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Houseplants, as well as those that winter at home, often look depressed in winter. How to keep them in good shape throughout the cold months?

1. Keep flowers in a bright place

In winter, plants need sunlight more than ever. Therefore, the home flower garden should be located in a place where there will be plenty of it. If necessary, especially delicate or most valuable specimens can be moved to follow the sun. The most convenient way to do this is to place the flowers on a table on wheels or simply move special stands for flowers. If you place plants on window sills, then east-oriented windows are best suited for this. Flowers will feel worst on northern windows.

2. Water less

Most of the plants in winter period It is enough to water once a week, since they are dormant. This is especially true for those flowers that usually grow on outdoors, but were moved indoors for the winter.

3. Humidify the indoor air

Due to the heating being turned on in winter, the air in houses and apartments becomes very dry, which has a detrimental effect on the condition of plants. Most of them need humidity around 50-60%, while in the house it averages up to 35%. Therefore, plants that love humidity are recommended to be sprayed every day with a spray bottle. You can also install a humidifier in the flower garden.

There is another way to increase the humidity level for specific plants: you can place the flower pot on a tray with wet pebbles, and then install such a structure in a warm, sunny place. If necessary, water should be added to the tray from time to time.

You can also try to build individual greenhouses for flowers that are especially sensitive to lack of humidity: cover them with a transparent glass cap or put them in a regular plastic bag.

4. Protect plants from diseases

The most common disease of indoor flowers in winter is leaf spot, which is of bacterial or fungal origin. Yellow or brown spots develop on outside sheet, and then appear on the inside. If you notice similar spots on the leaves of your plants, spray the flower systemic fungicide and do not water it for several weeks.

5. Keep your plants clean

To make home flowers less sick, you need to take good care of them. One of the important points in caring for indoor plants is removing dust from the foliage. If you periodically wipe them from accumulated dirt, it will be easier for the flowers to “breathe”. In addition, if the leaf plates are covered with dust or plaque, the process of photosynthesis will be difficult. All this applies to plants with smooth leaves, because flowers with leaf blades covered with small villi are very afraid of wet cleaning, as well as spraying.

6. Bathe green pets

For plants that are not too large, spraying is enough to freshen up and wash away dust from the leaves. But large flowers are still recommended to have “bath procedures”, cleaning the foliage in the shower. To prevent water from dripping from the plant onto the floor after this, the leaves can be wiped with a sponge.

7. Stop feeding

As already noted, many plants are dormant in winter, and there is no need to “wake up” them with fertilizing. You can start applying fertilizers in the spring, when the flowers begin to grow again and need nourishment.

8. Adjust the temperature

If you have the opportunity to change the air temperature in the room where the plants are located, then take note that a slight temperature difference has a positive effect on their well-being. If the room is a little warmer during the day than at night, then the plants will feel approximately the same conditions in which they grow outdoors.

9. Get rid of insects

In order not to miss the moment when pests appear on plants, flowers should be periodically inspected. If there are midges in your home flower garden, you should place sticky traps nearby. Another solution to the problem is to bury a clove of garlic in the soil in the pots.

Prepared based on materials from the website: www.gardenista.com

Winter care for indoor plants

Winter, when it’s only outside the window white and besides, it’s cold, we are especially happy about indoor plants, which with their bright colors remind you of a warm and comfortable summer.

However, in order for plants to really please, you need to know the rules of winter care for indoor flowers, because autumn and winter are considered a critical period in their life. It is at this time that many plants stop intensive growth and enter a state of dormancy. Low temperatures outside the windows, drafts, dry air, lack of light - these are all the things that worry the amateur gardener. How to preserve indoor flowers in winter?

We equip a window sill

On cold days, the air temperature near the window glass is often +5, and ice may even form on its lower edge. This means that the window sill should be insulated without interfering with the plant’s natural light, which is already scarce.

In severe frosts, cover the window with tape plastic film. Just under the frame, place a roll of several newspapers or a foam roller wrapped in film. Insulate the window sills with polystyrene foam plates, on which you place the pots in pallets.

Move heat-loving plant species to warmer locations or place them in hanging baskets. Balsams, begonias, Saintpaulias, gloxinias, echinanthus do not tolerate cold; ferns, aloe, and spurge are also not cold-resistant.

Chrysanthemums, geraniums, and some are more tolerant of low temperatures. bulbous plants, wintering Petunias that can withstand cold snaps of up to 5-7 degrees.

