Valuable Things You Need To Know About Indoor Gardening

Summers are gone, and you miss the lush in your yard, as the winter blahs start why not to head for indoor?

An avid gardener would not just check his love for the plants on front door they may wish to have ferns in the bathroom, rosemary pots in the kitchen, a dwarf citrus within the bedroom, and seedlings within the basement.

Fascinating Indoor Gardening Ideas

Nowadays, there are so many fascinating options for growing the plants indoor that will get you baffled among the options. Having all such options the plants would have no reason of not being surrounded by their favorite plants throughout the year.

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The indoor plants not only cleans the air of your household but also makes your house look picturesque. This history of indoor gardening dates back to the Victorian times when plants including palms, hibiscus, and abutilons were founded by botanists in the remote part of the world.

A large number of people have a myth that indoor gardening takes a whole lot of space, but that turns out to be invalid as we present you with various guidelines, which will make the experience of indoor gardening a lot more fun and easier.

The more we know about the nature of the plant the simpler it is to take care of them. The amount of water, light, humidity and various other things varies a lot. But with some below mention general guidelines, your path to success towards indoor gardening is right here.

1. Select a Perfect Gardening Space

In indoor gardening space plays an important role. Gardening arrangements are to be done on the basis of how much space you are willing to use for gardening. One can use as much as or as little as space one wishes to use for indoor gardening.

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It can be done on tables, or a windowsill can be used for growing vegetable such as tomatoes. If the person is willing to take on gardening in a larger area, he can use table or shelves for gardening. Even the place under the table can be used for gardening after making necessary arrangements.

Using shelves results in larger room for gardening even though it occupies less space. But the arrangements for the shelves are to be done adequately. It is to be seen that proper light is received on every side of the plantation, and if not received properly extra glow lights should be added to every shelf.

2. Choose the Right Soil

As much as possible, your potting should be tailored according to the plants. All of them require different soils for example rosemary, and cactus prefers a coarse well-drained soil, which is one-third sand, African ferns, and violets that prefer soil with less humus content.

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A perfect indoor potting combination is typically made up of vermiculite, peat moss, and perlite. The most paramount consideration in own potting is to check whether the soil is porous enough to present a good circulation of air, water and healthy growth of roots or else that will lead to unhealthy leaves and thin stem. Also, ensure that your roots get enough oxygen.

3. Provide a Perfect Temperature

A specific range of temperature is preferred when you grow your plants indoor. A range of temperature of 65-75˚F are best for most of the plants, but a variance of 10˚ F is bearable.

The temperature should just moderate – neither too hot nor too cold, as both has their disadvantages plants that are too hot will be small and weak and the ones that grow in too cold temperature may have yellow leaves that fall off.

4. Offer Sunlight That Is Just Enough

Light is paramount in the growth of plants as they need it for the process of photosynthesis without, which they can’t survive. During winter if your plants are hanging on the window they may get enough light. But in the case of plants located elsewhere in your home, you may require a grow light.

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There are various types of grow lights out there in the market, which includes:

• Incandescent lamps
• Fluorescent lights
• High-intensity discharge bulbs
• High-pressure sodium bulbs

There are certain things, which can be taken care of while purchasing a grow light:

• The wavelength of the light should be same as that of the sun.
• The plants should get enough light without getting the leaves burning by placing the light too close.
• Most vegetables and various other plants will do best with 14-16 hours of sunlight or the stimulated light.

Budding and flowering in plants occur due to the presence of a hormone in plants called “florigen”.  Access amount of light can destroy the ‘florigen’ in the plants, which in return will prevent blooming.

Whether your plant is getting enough light or not that can be justified by the growth of the plant. If enough light is not provided, the stems will be thin, leaves short and the plant color shall be lighter than usual.

5. Keep It Humid Enough

Humidity refers to the moisture amount that is present in the air. Humidity is not a problem in the summer season, but winters are drier than the summers, and a lack of humidity can turn out to be a serious challenge for the indoor gardeners.

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There are certain signs, which signals problem of humidity in your plant; they are:

• The tips of your plants will turn brown
• You plants will look withered and will shed leaves
• To overcome the problem of humidity certain steps can be taken:
• Mist your plants daily (not the one with hairy leaves)
• Put a tray of water close to your plant
• Keep all the plants together to build a microenvironment

6. Add the Right Amount of Water

Water for plants is imperative. And not just water but ADEQUATE amount of water is necessary for the plants to grow properly. Many a time’s plants die due to over-watering the plants.

Certain things should be kept in mind while watering the plants such as:

• Before watering the plants, the moisture in the soil should be checked till ½ to 1 inch.
• Water should be given at a specific interval of time.
• If the day has been sunny water should be provided as sunlight dries the soil and consequently the plant.
• If the day has been cool, even a drop of water should be avoided as such temperature retains moisture in the soil and the roots of the plant.
• The water having room temperature should be used for watering the plants as it helps to avoid shocking of roots.
• Chemically softened water should not be used for watering.

7. Select the Right Plant

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You can grow almost anything indoor as long as it does not grow too big but obviously, there are some plants, which are preferred the most; namely:

• Vegetables: Pepper, chard, kale, onion, tomatoes, salad green, etc.
• Herbs: Basil, parsley, lavender, oregano, cilantro, rosemary, chives and so on.
• Flowers: Roses, marigold, zinnia, pansy, geranium, alyssum and more.
• Fruits: Apples, citrus, strawberries and blueberries.

While choosing the plants, there are also certain plants, which should not be grown indoor that are peas, beans, corns and most definitely root vegetables.

Our Tip

Taking care of all the guidelines as mentioned earlier and using basic equipment like the plastic tub, trowel, pruner, shovel and others you can start planting indoor effortlessly. So let’s get started maybe by picking up a shelf or a windowsill.