7 Best Tips for Houseplants in Summer

The summer is almost here, at least in the northern hemisphere, so it’s time to start providing our plant babies with a bit more care. Here are the main tips for houseplants in summer.

If you have an outdoor space, like a patio or a garden, take your indoor plants outside. They can get so much more light outdoors (even 50 times more) and they will reward you with bigger and faster growth. For sun-loving plants, I advise to gradually acclimate them to direct sun, otherwise they might get sunburns.

Adjust watering schedule – As the days get warmer and longer, more sun and light will help your plants photosynthesize more, so they will use water from the soil faster than during winter, and as a result will need more frequent watering.

Over time dust will accumulate on the leaves. Dirt and dust reduce the amount of light that reaches leaves, and this reduces photosynthesis. What this means is that your plants will not be reaching their maximum potential. Use a wet cloth to wipe off the dust. You can also give your plants a shower, they will appreciate it. You can wipe off succulent leaves as well. It’s a common misconception that the succulent leaves shouldn’t get wet, as they will rot. The truth is, as long as the leaves don’t stay wet for a long time, even succulent leaves are fine getting wet. It rains in the desert doesn’t it?

Wiping off the leaves is a great opportunity to check for pests. Pests are often tiny and difficult to spot with a naked eye. A great method of checking for pests it to place a sheet of white paper underneath a plant, tap/shake the leaves and use a micro lens or a magnifying glass to check the paper for pests. If you find any, treat the plant with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil.

If you haven’t repotted your indoor plants during spring, you can do it during the summer season. If the roots are coming out the bottom of the pot or if they broke the pot, it’s time to repot. Another good sign is if your indoor plants are drying out too fast. This can mean there isn’t much soil left in the pot. Take the plant out and check. If you see lots of roots and very little soil, repot right away! If you are unexperienced with this, I wrote a detailed article on repotting.

Trimming and pruning – Cut off all dead foliage, brown leaf tips, brown edges and dead stems. Remove dead leaves from the soil, so they don’t attract fungus gnats, as they feast on decaying organic matter.

If you wanted to keep your indoor plants away from the windows, but you were afraid because of the lack of direct sunlight, you might be able to do it now. Do this only if your plants looked great during winter. If they were barely surviving, leave them where they are. Ideally, you should buy a light meter, so you can measure the amount of light your plants are getting.

If your indoor plants are dying in summer, the most likely reason is that they’re not getting enough water. Indoor plants get more light during summer because of nicer weather and longer days. More light leads to more photosynthesis. And more photosynthesis leads to roots absorbing water from the soil faster. Make sure to water your plants regularly during summer to prevent them from drying out.

Plants need more water in the summer to prevent wilting. Due to more light and warmth, the soil will dry out faster than the rest of the year. How often you should water your indoor plants in summer will depend on the type of plant, the size of the plant, the pot it is in, the amount of light, the temperature, and the humidity. Check the soil more frequently than in other months. If the top half of the soil is dry, water the plant.