Plant Care Tips for the Winter, According to Experts (2025)

“If leafage edges move brownish aliases curl, that’s usually a humidity outcry for help,” per Mutalik. “We support humidity-loving plants for illustration calatheas, ferns, and marantas grouped together connected pebble trays and run a humidifier nearby.” (Our WIRED-tested favourite is above.) He says that a windowed bath is besides awesome for tropical plants that emotion precocious humidity. “It doesn't person to beryllium fancy,” adds Anderson.

Heat

We already covered that you should show nan warmth adjacent your windows to guarantee it doesn't driblet beneath 55 degrees Fahrenheit. But ambient aerial temperatures tin impact your houseplants arsenic well. “If you’re emotion chilly, your plants astir apt are, too,” says Hancock. “And they can’t put connected a sweater.”

You'll besides want to watch retired for drafts. “If you person a houseplant adjacent a heating vent wherever it’s getting exposed to aerial that’s noticeably warmer aliases cooler than nan ambient aerial temperature, it tin accent your plant, causing leaves to yellowish prematurely,” says Hancock.

Drafts tin beryllium caused by exterior doors and windows. Connolly points retired that heating vents and abstraction heaters tin beryllium detrimental, too. Plants “like nan somesthesia to enactment accordant and not beryllium swinging backmost and distant betwixt basking and cold.”

Awareness is cardinal erstwhile it comes to power and airflow. “We support thing leafy aliases tropical astatine slightest 2 feet distant from heaters and guarantee windows are well-insulated,” says Mutalik.

Pests

If you're bringing your plants indoors from outside, experts urge quarantining them for a play of clip to guarantee they aren't hosting immoderate pests that could impact your different houseplants. (Because let's beryllium real—nobody has conscionable one houseplant.) “Catching them early saves a batch of heartache,” says Anderson.

Mutalik and nan remainder of nan Houseplant Nook quarantine their plants for 2 weeks. Check nether each leafage for mites, mealybugs, aliases gnats. If you brushwood pests, location are a fewer ways of addressing them that tin alteration based connected penchant and works species. Wheat removes them manually if possible, and wipes them down pinch a cloth aliases a ray vinegar solution earlier moving connected to other, much fierce measures for illustration horticultural oils aliases soaps if needed. (Editor Kat Merck uses nan insecticidal soap supra connected her houseplants and hydroponic gardens.)

Connolly wipes plants down pinch a cloth and past rinses them successful nan sink. And Mutalik says that Neem lipid aliases castile soap tin activity wonders if you drawback nan pests early; swipe nan leaves, particularly broader leaves, each 2 weeks to forestall infection.

While galore wintertime pests hitch a thrust indoors, Hancock points retired that dry, lukewarm conditions (like those recovered successful heated homes successful winter) are nan perfect situation for spider mites.

“Regularly washing works leaves tin thief dislodge spider mites and thief support nan organization low. If you’re conscionable seeing spider mites and don’t want to spray, see investing successful beneficial mites. Beneficial mites will eat nan spider mites and don’t harm your plant,” he says.

Fertilizer

Fertilizer is ever a small confusing, and it tin beryllium moreover much puzzling successful nan wintertime. “I would say, don't moreover fuss to fertilize your location works if you're utilizing an over-the-counter potting soil. Most of these soils person slow-release fertilizer successful them that is capable for works growth,” says Wheat.

If you person an older works pinch tired soil, aliases a peculiarly “heavy feeder,” you tin opt for a slow aliases controlled-release fertilizer—or conscionable repot it pinch caller soil. (But beryllium alert that wintertime isn't usually nan champion clip to repot a plant, and you whitethorn want to hold until nan increasing play arrives.)