To increase the temperature in the room during severe frosts, remove all coverings from the central heating radiators, lift the curtains, place reflectors behind the radiators - special foil plates or just a large mirror.

Remove excessive dry air that occurs in these cases by frequently spraying the plants, and on large plants, wipe the leaves.


Ventilation and indoor plants

Air ventilation is necessary not only for people, but also for plants. However, the combination of severe frosts outside the window and an open window is very risky. Therefore, place the flowers on the windowsill so that the stream of cold air does not hit them in any way.

Pots can stand safely on the side of the window if you cover them with a shield of paper or film while airing.

If for some reason your flower is frozen, then give it a completely cold shower - and it may go away. If the process is irreversible, then cut off the entire plant or its individual frozen parts.

Winter care for indoor plants: 6 rules

How to properly care for indoor flowers in winter? Water more - many housewives think, because in winter the heating works in the apartments and the air becomes dry. But is this true?

Every day the living conditions for indoor plants are getting worse, as the days are getting shorter and sunlight is no longer enough. The nights are getting colder, heating devices completely change the microclimate in the room, due to which the plants do not have enough humidity, and as a result they begin to experience discomfort.

1. Winter watering and spraying
If the plants are located in the back of the room, where it is hot, then the soil in the pot dries quickly and you will have to water more often. If they overwinter on the windowsill, where it is cooler, the soil remains damp for a long time and needs to be watered less often.

To prevent stretching and yellowing of the leaves, in winter the plants should be allowed to rest, stopping their growth. They need to be watered less often, only as a last resort, when the soil begins to dry out. But at the same time, it is necessary to increase spraying, otherwise the tips of the leaves will begin to wither, which over time can lead to death. Also loosen the soil surface more often to allow air to penetrate to the roots. It’s not for nothing that this method is called “dry watering.”

It is not recommended to spray some types of plants, for example violets, as the leaves will begin to rot. They should be placed on a tray containing constantly wet expanded clay or pebbles.

Cacti and other succulents are hardly watered in winter. Ornamental leaf plants in winter still need moderate watering in winter, as the top layer of soil dries out. For flowering plants, the soil should be kept slightly moist even in winter. Only especially moisture-loving plants (azalea, calamus, cyperus) need waterlogging all year round.

2. Retirement
There are types of green pets that require retirement in winter time, for example, cacti, for this, watering should be gradually reduced, and fertilizers should not be applied at all.

3. Feeding and lighting of plants
It is advisable not to feed all plants that do not show signs of active growth: minerals are poorly absorbed - they will salt the soil and can even kill the roots. Those that actively grow all year round (this especially applies to large plants - monstera, ficus, palm trees, hibiscus) can be fertilized, but less often than in spring and summer, about once a month.

In winter, it is better to place plants closer to the window glass. Additional lighting can also be provided using fluorescent lamps. It is recommended to feed the plants approximately once a month from November to February. In winter, the dose indicated on the package is halved.

Indoor plants that bloom in autumn or winter need to be fed regularly. Such plants include eucharis, callas and cyclamens. It is advisable to give preference to granular fertilizers. You should take care of lighting, because flowering plants need a lot of light for flowers to appear.


4. Pest control
Don’t forget about pests; even in the winter months they actively reproduce, which is facilitated by too dry air in the apartment. It is advisable to regularly inspect all plants and remove flowers and leaves that have wilted.

Pests are primarily fungal and bacterial rots. Favorable for fungal development low temperature. If it is cold on the window, the soil in the pots takes a long time to dry out - conditions for fungal microflora arise, and the risk of damage to the roots increases. This is especially true for succulents (cacti, mesembryanthemums), swallowtails (stapelias) and euphorbias. Control measures:
- do not water plants with wet soil;
- water succulents when the stems or leaves begin to wither - once every 2-3 weeks or less;
- do not water cacti and lithops at all.

5. Comfort and hygiene
Leaves should be wiped regularly if dust has accumulated on them and if the size of the leaves allows this. It is recommended to wash small indoor plants in the shower, after covering the ground with film. Remember that all green pets are afraid of sudden drops in temperature and drafts.

6. Transplant
It is best to avoid it in winter. Plants are at rest - in this phase life cycle attempts at reproduction and transplantation will not meet with “understanding” from them. Transplantation for vital reasons, when the plant is very sick (for example, the roots have rotted from excessive watering), is necessary in any season.

