As the season changes, so too do your houseplant’s needs. Learn how to keep your houseplants happy and healthy this coming cold season with our fall houseplant care tips.
Warm days, chilly nights. Yes, the temperature changes this fall season will be dramatic from day to night. So if you’re a plant parent researching on how to keep your houseplants alive until spring, then you’re on the right page.
Caring for your houseplants wouldn’t be seriously hard, but your plants will require a little extra care since most houseplants tend to wither during the fall and winter season. Here, we break down our fall houseplant care tips into eight easy and efficient steps that will absolutely help your houseplants thrive during this season.
Bring Plants Indoors
Bringing your plants indoors will make the transition this coming fall season as smooth as possible. So if you moved your houseplants outside this summer, it’s time to bring them back indoors. We recommend that you do this before the temperature hits 55°F at night. Leaving your houseplants outside at night this fall season will cause major damage to your plants, and it could kill your plant.
Fall Houseplant Care Tip: Before you bring them back indoors, give your plants a shower with a garden hose to get rid of any pests they might have picked up outside. Then spray the leaves with diluted neem or hort oil.
Decrease Watering
As the temperature starts to cool down, your houseplants’ watering needs will also decrease. Keep in mind that the water will dry out more slowly this fall season, so we recommend that you should adjust your watering schedule, as well. Letting your plants sit in wet soil during this fall will attract fungus gnats to breed, which is a common pest these cooler months.
Fall Houseplant Care Tip: The best time to water your houseplants this season is to wait until the top 3 centimeters of the potting mix is dry before watering again.
Don’t Repot Your Plant
OK, some plant blogs would say that it’s okay to repot your plant, but we don’t recommend it because this can be an additional big change for your houseplants, and we’re trying to help your plants to have a smooth transition this fall season. Additionally, the best time to repot your plants is when they are actively growing, which is in the spring or summer. So if you have missed the opportunity to repot your plant during spring or summer, it’s best to patiently wait for the next spring or summer to arrive.
Fall Houseplant Care Tip: Since we still have a few weeks left before autumn officially begins, this is your last call to repot, particularly for plants that need a bigger planter.
Foliage Dieback
Foliage dieback means that your houseplants’ leaves might begin to drop. Don’t panic because this is perfectly normal since they are adjusting to the lower light levels. Simply provide the right level of light and temperature for your houseplants to thrive.
Fall Houseplant Care Tip: Give your plants a bit of TLC by pulling off a few leaves to help them maintain bushy and lush foliage.
CREDIT: HUNTING FOR GEORGE
Increase the Humidity
Expect that the air indoors is going to be much drier this fall, so it’s best to invest in a humidifier and increase the humidity levels for your houseplants, especially for tropical plants. Plus, humidifiers are great for our skin too. So it’s not just your plants will benefit from it. Another alternative to increase the humidity levels is to mist them every few days, place them in a pebble tray, or group like-plants together to increase humidity.
Fall Houseplant Care Tip: Avoid any extreme changes in temperature. Additionally, never put your plants near air conditioning vents or doors because hot and cold drafts can cause stress to your plants.
Provide the Right Level of Light
Indoors have lower light levels compared to outdoors. Now that autumn is here, it’s important to keep light levels up for your houseplants to thrive. Look for an area in your home where your plants can get the same amount of sunlight.
Fall Houseplant Care Tip: Rotate your plants once a week to ensure all sides get the same amount of sunlight. A sign that your plant’s not getting enough light is when it leans one way or another.
Stop Feeding Your Plants
Or go easy on the fertilizer. However, since houseplants grow slow down during the fall and winter months, it’s best to withhold from using any fertilizer until next spring, which is the start of the growing season.
Fall Houseplant Care Tip: Feeding your plants when it’s dormant can cause fertilizer burn or plant burn. Focus on providing the right amount of light and water to help them stay alive and healthy during fall and winter.
Trim and Prune
Give your plants a little TLC by trimming and pruning where needed. Also, remove any unsightly dry, brown, or yellowing leaves. Gently wipe down the leaves on both sides using a damp, wet cloth. Lastly, check for pests and apply treatment where necessary.
Fall Houseplant Care Tip: Get creative by giving your plants a new place to stay, such as hanging baskets or installing floating shelves. Just make sure that it can hold your houseplant after a thorough watering.
Fall houseplant care can be quite challenging, especially for beginners. If your houseplant didn’t survive the fall and winter months, it’s okay. It happens. It’s best to let go and move on to other plants looking for a home.
Grow your plant knowledge. Check out our Plant Care blog to learn more about different houseplants and tips on how to keep your plants alive and healthy.
