Like humans, houseplants have light-driven internal clocks that affect their behavior. In winter, when the days are shorter, many plants enter a period of slow or no growth. More light in spring triggers active growth, which means it’s time to tweak your plant-care routines.

Dr. Clydette Alsup-Egbers, associate professor of agriculture at Missouri State University, offers some helpful tips and advice to The Washington Post about switching up plant-care routine for spring.