Your Houseplants Need a Spa Day—Here’s How to Give Them One

By the start of spring, even the most devoted indoor gardeners can feel the shift. Leaves lose their luster, growth slows, and everything from the soil to the light feels just a little off. It’s not failure; it’s a season. And as the days begin to stretch, spring offers a natural moment to reset.

For Christopher Griffin, also known as Plant Kween, this transition is less about fixing and more about reconnecting. The Brooklyn-based educator, author of You Grow, Gurl! Plant Kween’s Lush Guide to Growing Your Garden, and caretaker of more than 200 “green gurls,” sees spring as a shared awakening. “Spring feels like an invitation to check in, clear away what’s no longer serving them, and help them get ready to stretch again.”

What follows isn’t a rigid checklist, but a rhythm—a way to move through your indoor jungle with a little more intention, and maybe even a little joy. Read on for Griffin’s tips to get a little bounce back into your botanicals.

Start with a Leaf-Level Cleanse

Phoebe Cheong

After months indoors, your plants are likely carrying a fine layer of dust that quietly interferes with their ability to absorb light. Leaf cleaning is a small detail with an outsized impact, and one of the simplest ways to wake everything up. A soft cloth and lukewarm water are usually all you need—skip the heavy, glossy treatments in favor of something that lets leaves breathe.

In Griffin’s home, this step is anything but rushed. “A proper leaf-cleaning ritual in my home is part care practice, part love language,” they explain. “I’ll usually put on some music, gather a soft cloth, maybe a bowl of lukewarm water, and spend time really looking at each plant.” That slower pace turns a quick chore into something more observant, giving you a chance to notice subtle changes—pests, stress, or new growth just beginning to emerge.

Whether you opt for a gentle rinse in the shower or a more meditative leaf-by-leaf wipe down, the goal is the same: Clear the way for light, and reintroduce yourself to your plants after a long, quiet season.

Prune, Shape, and Let the Light In

Phoebe Cheong

If you’re finding that winter has left your plants looking a little sparse or stretched, you’re not alone. Lower light and slower growth often lead to legginess, yellowing leaves, or an overall sense that things have gone slightly off track. This is where pruning comes in—not as a correction, but as a kind of encouragement.

“I’d say pruning can feel scary at first because you care,” Griffin says. “But pruning is not punishment—it’s support.” Starting with the obvious (dead or yellowing leaves) can help ease the hesitation. From there, shaping becomes more intuitive, especially as you begin to understand how your plant grows.

Vining plants like pothos and heartleaf philodendrons tend to respond especially well to a spring trim, often returning fuller and more balanced. “There’s something so beautiful about realizing the plant wasn’t ‘done’—it just needed redirection,” Griffin adds. It’s a gentle reminder that sometimes growth asks us to let go first.

Check the Soil: Repot or Refresh

Phoebe Cheong

Beneath the surface, winter can take its own toll. Soil becomes compacted, nutrients are depleted, and roots may begin to outgrow their space. Spring is the ideal time to take a closer look—not every plant will need a full repot, but most will benefit from some attention below the soil line.

“I look at the roots, the watering pattern, and the overall behavior of the plant,” Griffin explains. If water runs straight through the pot or roots are tightly circling, it may be time for a new container. But often, a simple soil refresh is enough to restore balance. “Sometimes a plant doesn’t need a bigger home—it just needs fresher soil and nutrients.”

For beginners, approachable plants like pothos, snake plants, and ZZ plants make for low-stress practice. And when it comes to soil, Griffin favors a chunky, breathable mix—potting soil blended with orchid bark and perlite—to strike that balance between moisture retention and drainage that most tropical houseplants crave.

Adjust to the Season Shift

Phoebe Cheong

As light returns and days lengthen, your plants begin to wake up—and their needs shift. What worked in January won’t necessarily carry you through April, and part of the spring reset is learning to notice those changes in real time.

“As the days get longer and brighter, most houseplants begin using more energy,” Griffin says. That often translates to more frequent watering, subtle increases in growth, and the option to reintroduce fertilizer if that’s part of your routine. The key, they emphasize, is to move slowly. “Spring is a good time to start observing more closely rather than following a rigid winter routine.”

It’s also a moment to rethink placement. Light moves differently now, and even a small shift in location can make a noticeable difference. “A spot that worked beautifully in fall may not be ideal by spring,” Griffin notes. Rearranging plants—or supplementing with a grow light—can help support that seasonal transition without overwhelming your collection.

Make It a Ritual, Not a Task

Phoebe Cheong

More than anything, a plant reset is an opportunity to change how the work feels. Instead of racing through a list of to-dos, Griffin encourages a slower, more intentional approach. One that turns care into something restorative.

“A plant spa day in my home is a whole vibe,” they say. “Music is playing, the light is hitting just right, and I’m moving slowly through the collection… It’s care, but it’s also communion.” That shift in mindset transforms routine maintenance into a moment of connection, not just with your plants, but with yourself.

“I think ritual begins with presence,” Griffin adds. Lighting a candle, making tea, or simply putting on a favorite playlist can be enough to ground the experience. When plant care becomes less about obligation and more about attention, it has a way of softening everything around it.

Add a Little Joy

Phoebe Cheong

Not every part of plant care needs to be practical and in Griffin’s world, it rarely is. Alongside watering schedules and soil checks, there’s always room for something a little more personal, a little more unexpected.

“A little wild card in my plant care routine is that I often spend the whole watering session on the phone with someone I love,” they share. “There’s something really sweet about pouring into my plants while also staying connected to my people.” It’s a small shift, but one that layers care in a way that feels expansive rather than solitary.

That same spirit can take many forms: talking to your plants, rearranging them with the seasons, or simply sitting nearby and noticing the way light moves across the leaves. “Sometimes connection deepens when we stop treating care like maintenance and start treating it like relationship,” Griffin says.

A Fresh Start—for You and Your Plants

By the time you’ve wiped the leaves, trimmed the edges, and shifted a pot or two toward the light, the change is subtle but real. Your plants look a little brighter, a little fuller, a little more awake. And somewhere along the way, you might feel it too.

“I hope they feel calmer. More connected,” Griffin says, as much of gardeners as the plants themselves. “And I hope they leave that moment remembering that they, too, deserve tenderness, patience, and room to grow.”

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