Winter Dormancy, Why Isn't My Plant Growing?
Plant dormancy, winter dormancy, what does it mean? If you’re a new plant owner, this may be a new concept to you and you may be wondering what you can do when your plants declare dormancy. Well, first you may be wondering what that even means. Here’s your beginner’s guide to plant hibernation i.e. how plants react to the changing of seasons.
What is winter dormancy and why aren’t my plants growing?
The natural slowing to the growth of your plants as the days become shorter and the world outside turns cold is what we call winter dormancy. This process of rest can be startling to new plant owners who are accustomed to their ever-changing new friend. As temperatures outside approach freezing, plants may stop new growth or appear dead altogether, but this period of rest is 100% natural and necessary for the overall life cycle of your plant.
There are also different types of dormancy besides winter hibernation. When plants experience environments of extremes like drought or stress, they can also enter this protective period.
Examples of winter dormancy
Think about the trees outside. During the autumn months the leaves of trees turn yellow to red to brown and drop off entirely. These trees will be back in bright greens once spring approaches. Your plants follow this natural cycle as well.
To conserve energy through the winter, plants may shed leaves or as mentioned above, appear dead. This function is to prevent new energy from being created through their metabolic processes (converting sunlight and water into sugar and energy). Though your plant may appear brown and hard on the outside, if you try to prune them during this time you may find that they are in fact alive under this exterior.
What should you do through plant dormancy?
Do you water your plant as usual through dormancy? Is there any extra care your plant may require? Plants will actually require less watering overall through the winter months, you can read more about prepping plants for winter here. You may also consider helping your houseplants through dormancy by moving them to darker, cooler areas of your space.
Bringing plants out of dormancy
As the warmer months approach and blooms begin to appear outside, your plant may take some time catching up to their own springtime cycle. To help a plant emerge from its sleep, place it in indirect light, water well, and consider feeding through fertilizer.
Is my plant dormant or dead?
Good question. There are ways to test your plants to make sure they are in fact dormant and not just dead. If your plant has branches try a snap test, break off one of the branches, if it splits dryly, it is dead. If the break is moist, your plant is dormant. If you’re working with leaves, try the scratch test. If you scratch a stem and it appears green, that’s a living plant. In any case you can always inspect the roots of your plants, checking to see if they appear healthy or shriveled.
Winter dormancy and you
What’s important to remember is that these processes are completely natural and your plant knows what it’s doing. So water less, prune dead leaves or branches, don’t fertilize until the spring, and keep the environment humid if possible. Like the world outside, plants will come back to life as the cold recedes, so trust your instincts and make it through the winter because there will be a lot to do and see once spring comes around.
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