Want to know how to take Plant Care After Holidays? Read this comprehensive guide and follow the suggestions.
Plant Care After Holidays is not a difficult task if you follow the right regimen. Give a read to this detailed post and learn what kind of treatment plants need after the festive season.
Read: Tips to Get a Poinsettia to Turn Red
Tips for Plant Care After Holidays
1. Proper Light
Holiday plants thrive in bright indirect light, ideally in a north-facing window. If you only have an eastern, western, or southern-facing window with intense light, move the plant several feet away or use curtains to diffuse the light.
2. Careful Watering
The leaves of indoor conifers like lemon cypress or small potted juniper and spruce become brittle and dry when the plant needs water or more humidity.
Poinsettias, Christmas cacti, and Norfolk Island pine prefer drier conditions, while cyclamen, lemon cypress, and anthurium need more water. Orchids require careful watering; avoid overwatering to prevent root rot and water when the top layer of soil starts to dry. Shrinking foliage signals the orchid is becoming too dry between waterings.
For bulb plants like cyclamen, amaryllis, and paperwhites, water them from the bottom, keeping the bulb’s top dry.
3. Right Use of Foil
During the holiday season, plants like poinsettias, Norfolk Island pines, and cyclamens often have foil covering their pots. You can keep the foil during this time, but make sure to take the plant out of the wrapper, water it, let it drain, and then put it back in the foil sleeve. However, for long-term care, remove the foil and replant the plant in a permanent container with drainage holes.
Read: What to Do with Tulips After They Bloom
4. Need of Humidity
Plants are commonly gifted in colder months when indoor heating devices reduce humidity. To raise humidity, group plants or place them on a tray of wet pebbles. The water on the pebbles evaporates, creating a humid environment. The frosty fern, in particular, needs high humidity. Use a tray of pebbles or plant it in a terrarium to retain moisture in dry rooms. You can boost the humidity by misting the plants or using a humidifier is a good option, too.
5. Potting Mix
When repotting, use a standard well-drained potting mix in a container with drainage holes. Orchids need a specific bark mix for repotting.
6. Repotting
Most holiday plants enjoy staying in their original containers for a while. For instance, the Christmas cactus likes a root-bound state and cramped roots.
Read: Common Bird of Paradise Problems and Solutions
7. Pruning
Maintain the neat appearance of your holiday plant by removing faded blooms, cutting yellow or damaged leaves, and trimming brown tips. For plants like peace lily and cyclamen, pluck spent flowers from the base.
Norfolk Island pine requires proper pruning, which involves the removal of dead or dying branches, usually at the bottom. Avoid trimming the main upright branch to preserve the pyramidal shape.
8. When to Feed
These plants don’t require fertilizer during the winter. Start regular feeding in the spring as the day length increases. A standard houseplant fertilizer at the recommended rate is sufficient.