You know the drill, a new season means a slight change in caring for our plants and the tips involved around them. As we transition from the hot summer to the cooler chill of Autumn, a lot of what we do for our plants and their needs has to shift as well. It sounds overwhelming, but we promise, with this walkthrough, you will be the Autumn plant care expert in no time.
Why Do Plant Needs Change During Autumn?
Australia has pretty interesting seasons. We go from scorching hot summers to cool and breezy Autumn, and our daylight hours also shift in that time as a lot of states in Australia go from daylight savings time to standard daylight hours. This change has an impact on our plants’ growth and needs, and the humidity also gradually decreases in Autumn as the cooler fronts come in.
Let’s dive into some routine changes and tips to get you prepared.
Tip 1: Don’t Be Scared by Minimal Growth
As plants prepare for Autumn and Winter, they slow their growth, and their chlorophyll production slows down too, but this doesn’t mean they stop growing. For those of you with flowering plants or indigenous plants, a lot of them thrive in Autumn as long as they are cared for properly.
Tip 2: Watering
Contrary to how plants behave in Summer, plants in Autumn do not need as much water. This is the perfect time to check your plant’s soil before watering and write down the day that you water them. Over the next few days, keep a log of how quickly each plant takes to dry out. You might notice a significant difference compared to how quickly they were drying out in the summer. To prevent overwatering, it’s best to get a good idea of their new timeframes, as Autumn and Winter are peak periods for root rot because we forget to adapt to the seasonal change.
It is easy to look up plants and get a rough idea of when to water, but if your plants are in terracotta pots versus a polished ceramic pot, there’s going to be a difference in how long it takes for that water to be absorbed into the soil and roots. Every watering routine is personalised and different based on the surrounding environmental and aesthetic factors.
Tip 3: Fertilising
Now, we know what you’re thinking… It’s time to stop fertilising. Nope. This is dependent on your fertiliser, as yes, there is truth to that statement, but if you’re using a low NPK ratio (specifically nitrogen), you are okay to keep fertilising at a normal routine.
Why nitrogen? Nitrogen is what promotes fast, leafy growth. In Autumn, plants begin their dormancy, so when too much NPK is provided, new growth becomes super tender and soft, making it more vulnerable to damage during the first cold changes or frost. Lowering nitrogen helps and allows your plants to harden off, maturing their existing stems and surviving that cold change.
Grow Concentrate and Support Pellets are low in NPK. Our products focus on microbes, and it is entirely safe and recommended that you continue using them as normal, as they will not cause this kind of damage or overexertion of the plant. We want to focus on the plant’s root development and maturing in Autumn, not speedy growth.
Tip 4: Sunlight
Yes… we know… how do we get sunlight during a time when it is minimal? We provide it. Unfortunately, a lot of our common indoor plants are not native, and their natural climates still receive consistent sun. For example, Monstera deliciosa is native to Central American rainforests, where it remains warm throughout the year. Monstera’s are climbers, reaching the tops of dense canopies to stay in sunlight for up to 12 hours. The same can be said for a lot of tropical plants.
We always recommend turning your plant care into mimicking natural environments. Something you can do to help this is using a grow light, because again, a lot of plants do not naturally experience Winter or Autumn changes, so we need to ensure we’re providing a consistent and matching environment.
We have some available. Our Instant Sun Grow Lamp or Instant Sun Grow Bulb will do exactly that, no screaming at the clouds for covering the sun.
Tip 5: Humidity
Indoor heating or dry outdoor shifts can really hurt a plant. These dry changes can cause stress or damage, especially to plants from tropical climates. Now, we’re not asking you to run around with a humidifier, but it can be useful to have one. You can also create humidity by placing a tray of pebbles and water next to them, as well as grouping plants together to create a slightly higher humidity level.
This sounds stressful, but we promise you, all these tips will become second nature. Plant care isn’t supposed to be stressful; it is a learning experience, and it is also really fun to learn why plants can or cannot do better in certain seasons. When in doubt, reach out to us. We have real plant experts who can help you and love talking about plants any day.