In scientific terms, if plants cannot photosynthesize the light to build the carbohydrates needed for new leaves and growth, they will struggle.
Most people think that overwatering is the most cause of plant death. The truth is that if a plant is suffering from low light, there will be a slower use of water. So giving your house plants more light is a better solution to “overwatering” than giving the plants less water.
Many of our houseplants come from tropical forests where bright, filtered light shone throughout the day. Most of our houseplants have plant tags that have light requirements as “bright, indirect light”. It can be hard to measure how much light a plant needs for optimal growth as it varies from species to species. A room may feel bright, but the further you move away from a window, the light diminishes by half.
Light is measured in foot candles (FC – the illumence cast on a surface by a one-candela source one foot away). A south-facing window sill may get more than 1000 FC, which is great for cacti and succulent plants. Moving 4 feet away reduces the light intensity to 63 FC which is now a low-light situation. Only plants such as Algaonema (Chinese evergreens), Sansevieria (snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue) and Aspidistra (cast iron plant) will thrive.
A great tool to help us through these dark days is to purchase a light meter and of course, make sure to read the plant tags when purchasing a new houseplant. You can also download a plant light meter app for those more techy people.
Our family home has deep eaves that, in the summertime, cools our home from the hot sun. In the winter, the interior of our home is dark and dreary. As the daylight becomes shorter each day, my houseplants become very sad. I thought that the reason was the dry air because of the increased use of our furnace and not enough water.
Well now I know to follow these simple rules during the “death months” - move all my plants close to the window, reduce watering and minimize fertilizing. By following these winter time rules, I am trying not to stimulate growth and encourage my plants to have a nice sleep until the light increases. I will also add a light meter to my tool box.
Lynda Pasacreta is the current president of the Richmond Garden Club. Join us Wednesday, January 30, 2019, 7pm to learn all about guerilla gardening in green spaces with our guest speaker, Brenda Dyck, Guerrilla Gardening Adventures. Visit richmondgardenclub.ca for more information.
