Houseplants in spring: how to wake them up

The days get longer and plants wake up. It's the season when everything starts again: the right time to repot, start feeding again and set up a good year of growth.

Updated on 6 October 2026

Spring, the season of waking up

In winter, most houseplants live in slow motion: little light, little growth. As soon as the days get longer, in March, they start growing again. The first new leaves often appear in April. It's the sign that your plant needs more: more water, more food, and sometimes more room.

Water more, but gradually

A growing plant drinks more. In our care guides, summer watering is on average almost twice as frequent as winter watering. But the change happens gently: bring waterings closer together over the weeks, rather than switching to the summer rhythm overnight.

The right reflex stays the same all year: push a finger into the soil. If it's dry an inch down, water. If it's still moist, wait a day or two.

Repotting: April is the month

In spring, the plant has the whole growing season ahead to settle into its new pot. 102 of our 121 care guides recommend repotting in April. There's no need to do it every year for all of them: most are repotted every two or three years. The signs that don't lie:

• roots come out of the drainage hole, or circle around the surface;
• water runs straight through the pot without being held;
• the plant, too heavy for its pot, tips over.

Choose a pot only slightly bigger, 1 to 1.5 in (2 to 4 cm) wider, always with a hole in the bottom. A pot that's too big holds too much water and rots the roots. Use a suitable compost (cactus and succulent mix for succulents), water lightly after repotting, and wait about a month before feeding: fresh compost already contains what it needs.

A few plants grow so fast that they're repotted every year: the avocado tree, the banana plant, the caladium, the coleus, the cyclamen, the baby's tears, the polka dot plant, the inch plant, the umbrella papyrus, the pilea, the poinsettia, the tradescantia Nanouk and the African violet.

Start feeding again

Fertiliser is the plant's food while it grows. 97 of our care guides start it again in April. A liquid houseplant fertiliser added to the watering can is usually enough, about once a month. Follow the dose on the label: too much fertiliser burns the roots. And always pour it onto soil that's already moist, never onto a dry root ball.

Prune, take cuttings, dust

Spring is the ideal time for a refresh. The bare stems of the pothos or the inch plant are cut just above a leaf: the plant branches out and gets bushier. The cut pieces root in a glass of water within a few weeks. The babies of the spider plant can be planted straight away.

While you're at it, wipe the large leaves with a damp cloth: winter dust hides the light from them.

Watch out for spring sunshine

After months of weak light, leaves are no longer used to the sun. A direct April or May sunbeam behind a south-facing window can already leave dry brown patches. If you move a plant closer to the window, do it in several steps, over one or two weeks.

Want to put your plants on the balcony? Wait until nights no longer drop below 54 °F (12 °C), often from mid to late May. Start them in the shade, then in partial shade: the sun outdoors is much stronger than indoors.

This advice is for houseplants in a temperate climate. Every home is different: trust your plant too, and the soil under your finger.