Note: this article has been made by Alex Harris from the U.S.
Most people live in big cities, where cement and asphalt compose the landscape that surrounds us. We spend most of our day dwelling inside apartments and offices, where only the most fortunate have a balcony to connect with the outside world. To keep in touch with nature, we are forced to wait until we have enough free time to escape to a nearby park. While there’s nothing like taking a full breath of fresh air surrounded by trees, feeling the grass beneath our bare feet to ground ourselves and connect with nature. There’s also an option to beat the lack of vegetation in our daily routine: indoor gardening.
More and more people decide to allocate a corner of their home for plants or even small bushes. Interior gardens can transform a locked and stained room into a vibrant space full of life. It has been proven that home plants clean the air of a house or apartment; plants are the other tip of the exchange of gases between flora and fauna, exhaling oxygen after breathing in our CO2 emissions. In the process, they do a lot in terms of air filtering. Plants help to clean the air, muffle the noises that distract you, reduce the level of stress and improve your productivity.
Indoor Gardening 101
Succulent plants and terrariums need very little care, so they allow you to focus exclusively on your work. If you like indoor plants but you’re not sure how to take care of them, here are a couple of super practical tips for your indoor gardening practice.
Ideal conditions for indoor plants
Indoor plants are those that come from warm and humid latitudes, and which adapt to specific environmental conditions that help them thrive indoors. There are a series of basic conditions that we must take into consideration to achieve the perfect environment that indoor plants need. Namely, these are temperature, lighting levels, irrigation, the use of fertilizers, and the dimensions of the pot. Here’s more info on each environmental condition type:
Temperature:
- Fresh (between 10-15° C) throughout the year except in winter (between 7-10° C).
- Moderate (between 10-15° C) throughout the year.
- Warm (between 15-21° C) throughout the year, being able to eventually withstand higher and lower temperatures.
Light level:
- Sunny (requires direct sun).
- Half light (does not receive direct sun but enjoys plenty of light).
- Semisombra (does not receive direct sun but enjoys medium luminosity).
Irrigation:
- Abundant irrigation: keep the substrate moist constantly.
- Moderate irrigation: between irrigation and irrigation the substrate is allowed to dry in a strip of 3-4 cms deep.
- Scarce irrigation: between each irrigation the entire substrate is allowed to dry.
Use of fertilizers
During the vegetative period, it will be carried out according to the needs of the plant. Different types will allow you to use fertilizers once a month, every two weeks, or every week. Avoid chemical fertilizers like Roundup, and instead, go for the eco-friendly alternatives.
Dimensions of the pot
They must be proportional to the size of the plant. We recommend that at the end of spring and early summer, the pots be checked for breakage. As plants and their roots grow, they’ll require being transplanted to larger pots.
Indoor Gardening Tips and Tricks
1. Garden style
First of all, you must define what type of garden you prefer. There are two main types of gardening used indoors. On the one hand, there is the traditional container gardening style, which gives you more freedom if you decide to rearrange and move your plants; on the other hand, there is the space-saving, avant-garde hydroponic gardening, made with fertilized water, without soil. Another option which is gaining rapid popularity is vertical gardening.
2. The best space
Once you’ve determined your preferred gardening type, you should choose the space where they’re going to live. When choosing the place for your plants, you must consider those that offer the best environmental conditions for your garden type. Make sure there is a large, nearby window that allows enough sunlight to enter. East and West orientation are the best options because the sun hits directly. In addition, the environment should be warm. Remember that warmth that favors the growth of your plants.
3. Type of vegetation
Not all plants are apt to grow in an interior space . At the nursery, consult for those varieties that are better suited to your home. If you like flowers, try begonias, succulents, African violets, lilies of peace, cactus or marigolds. You can also take advantage of the opportunity to grow your own edible garden: tomatoes, carrots, peas, basil, laurel, oregano, grapes, figs, strawberries, etc.
4. Care and Maintenance
Organize your interior garden on shelves. This will allow you to install a drip irrigation system and you won’t have to worry about watering the plants regularly. The shelves will also facilitate the installation of a lighting system. On that same note, in addition to sunlight, it is recommended that you reinforce the growth of your plants with artificial light. Finally, avoid problems and limit yourself to plants that are more resistant to diseases.
5. Eco-friendly garden
As a whole, humanity is (and should be) becoming more and more aware of the urgent need to take better care of our environment. Indoor gardening is an excellent way to learn about eco-friendly gardening practices. How? Very easy: make homemade compost with your organic waste. Recycle glass or plastic bottles to turn them as pots, and wooden boxes like flower pots. It correctly regulates the supply of light and water in the installed systems, so that there is no unnecessary wastage.
You must take care of the orientation of indoor plants. It is advisable to locate them facing east, with the morning sun. If you do not have access to such a location, look for the most luminous space of your house/office and place your indoor plants there, except for those that do not resist direct sunlight, of course. If the ambient light is scarce, you can place an artificial light spot near the floor or place mirrors to increase the brightness of the room.
Final Advice
For indoor plants to stay healthy you can group several plants in a pot, thus providing moisture between them. And the visual result can be super attractive!
Remember to remove leaves and branches that are withered, because they can prevent the full growth of the plant. You must protect the indoor plants in winter from excessive heating, it is important to keep them away from the likes of heaters, stoves, etc.
Try to water your indoor plants in a moderate way, be careful not to water them excessively and drown them. You must conserve the moisture of the earth in such a way that you add water only when the plant requires it. Generally, the irrigation frequency is two to three times per week. Do not use very cold water to water the plants as it can be harmful to many species. It is preferable to water indoor plants with water at room temperature.
If the plant begins to deteriorate, you may need special care such as a pot change or an intake of organic nutrients. It is recommended to carry out two or three pot transplants per year to keep your plants healthy and happy.
Author Bio
Alex is a firewood cutting fan and a chainsaw expert. He owns a ranch in Montana where he lives with his wife and son. He is a tech cowboy who enjoys writing his blog ElectroSawHQ.com.
