Summer Houseplant Care – 7 Tips to Take Care of Your Indoor Plants
How are your houseplants doing this summer season?
Give your indoor plant some extra care and attention. When you are hot, your plants are too.
Wrong season? Hop over to the winter plant care tips instead. This article here covers the specifics of summer houseplant care.
7 Summer Plant Care Tips
Are you taking extra care of your plants during the summer?
You should.
Indoor plants like succulents might love lots of sun and can handle high temperatures. But what about those other plants?
Leafy plants like your mini Monstera, polka dot Begonia, or the prayer plants are prone to heat damage on high-temperature summer days.
Windows will be closed and air conditioners turned on. Humidity will be lower and cold air will shock the plants. During the day if nobody is home and the a/c is off, your plants will struggle even more in a hot and muggy room.
Let’s go through the 7 tips to keep your indoor plants alive this summer!
Going on vacation this summer? Find out how you can water your plants while you are away.
Tip 1: Move your Plants out of the Sun
First things first. Even plants that usually love bright direct light, can get overwhelmed by the afternoon sun in the summer.
Long summer days mean more hours of stronger light.
Your houseplants might wilt, look pale, or turn generally unhappy. You might notice some dry, brown spots on the leaves of the plant. Ouch. Sunburn!
Be proactive and move your plants further away from sun-filled windows during hot days, or put a sheer curtain in between.
If you’re feeling crafty, you can make these easy DIY embroidery hoop window sun diffusers. Your plants will love them!
Tip 2: Keep Plants Cool (but away from the A/C)
Plants are just like people, they like fresh air in the summer.
Provide your plants with a breeze by opening some windows during the cooler times of the day.
However, don’t put them in front of the air conditioner. Most indoor houseplants won’t survive cold a/c air hitting directly on their leaves.
Tip 3: Water your Plants More Often
Though I always warn not to overwater your plants, when the temperatures rise, my advice is a little bit different.
In summer your plants need to be watered more often.
The heat will evaporate the water faster than normal. Soil dries out quicker, and your plants need to be watered more frequently.
Don’t use cold water thinking you’re helping and cooling your plants off. Water that is too cold can actually shock the roots.
Room temperature water is best. A good deep soak in the morning will help them get through the day.
Tip 4: Keep the Humidity High
Make sure to keep the humidity high, especially around those tropical, high humidity-loving plants.
Your Monstera adansonii would appreciate some extra misting. And so would a Fishbone cactus. And don’t forget about those Boston Ferns.
Misting helps only temporarily. On very warm days it is best to place your plant on a tray with water and pebbles in such a way that the bottom of the pot doesn’t touch the water. The water will evaporate and raise the humidity around your plant.
Another great option to help your plants is to buy a small humidifier and place it near your plants.
Tip 5: Fertilize. Or Not.
For most plants, spring and summer are when they do most of their growing. New leaves shoot up, and flowers bloom. This is the time of year when you should give them an energy boost and fertilize.
But beware when there is a heatwave, plants go into survival mode.
All their energy goes into coping with the high temperatures, instead of taking in nutrients.
Fertilizing during a heatwave can be too much to handle for your plants. So wait until the heatwave ends before fertilizing again.
Tip 6: Hold off on Repotting
The heat, humidity, and long hours of light stimulate your plants to grow. So they may be in need of repotting.
During a summer heatwave, your plant needs all its energy. Repotting on hot days will cause unneeded stress to the root system.
If possible, wait until the days are a little cooler.
When it is time to repot and the days are not too hot, follow the steps how to best repot your plants.
Tip 7: Inspect for Pests
High temperatures can cause weak growth and less resistance to pests.
Keep the leaves clean and dust-free and inspect your plant every few days for signs of pests to catch a possible infestation before it becomes severe. Check under leaves and in axils where insects like to hide.
Learn more about common houseplant pests and what you can do to get rid of them.
Thanks I learn from y’all. I am trying to really do better with my flowers I love them I think I do over water sometimes. I a ok so move them around outside if they look like they are not doing good I move them to either more shade or more sun. I
need all help I can get thank y’all very much.
Hi Charlotte, Thanks for your kind comment. Much appreciated! Glad my blog posts have been helpful!