Flower Winter Care Methods and Precautions

Different types of flowers each have different growth habits, and different management measures should be taken to ensure they survive the winter safely.

1. Ensure appropriate temperature

Winter temperatures are relatively low, and different flowers have different minimum overwintering temperatures, so care must be taken.

Deciduous woody flowers such as pomegranate, honeysuckle, Chinese rose, ornamental peach, and winter jasmine generally enter a dormant state in winter, and room temperature controlled at around [appropriate level] is sufficient. They can also be wrapped in plastic film and placed in a wind-sheltered spot on the balcony to overwinter safely.

Some evergreen woody flowers such as oleander, kumquat, and osmanthus are in a semi-dormant state in winter, and a temperature generally controlled above 0°C is enough for them to overwinter safely.

Flowers such as Aglaia odorata, jasmine, hibiscus, bromeliad, and gardenia require indoor temperatures of around 15°C; if the temperature is too low, the flowers will freeze to death.

For herbaceous flowers such as fairy primrose, coleus, and calceolaria, room temperature should be maintained between 5°C and 15°C.

For perennial herbaceous flowers such as asparagus fern, garden balsam, geranium, and wax begonia, indoor temperature should be maintained at 10°C-20°C.

For banyan, bamboo palm, rubber tree, aloe, schefflera, epiphyllum, and night-blooming cereus, the minimum room temperature should preferably be 1°C~3°C.

The minimum winter temperature for aloe must not fall below 2°C.

The suitable temperature for clivia growth in winter is 15°C~20°C.

For aquatic flowers such as lotus, water lily, water hyacinth, and spatterdock, the water should be drained before frost, and the pots moved to a cellar or corridor hallway, with temperature maintained at around 5°C; when the potting soil is dry, water should be sprayed appropriately.

2. Suitable light and ventilation

Potted flowers should be gradually moved indoors in late autumn or early winter, and placed in different indoor positions according to the characteristics of different flowers.

Generally, flowers that bloom in winter and spring, autumn-sown herbaceous flowers, and flowers that prefer strong light and high temperatures, such as poinsettia, carnation, Christmas cactus, cyclamen, camellia, poinsettia, Aglaia odorata, and jasmine, should be placed on windowsills or in sunny spots near windowsills. Flowers that prefer sun and can tolerate low temperatures or are in a dormant state, such as asparagus fern, Chinese rose, osmanthus, citrus, cactus, and aloe, can be placed in areas with scattered light.

Other flowers that can tolerate low temperatures and have already shed their leaves or have low light requirements can be placed in darker, cooler places without sunlight, such as English ivy and water lily.

However, no matter what kind of flower, they should not be placed in drafty areas, to prevent cold wind from directly blowing on the potted flowers and causing them to freeze; nor should flowers be placed directly on radiators or near coal stoves, to prevent excessive temperature from scorching leaves or burning roots.

In addition, the room should maintain air circulation; around noon when temperatures are higher, doors and windows can be opened for ventilation, which can prevent flowers from dropping blossoms, leaves, or fruit. When providing ventilation, it is also essential to avoid cold wind blowing directly on the plants.

3. Watering

In winter, because temperatures are low, the water used for watering flowers must be stored in containers or left to stand; never use tap water directly to water flowers, because tap water temperature is too low, and when poured into potting soil that has a certain temperature, the large temperature difference with the potting soil will cause plant roots to be unable to adapt, damaging the root system.

Because temperatures continuously drop after the beginning of winter, flower metabolism slows down or enters a dormant state, and water requirements decrease, so watering of generally all potted flowers should be strictly controlled. If the potting soil is not too dry, do not water; especially for some shade-tolerant flowers, even more attention should be paid to watering as little as possible, otherwise it can easily cause root and stem rot and leaf drop.

Generally, the best watering time is around noon. For some shade- and moisture-loving evergreen flowers, such as asparagus fern, Monstera deliciosa, Philodendron bipinnatifidum, Calathea, camellia, and lucky bamboo, water close to room temperature should often be used to spray and wash the leaf surfaces, cleaning off dust, to facilitate photosynthesis. Although aloe likes moisture, it cannot be watered every day; you can wait until the soil is very dry before watering.

