As a sage plant, I experience winter not as a calendar date, but as a profound shift in my environment. The air becomes dry, the light fades in intensity and duration, and the warmth I once knew retreats. To help me not just survive but remain healthy through this dormant period, your care must adapt to my slowed metabolic pace. Here is what I need from you.
With less light and cooler temperatures, my growth has nearly halted. My roots are no longer actively expanding and drinking at their summer rate. The soil now takes much longer to dry out. If you continue to water me as you did in the growing season, my roots will sit in constant moisture, which they cannot tolerate. This cold, wet environment invites root rot, a fatal condition I cannot fight off. Please, only water me when the top inch or two of my soil is completely dry to your touch. When you do water, do so thoroughly but ensure all excess water can drain freely from my pot. I would much prefer to be slightly too dry than constantly damp.
The sun is now low in the sky, and its light is weak and fleeting. As a Mediterranean herb, I am a sun-worshipper and require a minimum of six hours of direct light daily to maintain my strength and prevent my stems from becoming weak and spindly as they desperately stretch for photons. Please move me to my brightest possible location, ideally a south-facing window where I can bask in the sun's rays all day. Rotate my pot a quarter turn with each watering to ensure all my leaves receive equal light and I grow evenly. If such a spot is not available, I will greatly benefit from a supplemental grow light placed a few inches above my foliage for 12-14 hours a day. This artificial sun will sustain my photosynthetic processes until the true sun regains its strength.
While I can tolerate cooler indoor temperatures, I am extremely sensitive to sudden drafts and blasts of hot, dry air. Please keep me away from frequently opened doors, drafty windows, and, most critically, heat vents or radiators. The blast from a furnace is desiccating; it will rapidly pull moisture from my leaves, causing them to crisp, brown, and drop. I enjoy a slight drop in nighttime temperature, but a consistent location away from these extremes is vital. The dry indoor air can also make me more susceptible to pests like spider mites. A occasional light misting around my leaves (not a soaking) or a nearby humidifier can help create a more comfortable microclimate for me.
Because my system has slowed down, I have no need for fertilizer during the winter months. My roots cannot absorb the nutrients, and a buildup of salts in the soil can actually damage them. Please withhold all feeding until you see signs of new growth in the early spring, when the lengthening days signal to me that it is time to wake up and begin growing again.
