Winter is hard on everyone and everything, it seems, and that includes indoor plants. They are adversely affected by the shorter days, the dryness in the air caused by central heating, the combination of increased heat and draughty, cold windows. But not that many of your outdoor gardening responsibilities have been taken care of, you have more time to spend on the plants you grow indoors.
Most houseplants are tropical or semi-tropical, and like a humidity level of 30 to 40 percent. This is well above the humidity in most of our homes in the winter, so you’ll have to provide your indoor plants with some extra moisture. Using a humidifier is one way to do this, but there are other methods, such as the one I’ve suggested for African violets and gardenias – fill a shallow bowl with pebbles, place the pot on the pebbles, and add water to the bowl, net letting the water touch the base of the pot. Or run a cool vaporizer near your plants for a couple of hours a day.
Go easy on watering cacti and succulents that are dormant in the winter. Allow them to dry out almost completely between waterings.
Keep plants away from heat registers where they will receive blasts of hot, dry air.
Dust leaves several times over the winter to help them breathe better. Wipe their leaves gently with a soft, moistened cloth. Use a feather duster on cacti and hairy-leaved plants.
