How to care for your houseplants in summer

Summer is a great time for indoor plants, but it’s also the time they need the most attention. Give them the best summer ever.

$Zig zag cactus in a light grey concrete pot, green succulent in a green fractured pot, snake plant in a light grey concrete pot and small fidle leaf fig plant in a navy blue ceramic pot grouped together, on top of a table top.$

We’re in the hottest, sunniest months of the year (hopefully). That means great growing conditions for your plants, as long as they’re kept well watered. Here’s how to help them enjoy summer.

Water more often. Check the soil every few days
Make sure sensitive plants are out of direct sunlight
Feed them once a month
Mist them often, sometimes even daily
Deadhead flowering plants to encourage new blooms

Let’s get into a bit more detail.

Water more frequently

You’ll probably need to water your plants more in summer. Not only are they drinking more to help them grow, the hot weather can dry their soil out quickly.

Check on them every couple of days and give them a drink only when the soil feels dry to a depth of two inches. Don’t be tempted to overwater. Sopping wet soil is not a plant’s friend.

A philodendron being watering with a white watering can

Keep them well fed

Plants are still well within the growing season (it lasts until September), so they need lots of energy to make new leaves and flowers.

Once a month - no more than that - put some plant food, aka fertiliser, in the watering can and water your plants as normal. That will give them the nutrients they need.

Move them out of direct sunlight

There are some plants that love strong direct sun, mostly cacti, but most find it a bit much. Like us, they can burn.

If your plants are in a very bright room, consider moving them away from a window, so the midday sun doesn’t shine on them.

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Keep the air humid

Make the hot air moist and your plants will be incredibly happy. The easiest way to do this is to give them a spritz with a mister every day.

You could also put your plant’s pot on a tray filled with pebbles and water. Or put them in a naturally humid bathroom.

A calathea in a wicker basket sits beside a bathtub

A devil's ivy being misted with a glass mister

Deadhead old flowers

If you’re lucky enough that some of your plants are flowering, remember to ‘deadhead’ them when the flowers wilt.

That just means pinching or snipping off wilted flowers. That will encourage them to replace old flowers with new ones.

Take some plants outside

When the conditions outside are warm and sunny, some of your plants will enjoy a little holiday outside. Plants like lemon trees and bird of paradise love summer outside.

Introduce them gradually, so they can get used to brighter sun and cooler nights. And remember to bring them in well before winter comes.