The end of winter is the most favorable time for actively replanting indoor plants. Daylight hours increase and plants begin to grow again. They actively form new roots, so it is during this period that it is easier for them to get used to the new planting site. However, it should be replanted if the plant becomes too crowded in the old pot. Carefully remove the plant from the pot. If there is a strong interweaving of roots, then replanting is necessary.

Winter is in full swing short days, poor lighting, too dry air for indoor plants. In December, a humidifier is especially important to somehow increase its humidity. It's time to create a New Year's red and green composition from red amaryllis, poinsettias, ardisias and plants with dark green leaves. In mid-December, you can plant seeds of exotic fruits ( date palm or citrus fruits) in a mini-greenhouse.

Be sure to heat tap water before watering! If you place pots of plants next to each other, to make them lighter, do not move them close to each other. Let the air pass freely between them. Regularly remove yellowed or dry leaves, trim overgrown or weakened shoots so that the plants always remain beautiful.

Once a month, you can add shine to dense leaves using special aerosol. In the middle of the day, ventilate the room, first rearranging the plants so as not to freeze them. Increase the humidity, but do not wet the leaves too much. If flower bulbs have sprouted, place them closer to the light. At night, lower the room temperature slightly, giving the plants a short break.

January

At this time, most plants “sleep” in vegetative dormancy. It is worth watering them less often, reducing the amount of water for each watering. The soil must dry out between two waterings; 15 minutes after watering, always pour the water out of the pan.

Water cacti and succulents every 12-13 days in January. warm room and every 20 days in a cool place. It is better to use botanical scissors or mini pruners to trim dry shoots. Shorten the stems if they become too long due to lack of light.

Cut off dry or brownish ends on the leaves, just be careful not to damage the green part of the leaf - then the plant will begin to deteriorate.

Increase the air humidity in the house, spray soft and slightly warm water plant leaves. Place all the pots side by side on a layer of expanded clay placed in a small amount of water. So you will reduce negative impact central heating. Ventilate the room without leaving the plants in a draft. Fertilize plants that are about to bloom. Spray regularly flowering plants, but do not wet the flowers.

February

Houseplants are beginning to awaken from their winter hibernation. It's time to put them in order, sweep away the soil and pots. Use a warm, damp sponge to remove pore-clogging dust from dense, large leaves. Rinse small leaves in the shower. Using a brush, dust off cacti, succulents, and hairy-leaved plants.

Spray the leaves indoor palm trees, especially abundantly from the inside, to prevent the Reds from attacking them spider mites. Leaves should dry before nightfall. Polish the fleshy leaves of ficus rubber, monstera and philodendron.

Prepare in advance for spring transplant plants. Let the necessary tubs or pots, substrates, expanded clay for drainage, supports, pallets and fertilizers be purchased. Remove scale insects by hand, trim dried branches that have been damaged by powdery mildew. In February you can buy azaleas, cyclamens and primroses. They will bloom longer if you move them to a cool room overnight.

Reduce the power of heating devices at night: this will help the plants feel better. Do not spray the velvety leaves of Saintpaulias and begonias. Rotate flower pots for even lighting. Gradually increase watering. The most moisture-loving plants should receive water twice a week in February.

Gradually resume active watering of cacti and succulents. Use non-limestone water to water gardenias, azaleas, and ferns.

Divide the bushes during replanting if they feel crowded in the pot. Ventilate the room regularly, but still protect the plants from cold drafts and sudden drops in temperature. U climbing plants trim off the bald stems and support the longest shoots.

Indoor flower in winter

It’s winter, there are beautiful snowy landscapes outside the window, and the apartment is warm and cozy. We are already overwhelmed with the anticipation of the New Year, and in the pre-holiday chores we can easily forget about our green favorites, mechanically limiting ourselves to daily watering. But humans are much more unpretentious than indoor plants, and if for us the winter microclimate of an apartment resembles a summer one, then for indoor flowers it is a serious test. are in serious danger. Poor sealing of the glass in the window, short-term daily ventilation and even central heating radiators, which undoubtedly provide warmth to all living things in the apartment, can also destroy indoor flowers. And the fault for this will not be theirs, but that of amateur gardeners who do not respond in time to changes in the microclimate in the house.

