March is here, which means spring is in the air. Bringing longer days and warmer temperatures, spring is one of the most important seasons for your HortyGirl indoor potted plants. During this time, your plants are waking up from their winter dormancy and starting their active growing period.
With the change of each season, it is a good practice to pay a little closer attention to your plant’s health and water uptake. As the days grow longer and brighter, your plants will begin to absorb more water for the process of photosynthesis and prepare themselves for the active growth cycle.
To help you care for your plants during this crucial spring time, we asked our HortyGirl potted plant expert for top spring potted plant care tips and we’ve created a spring potted plant care checklist below. Keep reading to learn more.
1. Move Potted Plants Away from Sunny Windows
One of the first spring care tips to look at is the amount and type of light required for your plants. Longer days in spring means more intense and longer sunlight. The sunlight can actually burn the leaves of some sensitive indoor plants. If you moved any plants to south-facing windows during the winter, it’s a good idea to move any indoor plants away from those windows to prevent the sunlight from burning the leaves.
Some plants such as the Jade potted plant can tolerate direct sunlight for a certain number of hours. Be sure to check the amount of lighting required for your plant in our plant care blog and watch for any signs on your plant that indicate too much sun such as leaves turning white, brown or transparent.
2. Clean Your Potted Plant Leaves
Over the winter, dust can settle on the leaves of your plant. When spring time arrives, it’s not only time to spring clean your house, but also your indoor potted plants. Cleaning the leaves can help keep your plant looking brighter and healthier.
Simply wipe the leaves gently with a damp cloth. It’s best not to use any leaf wax or polish as this can harm the plants.
3. Repot Your Potted Plants
The spring is the most ideal time to repot your potted plants as it triggers new growth and gives them room to expand. However, it is not necessary to repot all your potted plants in the spring. Brand new plants that you just purchased or received as a gift do not need to be repotted.
Watch for signs from your plant telling you it needs to be repotted such as the plant bursting out of its current pot, roots growing out of the pot bottom, roots growing over top of the soil or water running through the soil without soaking in.
Some general tips for repotting are use a pot one size bigger, use general purpose potting soil mix, prune any roots going out of the drainage holes, and gently remove your plant from the pot keeping the root ball intact.
4. Water Your Potted Plants
To ensure your potted plants have a smooth and healthy transition into the spring, it’s a good idea to check the soil moisture weekly and water your plants more frequently, but only when the soil is dry. You can check the soil moisture using a bamboo or wood skewer and water accordingly.
Also, check your potted plant’s watering requirements in our plant care blog as some types of plants may differ from others. For example, air plants have no soil and will need to be submerged in water.
5. Prune or Trim Your Potted Plants
In the spring, you may find unhealthy branches and dead leaves on your potted plants. Dead leaves are yellow or wilting. If you find any on your plant, cut off any branches or dead leaves close to the stem and trim any brown tips off the leaves with clean, sharp scissors or pruning shears.
Pruning your potted plants in the spring can help encourage new growth as well as spring clean your plants. When pruning and trimming your potted plant, you may also want to wear gloves to protect your hands.
6. Fertilize Your Potted Plants
Spring is a good time to start fertilizing your potted plants again. Start slowly feeding fertilizer to your plants in March/April and ensure the dose is half or a quarter, and gradually increase the fertilizer to full dose by June.
Fertilizer provides nutrients for the plant and helps stimulate growth during the active spring growing season. However, your potted plants can still grow without fertilizer, but they may take more time to get nutrients and may grow a little slower. Some plants may not like fertilizer, be sure to check if your plant can take fertilizer in our plant care blog.
Finishing Up
With its warmer temperatures and more daylight hours, the spring is a great time to freshen up and encourage new growth in your potted plants. By following the tips above and carefully caring for your potted plants in the spring, it will help your plants with the seasonal transition and keep your plants thriving and healthy all year long.
If you’ve recently received or purchased one of our indoor potted plants and you’re looking for care tips, find out the plant name by looking on the HortyGirl tag that came with the plant. Next, look up the plant name and its care tips in our plant care blog. If you have additional spring plant care questions, please contact us.