Overwintering Oleander
It can definitely be a bit tricky to get your Oleander to survive the winter in climates where it can't grow outside. If you can't find a hardy one to match your climate we would recommend keeping on reading to find out how to help it survive until spring.
Check the soil Before moving your plant from where it has been during spring / summer, make sure the soil is dry to avoid mold growth.
Check for pests When your plant is moved to a new location and proceeds into the winter months, it might get a bit weak. Its normal resilience against pests is therefore lower. Make sure to check that your plant is healthy and free of pests before moving it to its winter location.
Lower the temperature Place your plant in a cool room. For example, a garage, shed, basement, attic, summerhouse or a cool stairway if you are living in an apartment. Recommended temperature for Oleander:
Add extra grow light Pick a full-spectrum light bulb and place it 20-30 cm / 8-12 inches above the plant to prevent leaf burn. Keep the light on for 10-16 hours / day.
Reduce watering Cutting back on watering during winter is key to helping your Oleander to survive. The amount of water it will need will depend on the amount of light it will get and what temperature it's placed in. The tricky thing with Oleander is that it shouldn't dry up completely even during winter but that it doesn't like to stay wet for a long time either (especially if it's placed in a cold space). So make sure that the soil dries up slightly but not too much (the first few inches should be dry before watering during winter). Tricky ones? Yep! And you might even need to water it before or after Planta notifies you about it.
Keep an eye on it Keep checking your Oleander from time to time to be able to stop any infestations at an early stage. It's also important to know that it's not normal for Oleander to drop its leaves during winter, so if yours start shedding: something is going on! The most common causes are too much or too little water, too little light and too high temperatures. So, check the soil and the roots and make sure that everything is okay regarding the amount of light and temperature conditions.
If the foliage is very heavy and dense, you might even consider thinning it out so that light can flow freely between the branches and hit all the leaves. — Planta tip
