Precautions for growing flowers in winter

Suitable temperature

Now that residents' housing conditions have improved, enclosed balconies are very conducive to the wintering of flower pots. If there is no enclosed balcony, potted flowers should be brought indoors at night. Some potted flowers that are particularly afraid of cold, such as tropical orchids, pineapples, poinsettias, anthuriums, Milans, Christmas cacti, poinsettias, cinerarias, and amaryllis, should have room temperatures not lower than 10°C at night.

Jasmine, Begonia, Hibiscus, pineapple, Clivia, Monstera, Asparagus, Ornamental Flower, Schefflera, Rubber Tree, Green Ivy, Tiger Thorn, Sansevieria, Strelitzia, Banyan, Epiphyllum, Brazilian Tree, Chinese Orchid, Belgian Rhododendron, Areca Palm, Schefflera, Dieffenbachia, Geranium, Cymbidium, Miniature Coconut Tree, Cyclamen, Spring Feather, Chlorophytum, Cycas Revoluta, Palmetto, Kumquat, Aloe, Peony, Nephrolepis, Fathom Tree, Daidai, Weeping Aster, Oleander, etc., the minimum room temperature requirement for these flowers is above 5℃. If the room temperature is too low, the leaves of these flowers will turn yellow.

Adequate lighting

The sunlight is weak in winter, and if light-loving or slightly shade-tolerant plants are placed in a place without light or in a place with too weak light for a long time, they will have yellow leaves. Plants such as Milan, poinsettia, jasmine, hibiscus, geranium, camellia, cyclamen, cycads, azalea, and Clivia need sufficient sunlight in winter.

Maintain humidity

Many household flowers like high air humidity, such as cymbidium, phalaenopsis, Boston fern, kidney fern, azalea, green radish, asparagus fern, monstera, spring fern, arrowroot, camellia, and dieffenbachia. However, since most households in the north have sufficient heating and the indoor air is dry, you should frequently spray the leaves with water close to room temperature to keep the soil in the pot moist and avoid yellowing leaves.

Watering

After winter, the temperature is low and water evaporates slowly, so the amount of water should be reduced appropriately. For plants that are in a slow-growing and semi-dormant state in winter, the soil in the pots should be relatively dry. In winter, due to the low temperature, the water used for watering flowers must be stored or dried in containers. Avoid using tap water directly to water the flowers to prevent excessive temperature differences and damage to the root system. As the temperature continues to drop in winter, the metabolism of flowers slows down or they enter a dormant state, so the fertilizer and water supply for potted flowers should generally be strictly controlled. For shade-tolerant flowers, it is especially important to avoid root rot and leaf fall caused by overwatering. The general time for watering should be around noon.

Fertilization in moderation

Most flowers enter a dormant period in winter, so try to reduce or stop fertilizing. Indoor flowers that do not hibernate in winter, such as evergreen flowers such as Tiger Tail Orchid, Fishtail Palm, Bamboo Palm, and Green Ivy, have basically no requirements for fertilizer when the room temperature is around 5℃, so no top dressing is needed. If fertilizer is applied when the temperature is low, root rot is likely to occur. The main reason is that the root growth of plants is slow in winter, and the applied fertilizer cannot be absorbed by the roots. Instead, it will hinder the normal absorption of the roots, and in severe cases, the roots will rot. If the room temperature is high and the flowers are winter flowering, such as cineraria, cyclamen, primrose, African impatiens, flamingo, etc., it is necessary to apply a thin organic liquid fertilizer once every half a month, or a small amount of compound fertilizer. When excessive fertilizer is applied, water should be applied in time to dilute the fertilizer concentration.