Houseplants beautify a space. They add character, texture, depth, and life to a room. In any case, houseplants are quite affordable and a cheerful way to decorate your home. Enough care and maintenance make houseplants lush and full of life. Houseplants like human beings need rest to rejuvenate. When subjected to harsh atmospheric conditions they may go into dormancy to refresh. Dormancy isn’t the end of your houseplants. You don’t need to swap your houseplants when they show signs of dormancy. This is the time they need your support and care. So, how can you care for your houseplants during the dormancy phase?

Make Use of a Grow Light to Substitute Sunlight

House plants can go dormant if they lack enough sunlight. Most plants go to rest during the winter season due to the fading sunlight. Don’t let the fading sunlight or room darkness suck the life out of your house plants. You should consider getting grow lights for your houseplants. Grow lights mimic natural sunlight, thus setting off the photosynthesis process. The process helps the house plants survive and thrive during this phase. Grow lights create a favorable all-season atmosphere for your houseplants. The grow light you chose depends on your needs, space, and the number of plants. You can opt for a stand-alone bulb, LED, fluorescent lamp, full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, or the High-Intensity Discharge grow light.

Your Houseplants Need a Humid Environment 

Houseplants need more than 60% humidity levels to remain healthy and dense. Humidity levels fall during the winter season since the heating tools we use lower humidity levels in our homes. Low humidity may cause browning edges on your house plants, wilting, paleness in your plants, or yellowing in plants. Maintain a good humidity level for your plants by misting your houseplants, grouping them to create a microclimate, putting a tray of water close to the plants, or getting a humidifier.                 

Don’t Feed the Plants

During the dormancy phase plants will not need any extra fertilizer. Your houseplants are not consuming or using any nutrients during this dormancy phase. The plants will not consume the fertilizer you put in the soil. Feeding your plants when they go dormant may be counterproductive. The excess plant food will sit in the soil, thus confusing your plants’ growth cycle. Preserve the feed and use it when your plants are active.

Track the Moisture Level

Before adding water to your houseplants as they rejuvenate, you need to track the moisture content in your houseplants’ soil. Remember, dormant plants need a small amount of water. Too much moisture may damage the root leading to dead plants. If you water your plants twice a week, reduce the watering session to once every two weeks or three weeks. However, before watering the houseplants assess the moisture levels using the finger test. Push your finger two inches into the soil. If the soil is parched, add water to the houseplants. If you have a cactus plant in your house, you may have to stop watering them completely until it bounces back from their beauty sleep.

Prune And Keep the Plants Clean

Prune the plant to give them more room for growth when they wake up from their beauty sleep. Since your plants are resting, removing damaged and injured parts during the dormancy phase will give them enough time to heal and grow once they are active. Apart from pruning, always keep the plants clean. plants may accumulate too much dust and dirt as they rest. Accumulation of dirt and dust creates a favorable breeding ground for diseases or pests and may prevent light from hitting the leaf surface. As you dust the plants, be gentle. Use damp cotton or cloth to clean the leaves. You can also give the plants a warm bath.

Summary

Don’t fret if your houseplants are not shining or thriving now. Consistent love and care will keep them alive and ready for a glorious refresh once the dormancy stage ends. Keep readjusting the humidity level, lighting, moisture content in the soil, and clean and dust the plants to keep them alive as they rest. As you clean the plants, look out for any signs of pest and disease.