I’m more of a #summerforever type mainly because my plants and I thrive in warm, humid, sunny conditions. All the new leaves and new plants from propagating are at its peak in summertime making houseplanting most enjoyable.

As summer goes and fall decor hits the store shelves, we know winter is waiting for us around the corner. If you live in a cold city like mine (Chicago), mentally preparing yourself and your plants for another niptastic cold winter will go a long way.

Prepping:

• Cover drafty windows with curtains or window coverings

• Get a humidifier for tropical plants

• Group your tropical plants to raise the humidity

• If you’re bringing plants indoors that have been outside, spray with neem oil application 2-3 times before bringing unwanted pests in.

Watering

• Since plants go dormant in the winter, you can cut back on watering. Usually I water my cactus/succulents only once or twice a month and my tropicals once a week in the winter.

Light and Temperature

• Option to set up grow lights if you don’t want leggy plants. You can use any plug-in light fixture with grow lightbulbs. Leave on for 6-8 hours a day, plugged into an outlet timer for ease of use.

• Keep temperatures between 65°F-75°F, minimum 50°F.

Reminders:

• There may be some plants that will need more attention than others - calatheas, tropical plants - keep a close eye on those.

• There may be a few deaths (it happens!) or extra-leggy plants, just remember once spring hits - your plants will perk up in no time.

• Hold off on fertilizing until spring, unless your plant is putting out new leaves/growth.

• Like every winter, we’ll get through this together!

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