The winter season can be stressful on many tropical houseplants. Insufficient light, temperature and humidity can force the houseplants to shed their leaves. But a few modifications to the indoor environment can help the plants to thrive through the winter season.

Set your indoor daytime temperature in the range of 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit and night temperature about 60 to 65 degrees. But don’t place your tropical foliage plants too close to the window frame or near the hot air vent.

Light is the biggest limiting factor for many houseplants. Depending on the light tolerance level, place the houseplants either near a window or under artificial light. Plants that can adapt to low lights such as Chinese evergreen, grape ivy, philodendron, peace lily, Boston fern, and rubber tree can be placed near the north-facing windows. Flowering houseplants such as Christmas cactus, cyclamen, African violet, and amaryllis will do best near east-facing windows as they need cooler temperatures and indirect light for most of the day.

Foliage and xerophytic plants such as cactus, succulents, jade plant, citrus species, coffee, schefflera, and hibiscus need direct light and will perform well near south-facing windows. West-facing windows receive indirect light during morning hours and direct light in mid to late afternoon. Houseplants such as ficus, croton, ponytail, spider plant and mother-in-law’s tongue can adapt either under direct or indirect light levels near a west-facing window. In case you can’t set the plants near the windows, then place a reflective mirror in a suitable angle to direct the light to your plants. Regular fluorescent lights can also be used on limited houseplants such as African violets to induce their bloom or to sustain the foliage growth of some houseplants.

Many tropical houseplants require minimum humidity between 40 and 60 percent. Under low humidity conditions (less than 25 percent), plants might exhibit symptoms like brown leaf tips and edges, bud drop and curled leaves. If you have many houseplants, the use of a humidifier might be your best bet. You could also group the plants together to create a micro-humid condition. Individual plants can be placed on a wide tray filled with water and stones, but keep the bottom of the pot above the water line.

To water or not to water? Houseplants use less water during the winter season. Hence, avoid frequent and overwatering of your houseplants. To determine when to water your plants, just poke a finger to about an inch into the container media to feel the moisture status. Also, scrape the surface of the media and rub the soil media between your fingers. If you feel the soil is pretty dry, like a powder, then it’s time to water your plant. If the soil is moist or damp, come back next week and check the moisture status again.

When watering the plants, pour tepid water gently over the soil media till it drains out to the saucer pan placed underneath the container. Wait for 15 minutes or so and discard the drained water from the pan. Also, avoid fertilizing your houseplants during winter months.


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