My approach to spring is simple: watch the plants, check what has changed, and adjust their care when they need it.
The first sign here is the air. The chill begins to lift, the days get longer, and the sun reaches the plants differently. Outside, there’s more new growth to look at, although a warm run in Sydney can still be followed by cooler days.
I grow plants outside and in a greenhouse, where I can manage conditions more closely. These are observations from my own collection; a windowsill, balcony or spare room may give you a different experience.
Your plants may need different care or reach the same stage a few weeks later. Use what you notice in your own growing space to decide what to change.
What I’m noticing first
My mature ferns are putting out new fronds. They seem to be enjoying this early part of the season, while conditions are cool without being too cold. They’re among the plants making the change most obvious at the moment.
The anthuriums are doing well too. My Anthurium vittariifolium is producing new leaves, and the combination of humidity, ventilation and moderate greenhouse temperatures is working well for the plants here. Extreme heat isn’t something I’m waiting for with enthusiasm.
The monsteras are showing new buds and activity, but they haven’t reached full pace yet. I’m still waiting for more consistent warmth.
The greenhouse plants kept growing through winter, so their seasonal change is less dramatic than it is outside. Even within the collection, I’m watching each plant’s response rather than expecting everything to move at the same pace.
You can see the Nephrolepis biserrata ‘Macho’ — Giant Sword Fern specimens and browse the UJS anthurium collection on the website. Check the listings for current availability and collection details.
Following the changing light
It’s easy to pay attention to the temperature and overlook the changing sun.
A position that worked through winter may start receiving direct light at a different time of day. Before moving a plant or changing its care, check where the sun actually falls now. Indoors, look at the light through the window. Outside, watch the edge of the shade through the day.
In a greenhouse, a mild day can still turn into a warm space once the sun is on it. This is where ventilation starts asking for more attention, even before the weather feels particularly hot to us. The RHS guidance on greenhouse ventilation explains why sunny conditions can create overheating problems from spring onwards.
There’s no need to rearrange the whole collection on the first warm weekend. Start with the plants whose conditions have actually changed.
Checking water before adding more
As growth picks up and pots begin drying faster, I check them more often. A warm afternoon alone doesn’t tell me what is happening deeper in the mix, or whether a plant is ready for another drink.
Pot size, the growing medium, the roots and the position all matter. A small pot filled with an airy mix may dry out sooner than a larger pot filled with a mix that retains more moisture.
Check the mix below the surface where you can do so without disturbing roots. The weight of the pot can also help you judge when it needs water. The aim is to understand that particular plant and pot, rather than let every species dry out completely.
During Sydney’s unsettled early spring, I keep checking when cooler weather returns too. The aim is to adjust to the pot’s drying pattern, rather than commit to a new seasonal schedule.
Balancing humidity, airflow and leaf care
As conditions become warmer and drier, I pay more attention to humidity and air movement together. In my greenhouse, extraction fans remove warm air from the upper part of the structure, while oscillating fans move air around the plants.
There’s a distinction here between wetting a leaf and maintaining humidity around a plant. A quick hand mist usually changes humidity only briefly. University of Illinois Extension makes this point too: misting has a short-lived effect, and excessive misting can increase disease problems.
For a plant in a dry living room, a humidity meter gives more useful information than droplets on a leaf. A spray bottle alone may not address the conditions around it.
When I mist or spray plants, inside or outside the greenhouse, I do it in the morning. That gives foliage more opportunity to dry before a cool night. Prolonged damp conditions can favour some diseases, particularly where air movement is poor.
Delicate new leaves deserve a bit of restraint as well. I avoid leaving water sitting around unfurling growth. I’m not suggesting that water is always the cause of a stuck or damaged leaf; that needs a closer look at the plant and its conditions.
Watching new growth for pests
When I water or mist at this time of year, I often see moths fly out from among the plants. I’ve also seen them laying eggs and watched the caterpillars that follow damage the foliage. That experience is why I pay attention to the adult moths as well as looking for caterpillars.
