Seasonal Care: Fall

As the seasons change, so too do your plant’s needs. Indoor plants are affected by outdoor changes. In this article, we’re talking about all things fall and how you should care for your plants when the temperatures cool down.

Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal

1. Warm Days, Chilly Nights

Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal

The temperature changes in fall can be dramatic from day to night. If we’re reaching for moisturizer and an extra layer, you can bet your plant needs a little extra care too. Modifying light, watering, and bringing plants indoors will make the transition in a transitional season as smooth as possible.

2.Bring Plants Indoors

Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal

If you moved any of your plants outside for the spring or summer, it’s time to bring them back indoors. Best to do this before it dips below 55 degrees F at night. Check your plants for pests they might have picked up outside. We suggest giving your plants a shower with a garden hose if you have one, and once dry spraying leaves with diluted neem or hort oil before bringing them inside. If a plant didn’t exactly survive the season, it’s OK to let go. There are plenty of other plants looking for a home.

3. Keep Light Levels Up

Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal

Pay close attention to the light your plants are getting. In fall, the days are shorter and the angle of the sun is changing. Some of your indoor plants might need to sit in a new place to get the same amount of sunlight they did spring and summer. You might want to group your succulents together on the windowsill rather than on your coffee table for example. Rotating your plants once a week helps to ensure all sides are covered and your plant won’t lean one way or another.

4. Water Less Often

Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal

In colder months, plants should be watered less often than in warmer seasons because they are getting less light and growing more slowly. Generally, wait a few days in between watering in winter, unless your apartment is really dry — then your plants may need more water.

Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal

A snake plant, for example might need watering every 6 weeks in the fall, compared to every 3 weeks in the summer. Check the soil and make sure it’s dry 2 inches below the surface before watering.

5. Increase the Humidity

Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal

The air indoors is going to be much drier, so if you’re watering less, you want to invest in a humidifier and increase the humidity levels. Many common houseplants prefer a humid environment. Plus, humidifiers are great for the air we breathe and good for our skin too. Group like-plants together to increase humidity —  plants are really good at self care and like-plants are good at caring for each other. Avoid any extreme changes in temperature; don’t put your plants near or on top of the radiator, and places like next to a front door that opens frequently. Sudden hot and cold drafts can stress plants out.

6. Forgo Fertilizer

Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal

Foliage growth slows down considerably during the fall and winter months, so you can withhold from using any fertilizer until next spring; the start of the growth season. Give your houseplants the essentials (light and water) to sustain them through winter, but don’t fuss over them or kill them with kindness.

7. Foliage Dieback

Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal

When bringing houseplants from the great outdoors to your living room - or bedroom or bathroom or kitchen - they may begin to drop their leaves. This is perfectly normal, as they are adjusting to the lower light levels of being indoors. Pro Tip: Give your plants a hand by pulling off a few leaves to help them retain lush and bushy foliage, especially where you want them to be lush and bushy.

8. Last Call to Repot

Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal

Repotting does not necessarily mean changing a plant’s planter, but rather, changing its soil or potting mix. Fresh soil means new nutrients. This is great news if you love your current planter, but if you’re looking to purchase a new one that’s fine. If you are changing planters, try to keep the size no more than 3″ larger in diameter for tabletop planters, and no more than 6″ larger in diameter for floor planters. Make sure your planter has drainage and put a tray underneath to catch any excess water. The size is important here, because typically when we move our plants to a larger pot with more soil, we will be inclined to water more often. A small plant + an oversized planter + lots of soil + overwatering = killing with kindness. 

If you see one or a combination of these signs, you'll know it's time to repot:

• Roots are growing through the drainage hole at the bottom of the planter 
• Roots are pushing the plant up, out of the planter 
• Plant is growing slower than normal (different than dormant) 
• Plant is extremely top heavy, and falls over easily 
• Plant dries out more quickly than usual, requiring more frequent waterings 
• Aboveground parts of plant take up more than three times the pot space 
• Noticeable salt and mineral build up on the plant or planter 

Plants typically need to be repotted every 12 to 18 months, but some slow growers can call the same pot home for years. Early spring, before the start of the growth season, is the best time to repot your houseplants. 


Are you interested in selling or buying your home in the next few months? Work with award winning realtor, Carmen Leal and her team that specialize in Real Estate Vancouver and have qualified Buyers that are looking for a home in your area!   604.218.4846 & www.carmenleal.ca

                                                                  
                                                                 This communication is not intended to induce breach of existing listing agreement.