There’s so much information on the internet about house plant care that it can difficult to work out what’s ACTUALLY important.
FYI, once you have the light and watering requirements of your plants sorted, you’re most of the way there. The other stuff – humidity, fertilising, cleaning the leaves etc. – can be considered AFTER you’ve got the basics covered.
I know, I know, the internet will have to believe that you can keep pothos in the cupboard, but it just wants to sell you plants (and cupboards).
If you’re new to houseplants, I highly recommend you watch this video (or read this article, if that’s more your thing). It’ll break down the things that actually matter, and the things that don’t matter as much as the internet will have you believe.
Not to get all conspiracy theorist on you, but the things plants NEED (i.e. water and light) don’t really bring in much cash for Big Houseplant, so they try to confuse us with fertilisers and special substrates. It’s all rubbish. You don’t need it.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand.
How warmth can help plants grow
Temperature definitely falls into the ‘we can come back to that once light/water is locked in’ category BUT it has a WAY bigger actual impact on plant growth than humidity or fertiliser.
There are exceptions, or course. Plants are living things and some are way more tolerant of casual neglect than others (like humans, all individual plants are different, whilst also largely being, you know, the same)
But in general, keeping your plants in a warm room will really allow you to speedrun the plant growing game.
How do I know?
Well, to cut a VERY dull story short, my bedroom is now considerably better insulated than it was and has an obnoxiously large and efficient radiator.
Due to it being the ONLY well insulated room in the house, and the thermostat being in another room, it gets HOT in winter.
My plants THROVE (thrived? throve?). They did well. Despite it being light for about 8 hours a day.
- New growth was larger than typical winter growth
- Plants that had stopped growing entirely started again. In November.
- Plants weren’t succumbing to pests.
The last one is a biggie. I tend to default to almost total neglect in winter, so thrips can get to pretty devastating populations without me realising. When it’s nice and warm, the plants are less stressed, so they don’t release the stress hormones that alert pests.
Imagine it’s winter. You’re cold and hungry. You look weak and ill. Someone attacks you – you can’t be bothered to fight them off, because you’re cold, hungry and weak.
Now imagine the same scenario, but you’re toasty warm. Sure, you could do with a hot meal, but at least your environment is comfortable. You are WAY more likely to put up a fight.
Is it the same for plants? I don’t know, but it works as an analogy.
What about plants that can tolerate cold temperatures?
I am NOT saying that houseplants can’t manage in cooler environments. There are plenty that can – ferns, aspidistra, orchids, and Christmas /Thanksgiving can tolerate super cold temps (no frost though please!) just fine with no ill effects.
Even some tropical plants that have been in cultivation for years will give cold rooms a pretty good go, think Monstera and Schefflera. And then there’s snake plants and pothos, which are, to their detriment, incredibly hardy and are subject to freaking awful conditions.
A lot of succulents deal with very low temps in the wild (every freaking night), so will do fine over winter so long as they’re given a ton of light and don’t get too wet.
They will all manage over winter like champs.
BUT if you’re wanting them to thrive, size up, or produce incredible blooms, keep ’em warm.
Is temperature as important as light? No, absolutely not. But if you want a HUGE healthy plant, then a bright, warm spot is key.
How hot/cold can houseplants tolerate?
It varies from plant to plant – not just species to species to species. Literally every specimen is different.
I can give you temperatures but that’s not particularly helpful. Plants like succulents can thrive in a wide spectrum of temperatures, but most rainforesty plants can’t.
Instead of trying to be super specific, just keep this in mind:
Your plant enjoys slightly hotter temperatures the vast majority of humans do.
You know in summer when it’s too hot to do anything, but not like, dangerously hot? Yeah, they like that.
If you have to put a jumper on in your house, your plant is likely too cold.
I am NOT advocating putting your heating on for your plants. That’s super wasteful. Your plants will be FINE, they just won’t grow very fast. For every plant having a great time in my bedroom in winter, there’s five more freezing their arse off in the living room.
There’s also a bit of nuance
This is the most annoying thing about trying to help people with houseplants. I can wang on and on about how warm temps help my plants, but all the different factors have to be playing nicely together.
I think the reason a lot of houseplants do so well in summer in the UK is the humidity and lack of air con.
You know when it’s too hot and humid and you’re sticky and angry? Yeah, plants love that. LOVE IT.
(The conditions, that is, not that you’re uncomfortable. Although will some plants you never know.)
If you live somewhere warm and dry, then you might need a humidifier. Dry air pulls moisture out of the leaves and the soil dries out faster so if you’re not on it with the watering things can get crispy fast.
Now, you won’t catch me recommending a pebble tray because they aren’t very effective BUT if you have a very hot, dry SMALL room then a pebble tray MIGHT (emphasis on the might) have an impact.
Similarly, in hot, dry places your plant might appreciate being misted, because, you know, extra moisture.
However, both misting and pebble trays are close to useless in all but the most specific situations, so if you have a hot, dry room and a lot of plants, try a humidifier. Though don’t blame me if the plants take over.
You can read every plant book, website and leaflet there is, and there will still be a degree of trial and error.
Annoying, isn’t it?
I hope you found this helpful. If you’re new to houseplants i recommend you read this article about houseplants purifying the air, because it’s important to me that we all learn that the NASA study was sham. Enjoy!
