Hello everyone! It is Erin Floto from @erinflotodesigns here. Winter is right around the corner and if you live in a cold area like me, you need to figure out how to move your plants indoors to keep them alive. I’ve put together 8 tips and 4 trackers to help you care for your plants this winter. Using trackers in your bullet journal is such a great way of making sure your green thumb stays that way all winter long.

But first, here are the items you will need:

• Archer and Olive Notebook - Any color and size will do! Just have space for 2 pages for this spread!
• Any Pen - I love using a variety of calliographs, acrylographs and more! For my spread, I used the dark green calliograph that came in the jungle subscription box!
• Creativity and Decoration - I used washi tape and doodles for my spread but there are so many great kits and plant stickers that would truly be great for any trackers you put in your bullet journal

Moving Your Plants!

There are a few key things to do when you are getting ready to winterize your garden: prepare to move before you move and winterize the plants that cannot be moved. In this blog, we’ll be talking about moving your plants inside for the winter.

To prepare to move your plants there are three tips you should know:

1. Temperature - bring your plants inside before temperatures hit 45°F or 7°C.
2. Pests - make sure to treat your plants for any pests that may be lurking by spray it down with water and potentially treating with insecticide.
3. Shaded Acclimation - prepare your green leafy friends for a shadier environment by moving them into a shadier location while they are still living outdoors.

Plant Care Indoors

Plants care will look different when plants are indoor versus outdoor, as well as in winter versus in the summer. Here are some general tips for caring for your plants indoor in the winter months:

1. Less Water - most plants need less water in the winter months and only need to be watered when the soil is dry to the touch.
2. Light and Humidity - there is less light and humidity in the winter so consider a growing lamp and a humidifier or misting leaves in the winter.
3. Water Schedule - these can vary based on the type of plant and soil but don’t overwater!
4. Reduce Feeding - most plants aren’t high producers or in need of fertilization in the winter, so reduce to occasional water-soluble fertilizers and only increase again in the spring.
5. Bathe - plants love humid environments and getting in the shower so let them bathe in lukewarm water for 5-10 minutes then stay in the humid environment.

Plant care can be tricky so be sure to download the printable below for all of these tips and tricks on one helpful spread!

Water Tracker

Now that we have some winter plant care tips under our belts, let’s talk bullet journal trackers! The first and most obvious is a water tracker. Plants love water…but not too much water! As mentioned above, it is a great idea to get them on a watering schedule. Take a month and track how often you are watering when the soil is dry in the winter and create a schedule based on that. In this example I have a weekly tracker but this can also be done on a daily, monthly, or quarterly basis. One additional idea is to box the day that the plant is scheduled to be watered and then checking the plant to ensure it needs the water.

Requirements and Disease Tracker

As mentioned, different plants will have different needs so the first tracker is perfect for tracking the needs of your specific plants. For example, this pothos plant needs a lot of indirect light in the winter and would benefit from a growing lamp since it needs 12-16 hours per day, it loves humidity so it might do well on a shelf in the bathroom, it needs watering when the soil is dry during the winter, doesn’t need much (if any) nutrients throughout the winter, and should be kept in a warmer room between 65-85°F during the day and above 50°F at night.

Another great tracker is tracking diseases. My poor tomato plant got bottom rot last year and this tracker would have been perfect for me to note the plant it happened to, what the disease was, how to treat it, and when did the plant return to normal.

Location

Last but certainly not least for the super green thumbs is a location tracker. You may have SO many plants you don’t even know where all of them are or you need to move them to a place where your cat can’t get to them (I know the struggle!) so you can track where all of your plants are with a location diagram. Especially if all of these plants are normally outdoors and have been moved inside for the winter. In my diagram, I also include where the sources of sunlight are so the plants that crave sun can be located where they will get plentiful.

If you are more visual and auditory learner I’ve included a video explaining each of the sections, as well as the indoor care tips. I hope this video is helpful for preparing your leafy friends for the winter months all cozy inside your home!

I hope this blog, video and printable helps your plants get the best care possible this winter!! Thank you so much for joining and please tag @erinflotodesigns and @archerandolive and #aoshare on Instagram with any plant trackers you create in your bullet journal!