4 Plant Care Tips for Winter Vacation
Be sure to keep your plants warm and cozy this winter.
Are you planning a holiday for the holidays? Whether you’re a student finishing the semester or you’ve been banking some paid time off for the end of the year, this is prime travel time to visit family or plan a warm weather retreat from the cold.
But if you keep houseplants in your home or dorm room, you’ll need to take some special care to make sure they can weather the break from your normal routine. These tips will help you maximize your plant’s health during the winter holidays.
Regardless of your travel plans, make sure to “winterize” your plants as the weather cools. Bring the plants away from drafty windows and heating vents. You can also run a humidifier to help you and your foliage plants maintain a healthy amount of moisture (nobody likes cracked skin or dry leaves), but succulents like it dry so keep them out of reach of your humidifier.
You’ll also notice that your plants may need a little less water than usual thanks to the cooler temperatures. Keep the top inch of soil moist for foliage, and cut way back on succulent watering until their soil is completely dried.
Winter Break Tips for College Students
Stay on Campus
If you decide to stay on campus, you’re pretty much good to go! Follow our winterizing tips above and stick to your usual schedule, making allowances for changing water needs in the cooler temps.
Take them With You
If you’re headed home or to a friend’s home for the holiday break, you can take your plants with you in a car ride for a few hours. Make sure to secure your plant’s pot in a small box with some packaging material (or laundry, let’s be real) to keep it upright, and avoid putting it into the dark and frigid trunk of your car.
Winter Travel Trips for Everyone
Hire a Plant Sitter
If you have friends or neighbors you trust with a spare key, ask them to look in on your plant and water it while you’re away. Depending on how long your break is, you may not even need the help.
Leave Them
Sounds harsh, but leaving your plants in the environment they’re used to can be the best option if your break is only a week or two. You can use a water bulb (or make one from a small container like a Tabasco sauce bottle) to keep the soil moist and make a DIY humidity tray to keep the air moist, especially if you can’t control the heating in your residence hall.
What are your winter break tips? Let us know in the comments, and show us your winterized plants on Instagram when you tag @wild_interiors!