I thought I would share the basics of caring for your houseplants as the weather gets cooler. Tips I wish I'd known as a new plant Mum.
Watering:
This is probably the biggest adjustment to plant care come winter. However, it is also one of the easiest in the sense the exact same principles apply as they do for summer. That is water when the soil is dry, which ever method you use to determine this and works for you is fine. There's no right and wrong and many different methods such as the finger test, weight of the pot (lighter means dry), clear pots (which are my personal favourite) and water meters.
The combination of cold and wet is the prime reason for root rot developing in winter. However, also be mindful that if you have plants in the same room as a heat source particularly a wood burner or opposite a heat pump then they're likely to dry out just as much as they would in summer.
Light:
With winter comes shorter days and the sun is less intense. This can be both a blessing and a curse for houseplant enthusiasts. It may mean the need for supplementary lighting in rooms that aren't receiving adequate light, especially if you want to replicate spring/summer and prevent your plants going dormant. There is a large amount of information on the internet regarding grow light types, efficiency and effectiveness if you're a serious enthusiast and wanting to do more research.
Lower light levels can also be a blessing in some respects. Now that space directly in front of windows may be utilised as winter sun is far less intense than summer sun and therefore, less likely to damage any foliage, giving you more options for plant placement. I know a few of my plants appreciate the kinder winter sun on their summer sun bleached foliage.
Cold and Wet=Root Rot.
"Don't necessarily stop fertilising because the weather is cooler".
Fertilising:
I fertilise with every watering and have always fertilised right throughout winter with the same concentration of fertiliser. The only thing that generally differs is the frequency of watering and consequently fertilising. I have never experienced issues with nutrient burn using this method. I feel this is particularly important if you're "replicating" summer by using heat mats, propagation boxes/cabinets and grow lights as your plants will continue growing and even flowering throughout the cooler seasons. If you are concerned about over-doing it with the fertiliser in the cooler months a top dress with a gentle product such a worm castings is another good option.
Yellow Leaves:
There are a lot of reasons leaves can go yellow such as over-watering, under-watering and nutrient deficiency. But in the case of the cooler months it is common for older leaves to die off, it isnt anything youve done wrong, its just a natural response to the change in weather. While these leaves can be unsightly and Im a self confessed yellow leaf remover it can also be beneficial to the plant to leave them on until they fall off naturally. Why you ask? The dying leaf actually gives nutrients back to the plant.
Plants that go dormant in winter such as alocasia and caladium need the dying leaves to feed the bulbs/corms for the next growing season, so resist the temptation and do not remove these ones.
Hope you find these tips helpful, happy growing everyone x
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