Gardening
4 tips to keep your houseplant alive during the winter
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Gardening
4 tips to keep your houseplant alive during the winter
From overwatering to rotting the roots, we reveal the most common ways to kill your houseplant. Plus, the four tricks that will keep your potted flower healthy all winter long.
Canadian winters are a dark and dreary affair. Adding a potted flower to your home not only brightens cold winter days, but also benefits your health.
A comprehensive report by The Canadian Nursery and Landscaping Society found that plants have many positive effects on our mental and physical health. Plants help remove the toxins from your home, like formaldehyde, which is often found in heating and cooking fuels.
In terms of your mental health, studies have shown that flowers can boost your energy, make you happier and reduce your stress.
So you definitely want to add a few colourful blooms to your home. But how do you keep your flowers alive when there is so little sunlight. Brian Minter of Minter Country Garden Ltd in Chilliwack, B.C. shared his tips for keeping your plants alive during the cold winter months.
1. Don't repot your plant
You may be tempted to replant your flower in a larger pot. But Minter says this is "certain death" at this time of year. "Plants need to be root-bound in a smaller container so that when you do water, the water goes through quickly and doesn't sit and begin to rot the roots," he says. Think of your plant's roots like your hair. In the summer, your hair dries quicker because of the heat and humidity. It's the same for your plant's roots. But things don't dry as quickly in the winter, meaning your plant's roots are more likely to rot. So avoid replanting and overwatering, which brings us to our second tip.
2. Don't overwater
Overwatering is a common problem in both the summer and winter. But Minter says there is an easy way to tell if your plant is thirsty. Pick up your flower and feel its weight. Does it feel heavy? Then it doesn't need to be watered. If it feels light then give it a good watering. Yes, it's that simple.
3. Don't use cold water
On chilly winter mornings, do you take a cold shower? Of course not! So why would you do the same to your plant, Minter says. He advises you give your plant a thorough watering using warm water.
4. Don't feed your plant
There's no need to fertilize in the winter because your plant isn't in a growing cycle, Minter explains. "Leave your feeding until we get back into the longer days," he says, noting that end of March to mid-April is when it's best to start fertilizing. "The sun is back, longer days are back and the growing cycle begins."
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