While indoor plants should, in theory, be under no threat from cold outdoor temperatures, there are a few hidden dangers that the winter months bring with them. One plant parent recently took to Instagram to share some tips for how to keep your indoor plants healthy as temperatures drop outside.
The scoop
Krystal Duran (@_plantswithkrystal_) had several pieces of helpful advice for her 489,000 plant-loving followers.
For one, if your windows are drafty, move your plants a few inches away from them, she said.
Also, if you find that your plants are struggling to get enough sunlight through the windows, there is absolutely nothing wrong with incorporating grow lights. "I have them all over my house," she said.
Finally, the heat that comes out of air vents on the ceiling can be damaging to plants. So, Krystal recommended using plastic air deflectors, which can magnetically attach to the vents.
She added in the caption that heating your home can potentially dry out the air and the plants, which might mean you need to water more. "Do a check of your soil (I use a skewer stick in the soil to check) before watering," she wrote.
"[And] please take care of yourself before your plants," Krystal concluded.
How it's helping
According to a study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology, having houseplants can help you feel more comfortable and soothed in your own home.Â
"Active interaction with indoor plants can reduce physiological and psychological stress compared with mental work. This is accomplished through suppression of sympathetic nervous system activity and diastolic blood pressure and promotion of comfortable, soothed, and natural feelings," the study's authors wrote.
What everyone's saying
Krystal's followers were excited to put the tips into action.
"Oh the air reflector is so smart," wrote one commenter.
"Thank you for the tips. They are very good, especially those related to taking care of ourselves too," wrote another.
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