I was prompted to write this article by my own experience; I almost lost my husband’s favorite monstera delicata. Despite daily spraying and the fact that the bedside table with the flower was at least a meter from the radiator, spots began to appear on its leaves brown from excessive dry air. Moving the monstera to the other side of the room saved the flower, but the two lower leaves had to be removed, which could have easily been avoided if I had prepared the indoor plants for the winter in time.

Indoor plants in winter - where to expect danger.

Indoor plants may be at risk in winter as a natural change climatic conditions, and due to improper winter care on the part of the amateur gardener. The winter period begins for indoor plants in November, when daylight hours begin to sharply decrease and daily temperature changes increase. There are no clear-cut recipes for how home flowers can survive the winter, because all gardeners different conditions content, and different types plants. Houseplants according to their winter behavior can be divided into the following groups:

1. dropping leaves into ,
2. requiring a period of rest,
3. not requiring a period of rest,
4. blooming in winter.

Indoor plants that completely shed their foliage during the winter dormant period.

Such indoor plants require minimal attention in winter. With the beginning of the winter period, we stop feeding and watering them. After the foliage has dried, we cut it off, leaving stems of several centimeters. We transfer the pots to a cool, dark place for the entire dormant period. In a city apartment, it can be placed under the bathtub. Water every few weeks to preserve the root system. Since the air in the apartment is drier and warmer than necessary, to maintain humidity we wrap each pot in a bag. With the onset of warm spring months, we take the flowers to a bright place and resume watering and fertilizing.

General rules for caring for indoor flowers in winter.

Let's consider what threatens indoor plants in winter, which retain their foliage cover and tips for eliminating them:

1. Heating system that significantly dries out room air. Ideally, it is better to move the plants away from the radiators, but in a cramped city apartment this is not always possible. To avoid negative consequences, you need to spray the flowers more often, or purchase air humidifiers for your apartment. But it is much more effective to place flower pots on periodically moistened trays with pebbles, expanded clay and natural moss. You can also cover the window sills on the battery side with film to a height of 2/3 of the plants, which will damage decorative look apartments, but if the room is not residential, then the option is effective.
2. Winter drafts. They can be so insignificant or short-term that at other times of the year they would only refresh our plantings. The best solution will remove flowers from the line of drafts: window-window, window-door and from the window sills that open for ventilation. If it is not possible to move all the plants, then move those in heavy pots, and remove others only for the time of ventilation. In any case, windows must be prepared for winter using insulating materials.
3. Check the window sill temperature. You remember that for the development and rooting of flowers, an increased temperature of the soil in the pot is necessary. Accordingly, cold stone or concrete window sills can lead to disease and death of the root system of flowers. The solution is to rehome your indoor plants or make wooden or foam stands.

Indoor plants in winter that require a period of rest.

To help successfully overwinter indoor plants that retain leaf cover but rest during the cold months, you must adhere to the following rules:

1. Completely stop feeding flowers before active growth begins.
2. Limit watering to a minimum. The compost should at least dry to 1 cm from the surface.
3. Transfer the plants to a room with a temperature lower than the recommended air temperature by 5˚C.

Winter conditions for plants that do not require a dormant period.

For such plants, all conditions must correspond to the value - moderate. They will not die from worsening conditions, but they may get sick and lose their decorative appearance. For example, if feeding and watering are not limited, the flower may continue the active growth phase. But under conditions of limited light time, it will actively reach for the light, causing its internodes to become disproportionately elongated, the branches to form thin, and the leaves to become faded. Without additional stands, the flower may simply break off.

Indoor plants that bloom in winter.

Blooming in winter indoor flower- this is undoubtedly the gardener’s delight, a sign of his talent, patience and love. To achieve flowering, we must carefully study and recreate optimal conditions. High-quality and species-appropriate fertilizing, regular watering, strict thermal conditions and additional phyto-lighting will help you achieve your goal. Don't forget that winter flowers are very whimsical. It is often necessary to start forcing them long before the flowering period, but everything is in your hands. The main thing is not to forget that indoor plants require special attention and additional care.

Updated: February 23, 2016 by: Elena

The bright palette of autumn colors is quickly replaced by a dull and monotonous landscape with bare trees and empty flower beds. And I really want to admire the flowers, touch the smooth delicate leaves, watch their development! Indoor plants will help with this. They will not only decorate the interior, but also improve the microclimate of the apartment or office, clean and humidify the air. However, the vast majority of houseplants, sensing the approach of winter, prepare for a long “vacation”, changing the active development of shoots and flowering to dormancy. True, they behave ornamental crops differently.

