AUTUMN: how do you best prepare your plants for the upcoming darker times?
Autumn & winter aren't the easiest of times for your plants. Luckily, at GRUUN, we assembled our best tips & tricks to make sure these dark and cold days will pass by just as easily for you as for your green friends!
November, and autumn has officially begun.
It seemed as if we’d be able to avoid those cold, dark days in October, but that Indian Summer seems to be over for real from now on.
In this blogpost, we’d love to give you our best plant care tips & tricks.
So you stay happy, your plants stay happy and we, ofcourse, stay happy.
Change of seasons means change of your plant care routine.
Why? The light is different and the hours of sunshine diminish, temperatures are dropping and that means also the needs of your green friends are changing.
Luckily, with just a few small adaptations, you can make them winterproof so no need to worry about too much maintenance work.
1. Light
Now that the days are becoming shorter and the sun isn’t shining as much anymore, your plants start to notice the shift of seasons and lighting as well.
For some this is a good thing (a cactus needs its wintersleep to flourish during summer, till example - and really all plants benefit from a small “winter break”), for some it’s best to support them with a growlight.
No room for that? No problem - but then you need to make a few changes in your interior.
Your plants should be closer to a window, in order to absorb all the light they can get (but don’t move them too swiftly - moving them a bit closer everyday is the safest option).
Dusty leaves are also a no-go during winter: to ensure your plant gets all the light, you best dust off the leaves.
Have you washed your windows yet? It may seem useless during these rainy days but it would actually be very beneficial for your plants - again, so they can get the maximum of light winter still has to offer them.
Curious to find out more about the light in your house and how to get all its benefits for your plants? You’ll find more tips and tricks here on our Instagram-page.
2. Nutrition
You’d think your plants could use some extra support during these strange times and that the response to that could be some nutrition.
Unfortunately, no. During autumn & winter it’s best not to nourish your plants with some extras.
Weird? Maybe, but it’s because your plants need this period of “silence”, this tiny winterbreak, that it’s better not to interrupt it.
So put that bottle aside and focus more on cutting.
Huh? Yeah, yellow or brown leaves better be removed, to make sure your plants can use all their energy for the healthy (and maybe even new) leaves.
Do you have a plant with flowers? It’s best to cut off all flowers that are finished flourishing.
3. Water
Your plants need very little water during these seasons.
In summer you may have had some thirsty little fellas in your urban jungle, but those needs have been satisfied during summer.
Like us people, fewer drinks are consumed when it’s cold outside!
Maybe you have already lost some of your green friends by not adapting your watering schedule: too much water causes your roots to rot and makes it almost impossible to still save that plant from perishing.
Once every two weeks should already be enough (if not too much) for most of your green friends - it’s better to give them not enough water than too much during these seasons.
Make sure to keep an eye on your plant, is it really absorbing all the water or is it too much?
You can check this by simply feeling a couple of centimeters down in the potting soil (so not just the top), or with a moisture meter or by using a pot with drainage.
If you’re using a closed pot (no hole), you can use clay pebbles to make sure you’re not overwatering your plants.
Want to know more about watering? You can find some extra information here on our Instagram page.
4. Temperature & heating
Lots of interior plants don’t do well in spaces where the temperature lies beneath 15°C.
With the rising prices of electricity and gas you might be tempted to spend all winter wearing one or two sweaters more, but make sure your plants are still happy as well.
Putting on the heating anyway? Then you’ll also have to be careful.
Plants too close to a radiator will NOT be happy this winter. The air dries out and the sudden changes in temperature will also be horrible for your green pal.
But this is easily solved: just put a small amount of water, in a cup or a glass, on top of your radiator (so the air doesn’t dry out too much) & move all plants away from your heating system.
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EXTRA! Notice your plant is getting too big for its pot?
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Photo credits (c) Birgit Sterckx