With the weather now turning cold for winter, it is becoming more and more important to keep indoor plants warm and cosy so they can survive and thrive into spring.
Despite being inside, plants are still vulnerable to dramatic temperature changes throughout the day, causing the soil to freeze and thaw.
This process could result in heaving, where the roots become exposed, putting plants at risk of disease and withering.
Tips to keep plants warm include insulating your plant pots with bubble wrap and investing in space heaters or heat mats to keep the warmth contained for indoor plants.
Unusually, another tip is to make use of the fridge. This kitchen appliance does produce some warmth out of the top, so by keeping plants there the fridge can act as a useful heat mat at no extra cost.
Remember to ensure plants aren’t over-watered - they will require less water than in the warmer months, but do still need watering especially if kept in a humid and dry room. Using a water mister can help with this.
Here are Garden Buildings Direct’s tips to keep indoor plants warm this winter:
Find the warmest room
The easiest way to make sure indoor plants stay an ideal temperature this winter is to find out which room in the house is the warmest. Make sure that this room has a good level of sunlight during the day and keep moving the plants to the warmest, best lit spot in the room. Every few days rotate the indoor plants to keep an equal amount of sunlight shining on each one.
Bubble wrap
Another simple trick to keep indoor plants warm is to wrap layers of bubble wrap around the plant pot to contain as much heat as possible around the plants. Bubble wrap is an effective and affordable way for horticulturists to prevent heat loss during the colder months as the layer of air in the bubbles acts like a double-glazed window.
Heat mats
Heat mats can be a bit more expensive, but they are a great option for keeping indoor plants warm as the weather gets colder. Heat mats are thin sheets of plastic which have heating elements inside. The mat is plugged in and the surface heats up. Simply pop any indoor plants on top of the heat mat to help keep them warm.
On top of the fridge
This may seem an unusual idea to keep plants warm – but in fact electric fridges act as heat maps themselves. The top of the fridge often produces some heat, so keeping plants on top of the fridge will allow the plants to absorb some heat for no extra cost. It’s also a good idea to wrap the pots in bubble wrap too as the top of the fridge likely will not provide enough heat alone.
Space heaters
Using indoor space heaters for plants is a more costly idea but provides an effective source of heat to keep indoor plants at the right temperature. If using space heaters, make sure that plants are not placed directly in front of the heaters, otherwise they could get too hot.
Water indoor plants carefully
Indoor plants are susceptible to over-watering during the winter months, since they don’t need as much water as they do during the spring and summer. Obviously the plants will still need watering, especially if they are in a humid room. Spraying water mist over the plants will help them grow in the dry air while avoiding over-watering. A good tip is to push about 5cm deep into the soil - if it is completely dry, then it needs more water.
