How much time does it take you to get flowers from the store? If you don’t want to spend hours every week picking out fresh blooms, then why not try growing some of them at home instead?
Flowers are beautiful and fragrant, but they also require a lot of upkeep. They need water, sunlight, fertilizer, and plenty of care. However, you can easily grow flowers indoors over winter without spending too long outside. Growing flowers in your house require only light, water, and air.
Table of Contents
What are the best conditions for growing flowers indoors over winter?
The ideal temperature for growing flowers indoors over winter is between 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature is too cold, the flowers will not bloom. If the temperature is too hot, the flowers will wilt.
Lighting
Place them near a south-facing window to ensure that your indoor plants receive enough light. If you cannot provide enough natural light, you may need to add artificial lighting.
Watering
Indoor plants should be watered when the soil is dry by touching it. Overwatering can lead to root rot, so allow the soil to dry out completely.
Fertilizing
Fertilize your indoor plants every two weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer. Be sure to follow the instructions carefully, as too much fertilizer can damage your plants.
What are the best methods for growing flowers indoors over winter?
Several methods can be used for growing flowers indoors over winter, including grow lights, greenhouses, and sunrooms. Each has benefits and costs that should be considered before deciding which is best for you.
Grow Lights: Grow lights provide the necessary light for plants to grow indoors during winter when there is less natural sunlight available.
Greenhouses: Greenhouses can provide an ideal environment for growing flowers indoors over winter by trapping heat and allowing more light. However, they can be expensive to build or purchase and may not be practical for everyone.
Sunrooms: Sunrooms are a good option for those who want to bring some of the outdoors inside during the winter months. While they don’t provide as much control over the environment as a greenhouse or grow lights, they can still help extend the growing season for your flowers.
What are the best varieties of flowers to grow indoors over winter?
Many types of flowers can be grown indoors over winter. Some of the most popular include:
1. Amaryllis
First, amaryllis, which may be found in white, pink, red, and orange varieties, is a large, spectacular flower.
The flowers that emerge from amaryllis bulbs are truly magnificent trumpets. It’s crucial to water this plant at just the right time: Planting time for bulbs is roughly six weeks before you want to see flowering. Snip the stalk a few inches above the bulb once flowering has ceased.
To promote reblooming, dig up the bulb in September, then store it in a cool place for two months before repotting. Be cautious about where you put amaryllis because it can cause serious stomach upset in humans and animals.
2. Christmas cactus
Christmas cacti are a type of cactus that is found in South America (hence their name). Pink, red, purple, and white is just a few available colors. It’s not hard to keep Christmas cacti looking their best all year long inside.
3. Cyclamen
Cyclamen are tiny tuberous plants with stunning pink, purple, white, and red flowers. They prefer a temperature range of 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit and require bright indirect light. Cyclamen, while lovely, may not be the ideal choice for novice gardeners due to their high maintenance requirements.
Blooming for weeks at a time between December and April, cyclamen produce heart-shaped, silver-marbled foliage and delicately fragrant blooms. The plant drops its leaves and dies back for the summer after flowering. Some homeowners may be tempted to toss out their spent cyclamens, but remember that the plant is only dormant and not dead.
Just keep watering it every once in a while, and as the weather cools off, it should start growing again. Animals and people should not come into contact with cyclamen. Therefore keep it out of the house.
4. Kalanchoe
A succulent Kalanchoe has flowers in a rainbow of colors, including pink, yellow, orange, red, and white. If you provide it with strong indirect light, this plant will thrive with little effort on your part. Indoors, kalanchoe plants are a visual treat.
5. Poinsettia
The native Mexican and Central American flower are known as the poinsettia. While their red and green leaves are the most recognizable, they also come in pink, white, and yellow. In addition to being a stunning ornamental plant, poinsettias require minimal maintenance.
6. African Violet
This is a great option for those who don’t want a showy plant dominating a small room. Although African violets are available in a wide range of leaf colors and textures, the most common form features a dense cluster of purple flowers at the heart of fuzzy, rounded leaves.
They prefer indirect light and should not be kept in cold or drafty rooms. Don’t allow the soil to dry out fully; give them water consistently. They should be in bloom for the majority of the year.
Water gently into the soil rather than letting it pool on the leaves, which can cause discoloration. Most violets won’t grow much bigger than a foot in height or width at most. That implies you won’t have to report them as often if they’re in the right container.
