Even when indoors, plants also feel the change of seasons and are affected by them. In the coming months we will notice a decrease in temperature, there will be less sunlight and the days will be shorter. Know what you should do to keep your plants healthy during the Autumn and Winter months:

Hot days, cold nights

The temperature differences between day and night can be significant, and you probably feel that you already need extra clothes, so your plants will also feel those changes. Therefore, you should change their positioning according to the available sunlight and also change the frequency of watering, so the transition between seasons will be smoother for them.

Pay attention to the light

In Autumn the days are shorter and the angle of the sun changes, which is why some plants will have to change their position in order to have the necessary amount of sunlight to which they were accustomed during Spring and Summer. You can also rotate the plants once a week, for instance, so that all sides of the plant receive similar amounts of light.

Water less

In the colder months, plants do not need the same amount of water as they will have less sunlight and grow more slowly. You can go several days without watering, although if your home’s interiors are too dry then it may make sense to water them; but the best thing is to control the soil, while it’s wet you won’t need to water.

Heaters and drafts

With the use of heaters, the air inside your home can become quite dry, and many indoor plants come from humid climates. Grouping these types of plants can be a good measure to increase humidity. Do not place the plants near heaters, air conditioning or any other heating systems, or too close to windows or doors that open frequently as sudden temperature differences can be too aggressive for them.

Fertilizers

During this time, you won’t even need to fertilize your plants, their growth will be slow so you only need to think about fertilizers again next Spring, when the growing season begins.

Spring is the best time to change pot plants, but if your plants have grown a lot during the Summer, this may be a good time to switch them to a larger pot.

Trimming

You can remove some dead leaves that have turned brown or yellow.

In short, during Autumn and Winter, you do not need to worry too much about your plants. In the coming months, control only the light and the water supply, you do not need to give extra care to your plants as they will be in a ‘period of rest ‘.

Amália Souto de Miranda,

Landscape Architect

Loci Studio