So, winter rolls around, and all of a sudden, your plants—those free-loading little guys you’ve been babying all year—start to overreact. The leaves look curled, the stems look limp, everything looks like it is about to give up the ghost at any moment when a single snowflake plops down on a leaf. Somehow, they seem to know that the temperature dropped six degrees and have all decided they can’t continue. And there you are wondering, am I a horrible plant parent? Or are plants just…. dramatic?
It turns out, winter sucks for a lot of them. But it does not have to be an all-out slaughter-fest out there. You just have to know what you are throwing down with. Which, yes, is way more complicated than just bringing the potted ones inside and hoping for the best.
First: Identify What You Are Actually Growing
Before you do anything else, like rearranging furniture to make room or buying tiny sweaters for your plants, you need to identify the suspects. Some plants have an indifference to the cold—like succulents and cacti they’ll just sort of shrug it off (within reason, of course). Others? Some of your tropicals, needy as they are, maybe that impulse-buy fern from June, will completely lose it if the temp dips below 60° F. So, first step: know your plant. Google it. Ask a friend obsessed with houseplants who happens to talk a lot. Something. You cannot protect it if you do not know what it needs to be protected from!
The Great Indoors Migration
If you have plants that for all intents-and-purposes bear any resemblance to anything from a rainforest, they need to be brought inside. Now. No immortal cling-on out there. But indoors–don’t just stuff them in some remote, dark corner somewhere. They still need sun. A south window would be best, or at least somewhere with decent light for more than one hour a day. And don’t park them right next to the heater, they’ll dry out faster than you will in February. Awnings or windows with drafts amplify this whole dried-out situation, so avoid those as well.
The Plant Blanket Situation
As for the stuff you can’t get inside–too big, rooted in the ground, you forgot about it until it snowed–there’s hope. Blankets for plants, frost cloths, burlap– really anything that creates a barrier between your plant and the reality of outside. But know that you’d be better off not taking a tarp and throwing it on top and walking away. The covers should not lay up against the leaves directly, otherwise this has drastic negative effects once the cold sets in. Some people even wear socks on delicate branches. Socks. For trees. Do what you gotta do.
Mulch Is Not Just An Aesthetic
Mulch may feel like that summer category where you only care about it when you’re trying to the look of the garden, however, it is useful for winter as well. Instead, to add a layer of a couple of inches at the base of your outdoor flowering plants-straw, wood chips, leaves, pine needles–whatever you’ve got. It retains heat in the soil, keeps the roots warmer, and just generally makes everything a lot less miserable for your plants. Don’t skip this step. The parts they’re really trying to keep alive are the roots.
Water (but not too much)
This one might feel counterintuitive: why water in winter? It’s already wet and cold! Actually, dry soil is colder, because it loses heat to the atmosphere faster. A little bit of moisture will help it retain warmth during the day from the sun, and slowly release that warmth overnight, like a thermal blanket! That being said, remember it’s winter and not monsoon season – overwatering can lead to root rot. Water early in the day so they aren’t sitting cold and wet overnight, and only when the soil is dry a couple of inches down. Don’t just automatically stick to your summer watering schedule because that’s what you normally do.
The ‘Heater but not a Fire Hazard’ Method
Okay, if you live in a place where temperatures can become brutal, and frostbite can happen in under a minute, you can use heaters or heat lamps – but use common sense. Don’t put a space heater directly on a pile of leaves, and walk away. That is not warmth, that is a fire hazard. Use options that are safe for greenhouses if you can, keep a safe distance and verify that it’s off before you go to bed. You can replace your plants. You can’t replace your house.
Huddle (Sort of)
Plants don’t actually huddle, but you can huddle them. Move your potted plants closer together. This can apply to outside and inside plants! Consider adding a little company to your indoor plants this winter. Companion plants give them a touch of community and collaboration and they will develop a tiny microclimate that retains just a bit more warmth and humidity for them. Not to mention, it’ll have you feeling like your winter plant scene is an extension of a sleepy forest retreat versus a grouping of half-hearted pots.
Prune Before Freeze, Not After
Dead or damaged plant parts are doing the plant or even their fellow houseplants any favors—it is best to prune them off before winter fully takes hold. Pruning back dead plant parts, if nothing else, will reduce potential disease, and help the plants focus their energy to the bits that are still alive and functional. But please, I don’t mean go all Edward Scissorhands on them; Light pruning, not cut downs. Besides, windbreaks- like a little fence or buffer with some shrubs, will help save outdoors plants from cruel, icy winds.
Watch the Thermostat (and possibly grab a cheap thermometer)
It sounds simple, but having a thermometer, ideally near what you are overwintering, especially close to drafty windows or doors, can help keep you two steps ahead of a bad temperature drop. Some plants will start to stress at temperatures hitting 50°F, so when your house feels “a bit chilly”, your plants might be looking claiming that their inevitable demise is mapping out. Know your numbers.
Actually Look at Your Plants Once in a While
This one is sorta obvious but winter makes people lazy. You are cold, cranking that heat, tired, and your plants doing the same old same old. You may very well not notice something is going wrong. Drooping leaves, or browning leaf edges, color changes, etc., these are all signs of distress. Don’t wait for your plant to go to mush before you do something! So, yes, take the time to fully inspect them, but mostly even if it’s every other day you can take a quick second to do a little look as you pass by.
So, yeah, old man winter can be hard on plants. However, plants are not without power. A little mulch here, a shifted pot there, perhaps with a petite blanket situation they will live on. Just don’t disregard them till April and cross your fingers. Plants don’t scream when cold, but trust me, they wilt in silence.
And, if by chance you endure the winters assault without losing a single plant? That’s not luck, that is work. Subtle, leaves and low level hero type work. Keep doing it, because Spring is not that far away!
