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Indoor Gardening......

 
Tips & Tricks: 

There are many tips and tricks that one should follow when bringing plants into the home. Some are common, like knowing how much to water the plant, to how much light it should get. Below is a list of some suggestions about caring for the indoor garden.


Lighting for the plant:
This is the first thing that should be considered when starting an inside garden. This is important because most houses wouldn't have enough light to handle a plant that needs a lot of light. So, the lighting in a house becomes essential even before starting an inside garden or bringing any plant into the house, because the amount of light in house will determine what types of plants would grow there. So make sure to consider this before bringing any plant into

the house. Select plants that require medium to low light, unless you plan on supplying the plant with artificial lighting. Some plants that are medium to low light would be a Boston fern, Philodendrons, etc. Here are a few other tips regarding lighting in the house:

  • During the summer months the plants should be put outside. This will usually boost up the plant and give it a new spurt of energy.

  • Because a plant will turn to the light, it should be rotated. This will promote an upright growth.

  • There are a few ways to know if the plant is getting enough light or not. If it isn't getting enough light, it usually will have small leaves, thin stems, and the color of the plant will be lighter than usual.

  • Artificial lighting, with a fluorescent lamp, etc, can be used to supplement a house with limited natural lighting.

  • Condition the plants when buying them. This has to be done because the place where it is bought will usually have more lighting than your home and the plant can go into a shock of sorts and lose it's foliage. Now to condition your plant, make sure it gets maximum amount of light, and then gradually reduce the amount of light to be equal to the spot where you want the plant to end up.


Watering Plants:
Not every plant has the same needs when it comes to watering, but there are some basic rules one should follow:
   
Wet the soil thoroughly, and the water should be able to drain out of the bottom of the pot. How much you water, and how often purely depends on the type of plant, so one should read the seeds or ask the person selling the plant, as to how much water does this plant require.
 
Over watering kills most plants. If the soil is too wet constantly it will lead to problems with the roots. This will lead to the leaves becoming yellow, that's because there is not enough oxygen in the soil because it is too wet.

When watering the plants, try to use water that is the same temperature as the room. This will ensure that the plant doesn't have any shock from too cold or hot water.


Temperature:
As with watering, different plants will thrive under different conditions, one of which is the temperature. As a general rule, temperatures between 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit, during the day and 10-15 degrees cooler at night. Though this range does not cover all plants, it still can be said as the range for most of the house plants. Here are a few more tips to follow:
 
The temperature can go up or down by 10 degrees from the ranges above, it will not kill the plant.
 
Rapid changes in temperature, either colder or hotter, can cause damage to your plant.
 
If a plant is grown at a hotter temperature than is needed, it will be small, weak. If it is grown in a too cool temperature the leaves will have a yellowish look and will fall off.


Pots and Containers:
Make sure that the pot can adequately allow the water to drain out of it. Also, before putting a plant in a pot that has been used for another plant, make sure it has been cleaned. This is a precaution taken to protect the new plant just in case some disease had affected the earlier plant.


Humidity:
The level of moisture in the air can also effect how a plant grows. Low humidity, in most plants, not all, will cause dry leaves and curling. Increase the humidity of the room with a humidifier, especially during winter when the heat is on and the humidity drops. You could also spray the leaves with water, but do it in the morning, if done overnight the leaves can rot.


Fertilizing:
Once again, this is one of those tips that is based purely on the type of plant that you have, different plants need different levels. Other factors include, how fast do you want the plant to grow, how much sunlight there is, how many times it is watered, etc. As a general rule, for plants that are growing very quickly, fertilize every 2 to 3 months, but for dormant plants, dont fertilize at all. Since these are indoor plants, that receive less sun than normal, they don't need fertilization too often. If there is burned or dried leaves, it is an indication that plant has been over fertilized.
 

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