10 Rules For The Successful Transition Of Indoor Plants From Winter To Spring. Lighting, Watering, Air Humidity. Photo

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10 Rules For The Successful Transition Of Indoor Plants From Winter To Spring. Lighting, Watering, Air Humidity. Photo
10 Rules For The Successful Transition Of Indoor Plants From Winter To Spring. Lighting, Watering, Air Humidity. Photo

Video: 10 Rules For The Successful Transition Of Indoor Plants From Winter To Spring. Lighting, Watering, Air Humidity. Photo

Video: 10 Rules For The Successful Transition Of Indoor Plants From Winter To Spring. Lighting, Watering, Air Humidity. Photo
Video: Winter Care for Indoor Plants & 10 Easy Tips for Bringing Your Plants In for Winter! 2024, March
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The long-awaited spring for many indoor plants is the start of an active growing season, and for most, the return of their decorative effect. Admiring young leaves and emerging shoots, one should not forget that spring is also a great stress for plants. Sensitive and versatile, all indoor crops experience much brighter lighting, changes in humidity and temperature conditions. And they should get used to the changes gradually and with proper care. Fortunately, there are simple rules to help them adapt without problems.

10 rules for a successful transition of indoor plants from winter to spring
10 rules for a successful transition of indoor plants from winter to spring

1. Listen to your plants

So that in the spring there are no problems with indoor plants, and all difficulties are noticed and eliminated in time, you need to carefully monitor their condition. Usually, the plants themselves signal that it is time to start feeding or transplant them into a new container. When signs of the beginning of growth appear - even if it is only swelling of the buds, then it is worth starting spring care for indoor crops.

In order to avoid major problems with indoor plants in the spring, you should often examine the leaves and shoots, control how the soil dries out, notice the slightest signs that there are some problems in the development of plants.

From mid-February to the end of March, monitoring the condition of green pets should become the norm. And it is worth reacting to plant signals at an early stage of the manifestation of problems. Simple careful examinations will help stop pests in time and prevent the development of diseases, quickly "eliminate" the causes of depression and provide plants with what they need.

2. Transplant and its "replacement" should not be postponed

When all the plants awaken and the active sun starts the growth processes, access to nutrients becomes a key factor for any indoor pet. It is no coincidence that the end of February and the beginning of March are called the ideal transplant dates.

At the beginning of growth, the quality of the soil and the presence in it of all the elements necessary for the normal life of plants are critical. And if during the beginning of an active growing season, "start", plants are faced with nutritional deficiencies, then it can be very difficult to overcome violations in their development.

Not all indoor plants need a transplant. It can be replaced by updating the top layer of the substrate in containers, if the plant has not mastered the entire space of the pot and it still has room to develop, or we are talking about large, old favorites. But these procedures should not be postponed. And it will not be possible to compensate for them only with top dressing.

Indoor plants that need to be transplanted must be transplanted at the very beginning of the active growing season. The transplant is carried out according to the rules for a particular species, carefully selecting the capacity and height of the drainage. For the same plants that remain in the same container, they must replace the topsoil with a fresh, high-quality substrate.

The soil in the containers is loosened, renewing its water permeability, the entire contaminated soil layer free from roots is removed and filled up, keeping the same level of planting, fresh, high-quality substrate, selected according to the type of plant and its preferences.

Indoor plants that need transplanting must be transplanted at the very beginning of the active growing season
Indoor plants that need transplanting must be transplanted at the very beginning of the active growing season

3. Do not rush to feed

For many, the beginning of spring and the period of active growing season is associated precisely with the resumption of fertilizing: they are simply returned to the care program, starting to add fertilizers to the water for irrigation. But you should not rush to feed the plants: a sudden resumption of fertilizing can become even more stress for plants than their prolonged absence.

Top dressing in the spring is resumed:

  • 2-3 weeks after the start of more active watering;
  • 2 weeks after changing the topsoil and 1-1.5 months after transplanting.

4. Water awakening

For plants that completely shed their leaves or go through a stage of complete dormancy, the spring season begins with the resumption of watering. But for all other plants, the main condition for the transition from winter to spring is precisely watering. For different cultures, they are carried out in different ways in early spring.

If the plants are not watered or watered very sparsely in winter, in the spring watering begins gently, avoiding waterlogging. A smooth start is necessary even for bulbous plants, in which a too sharp increase in humidity can cause the spread of rot.

