Most houseplants come from tropical and subtropical regions – certainly nearer to the equator than we are.
There they enjoy fairly constant light levels throughout the year. Further north, and there’s quite a divergence between winter at one extreme and summer at the other. To make up the shortfall in (our) winter, they need as much light as possible – even if in their natural habitat they may be in shade. In other words, six hours of bright northern winter light = ten hours (or possibly more) of tropical shade. It’s a matter of persuading them they are at home.

Give houseplants such as Sanseviera full light during the winter months
Don’t put them right up against a window, however, as delicate leaves can scorch. And keep them on the cool side – you are trying to induce dormancy here (in the tropics they can grow year round). They should perk up noticeably come January, when I’ll return to this topic.
Tags: equator, houseplants, light levels, mother in law's tongue, north, northern hemisphere, overwintering houseplants, protecting houseplants over winter, sanseviera, shade, subtropical regions, subtropics, tropical regions, tropics, winter care of houseplants
October 31, 2009 at 7:23 pm |
Do you know if there is any list of overwintering house plants?
I’m looking for one, but can’t find it.
Keep up the good work,
The Plant Searcher
http://www.plantsearcher.com