Did you know that second-floor plants may need different care than ones on the first floor because it is warmer? This blog post is hard to write because I’m so mad at myself. My plant care wasn’t great.
I had (stress HAD) a beautiful Blechnum ‘Silver Lady’ fern. Here is a picture of it planted in an amazing pot on April 27th. After weeks of sitting on the counter, I got my daughter to take it upstairs since I couldn’t lift it. (Remember back surgery.) She put it in the east “fern window”.
Plant Care in Michigan Spring Weather
There hasn’t been much of a spring here in Michigan and maybe where you live. It has been cold and rainy and our first nice weather was Mother’s Day weekend.
This past week we hit high temperatures of almost 90 degrees F after temperatures in the mid-60s. I should have known the plants would get dried out faster in that type of weather. I live in a colonial home and I was roasting upstairs, so why wouldn’t the plants be?
We knew it was going to be more pleasant this week. So we opened the windows and turned on the fans instead of turning on the air conditioning.
And look what I found today…….
And this is not what it looked like when I ran for the watering can thinking it was dead. I couldn’t bring myself to take a picture. Isn’t it awful? I am a horrible plant mom.
Not The First Blechnum I’ve Owned
I’ll be honest. This isn’t the first Blechnum fern I’ve owned (and helped to its death). I did a video on Instagram showing it getting potted up. I then reminded everyone they should NEVER let this fern dry out. Not even for one minute! Do as I say, NOT as I DO….
I even potted it up in a bit larger pot than I would normally use since I knew it dries out quickly. I said I would never kill this plant again….famous last words. Never say never!
Second Floor Plant Care
So, what does being on the second floor have to do with plant care? We all know heat rises, so it is cooler on the first floor than on the second.
Upstairs I also have ceiling fans going and sometimes freestanding fans, as well. I didn’t want to turn the air conditioning on yet because I knew it was going to cool back down. Big mistake, right?
So, with the high temperatures, windows open, and fans going, it dried my plants out quickly. This phenomenon will also happen when we finally do turn on the air, but not to such an extent.
It is cooler, but all the humidity is also pulled out of the air, which the plants don’t appreciate. So be cognizant of that when you switch the thermometer to “cool”. I hope you don’t end up with this:
It’s not completely dead but compared to what it was….depressing. It will come back and I’m going to try my best to not let it dry out again!
The moral of this plant care story
When it gets hot outside make sure your plant care changes and your plants are well watered. Then they can withstand the high temperatures, especially on the second floor. (This goes for you, as well. Stay hydrated.)
Have a great week, plant friends!
The links in this blog post contain affiliate links. If you buy a product through the link, I receive a few cents. Thank you.
What a creative idea for a post! I’ve been reading about and growing houseplants for 50 years and have never before seen anyone write about this subject!
Our south upstairs bedroom is affectionately known as the sunroom as it is full of rattan furniture and houseplants. As I thought about it, I have my own share of upstairs plant disaster stories.
Once while we were away for several days and did not yet have AC, there was an unexpected heat wave. I came home to find I had lost several houseplants in the sunroom—some to drying out and some to major insect infestations. You’re right, that didn’t happen to plants in the rest of the house.
So glad your fern survived!
Thanks, Anne! I hadn’t thought about it, either until I experienced it. I was so bummed. So far, the fern is looking good. Thanks!
Its really good information, We just take care of plants but not like 1st floor basis and all