Fall houseplant care is mostly about doing less. As the days shorten, houseplants slow down, so water less often, stop fertilizing until spring, and move plants toward your brightest windows. Then protect them from the new hazards of the heating season: hot vents, cold glass and dry air.
October is the month the studio’s routine changes. Nothing dramatic, just six small adjustments that decide whether your plants coast gently into winter or spend it sulking. Here they are, in the order we make them.
Why do houseplants need different care in fall?
Because the light changes. Illinois Extension calls light perhaps the greatest factor limiting houseplant growth in winter. With less light, plants grow more slowly and use less water and food. A routine built for July keeps delivering July quantities to a plant that has quietly downshifted.
Summer care vs fall care at a glance
| Summer | Fall and winter | |
|---|---|---|
| Watering | Often; soil dries fast | Less often; let the soil dry more between waterings |
| Fertilizer | Regular feeding in active growth | Stop until spring |
| Light | Plenty, even back from the window | Move plants closer to your brightest windows |
| Placement | Anywhere they’re happy | Away from heat vents, cold glass and drafts |
| Humidity | Usually fine | Dry indoor air; group plants or use a pebble tray |
| New plants | Straight onto the shelf | Quarantine first |
1. Water less often
This is the big one. Illinois Extension is blunt: more houseplants die during winter from over-watering than under-watering, and it advises letting the soil nearly dry out between waterings. Nebraska Extension gives a sense of scale: a plant that needed water once a day outside in July and August may need it once a week or less in the house in winter.
Don’t swap one schedule for another. Check the soil before every watering, as in our houseplant watering guide.
2. Stop fertilizing
Iowa State’s advice is simple: stop fertilizing plants in the fall and winter months, because they aren’t actively growing. Put the fertilizer away in October and bring it back out when spring growth starts.
3. Chase the light
Move plants closer to your brightest windows as the sun drops lower. A few more ideas:
- Clean the glass. Kansas State’s extension guide suggests cleaning windows inside and out to let in as much light as possible.
- Turn your plants. University of Minnesota Extension recommends turning plants every few weeks so each side gets its share of light and they don’t stretch toward the window.
- Add a lamp if you need one. The same article suggests supplemental light for around 12 to 14 hours a day in total, such as switching lights on from 5 to 8 pm.
Not sure which windows are your brightest? Our guide to reading the light by window direction walks through each one. If your windows face north, the plants on our low-light list are the ones that cope best with the dark months.
4. Mind the heat vents and the cold glass
Once the heat comes on, a windowsill can swing from warm to chilly in a day. Illinois Extension recommends a daytime temperature between 65 and 75°F, with only about a 10-degree drop at night. It advises keeping plants away from drafts, cold windows and heat vents. Check that no leaves touch the glass on cold nights, and move anything sitting right above a radiator.
5. Add a little humidity
Heated indoor air is dry. Illinois Extension says most houseplants prefer 40 to 50% humidity, and suggests clustering plants, using a humidifier, or setting a shallow tray of water beneath them. Minnesota’s version of the tray trick is a saucer filled with clay pebbles and water, with the pot sitting on the pebbles, not in the water. Grouping plants together creates what it calls a mini-greenhouse effect, and it makes a lovely shelf, too.
6. Quarantine anything new or newly indoors
Plants coming back in from the porch and plants coming home from the shop both carry a risk of pests. Minnesota Extension recommends quarantining new additions until you’re sure there are no unwanted visitors. Iowa State suggests 3 to 4 weeks apart for plants brought in from outdoors. Our full checklist for that move is in when to bring houseplants inside.
What about repotting in October?
Most plants can wait for spring, when they’re growing actively again. Our spring repot ritual covers the full seasonal repot. The exceptions are plants in real trouble; more on those in a follow-up guide.
FAQ
Should I fertilize houseplants in fall?
No. Iowa State advises stopping fertilizer in fall and winter because houseplants aren’t actively growing. Resume when new spring growth appears.
How often should I water houseplants in fall?
Less often than in summer, and only when the soil says so. Illinois Extension recommends letting the soil nearly dry out between waterings in winter, and warns that over-watering kills more houseplants than under-watering.
Do houseplants go dormant in winter?
Most slow down rather than truly going dormant. With less light they grow more slowly, which is why they need less water and no fertilizer until spring.
What humidity do houseplants need indoors?
Illinois Extension says most houseplants prefer 40 to 50%. Grouping plants, a humidifier, or a pebble tray all help raise it.