Photo: typepad.com

Everyone is asleep except the “watchmen”

Gloxinia, hippeastrum, achimenes, caladium completely die off at this time. Their nodules and bulbs are usually kept in cool dark place, leaving in a pot or placing in paper bags until spring comes. Other indoor plants enter a dormant period without the above-ground parts dying off.

Aloe, succulents, chlorophytum, eucalyptus, and tradescantia are resistant to low temperatures and temperature fluctuations.

Due to the difficulties associated with maintaining required humidity air, tropical species plants will have to organize a cool winter. This, in particular, applies to ficus, monstera, and dracaena. Arrange winter quarters at low temperature not difficult if you have a glazed and insulated balcony or loggia, where the temperature during the cold season does not fall below 6 degrees Celsius. You will rarely need to humidify the air there. However, in severe frosts, it is necessary to move the plants into the room so that they do not freeze.

But there are species that crave warmth. Cool wintering is not suitable for tropical flowering and decorative foliage indoor plants. So, for aroids, aphelandra, begonias, bromeliads, mulberries, dieffenbachias, calatheas, orchids, peperomia and others, it is undesirable to lower the winter temperature below 20 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, for Schlumbergera, Kalanchoe, poinsettia and azaleas, short winter days are the time of wakefulness, and, moreover, of growth and flowering. These are a kind of “sentinel” in the world of indoor plants.

On a starvation diet

When flowers are dormant, their watering is significantly reduced, and succulents and cacti are not watered at all. But if it was not possible to organize a cool winter for the plants, during hot heating the flowers still need to be watered using settled water at room temperature.

Plants are not fertilized; an exception is made only for those that are under artificial light and continue to actively grow and bloom. In this case, decorative foliage indoor plants are fed once a month, but the recommended dose is halved.

Unfavorable factors

Short cloudy days and warm, dry rooms do not have the best effect on the well-being of green pets. IN autumn-winter period they suffer most from a lack of light and high dry air, and if the room is warm, the plants become very stretched and are affected by diseases and pests. To prevent this from happening, flowers need to rest in winter and stop growing.

Most indoor plants come from areas where the length of daylight is almost the same throughout the year. Therefore, in our latitudes we must try to give them more light. Keep window glass clean, as dirty ones steal 10% of the light. Also, if possible, move the flowerpots to the window sills of windows facing south and east. They should be placed closer to the window, but so that the leaves do not touch the glass. Turn it on for a few hours artificial lighting. But as soon as it gets very cold, it is necessary to move the flowerpots deeper into the room, providing them with additional lighting - at least 12 hours a day.

AND PESTS DO NOT SLEEP

Crowding of plants in winter and dry air often lead to weakening of plants; they are easily affected by various pests. Washing and regularly inspecting indoor flowers allows you to promptly identify traces of attacks from various enemies.

In winter, in order not to undermine the strength of weakened plants, you can resort to folk remedies protection - infusions of garlic or onions, soap solution, alcohol. In extreme cases, use chemicals, but after treatment the rooms should be thoroughly ventilated.

When the batteries are scalded, the humidity in the apartment drops to 30%, and for most tropical plants The optimal figure is 65-70%. Excessive dry air will be indicated by dried tips of leaves, falling buds and leaves.

Not only household electric humidifiers, but also a large number of plants in the apartment, as well as an aquarium, will help correct the situation. You can do this: place many wide bowls with water or hang a damp towel on the radiator and periodically wet it.

Welcome to the shower

Spraying with water and showering will help retain moisture in plants. However, irrigating the leaves with a spray bottle gives a short-term effect. But for Saintpaulia, for example, it is not at all suitable, because it often leads to rotting of the leaves. Another thing is washing the leaves in the shower with the water temperature slightly higher than room temperature. In this case, you can increase the humidity for a longer period, while at the same time taking care of plant hygiene. But you will have to protect the surface of the soil in the pot from erosion. And if you place pots with plants in a tray filled with wet expanded clay or decorative pebbles, the effect of such moisture will be even more noticeable. For this purpose, you can use cat trays with mesh, the main thing is that moisture does not enter the pots through the drainage hole.

Replant or wait for spring?

