Houseplant winter watering

HOUSEPLANTS WINTER WATERING

Using a proper watering can will help you water the soil
and avoid wetting the leaves. 

As daylight hours shorten, houseplants slow their growth and requirements for watering lessen. This enables plants to adapt and survive the long winter months.  Stop fertilizing until active growth resumes in the spring.

To make houseplant care easier, group plants together which require the similar light
and watering requirements.

During the summertime we can usually water all our houseplants at the same time, but now each plant must be watered for their individual water requirement. 

African Violets do not tolerate wet leaves which
 can cause spotting and disease. 

To make this easier group like plants together and refresh your memory of the water suggestions for each plant. 

The gift foil on plants do not have drainage holes and should be removed during
the watering process.

Proper watering will help your Poinsettia survive though the entire
holiday season. 

The most common problem related to houseplants is 'root rot' due to over watering. When plants aren't growing they don't absorb as much water.  The excess water sits in the soil and on the root system. This situation allows the roots to 'rot' and leads to the death of the plant.

The root system on the left has root rot and can no longer transfer water
and nutrients to the leaves and flowers. The root system on the right is healthy.

The easiest way to avoid this problem is a simple watering technique, touching the soil. Simply stick your finger in the top inch of soil and if it is moist don't water it. Let the soil dry out between watering. Many gardeners use this horticultural practice all year long.

Touch the top inch of soil. If it feels moist or sticks to your finger
hold off watering until it dries out.

   Another result of wet soil is 'fungus gnats', tiny flying insects that are an annoying houseplant pest. These insects lay eggs on moist soil and hatch quickly increasing the number of gnats throughout the winter. 

Fungus gnats are visible to the naked eye. Cut down water immediately
to control their reproduction. 

These pests can be controlled by lessening the amount of water. Once again let the top inch of soil totally dry out between watering. You should replace the top inch with fresh soil. 

For annoying but controllable pests, remove the top inch of soil and replace it with
clean fresh potting soil and adjust watering practices.  

You can also put a few small pieces of potato in the top of the soil. The newly hatched gnats crawl into the potato for food and can be easily removed before becoming adults. 
Remember to dispose and replace these chucks of potatoes once or twice a week and your problem will be solved within a few weeks. If you have a treasured houseplant this procedure is worth the time and effort to save it.

Use room temperature water. After you empty your watering can refill it and let it sit for the next time. This also lets the chlorine drop to the bottom before you water your plants again.

If you use ice cubes to increase humidity put them
in the tray rather than on top of the plants.

The modern day 'trick' of using ice cubes and letting them melt on top of the soil does more harm than good for your plant.

Many plants can react poorly to ice cubes melting
on top of the soil and the root system.

Remember most of our houseplants are from hot tropical or desert climates. Orchids are one plant that suffers greatly from this practice of using ice cubes.

Enjoy gardening all year long,

James