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12-Month Houseplant Care Calendar
By the Plantshop.com Editorial Team · Updated · How we research · Report an error
What to do each month for healthy houseplants: when to water less, when to feed, when to repot, how to time plant deliveries, and seasonal notes for 63 plants, taken from our sourced care guides. Seasons are for the Northern Hemisphere (US).
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January Winter
- Water less: plants use far less water in winter. Feel the soil before every watering.
- Skip feeding in winter unless a plant’s guide says otherwise.
- Keep tropical plants above about 50°F (10°C), away from cold drafts and heating vents.
- Buying online? Choose a shop that adds heat packs or holds shipments in freezing weather.
February Winter
- Warm, dry heated air invites spider mites on plants such as English ivy: check leaf undersides for webbing.
- Rotate pots every few weeks so growth stays even.
- Still no feeding; keep watering only when the soil says so.
- Bring any plant delivery indoors as soon as it arrives.
March Spring
- Spring: start feeding lightly with a balanced houseplant fertilizer at half strength.
- Repotting? Go only 1-2 in wider than the current pot; a much bigger pot stays wet too long.
- Prune the plants whose guides say to prune in spring (see the spring notes below).
- Milder weather makes this a good time to order plants online.
April Spring
- Keep feeding lightly, at half strength.
- New plants: keep them away from your others for one to two weeks in case of pests.
- Wait two to four weeks after delivery before repotting a new plant.
- Rotate pots every few weeks.
May Spring
- Plants that summer outdoors: follow each guide’s temperature rule before moving them out (see the spring notes).
- Keep feeding lightly.
- Give new arrivals a few days out of harsh direct sun.
- Check the soil before watering; never water on a fixed schedule alone.
June Summer
- Summer: keep feeding lightly at half strength.
- Check the soil more often than in winter.
- Buying online? Avoid deliveries that will sit in a hot truck over a long weekend.
- Rotate pots every few weeks.
July Summer
- Look under leaves for webbing, sticky residue or tiny insects.
- Keep feeding lightly.
- Empty saucers after watering; never leave a plant standing in water (except plants whose guides say otherwise, like the Venus flytrap).
- Summer heat in delivery trucks can damage plants: unbox deliveries straight away.
August Summer
- Last month of the summer feeding window in our general care guidance.
- Keep checking the soil before each watering.
- Rotate pots so growth stays even.
- Planning autumn purchases? Order before cold weather.
September Autumn
- Autumn: some plants need long or cool nights now to flower later (see the autumn notes below).
- Feeding: our general guidance is spring and summer only; some guides say not to fertilize in autumn.
- Plants summering outdoors: plan to bring them in before frost.
- Mild weather is still a good time to order plants online.
October Autumn
- Bring outdoor-summering plants in before frost.
- Keep tropical plants above about 50°F (10°C) and away from cold drafts.
- Keep up any autumn bud-setting routine (long or cool nights) your plant’s guide describes.
- Check the soil before every watering as days shorten.
November Autumn
- Water less as winter approaches; plants use far less water in winter.
- Move plants away from heating vents as the heating comes on.
- Winter shipping: order from shops that heat-pack or hold shipments in freezing weather.
- No feeding from winter onward unless a guide says otherwise.
December Winter
- Winter care: water less, no feeding, no cold drafts.
- Plants in bud or bloom (such as Christmas cactus) drop buds if moved, chilled by drafts or left to dry out.
- Giving a plant as a gift? See our plant gifts guide and order before the freeze.
- Keep plants away from heating vents.
Plant-by-plant seasonal notes
Quoted from each plant’s care guide; click a plant for full care and sources. Plants not listed here follow the general monthly tasks above.
Winter (December, January, February)
- Alocasia: keep evenly moist in summer, drier in winter
- Alocasia: may go dormant in winter
- Alocasia: Do not panic if it drops leaves in winter: many alocasias go partly dormant.
- Alocasia: Losing leaves in winter: Normal dormancy;
- Norfolk Island Pine: keep winter nights above 50°F (10°C) and away from heating vents.
- Olive Tree: a cool, bright winter suits it better than a warm, dim room.
- Olive Tree: It needs about two months at 40-50°F (4-10°C) to flower, so a cool, bright winter spot suits it better than a warm room.
- Rosemary: Indoor rosemary often dies in winter from dry soil plus low light;
- Rosemary: Indoors in winter it survives best in a cool, sunny room of about 45-55°F (7-13°C);
- Venus Flytrap: Decline after a year: Often no winter rest;
- Venus Flytrap: For a winter rest (dormancy), keep it at about 35-50°F (2-10°C) for at least 10 weeks;
- Venus Flytrap: Care differs during winter dormancy.
- Yucca Cane: Water sparingly in winter;
Spring (March, April, May)
- Alocasia: Water less and wait for spring.
- Indoor Bonsai Tree: repot into a gritty bonsai mix in spring.
- Jade Plant: Prune in spring to shape a thicker trunk.
- Moth Orchid: Large-flowered white types that bloom in spring need about a week of cool nights near 55°F (13°C) in autumn to start flower spikes;
- Olive Tree: Put it outdoors in full sun from late spring to autumn if your nights stay above about 40°F (4°C), and bring it in before frost;
- Umbrella Plant: Prune it in spring to keep it bushy rather than tall and bare.
Summer (June, July, August)
- Alocasia: keep evenly moist in summer, drier in winter
- Lemon Tree: a south window, outdoors in summer
- Olive Tree: a south window or outdoors in summer
Autumn (September, October, November)
- Christmas Cactus: To set buds, give it cool nights (50-60°F) and long, uninterrupted nights for about six weeks in autumn.
- Christmas Cactus: No flowers: Too much light at night or too warm in autumn.
- Christmas Cactus: To set flower buds in autumn, give it cool nights of about 50-59°F (10-15°C) or 13+ hours of uninterrupted darkness for about six weeks;
- Gardenia: Do not fertilize in autumn: it pushes frost-tender new growth.
- Kalanchoe: To re-bloom, give it about six weeks of 14-hour nights in autumn.
- Moth Orchid: No reblooming: Needs 2-4 weeks of cooler nights (around 55-65°F) in autumn.
- Moth Orchid: Large-flowered white types that bloom in spring need about a week of cool nights near 55°F (13°C) in autumn to start flower spikes;
- Olive Tree: Put it outdoors in full sun from late spring to autumn if your nights stay above about 40°F (4°C), and bring it in before frost;
Always check before you water
Sources
Every note comes from the care guides in our Plant Library, which cite these sources (plus the plant-specific sources on each guide).