Rising mercury, longer days and trees adorned with blossom: it’s difficult not to be drawn outside with the onset of spring.
But for people nurturing indoor jungles, the equinox and clocks moving forward signal a key moment in the houseplant calendar: it's time to grow.
My house plants and I limp through autumn and winter, trying to dodge crispy leaves and fungus gnats and - at worst - a feeble death. Spring marks the moment when those months of dormancy are over and the growing season begins. The worst thing you can do right now is ignore your house plants in favour of all the things shooting up in the garden; a few small jobs in spring can tide them over for the next six months.
Pruning
If you’re finding yourself staring at a load of brown, crispy leaves do everyone a favour and cut them back - they will never turn green again, I’m afraid. Carefully cut around the brown bits and discard any dried-up stems into the compost or food waste bins. You’ll be amazed by how much better it looks.
Dark winter days can make plants reach for the light, leading to long, gangly growth. If your plants have more stem and stalk than leaf, a judicious cut can have the same effect as a good trim at the hairdresser’s: encouraging more volume in the form of bushy growth. More structural plants such as Fiddle Leaf Figs (Ficus lyrata) and Rubber Plants (Ficus elastica) will branch out if you cut between two leaf nodes on their stem. Be brave, and chop about a third off. You’ll see new leaf nodes start to form within weeks.
Vines such as golden pothos and philodendrons react especially well to a haircut, encouraging more growth from the crown of the plant (where it reaches the soil) rather than at its extremities.
Propagating
Make sure those off-cuts are done with a clean blade - scissors or a knife - and bung them in a cup, vase or bottle of clean water. Place somewhere bright and you’ll see them rooting within a week or so. When the roots are five centimetres long, you can pot them into soil - either a new pot or the existing one - to form a new plant.
Re-potting
This is possibly the most gratifying bit of spring houseplant care, the equivalent of new school shoes for growing plants. They’ve muddled through the winter in too-small pots and a slightly larger one, filled with lovely new soil, can emphasise the growth they’d be putting on in spring. Examine your plants to see if any roots are growing out of the top or bottom of the pot - this is a sign it’s ready to pot on - and find another pot, with drainage holes, that’s a hand’s-width larger in the circumference than the existing one. Don’t feel the urge to find a massively larger pot: if the roots can’t grow into it, it will just become a soggy mass of soil, which can encourage rot.
Before moving anything, give your plants a drink to help with transplant shock. Then, fill the with a few centimetres of fresh, peat-free compost and lift the plant’s root ball out of the old pot and onto this new cushion of compost. Fill in around the gaps with compost and press down firmly. Then water again. They’ll be growing in no time.
Feeding and watering regimes
Depending on your plants, you may have slowed down on watering - and definitely on plant food - over winter as dormancy set in. Now that they’re growing again, you may notice that the soil is drying out more quickly. Keep a close eye and always touch the soil to see if it needs watering - a finger in the soil up to the knuckle will tell you how dry the soil is. If it is dry, water the plant thoroughly for several minutes to soak the rootball; I tend to put mine under the kitchen tap, and allow to drain out. Watered properly means watering less often.
While the soil is wet, it’s primed to absorb liquid plant food - crucial to get the most from your plants over the growing season and fend off pests. I’m partial to Maxicrop Organic Seaweed feed, which I use on everything and contains no nasties. Dilute according to the instructions on the bottle and use every fortnight, or whenever you remember to, if you’re anything like me.
Dust
I know, it sounds boring, but it is frustratingly crucial - especially for larger leaved-plants such as monstera and ficus. Dust can block the surface cells leaves use to photosynthesise and respire, so you’ll have a happier plant if there’s less of it about. I use a microfibre cloth, and, if I’m feeling fancy, some natural soap diluted in water to encourage a glossy shine.
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