Any transplant is a strong stress for plants, so it is extremely undesirable to do it in poor light and low air humidity. Fresh soil can stimulate active flower growth, resulting in thin and elongated shoots.

However, sometimes, due to severe waterlogging of the soil, it is necessary to carry out a forced replanting of a plant whose roots have begun to rot. Then it is removed from the pot, all the black rotten roots are cut off, and then planted in fresh soil. The transplanted plant is not watered for a week and is kept under a plastic bag.

From the end of December to the end of winter, indoor plants begin to be propagated from seeds. Various varieties and hybrids of pelargoniums, gloxinias and cyclamens are sown in the middle of winter in order to obtain flowering plants by summer. An important condition for such reproduction are additional illumination and high temperature. Vegetative propagation of indoor plants is best done in the spring.

STAY IN THE KNOW

If in an apartment wooden frames, then it will get very cold on the windowsill root system flowers. This plant suffers less in plastic pots, but in clay ones - more. You can protect your green pets from a cold windowsill by placing them on a stand made of wood or foam.

If the flowers are frozen, you need to cut off all the affected parts to living tissue. After this, treat the plant with growth stimulants such as Epin or Zircon.

With the arrival autumn period Daylight hours are decreasing, and many indoor plants are beginning to experience a lack of light. And because of work heating devices The air in the room dries out greatly, which also adversely affects the plants. If flowers enter a dormant phase in winter, usually lasting from November to April, unfavorable external factors are easily tolerated. But if the plants continue to grow in winter, good growth and their development will only be ensured by competent care.

Dormant plants only need a cool room and occasional watering, while other indoor flowers require more complex care.

A sleeping indoor flower stops growing, sometimes sheds its leaves, and begins to store nutrients and gain strength for the next season. If you do not create conditions for plants to rest, they will not bloom next year, and decorative foliage forms will lose their visual appeal for a long time.

Indoor flowers are prepared gradually for the winter:

1. stop applying fertilizers;
2. reduce watering;
3. transfer flowers to a cool room (insulated balcony, unheated room), place them freely so that they do not interfere with each other;
4. if the window sills in the room where the flowers will sleep are cold, place foam or a blanket under the pots.

Caring for indoor plants on the eve of winter includes mandatory treatment with antifungal agents and preparations against insect pests.

1. From pests. Treatment is carried out with insecticidal and acaricidal agents. Acaricides (“Aktellik”, “Akarin”) are best used in the fight against aphids, mites and thrips. And it is better to get rid of scale insects and scale insects using the drug “Confidor”. If there are few insects, you can use them instead of chemicals. soap solution(5 g chopped laundry soap per 1 liter of water). Treatment is carried out three times with a five-day break.
2. From fungal diseases. Plants are treated with fungicidal agents containing sulfur or copper (Fundazol, Benlat, Oxychom).

Treatment of plants before winter is mandatory, regardless of whether they are sick or not.

Before treating with drugs, remove all dry and damaged leaves from the plant.

Preparation of tuber

Watering tuberous plants (calla lilies, gloxinia, caladium) is stopped after all the leaves die. The tubers are removed from the pot and dried. Dry roots and rotten rhizomes are removed, and the wounds are sprinkled with powdered coal. Then the tubers are wrapped in sphagnum moss and left in a cool, dark place until spring.

Winter care for indoor flowers

If it is not possible to give the flowers a rest, then throughout the entire winter period they need to be provided with suitable conditions for normal growth and development. In this case, the main care for indoor flowers in winter is to provide additional lighting and maintain high humidity in the room.

Lighting

If flowers are at rest in winter, it is enough for them natural light. But if they do not rest, the plants need additional lighting in the morning and evening for several hours. You can provide illumination using a fluorescent or phytolamp attached to the plant at a height:

• 55–60 cm – for shade-loving species;
• 20–25 cm – for light-loving specimens.

If the room is naturally lit, then artificial lighting is required no longer than 5-6 hours a day. In rooms without windows, where the sun's rays do not penetrate at all, the lamps should work up to 13–14 hours a day.

The shorter the daylight hours, the longer the artificial lighting lamps should work.

Temperature

Each species has individual temperature requirements. According to the temperature regime that plants prefer, they are divided into four groups:

1. love warmth (aphelandra, coffee tree, calathea);
2. need moderate temperatures (cyclamen, fatsia, asparagus, agave);
3. must winter in cool conditions (hydrangea, fuchsia, pelargonium, many cacti and conifers);
4. adapt to any temperature regime (aloe, ivy, tradescantia, clivia, alocasia).

