HOW TO HELP YOUR HOUSEPLANTS PERK UP IN THE SPRING
After a long winter with low light and short days, your houseplants are probably not looking as good as they do in the summer. A little spring care for your houseplants will give them a little boost to help them kick off the new growing season well.
1. Start fertilizing when you see signs of new growth, but just a little. We recommend that people don’t fertilize their houseplants during the winter months because most plants slow down to almost imperceptible growth, so they don’t need as many nutrients. In the spring, though, once you start to see evidence of new growth, you should give them some plant food. Be careful not to give them too much at first; start with fertilizing every 3-4 weeks for a month or two, so you don’t overfertilize them.
2. Pot them up if they’re root bound, but only go up one pot size. Spring is an ideal time to repot houseplants that are rootbound because they quickly recover from the transplanting stress. Don’t go up more than one pot size at a time, as too big of a pot means the soil will be slow to dry out, which can cause root rot in houseplants.
3. Clean up your plants in the spring. Over the winter, central heating can blow a lot of dust around your home. Clean your plants up by wiping off the leaves or giving them a shower. Clean leaves photosynthesize better, so keep the dust off.
Observe how the light changes through spring and reposition your houseplants as necessary.
4. Trim back yellowing, browning, or dying leaves or leaves with spots to help your plants redirect energy into new growth this spring. This is also a perfect time to take cuttings for propagation if you want to share your plant with friends or just have more of your own.
5. Check for houseplant pests. Pests seem to show up when we least expect it, so don’t let your guard down this spring. When you’re doing your plant care tasks, have a close look at the stems and limbs, under the leaves, and around the pot for any signs of pests like spider mites or mealybugs, or fungus gnats.
6. Observe how the light changes through spring and reposition your houseplants as necessary. The sun gets higher in the summer, so if your bright light plants were happy across the room all winter because they got a couple of hours of direct sun, you might need to move them closer to windows. If they show signs of heat or sunburn stress, move them further away from windows. If you have plants that don’t seem to care, then let them stay where they are.
7. Water your plants with melted snow or rainwater. Take care to let it warm up to room temperature before you water your houseplants with it. It’s better for your plants than treated tap water. As your plants start to grow more rapidly again, they’ll need to be watered more frequently. You can give them an extra boost when watering by using water from snowmelt or rain. This water is not treated with chlorine like tap water usually is, and it may also have trace minerals and organic nutrients, which will help your plants grow.
8. Later in spring, start acclimating plants for summer outdoors. If you have houseplants that you like to put on the patio for the summer, you can slowly adapt them to outdoor life once temperatures are consistently above 50°F. Take care to make sure you don’t expose them to harsh direct sun right away.
9. Curate and arrange your houseplant collection. Have you been eyeing up a specific houseplant on social media all winter but can’t justify adding it since you have so many to take care of already? Take a full inventory of all the houseplants you have. If you’re bored of some or frustrated by some, or they’ve outgrown your home, consider gifting them to a friend. The best way to make houseplant care easier is to make sure you’re only looking after plants you love. Pass the houseplant love along to a friend.
10. Find inspiration for styling your houseplants as part of your home decor. Pinterest is great, but sometimes looking at how people have arranged houseplants as decor is even better. Stop by the garden center and have a look around to see how our staff have styled houseplants and take home some ideas for your collection.
With a little extra care and attention now, your houseplants will soon be putting out lush new growth as fast as they can to take advantage of the spring and summer growing season. If you need any tools, fertilizer, pest controls, pots, or soil, stop by Dammanns Garden Co. We’ve got all the houseplant supplies you need, and our staff can help answer any burning questions you might have about houseplant care.