I check underneath leaves, around tender growth and along stems for eggs, fresh chewing damage or caterpillar droppings. A moth nearby is a prompt to look more closely, rather than proof that a particular plant is infested.
My Anthurium photo shows another reason to inspect stems and sheltered joints: mealybug clusters can be easy to miss against a moss support.
- Caterpillars: look for fresh chewing holes and small, dark droppings, often black. These can collect on the leaves below where a caterpillar is feeding. Check new growth, leaf undersides and the foliage beneath.
- Thrips: silvery scarring and tiny black specks; check both sides of leaves.
- Spider mites: fine pale stippling, sometimes webbing; look closely under leaves.
- Mealybugs: white cottony clusters; check leaf joints and sheltered crevices.
- Scale insects: raised brown or tan bumps; check stems and underside leaf veins.
- Aphids: clusters around tender new growth, with curled leaves or sticky residue.
These pests can occur throughout the year, and similar damage can have other causes. The RHS guide to sap-feeding pests on indoor plants is useful for a closer check before deciding on treatment.
How the zapper fits into my routine
I use a light-based insect zapper in my greenhouse during the day and at night. My aim is to catch adult moths before they have the opportunity to lay more eggs. In my experience, it has been a useful part of managing this problem, and reducing my reliance on repeated pesticide applications is one of the reasons I use it.
There is a trade-off: light traps can also catch insects that aren’t pests, including harmless and beneficial insects. I still inspect the plants for eggs, caterpillars and fresh damage, rather than judging success only by what the zapper catches.
Where appropriate, my routine also includes preventative caterpillar treatment. The choice needs to fit the pest, the plant and the product label; seeing the first moth of spring isn’t a reason to spray the whole garden.
Why I’m waiting to feed
I’m not increasing fertiliser across the collection just because spring has arrived. Slow-release fertiliser went on at the end of autumn, and I need to take that existing feed into account.
That doesn’t establish how much is still available in every pot. The product, its stated release period and the growing conditions matter. Without checking those details, adding another feed could mean doubling up unnecessarily.
Around mid-spring, I’ll reassess selected plants, including some of the rarer specimens. Roots, active growth and the feed already in the pot will guide that decision. Rarity or price isn’t a reason to add more fertiliser.
Giving new plants time and repotting when needed
Most of the plants I started propagating at the end of autumn are still growing under lights in propagation boxes, with carefully controlled humidity. I’m watching both their roots and their new growth before deciding when to move them on.
Monstera seedlings from an albo parent
At the end of summer, I was given fruit from a Monstera albo parent. I harvested the seeds and sowed them in sphagnum moss around late autumn to early winter. They have now germinated, and I can see healthy roots through the clear container.
For this batch, I’m waiting for a third or fourth leaf to develop, alongside a well-established root system, before separating the seedlings into individual pots of the Aroid Potting Mix I use. The leaf count is my checkpoint for these seedlings, rather than a rule for every plant.
Giving Monstera obliqua ‘Peru’ cuttings more time
My Monstera obliqua ‘Peru’ cuttings have been in a lidded box on sphagnum moss for around three to four months. A few are producing new shoots and leaves. Through the bottom of the box, I can also see healthy roots spreading beneath the moss across the base.
I’m leaving the group undisturbed for now, until each cutting shows growth and I’m satisfied with its rooting. The first new leaf is encouraging, but it doesn’t tell me that every cutting is ready to leave the box. I’ll give them another few weeks, or as long as they need.
Repotting established plants
For established plants, I decide whether to repot by looking at the plant and its pot. Spring can provide a useful opportunity, but a healthy plant doesn’t need its roots disturbed simply because the season has changed. Equally, a serious root or drainage problem shouldn’t be ignored while you wait for a preferred month.
Spring is a transition, not a starting gun
Before you water, feed, repot or propagate, spend a little time looking. Has the light changed? Is the pot drying faster? Is the plant actively growing? Are the nights becoming warmer, or is another cool spell on the way?
You don’t have to do every spring job at once. Let the plants give you a reason to do the next one.
Marc grows and cares for the plants at Urban Jungle Sydney in Coogee. More about Urban Jungle Sydney.