Is it ever really winter indoors?

[Sharpchick]

I live in Arkansas in zone 7b, which means with the exception of a few sedums and Sempervivum spp., I have to grow the succulents I like indoors.

All the plant care stuff I've read says to decrease watering in the winter. I usually water my succulents every two weeks, and the soil is thoroughly dry by then.

I've decreased the number of hours of daylight (grow light) by about an hour, and backed off the fertilizer, but I'm still watering when the soil gets dry. In some of the small pots, that can be 10-14 days. The temperature is constant in my house, but in the winter the humidity decreases due to central heating.

As a general rule, all the plants are indoors in all seasons.

Do these plants need a winter? And if they do, how do you give it to them indoors?

 

[SubRosa]

I live in 6b and run my lights 10 hours a day for the months of December and January to simulate the shorter photoperiod of winter. As far as temps I'm lucky to have a converted garage that gives me an essentially unheated room. It routinely gets down into the low 50s at night, and has gotten as cold as 40, with frost on the inside of the windows. A basement or garage could serve the same purpose in 7b

 

[fredg]

Reduction in winter watering is more for the grower than the plants. It's to prevent rot and moulds (botrytis) forming due to a reduction in daylight ( natural) and airflow as many people will seal up growing houses to prevent heat loss ( mistake). If the plants are grown outside they certainly do not get a reduced watering regime in winter and considering that many CPs are bog plants, it seems odd that many think they need it. A temperature drop for temperate plants is preferable, however, our friends in warmer climes do seem to manage with many plants with very small changes in temperature and daylight length.