Winter houseplant care tips include proper care and no feeding to keep your indoor plants healthy.

Nearly everyone likes to slow down in winter, and this includes our houseplants. They may not lose all their leaves, but some houseplants go dormant during the winter. Even if they aren’t dormant, the winter growth rate of indoor plants slows down–or even stops completely. As a result, houseplants need far less fertilizer and water to survive during winter.

Winter houseplant care is easy for jade plants, African violets, ZZ plants, and other popular indoor plants. But the needs of most indoor plants are a little different from spring and summer. Follow these tips to keep your houseplants in top shape through the winter.

Winter Houseplant Care Tips: Things to Do

These three winter houseplant care tips should be on your To Do list during the coldest months of the year. They are simple, but they will make your indoor plants happier during the winter.

Give Hibernating Houseplants a Bath

The leaves of philodendron, jade plant, snake plant, peace lily, and other plants tend to gather dust, giving them a drab appearance. Give those leaves a gentle wash with a store-bought formula or simply a damp cloth once a month or so. It will give them a healthy shine, allow them to breathe better, and will even help them gather more sunlight.

Check for Insect Pests

Many of us like to bring our tender patio plants indoors when the weather gets too cold, and they unfortunately can bring pests inside with them. Winter care for houseplants should include checking for aphids, scale insects, mealy bugs, and other unwelcome visitors, especially on more vulnerable species such as citrus, spider plants, and jasmine plants.

To kill aphids, mealy bugs, and other insect pests, spray infected plants with a lightweight horticultural oil such as Summit Year-Round Spray Oil. This organic product covers the insects and blocks their air holes (spiracles). The insects can’t breathe, and they die from asphyxiation. Horticultural oils evaporate quickly and degrade rapidly, so they are great for use on houseplants. Best of all, they leave no toxic residue behind.

Wash Your Windows

Many houseplants thrive in low light. But when light levels are already low during the short days of winter, most plants will appreciate an extra boost of sunlight.

Clean your windows inside and out, even if they don’t look dirty. This will clean off dust and grime, and clean windows allow lots more sunlight inside. While washing, check to make sure your plants’ leaves aren’t touching any windows. The cold glass can damage delicate leaves.

Winter Houseplant Care: Things NOT to Do

Many houseplant owners try to do too much for their plants during the winter. Here are three winter houseplant care tips that you should NOT do to plants during the coldest months.

Don’t Overwater

Dormant houseplants simply don’t require as much water in winter as they do during the warm summer months. Plus, watering houseplants too frequently can quickly lead to root rot. You will likely have to tweak your watering schedule a bit. (In other words, expect to water your plants less often!)

Be sure to check that the soil has sufficiently dried out before watering. If you water too much, you may find tiny fungus gnats have infested some of your plants. Fungus gnats live in wet potting soil, and you’ll notice a cloud of them flying around if you move an infested plant. Use a product called Mosquito Bits to kill fungus gnat larvae that live in the potting soil of houseplants. (Just follow the instructions on the label.) To kill fungus gnat adults that are buzzing around your houseplants, use Summit Sticky Traps.

Don’t Fertilize

With a couple of rare exceptions, indoor houseplants don’t need or want any fertilizer during the winter months. It’s best to wait until the weather warms up in spring.

Winter Houseplant Care Tip: Keep Plants Away from Drafts

In winter, keep your houseplants away from hot and cold drafts. These tender tropical plants don’t acclimate well to sudden changes in temperature. So, make sure they are kept well away from drafty windows and heating vents.

Remember, winter is generally the time of year when our houseplants slow down (with some spectacular exceptions, such as the Christmas Cactus). Don’t worry if new growth stops appearing. Just make sure your plants are getting plenty (but not too much) water, and lots of bright, indirect sunlight. Your plants will thank you, and you will enjoy months of lush foliage and cleaner indoor air too!

Final Thoughts

It’s important to remember that most houseplants are, in fact, native to tropical places. Our houseplants don’t like cold weather. Most of them don’t like dry weather. They are used to—and thrive in—high humidity.

Unfortunately, the typical growing conditions in the tropics DO NOT match the typical growing conditions in winter homes. So, follow the winter houseplant care tips above and your houseplants will be much happier during the colder winter months.

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