The weather is getting colder, the sun is less visible and rain is more likely to fall from the sky. In other words, the summer holidays have come to an end and autumn is making its appearance. This change of season is not only for you a big change, but also for plants.
Less sunlight
The main difference for plants is the amount of sunlight. Basically not a big problem for us, but plants suffer more from those dark days.
Sunlight is food for the plant. Without sunlight, a plant will hardly grow or not even at all. What is the reason for this? No food means no energy. This in turn results in the stop on making new leaves.
Reduced sunlight can also cause brown leaves. This can even be so bad that the leaves will fall out! Plants that mainly suffer from brown leaves are tropical plants. Think of a Banana plant or a Strelitzia. These plants are so used to sunlight that they can’t live without it. A plant has the following symptoms if it gets too little light: the leaf discolours or it even falls off.
Less care
As the plant has less energy due to the lack of sunlight, less care is needed. Especially the irrigation can be reduced. Not completely natural, but the amount of water you give may be a little less.
Of course there are also plants that don’t need any water at all in the winter. Think of a succulent plant or a cactus.
The switch between the amounts of water can be quite a shock for you and the plant. It can also happen that you still give too much water.
The excess water that the plant itself does not need remains at the bottom of the flowerpot.
Water that remains lying around is looking for another place to settle. Usually, excess water gets stuck in the roots of the plant.
If there is too much water in the roots, they will rot. This can in due course result in a lifeless plant. And of course we want to prevent that!
Tips for the winter dip
To prevent root rot, falling and brown leaves you can take the following measures.
- Start in time with the reduction of the irrigation. As soon as the summer comes to an end, it is better to reduce the amount and frequency of watering. This prevents the risk of root rot.
- Position plants at the window. This way the plants can get all the sunlight that comes in. This means that the impact from summer to autumn is smaller.
- Spray your plants daily with a plant sprayer. When the weather gets colder, the heating is often switched on. Good for us, but a little less for the plant. This lowers the humidity in your house. Something that doesn’t make plants happy. Therefore, you should also use the plant sprayer every day to keep the humidity in balance. This will prevent the leaves of a plant from drying out.
- Buy a grow light. Do you have many tropical plants in your home? Then you could buy a grow light. This does not have to be an expensive purchase. You can buy a simple grow light that you can turn in any lamp stand. Turn on the grow light a few hours a day, and your plants will really feel better!
- Purchase a glass growing greenhouse. This solution is only suitable for smaller indoor plants. In the greenhouse you place small and tropical plants that love high humidity. You can add a layer of water to the greenhouse and close the glass. This way, the layer of water will automatically condense, so that the air humidity in the greenhouse will remain at the same level. Perfect for your plants!
Hopefully with these tips you will make sure that you and your plants stay happy. Even in those dark and cold months.