Taking a healthy leaf, snipping it off, and replanting it in some potting soil will allow you to easily grow more of the same plant if you find it particularly appealing.
7. Paperwhite
Keep away from ‘Ziva,’ a common (and smelly) kind of paperwhites that can quickly stink up a whole room, and you’ll have a wonderful plant for a pick-me-up despite their odorous reputation.
Instead, choose paperwhites with a more agreeable scent, such as ‘Cheerfulness’ or ‘Erlicheer. Paperwhites can be found in late autumn in grocery and department stores and online from specialist bulb retailers; they do not require prechilling.
8. Jasmine
Because of their pleasant fragrance, jasmine plants make great houseplants. Dark green, glossy leaves fly out from the stem, and tiny, fragrant white flowers sit on each leaf. The flowers are roughly an inch in diameter and have a star shape. They tend to be aggressive climbers. In Latin, it’s known as Jasminum polyanthum.
Since jasmine is a delicate houseplant, it is important to provide it with ideal circumstances. When the top half an inch of soil is dry, give the plant a good soaking. The location must have at least 6 hours of sunlight per day.
How can I make my indoor winter garden more productive?
Fertilizing is one of the most important aspects of growing flowers indoors over winter. This is because indoor plants are likelier to be potbound, meaning their roots are confined to a small space, and they can’t access nutrients in the soil as easily as plants growing outdoors. This means you need to fertilize your indoor plants more often than outdoor plants. A good rule of thumb is to fertilize every two weeks with a half-strength fertilizer solution.
Watering
Indoor plants also require more frequent watering than outdoor plants since they tend to dry out faster. If the leaves of your indoor plants start to droop, this is a sign that they need more water.
Lighting
Many indoor flowers need at least six hours of sunlight per day to bloom properly. If you don’t have a sunny spot in your home, you can supplement natural light with artificial lightings, such as fluorescent bulbs or grow lights specifically designed for plant growth. Be sure to position your lights so that they are about six inches from the leaves of your plants; too close and the leaves will burn. Too far, and the plants won’t get enough light.
Temperature
Finally, it’s important to maintain a consistent temperature in your indoor garden. Most flowers prefer a temperature between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. If your home is particularly cold or drafty, you may need to use a space heater or grow your plants in a greenhouse to keep them warm.
What are the best ways to care for my indoor winter garden?
How often to water your indoor plants in winter will depend on the plant type, the pot’s size, the temperature and humidity in your home, and how much light the plant is getting. Typically, most indoor plants need to be watered about twice a week.
Fertilizing
Fertilizing indoor plants is important to keep them healthy and growing. However, you should fertilize them less in winter than in summer. A good rule of thumb is to fertilize every two weeks or so during winter.
Pruning
Pruning helps the plant about new growth and keeps your plants looking their best. You can prune most indoor plants anytime during the year, but it’s especially important to do so in late winter or early spring before new growth begins.
Lighting
Most indoor plants need bright, indirect sunlight to thrive. If you don’t have the environment of natural light in your home, you may need to use artificial lighting such as fluorescent lights or grow lights.
Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]
1. Should I plant bulbs in pots or directly in the soil?
If you are planting bulbs into pots, they will need more water than if planted directly into the soil.
2. What type of lights should I use?
The best light for taking pictures are daylight balanced bulbs. These bulbs will allow you to take photos having not to worry about changing the color temperature of the lighting.
3. What is required to keep plants alive during winter?
The most important thing for keeping plants alive during winter is ensuring they are regularly watered. If you don’t water them enough, they will die.
4. What types of fertilizers should I use?
The best fertilizer for your garden depends on what kind of grass it is. Ask your local nursery owner if you don’t know which kind of grass you have.
5. Which flowers do not grow well indoors over winter?
Flowers like roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, lilies, tulips, daffodils, and sunflowers are best suited for indoor growing during the colder months.
Conclusion
In conclusion, indoor plants are a wonderful addition to any home. They add color, texture, and scent to any room and are easy to care for year-round. Even though winter weather can sometimes seem harsh, you can still keep your houseplants thriving over the cold months. In this article, we’ve covered everything you need to know about growing indoor plants over winter. We hope you found our tips helpful. Happy gardening.
