Brian Minter: How to take care of your tropicals over the winter
Credit to Author: Stephen Snelgrove| Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2019 18:00:26 +0000
We’re all well aware that winter can be tough on our gardens, but it may be hard to believe that our indoor plants are going to struggle as well over the next four to five months. Poor light, low humidity and other difficult growing conditions all combine to test even our most robust tropicals. Professionals in the plant maintenance business face many of the same challenges and, in order to be successful, they change their plant-care practices in winter. You probably should too.
Improving the light quality is one of the most important considerations. At this time of year when the sun sinks to the south, the intensity and hours of light keep diminishing until Dec. 21. If possible, move all your plants near a window. East or north indirect light is preferred, but if such a location isn’t available, then brighter west or south windows will certainly make a difference.
Sometimes a simple solution is the addition of grow lights. Today’s T5HO lights come with a built-in electronic ballast and a 6400K lamp that increases the light by 48 per cent — a simple plug in is all that’s needed. There are also broad-light spectrum LEDs which, although more expensive to buy, use less energy. Left on for 12 hours or more via a timer, they can more than make up for both the shortage and quality of daylight. Many of these lights can also double as seed starters come spring, and I like that versatility.
Low humidity can be a little more difficult to handle, especially if you keep your household temperatures up and use a fireplace. Those high temperatures and cosy fireplaces really impact humidity levels, adversely affecting the well-being of tropical plants.
The best solution is to drop your household temperature even by a few degrees and perhaps use the fireplace a little less often. Enclosed natural gas fireplaces aren’t as big an issue as open-flame wood burners. Household humidifiers help and so do saucers of water placed under plant pots. When using saucers of water to humidify your plants, set the pots on a layer of stones or crockery to raise them above the water level and to prevent the water from wicking up into the soil.
Fittonia has interesting foliage colour. Photo: Minter Country Garden
Watering can be a tricky affair as we move into late fall. For smaller pots (10 inches or less) all you need to do is lift the pot to get a sense of its weight. If it feels relatively heavy that means the pot is already watered adequately. If the pot feels light, chances are it needs to be watered.
Do you like cold showers in the morning? Neither do plants! Warm or tepid water is always best, and when you water, give them a good drink, making sure the soil is evenly moist. Try to water in the morning so the soil is drier in the evening. For larger pots, a moisture meter can be a helpful indicator of moisture levels.
This brings up another important point related to watering. Being ‘root tight’ in a smaller pot is a plant’s happy place, especially in late fall and winter. Rootbound plants quickly shed excess water, thus preventing the soil staying too wet for too long. Overly wet soil is the nemesis of healthy white roots.
If you think your plants seem restricted in pots too small for their size, resist the urge to repot them, especially at this time of year. This is particularly true when you purchase new plants in fall and winter. Hold off repotting anything until we get back to the longer, brighter, warmer days of mid- to late April.
Feeding indoor plants at this time of year isn’t hugely important. In our northern hemisphere, they’re not growing vigorously or quickly. If you decide to feed, do it only after watering and use a well-balanced formula, like 20-20-20 fertilizer, weekly or monthly. Plants will tell you by their colour and leaf size if they need nutrients.
A lush display of Fiddle Leaf Fig, Croton, Sansevieria and ‘Moonlight’ Philodendron. Photo: Minter Country Garden
If you would like to add a few plants to your home this fall, choose some of the most resilient varieties such as peace lilies (spathiphyllum), dracaenas, philodendrons, Chinese evergreens (aglaonema), pothos, money plants (pachiras) and sansevierias. These plants are more tolerant of household conditions, and they help clean toxins in the air.
Some flowering plants, like anthuriums and phalaenopsis orchids, stand up well and provide long-lasting colour. Tougher palms, like rhapis, and bamboo are quite good, and the more expensive kentia palm is one of the best indoor varieties.
Boston ferns and fast-growing palms, like neanthe bella and areca, are ones to avoid or at least wait for spring to get them.
Easy-care bromeliads provide great year-round foliage colour. Speaking of colour, the crinkled leafed peperomias now come in bronze, burgundy and a nice grey. Nephthytis (arrowheads) come in a fabulous new colour range from silver-white to hot pink and bronze-red. Fittonias are available in red and burgundy patterns, as well as white and green. Pothos are impressive, especially the new hot-lime variety. For a very unique and contemporary presentation, cluster a few of these fabulous foliage plants together in a low, white ceramic container.
Indoor plants are here to stay because they make us feel happier, create a sense of nurturing, reduce stress and, believe it or not, improve our cognitive abilities. To keep them healthy over the fall and winter months, we need to take these important steps to help them survive our indoor conditions.
Fiddle Leaf Figs add real drama to any setting. Photo: Minter Country Garden
https://vancouversun.com/feed/