4. Fertilizing

In winter, most flowers enter a dormant period, and the roots basically absorb very few nutrients, so fertilizing should be minimized or stopped, otherwise it can easily cause root rot.

For indoor flowers that do not go dormant in winter, such as evergreen snake plant, fishtail palm, bamboo palm, and pothos, when room temperature is around [appropriate level], no additional fertilizing is needed; if the temperature is relatively low, fertilizing can easily cause root rot, and in severe cases the roots will rot. If some flowers have high room temperature requirements, above 20°C,

and still bloom in winter, such as cineraria, cyclamen, primrose, calceolaria, African impatiens, and anthurium, then a dilute organic liquid fertilizer should be applied once every half month, or a small amount of compound chemical fertilizer can be applied. For potted flowers kept at home, it is best to apply "flower cultivation fertilizer tablets"

or fermented rice-washing water; do not apply fertilizers with off-odors, to avoid polluting the indoor environment.

For some flowers that prefer acidic soil, such as camellia, azalea, banana shrub, clivia, and four-season osmanthus, alum fertilizer water should be applied regularly (add 0.1% ferrous sulfate to the prepared fertilizer water), which can make the leaves dark green and glossy, and the flowers fragrant.

In addition, some flowers can still grow normally when winter temperatures are low, such as flowering cabbage, Pilea cadierei, and begonia; fertilizers with a reasonable combination of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium can be used. Note here that nitrogen fertilizer should be applied sparingly, because in winter flower absorption capacity declines; applying too much nitrogen fertilizer will damage the root system; moreover, applying more nitrogen fertilizer will make flower branches and leaves tender, which will reduce their cold resistance and disease resistance, and is not conducive to overwintering. When fertilizing, pay attention to controlling the amount used.

5. Pest and disease control

Winter temperatures are low; when plant cold resistance is weak or declines, fungal diseases such as gray mold, root rot, and phytophthora blight are prone to outbreak. To ensure plants remain strong and improve their cold resistance, potting soil moisture should be reduced, supplemented by chemical agents. Winter pests are mainly scale insects and aphids.

Of course, pests and diseases are relatively fewer in winter; at this time, protective work and prevention should be done well. In winter, whitewashing the branches and trunks of some flowers can not only effectively prevent winter cold damage and sunscald of flowering trees and shrubs, but also greatly improve their disease resistance, and can also destroy overwintering sites of pests and diseases, achieving the dual effect of both freeze prevention and insect killing. The method for preparing whitewash is to dissolve quicklime and salt in water, then add lard and lime-sulfur mixture stock solution and stir thoroughly until evenly mixed. Special note here: quicklime must be fully dissolved, otherwise applying it to flowering tree and shrub branches and trunks can easily cause burns.

6. Increase air humidity

Winter air is dry, especially in the north where the weather is very dry; when air humidity is too low, it will affect flower growth.

Flowers such as camellia, azalea, anthurium, orchid, spider plant, asparagus fern, Acorus gramineus, and saxifrage require relative air humidity of no less than 80%. White orchid, hibiscus, fuchsia, cyclamen, jasmine, rubber tree, Monstera deliciosa, Aglaia odorata, banana shrub, Pittosporum tobira, and cactus-type flowers require relative air humidity of no less than 60%.

If humidity is insufficient, spraying water can be used to solve it; the best time for spraying is around noon on sunny days. If spraying on cloudy days or in the evening, nighttime temperatures are low, which can easily cause plant frost injury. For some flowers with higher humidity requirements, plastic film can be used to cover them, which helps maintain internal air humidity and prevent cold, and also prevents dust from falling on the plants, making the plants more bright and lovely. Of course, bagged flowers should be removed in a timely manner to let the flowers breathe, otherwise the flowers will have reduced resistance due to being stifled for too long.

7. Pay attention to regularly cleaning leaf surfaces

Because winter air is relatively dry, more dust falls on flowers; dust on flowers not only affects appearance, but is also unfavorable for plant photosynthesis, so flowers need to be cleaned in a timely manner. Small tweezers can be used to hold a small piece of foam plastic or sponge, dip it in a small amount of very dilute neutral laundry detergent solution, and gently brush and wash the branches and leaves; after brushing, immediately rinse off the remaining laundry detergent solution with clean water, then let it air dry naturally.