What happens to indoor plants in winter?

Right about now, if it’s winter where you live, you’re probably noticing some of your house plants are looking a little sad. Don’t fret.

Indoor plants go through a period of dormancy every year just like us humans. In fact, plants might be smarter than us because they allow themselves to respond appropriately to the decreasing hours of sunlight and colder, drier indoor temperatures, while we try to fight it (or think we should).

As our skin gets dry and pale, our indoor plants are experiencing their version of ‘winteritis’. The best thing you can do is to let them. Don’t water them as often. Don’t fertilize them. Let them have their winter rest. They will likely return happy and healthier in the spring. That doesn’t mean to stop taking care of them, just resist the urge to give them more of anything.

If you want to do something, you could put them in the most humid, warmest room in your house. Maybe your bathroom or kitchen?

This is my overall approach to all of my house plants in winter.

However, different types of plants are going to have particular preferences re: light, humidity, temperature, etc. When I dove into researching house plants last year, the variety of their wants and needs was actually quite dizzying. I aim to simplify what I learned into broad categories, to start, and will share what I’ve learned here in other posts.