We’re looking at you. The plant parent who picks out their flora at the store, gives them plenty of water, light, love, and a subtly witty name like Snake Gyllenhall or Vincent Van Grow. We see you.
For all of your attempts to care for your plants, as soon as winter hits, you watch as leaves turn brown or yellow and Vincent Van Grow goes out on the curb into the Vincent Van Snow. No amount of classical music or words of affirmation would have made any difference.
It doesn’t have to be this way! We’ve put together 5 tips to help you troubleshoot your plants’ seasonal regression.
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Regulate and Monitor the Temperature
This seems like a no-brainer, because obviously we want to keep our plants warm when it gets cold. But, warm blasts of air can harm our plants as much as the cold can. So you want to keep your babies both away from drafty windows, doors and radiators, heating vents and fireplaces.
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Let There Be Light
During darker months give your plants as many chances of catching the light as you can. Move them closer to windows (but not too close!), clean their leaves, clean your windows and add artificial light where you can’t otherwise provide the natural stuff. Artificial light bulbs are available at most hardware stores and will help keep your green friends alive (and hopefully brighten your days too!).
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Prune, But Don’t Re-Pot
Don’t be afraid to prune back any leaves that look sad, or any vines that are long, leggy and leafless. Pruning tends to make things look nicer while root and leaf growth slows down during the colder months.
Winter is not the time to re-pot your plant. I know! That new pot you got over the holidays is adorbs, but if you wait until spring to pot your plant up, it will thank you. That being said, there is nothing wrong with sticking ol’ Vincent with his existing pot into one of Poko’s plant baskets. This will help insulate the roots against drafts and give you the facelift you’re looking for.
And, because our baskets are so multifunctional, you can re-pot your plant and find a zillion other things to store in style.
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Water… Less!
It’s a common mistake to over-water your plants. Only water if the soil is dry an inch or two below the surface. Over-watering is always dangerous, but especially so in winter because wet = cold, and, as we now know, cold = death for Vincent. Some obvious indicators of overwatering are moldy soil, yellow leaves or little flies.
You may also want to use lukewarm water for your plants until spring. Watering plants with warm water in winter is better as not only does it help them grow faster and larger, it will also help to avoid shocking those finicky roots.
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Arrange Them Into Groups
Clustering your plants together during the winter can help them share nutrients and moisture. You can move your plants onto a large plate or nestle them close together on your tables or shelves to create seasonal co-living spaces for them. There’s power in numbers! Even plants need friends.
Plant care is a lifelong journey as you move and seasons change. Hopefully if you choose to follow just one or all of these little tips, and it helps save even one sad monstera from curbside doom, we will have done our job.
And, as a bonus, know that each purchase from Pokoloko plants two trees - so whether your own ‘forest’ is thriving or...not, you can always remind yourself of the forest you helped plant along the way.
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