For plants that are watered less abundantly during the winter than in the phase of active growth (those in which summer abundant watering is replaced by half the procedures in winter), the strategy is different. They are transferred back to active irrigation immediately, but the drying of the soil is carefully monitored.

The first watering with stronger soil wetting and less drying out of the substrate between these procedures is better done with a little warmer than usual water. The optimal frequency of water procedures can be set only by watching how the soil dries out.

They are transferred to the usual watering plants for 3–4 weeks, and not immediately, allowing the soil to dry out less and less to the moisture standard for a particular type of plant.

Air humidity in spring changes dramatically and is not always predictable. It is in spring that plants most often suffer from extremely dry air as a result of excessive operation of heating systems on days when the weather does not require it. Not only plants suffer from spring drying, but also leather, finishing materials, furniture, but it is for plants that insufficient moisture can become the most traumatic factor.

For crops that are not succulents, it is worth taking measures to stabilize the humidity in the spring. Special devices, humidifiers are ideal, but for spring they are not the only option. Simple pallets or bowls with water, wet pebbles, moss, expanded clay and even decorative aquarium soil can quite successfully cope with the task.

They will add consistency to the conditions and help the plants smoothly transition to summer mode. For those crops that love spraying, in the spring they can be just a miracle measure. Especially if you use warm water and carry out these procedures in the morning.

The optimal frequency of water procedures can be set only by watching how the soil dries out
The optimal frequency of water procedures can be set only by watching how the soil dries out

5. Sanitary pruning is a must for all plants

Spring cleaning is usually spoken of for indoor shrubs and trees. But in reality, sanitary pruning is essential for all plants. This is a simple cleaning of indoor crops from all damaged, dry and / or deformed parts.

Elongated, dry, diseased, growing improperly, unproductive shoots that have lost their color or partially dry leaves are removed as early as possible, like plant debris from the soil surface. The longer the damaged parts remain on the plant, the higher the risk that the consequences of wintering will develop into serious problems.

Formative pruning is carried out on those plants to which it is "shown" in the care program. Indeed, many crops prefer pruning after flowering or at other times, and some are afraid of it. If the type of plant welcomes pruning, then it is better to carry out it before the growth of shoots and leaves.

Pinching the tops, shortening the elongated branches, cutting along the silhouette, cutting off thickening branches and stimulating tillering by trimming the shoots by a third or half should be selected purely individually. You need to be very careful with spring pruning on flowering plants: first, you should make sure that they will bloom on young, and not only last year's shoots.

The shoots that remained after the spring pruning should not be thrown away in a hurry. These twigs can be used for propagation and a new generation of plants. It is especially important to grow up in time the replacement of crops prone to degeneration and aging, loss of decorativeness with age.

6. Lighting should be soft

Even the most light-loving indoor plants in the spring, when the sun becomes much more active, will experience stress from the change in both the quantity and quality of light. What can we say about ordinary plants, which in winter suffered from a lack of their usual light.

And it's not just that the risk of burns is much greater. A sharp increase in illumination and strong contrasts between winter and spring light regimes can lead to reactions similar to an excess of light and become too strong a shock for weakened plants that have not yet begun to "revive" after winter. Yellowing, discoloration, wilting, leaf rolling may appear, even if there is no sharp increase in light intensity.

Whether the plants were moved to more lighted places or not, whether other measures were taken in winter, for all indoor plants it is worth taking care of additional measures to soften the light. Of course, on cloudy days, no tricks are required. But in sunny weather, when direct rays fall on the plant, it is worth installing protective diffusing screens or moving the plants to the second or third row of the windowsill.

The rule according to which any plant during the transition from winter to spring to full adaptation should be in diffused, comfortable in intensity, but soft lighting is one of the most important. If you take care of properly softening the light, protecting the leaves from direct sun, you can avoid many other problems with indoor plants in the spring.

Lighting should also be diffused for all indoor plants that have been transplanted or kept in shade during the winter. For such crops, direct sunlight is especially dangerous.

Plants need to be taught to the bright sunlight in spring gradually
Plants need to be taught to the bright sunlight in spring gradually

7. Temperatures must be controlled

Spring should be a period of sharp increase in temperature only for plants that were completely dormant in winter and enjoyed the coolness. They are transferred at the end of February or at the beginning of March in the warmth, thereby launching a new stage of active growth.

