🌿 Bring the Jungle Inside: Winter Survival Guide Part 2: Temperature ❄️

Smokey: "Winter lighting must be precise. I need this light exactly at 14 inches."
Sunshine: "Sure. I am holding this… little number thing."
Smokey: "It reads humidity. Your main job is to look cute."

🌡️ TEMPERATURE: THE TROPICAL DORMANCY LINE

Most tropicals slow down or stop growing below 70 to 75 F. They stay green, but their engine shuts off. If you want winter growth, you need warmth plus light. If you let temperatures drop, expect plants to go into dormancy.

What happens below 70 F:
Roots slow, water intake drops, fertilizer becomes risky, leaf drop becomes common.

Watch for hidden cold zones:
Cold windows, drafts, garage entryways, and pots sitting on tile. The room may say 72 F while the soil is 55 F. Always elevate pots on boards or foam to keep roots warm.

Heaters:
Space heaters are fine if used safely. Oil-filled radiators are the best choice. Do not blow hot air directly on plants or cords.

Humidity:
You do not need a humidifier for survival, but it helps with growth and prevents mites. Do not point mist at leaves. Keep the unit lower than the plant canopy.

Simple plan:
Aim for 72 to 75 F, avoid drafts and vents, warm the root zone, and keep lights bright. Warm + bright = steady winter plants. Cool + dim = dormancy.

PLACEMENT: MICROCLIMATE RULE

Indoors, every spot is a tradeoff. By a window you may get light but also cold air. Away from the window you get warmth but not enough brightness. The goal is to combine both: warm room plus supplemental light.

Best winter zones:
South or east windows with added LED light, warm living areas, bright bathrooms with natural humidity.

Worst winter zones:
Behind curtains, on cold windowsills, near heater vents, against exterior walls, and in dark corners without supplemental lighting.

Simple plan:
Warm room, bright light, pots off cold surfaces, and no direct blasts from vents. If a plant keeps dropping leaves on one side, that side is too cold.

Bringing plants inside is a shock. Light drops, humidity drops, airflow stops, and soil cools fast. Even healthy plants may drop some leaves for a few weeks. This is normal.

Before you bring them in:
Rinse the foliage, check for ants, trim weak branches, and treat soil if fungus gnats are present. Do this before the first cold front if you can.

What to expect:
Some leaf drop, slower growth, and a short adjustment period. If you keep light bright and temperature warm, the transition stays easy.

Simple plan:
Clean the plant, warm the roots, add bright light, and avoid drafts. Give it two to three weeks to settle.

Cat Bob is inspecting his indoor garden around the tub with a bright skylight

✔️ WINTER INDOOR FAQ: LIGHT, TEMPERATURE, PLACEMENT

Q: I am in Home Depot. Which light do I buy?
A: LED shop light, daylight (5000K to 6500K), high lumens. Skip fancy plant bulbs.

Q: Can I use clamp lamps or floor lamps for plants?
A: Yes. Clamp lamps with a bright daylight LED bulb work great for winter holding.

Q: How far should the light be from the plant?
A: About 12 to 18 inches above the leaves.

Q: Can I run weak lights for long hours instead of using a bright one?
A: No. Brightness matters more than duration.

Q: I have a huge window. Why do I still need LEDs?
A: Winter sun is weak, short, and filtered. Plants need intensity.

Q: My window faces north. Now what?
A: North windows are decorative only. Use LEDs.

Q: Why are leaves dropping on the window side?
A: Cold glass. The room is warm but the window surface is much colder.

Q: Why is my plant not growing even though the room feels warm?
A: Check the soil temperature. Pots on cold tile can be 10 to 20 F colder than the air.

Q: Can plants sit directly on the floor?
A: Not on cold tile. Elevate on boards, stands, or trays.

Q: Is a cold room OK for tropicals?
A: They survive, but growth stops below about 65 to 70 F.

Q: Can I keep plants near a heater or vent?
A: No. Hot, dry airflow causes crispy leaves and mites.

Q: My plant is dropping leaves after coming indoors. Why?
A: Normal acclimation to lower light and humidity.

🛒 Shop Indoor Garden

📚 Learn more:

How to overwinter tropical plants indoors

What tree will fruit indoors?

6 easiest fruit trees and 5 spices to grow in containers indoors

Feeding Indoor Plants

Overwintering Adeniums outside of tropics

🌿 Bring the Jungle Inside: Winter Survival Guide Part 1: Lighting ❄️

Smokey: "Winter lighting must be precise. I need this light exactly at 14 inches."
Sunshine: "Sure. I am holding this… little number thing."
Smokey: "It reads humidity. Your main job is to look cute."

🌞 LIGHT, TEMPERATURE, PLACEMENT

Winter indoors is a different kind of battlefield. Dark rooms. Dry air. Cold windows. Random drafts. Weak light. Sad plants. We spent the last mail-lists talking about keeping your tropicals alive outdoors. But some of you have no choice this time of year. You have to bring the jungle inside.

If that is you, then this is your survival training. Get Part 1 right, and the rest of winter becomes easy.

☀️ LIGHT: THE WINTER LIFELINE

Light advice here comes straight from our in-house expert, Michael Dubinovsky, a high-tech lighting engineer with over 30 years of hands-on experience. If he says brightness beats hours, trust him.

Here is the truth. Winter indoor light is weak. Even a big bright window gives only a fraction of what tropicals expect. Short days, low sun, cold glass... it all adds up. If you want your plants to stay happy, you must give them real brightness, not long hours of dim light.

What to use:
LED shop lights or utility lights, 5000K to 6500K, high lumens. Clamp lamps with a bright daylight bulb work fine for single plants. You do not need purple grow lights. You do not need expensive fixtures. Bright daylight LEDs from any hardware store will do the job.

How to set it up:
Keep the light 12 to 18 inches above the leaves. Too close burns. Too far stretches. Aim the light directly at the plant. If leaves reach upward like they are begging, the light is too weak or too high.

Intensity beats hours:
Adding more time does not fix weak light. A few hours of strong brightness beats all-day dim light. Bright + short is always better than weak + long.

Quick check:
Download any free phone lux app. Most indoor corners read 50 to 200 lux. Tropical plants want much, much more. A cheap LED shop light solves the problem instantly.

Simple plan:
Bright daylight LED. 12 to 18 inches above leaves. Timer set for 10 to 12 hours. No fancy gear. No purple lights. Just good clean brightness.

Simple rule: Short duration but bright is always better than long duration but weak. - by Michael, Top Tropicals lighting expert