Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care · Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness

How to Prep Your Houseplants for Winter: Best of Growing Joy Replay

·35 min·2 clips

Maria says her house humidity drops to 20 to 30 percent and plants feel it.

1. Growing Joy with Plants replays a winter houseplant-care episode about prepping houseplants for winter. 2. Maria, the host and former plant killer turned plant care educator, leads the solo episode because she translates plant stress into practical home steps. 3. The episode asks how to keep houseplants healthy through shorter days, drier air, and slower growth while also using winter as a cue for personal quieting. 4. Maria says most houseplants are tropical and prefer high humidity and long days, which winter indoor conditions do not provide. 5. She explains that plants use light for photosynthesis, so less winter light means less food production. 6. Maria notes that lower light can trigger leaf drop, which she describes as self-preservation rather than automatic failure. 7. She adds that some homes get more winter light because deciduous trees lose their leaves and stop blocking windows. 8. Maria uses the term quiescence to describe a quieting or slowing down that many plants experience in winter. 9. She contrasts quiescence with dormancy and says many tropical houseplants, including an African violet she once misjudged, do not actually go dormant. 10. On pruning, Maria says she usually removes yellow or unattractive leaves instead of doing a full preemptive prune, though she mentions Chris from Botanic Tonic as someone who does prune before winter. 11. For high-light plants like Hoyas, succulents, and fiddle leaf figs, she recommends grow lights and says she uses white-light fixtures and timers. 12. Maria names the Soltech Vita grow bulb as one option she uses in a desk lamp for office plants. 13. On watering, she says some winter setups dry out faster because radiators and terracotta pots increase evaporation. 14. She cautions against rigid weekly watering routines and says plant care should be a routine of checking soil, not a fixed schedule. 15. Fertilizing, for Maria, follows growth: if a plant is still growing under strong light, she keeps feeding it. 16. She warns that assuming a plant is dead can be a mistake, and cites Stephania erecta and alocasia as plants that may return if roots stay healthy. 17. Maria says winter is also a time when pest outbreaks can appear, and she is currently dealing with thrips on a Hoya. 18. The episode’s tone is conversational and practical, with frequent personal examples, quick jokes, and repeated reminders to adjust advice to each home environment. 19. Plant owners who want winter-specific houseplant fixes and gentle self-care framing will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners looking for a fast, purely technical reference without personal storytelling may skip it.

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