For all other indoor plants, which are forced to retire or conditionally, hibernate in warmth or light coolness, there can be no question of any sharp increase in temperatures.

The calendar spring, despite the qualitative improvement in lighting, is still winter in temperature for many crops. After all, the heating seasons do not end in March. Both working batteries and air conditioners, combined with the warming sun, create a far from optimal environment for all indoor plants.

Most often, plants in the first weeks of spring react to the atmosphere of living rooms as extremely hot and extremely dry. And when the heating season ends, the sudden change in the atmosphere in the house becomes even more stressful. Temperature jumps, typical for the first months of spring, only exacerbate the situation.

So that the plants do not suffer from the wrong conditions and do not begin to lose their decorative effect due to changes, it is worth monitoring the temperature in the rooms. And try to stabilize it or compensate for deviations.

You can make spring temperatures more acceptable by airing, spraying, installing humidifiers, rearranging plants away from any sources of temperature differences and dry air.

Plants can be protected from hypothermia by insulating the pots or using coasters, raising the temperature of the water for irrigation and giving them a warm shower or spraying. If the temperature is controlled, it will be possible to reduce or increase watering in a timely manner so that the plants do not suffer from temporary factors and grow in more stable conditions.

8. Access to fresh air needs to be increased

In spring, on sunny days, the temperature rises so much that rooms can be ventilated longer and more frequently. Of course, you need to be careful with them. But without exception, all indoor plants, even the most capricious and loving the stability of the stars, will not be able to develop normally without access to fresh air at the very beginning of active growth.

For indoor plants at the very beginning of spring, airing should be careful, short, but frequent. It is better to air the rooms not in the morning or in the evening, but during peak daily temperatures. On cold and very windy days, these procedures are best avoided.

Increasing ventilation requires very careful monitoring of air humidity. Indeed, at the beginning of spring, humidity can drop sharply or increase due to an increase in the flow of fresh air into the room. So that plants do not suffer from the constant change of conditions and an unstable environment, it is worth taking measures to introduce compensatory care, including not ignoring the norms of irrigation with warm water and by installing humidifiers.

Absolutely all indoor plants in spring will benefit from fresh air
Absolutely all indoor plants in spring will benefit from fresh air

9. No drafts

No matter how warm the fine spring days seem, it is worth remembering that it is in the spring that the weather is insidious and deceiving. The warmth in the sun can be combined with very low temperatures in the shade, and ventilation must be done very carefully.

The most reliable way to protect plants from sudden temperature changes and drafts is to take them to another room during airing. But you can do with light cover, and rearrangement in a place where there is no air movement, and reducing the window gap for soft penetration of fresh air.

Even plants that are resistant to drafts and withstand any temperature fluctuations can react painfully to drafts during the transition from winter to spring.

The presence of drafts and the movement of air currents should be considered when choosing a place for plants. In the spring, no houseplant should be placed near an opening door or window sash, choosing “quiet”, secluded and protected places. Consider also light, almost imperceptible drafts near glass or air currents from heaters and air conditioners.

10. Perfect hygiene

The cleanliness of the leaves and the timely removal of dust in the spring are very important. In order for the plants to fully start growing, not suffer from pests or diseases, and enjoy the fresh air, they must be clean. Photosynthesis processes cannot be activated if dust and other contaminants accumulate on the leaves. And regular hygiene procedures should be a must in a plant care program in early spring.

Those indoor plants that love to shower and tolerate wet leaves will respond to these additional procedures with gratitude in the spring. A warm shower will not only help cleanse the leaves, but also revitalize the plants, stimulate their growth, stabilize the conditions and, in general, will only benefit the pet that is starting to grow.

For those plants that cannot be tolerated or for which a warm shower is contraindicated, you need to take care of regular cleaning of the leaves by other methods. Simple wiping, removing dust with a brush or soft cloth should be repeated weekly. For plants with large or very small, leathery, hard leaves, especially for trees and shrubs, you can use special polishes to protect against dust and reduce the frequency of procedures.

It is worth monitoring not only the purity of the leaves. Plant debris and debris at the top of the substrate should be removed as soon as you find them. It is necessary to maintain both the cleanliness of the pots and the cleanliness of the windowsills or surfaces on which they stand. Keeping the glasses perfectly clean is the most important measure that will allow the light to penetrate into the premises as much as possible, and the plants - to enjoy the activity of the spring sun.

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