Preparing for Spring – Time to Pamper your Indoor Plants

Blue Grass Garden Blog, March 2024

March is an ideal time to lavish some care on your indoor house plants. The outdoor garden season is just around the corner, so it’s a good time to explore some spring indoor plant care tips. Longer days, warmer temperatures, and changing light levels will have your house plants ready to get growing!

There are several tasks we can accomplish, prior to the indoor plants annual season of neglect. Check out the following tips to keep your house plants glowing:

1. Spring Clean. Dust and wash leaves if needed. If the size of the plant allows bring it/them up to the shower or to your kitchen sink and give them a good, gentle hosing off. Using a dust mitt or cloth for plants that are too heavy to move with work as well. Make sure excess water can drain freely out of the pots.
2. Repot or size up. As plants start to actively grow this spring, they may be ready to pot up. As a general rule of thumb, only pot up one size at a time (ie. pot up a 4” plant into a 6” new pot). When repotting, assess for any root rot or other damage, remove compacted, sour, or high salt soil, and provide new growing medium for a fresh start. Change out your pots for new season, new décor, new you.
3. Prune. Trim and remove spindly stems and damaged or yellow leaves. Allow plant to provide energy to new growth, rather than damaged and spent leaves. Propagate or reroot any healthy cuttings to make more plants. Pruning may also encourage new growth.
4. Fertilize. Through the winter months, plants will use less water and food during shorter days. As days get longer, they may require more water due to more energy expended, warmer temperatures and increased light. They are also starting to actively grow (and bloom) again. Always check soil moisture prior to watering. Easier to recover from underwatering than overwatering.
5. Reposition plants. Move plants around as light levels start to change in spring. Placement in direct sun through winter may cause sunburn on front of row plants as light levels increase. Bright, filtered light spaces will change as the sun rises higher in the sky. Shade lovers may be getting more light as daylength increases as well, observe light levels throughout plant spaces.
6. Add more! New fresh plants are arriving to herald in the new season, provide new green growth and get everyone excited for spring. It’s also a great time to take advantage of end of season plant sales (garden centres and greenhouses may need space for the outdoor gardening season). Pick up some new plants to supplement your existing collections or replace any plants past due.

Before long, we’ll be heading outdoors and while we may jest that your indoor plants will suffer a season of neglect, once it is safe to do so, consider allowing your indoor plants a breath of fresh air outside on your patio. They will thrive in the great outdoors if you patiently wait until all danger of frost is past, and don’t forget to acclimatize them to direct sun and outdoor temperature conditions. More on that another time.