by Evin Morrison, Extension Master Gardener
Photos by Evin Morrison
January is the month of resolutions. We are home more often; we’re organizing our spaces; and we’re in an era of “doing better.” For many houseplant enthusiasts, this renewed energy turns into helicopter parenting your plants. We see a drooping leaf and reach for the watering can. We notice a lack of new growth and reach for the fertilizer. We know it’s dry, so we bust out the misters.
But in the world of indoor gardening, January is a month of dormancy for many of your plants. The most helpful thing you can do for your plants right now is to leave them alone. If you want your greenery to survive until spring, it’s time to adopt a “less is more” philosophy. We don’t want to fully let them go, but taking a step back is going to be better for your to-do list and your plants’ health.
Understanding Dormancy
If your favorite monstera or pothos has stopped putting out new leaves, don’t panic. You haven’t failed as a plant parent. Your plant is simply taking a break. But it’s important to know that dormancy of your trees and perennials outside is very different for the tropical plants indoors.
In the wild, plants respond to the changing seasons.The nights get cooler and the days get shorter, triggering the plant to take a nap for the winter. Even though your home is climate-controlled and your plants are in a more stable environment than their outdoor counterparts, houseplants still sense the shift in the environment.There is less light coming in through the windows, and the sun’s intensity is significantly less than during the summer months.
When a plant gets less light, it cannot produce the same level of energy required for new growth.To survive, it enters a semidormant state where it focuses on root health and maintaining its current foliage. Forcing a plant to grow during this time—by overwatering or overlighting—stresses the plant’s system and leaves it vulnerable to pests and disease.
So even if you aren’t noticing new growth, it’s not time to break out the fertilizer or check the plant every day. Once the sun comes back out, your home is a little warmer, and the humidity rebounds, those plants will start growing again.
Water is rarely the answer.
The number one killer of houseplants in January is overwatering. In the summer, a plant might need to be watered every week, because the increased heat and light cause faster evaporation. When it comes to the winter months, you get a break from your watering duties. That same plant is now in a state of dormancy and isn’t sucking up water the same way. In fact, it might only need water every three weeks, which is why it’s crucial to always check the soil.
Insert your index finger into the soil of your plant up to the second knuckle (about two inches deep). If the soil feels damp, cool, or sticks to your finger, walk away. Only water when the top two inches are completely dry. Don’t like the feeling of soil under your nails? Moisture meters can be a great tool to use.
For succulents, cacti, and sansevieria (snake plants), you should wait until the soil is dry all the way to the bottom of the pot. In winter, these plants can often go the entire month of January without a single drop of water.
It’s diet season for your plants.
It feels intuitive: if a plant looks a little dull or isn’t growing, it must need food, right? However, fertilizer is not “food” in the way we think of it. It is a collection of minerals that plants need to grow, especially in a “closed” container. In the wild, these nutrients are replenished thanks to insects and organic matter breaking down, but in a container we must replenish them for the roots to stay healthy. If the plant isn’t actively growing and using all those nutrients, the excess minerals simply sit in the soil.
Unused fertilizer builds up in the soil and can “burn” the roots, causing the edges of your leaves to turn brown and crispy. Additionally, if you force a plant to grow at this time of year by applying fertilizer, the new growth will be stretched out as the plant reaches for a light source that isn’t there. If you are noticing plants reaching towards windows, make rotating the pot a habit. This will allow the plant to even out its growth.
Save the fertilizer for the first day of spring. Your plants will thank you for the break.
Humidity or Hydration
Overwatering is often a problem in January, because the air in our homes feels bone-dry. Our skin is dry, our lips are chapped, and if we’re dry, our plants must be dry, too. We see a brown tip on a calathea and assume it’s suffering. However, we need to remember that “dry air” and “dry soil” are two different problems.
If the air is dry, your plant needs humidity, not more water in the pot. Overwatering a plant to compensate for dry air won’t help the leaves; it will only drown the roots. This is why it’s important to check the soil moisture first. There are several effective ways to help with humidity, like grouping your plants together, or using humidifiers, pebble trays, or humidity mats. Creating a microclimate, by placing a group of similar plants together, will help raise humidity. Plants release moisture through their leaves, and if plants are near one another they build a little humidity bubble. If you want to try the pebble tray method, fill a shallow tray with pebbles and water, then set the plant pot on top of the stones. You need to make sure the water level is lower than the bottom of the pot. You want the water to evaporate up through the plants, rather than bottom water the plant by allowing the soil to absorb the water.
There is a myth that misting your plants with a spray bottle will help raise humidity. It feels like you are doing a good thing by pampering your plants, but unfortunately the mist doesn’t last on the leaves long enough to make a difference. The goal is to create consistent and constant humidity.
Smaller moisture loving plants can also benefit from a cloche or terrarium environments during the winter months for the ultimate humid home.
Take a step back.
This month, show your plants love through observation, not intervention. Watch them, clean their leaves, and appreciate their quiet beauty. Before you know it, the spring sun will return, and your well-rested plants will be ready to burst into life again.