Humidity

In rooms with operating heating devices, the air becomes excessively dry, which is why many plants suffer in winter. You can increase the humidity level in several ways:

1. place containers of water near the plants;
2. spray flowers daily;
3. put flower pots in trays filled with a damp substrate (moss, expanded clay, pebbles);
4. hang wet towels on radiators;
5. use a special humidifier.

Watering

When watering, it is important to adhere to the following rules:

1. avoid sudden transitions from drought to abundance of moisture;
2. use water at room temperature, not cold;
3. don't leave on for a long time excess water in the pan (otherwise the roots will rot).

If cacti are kept at temperatures below 14 ° C in winter, they do not need to be watered from November to May.

The frequency of watering depends on the type of plant:

• in species with a high need for moisture, the soil must be constantly moistened (sedge, papyrus, colocasia, cyperus and other plants that naturally grow along the banks of rivers and lakes, in swampy areas);
• species with a moderate need for moisture are watered when the soil dries to a depth of 2–3 cm (citrus fruits, ficus, palm, tradescantia, monstera, fern and many others);
• species with low moisture requirements are watered only after the soil in the pot has completely dried (cacti, Crassula, aloe, Kalanchoe, pelargonium, spurge, agave, hoya).

If, with regular watering, the leaves wither and fall off, you feel bad smell emanating from the ground, the flower was waterlogged.

Plants that bloom in winter

With the arrival of cold weather, the dormant phase begins for many plants, but not for all. There are indoor plants that bloom in winter. Most species in this group are native to tropical and subtropical regions. There, summer falls during our winter months, so some tropical specimens in our regions bloom in winter. Another reason for winter flowering is a shift in developmental phases and artificial stimulation.

The most popular winter-flowering plants among gardeners are the following species.

• Bulbous. Daffodils, snowdrops, crocuses, hyacinths and other indoor varieties are grown by forcing in order to achieve flowering by a certain date. Among the bulbous species, there is an exclusively indoor plant that also blooms in winter - this is hippeastrum.
• Decembrist (aka Christmas). This representative of cacti blooms the day before New Year's holidays, and the flowering phase ends at the end of February. Decembrist flowers are painted in various shades: red, crimson, fuchsia, pink.
• Poinsettia (otherwise beautiful spurge, euphorbia). The plant, called the Christmas star, is poisonous, like all milkweeds. The euphorbia flowers themselves are small and inconspicuous, almost invisible. But the upper bracts form a rosette, which really resembles a star in shape. Traditionally, the bracts were red in color, but now many varieties have been developed with bracted leaves of pink, white, lilac, light green, and lemon shades.
• Azalea (indoor rhododendron). These are the most luxurious plants that resemble a flower cloud in winter. Indoor rhododendrons are represented by both compact bushes and larger forms. Simple, semi-double or double flowers of white, lilac, lilac, pink or red colors are collected in inflorescences of different structures.
• Camellia (Japanese rose). Quite capricious, but long-blooming compact shrub. Beautiful white, pink or red flowers complement the rich green foliage from November to May.
• Cyclamen. One of the few, it feels great on northern windows and in cool rooms. Light white, pink, red or purple flowers, resembling fluttering butterflies, appear on the plant from October to March.

The duration of cyclamen flowering depends on temperature regime: During this period, the room temperature should be maintained at 12–18 ° C.

Winter plants are very picky and demanding. They are like others indoor flowers, a resting phase is necessary, it just does not coincide in time, it occurs in the summer months. Only by ensuring optimal lighting, temperature, watering and humidity can you wait for flowering in winter.

Almost everyone blooming in winter plants need coolness. In warm weather, the duration of flowering decreases, or the buds do not bloom at all. In addition to temperature, it is important to maintain high humidity– after all, the operation of heating devices dries out the air, which adversely affects the condition of plants. Light is also required for flowering. In winter, natural light is not enough for flowering specimens, so additional artificial lighting will be required.

Indoor plants need to be properly cared for in winter, regardless of whether they are dormant, continue to grow, or bloom. Only attentive attitude and creation optimal conditions content will ensure good growth and abundant flowering, will preserve the decorative appearance of indoor plants, and minimize the risk of damage various diseases or pests.