Since there’s not much going on in the outdoor garden right now, let’s talk about indoor plants. It’s likely that if you are an avid gardener, you also have some indoor plants or as some like to call them houseplants. In addition, you probably have a few pots of plants overwintering in the garage or some other spot in your home. So, let’s talk about how we can best take care of both our full-time indoor plants and those who are temporarily enjoying an indoor home.

As is true with all plants, they are going to need light. Unless you have a sunroom or something like a sunroom, you are probably going to need to provide supplemental light. Fortunately, grow lights are not that expensive. So, for a relatively small investment, you can provide your plants with adequate light indoors.

The next thing you’ll need to consider is the temperature of the room. While most plants will tolerate a cooler indoor temperature, one thing they won’t like is being located next to or touching a cold window. And you won’t want to place them too close to the heater vent either because that warm air can dry out your plants.

Winter-indoor air is typically pretty low in humidity, so if you really want to support those plants, adding a humidifier isn’t a bad idea. For those without a humidifier, consider placing your indoor plant on a small gravel filled tray. If you do this, just keep some water in that tray which will help put a little humidity back into the air.

And then there is watering. With indoor plants, it’s so easy to overwater and overwatering can encourage root rot.

This time of year, it’s not unusual for someone to bring a plant into our Diagnostic Center to ask why their plant isn’t looking good. If we pick up the plant and it weighs way more than it should, it’s likely overwatering. So, let them dry out a bit between waterings as a way to help prevent root rot. It also seems like indoor plants need to be watered more often in winter than in the summer, likely because of the dryer, indoor, winter air.

Oftentimes people want a rule on how often to water, like once a week or twice a week. The reality is that you’re just going to have to watch the plants. They will tell you when they need water. Plants in larger pots tend to be able to go longer between waterings while those with smaller pots. But you’re just going to have to be sensitive to their needs rather than sticking to an easy schedule.

And then there’s fertilizer. The best way to approach fertilizing your indoor plants is with a good water-soluble fertilizer. Just follow the fertilization schedule according to the directions. Good luck!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo: Pixabay