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Indoor Gardening Article
Indoor Gardening - The Art of It
from: indoor gardeningIndoor gardening is really an art, but even those with a ‘black thumb’ could make a
success of it with the right kind of plants. Indoor gardening serves
many purposes: beautification, purification and source of activity and
relaxation. Many individuals are unable to keep an outdoor garden because they
live in codo buildings or the climate is just not conducive to outdoor
gardening.
To get the best out of your indoor gardening efforts, the following tips
will help:
• Choose the right type of plants
Some indoor plants are much easier to maintain than others, so depending on the
time you have available this is a serious consideration for indoor
gardening. The best plants to use indoors are foliage plants because they
are generally easy to care for since they do not need a lot of attention.
• The types of containers
The container used for indoor plants must have good drainage, that is, water
should not sit in there after the plants are watered. If the pots do not
allow drainage some plants will die since the roots will rot, plus mosquitoes
will use the still water as their breeding ground. Also, some indoor plants require
very little water such as cactus.
• Temperature control
Humidity and temperature control are also important to the health of indoor
gardening. House plants require a certain level of humidity to grow well.
Humidity could be maintained by using a humidifier, but you could also help by
spraying water on the leaves in the morning. It is not advisable to do this
at night since there is less evaporation and this could result in the plant
rotting. Try to maintain a temperature range of between 65 to 75 degrees
Fahrenheit. Most plants can stand fluctuation of between 8 to 10 degrees
daily; anything greater or lesser could result in poorly growing plants. If
your plant leaves start to turn yellow it is an indication that the
temperature is too low; if the plants fail to strive the temperature might be
too high.
• Arrange for adequate lighting
Many plants need some amount of sunlight to strive. However, this is not
always possible. If you are unable to provide enough natural light for your
indoor gardening needs, try installing artificial lighting.
• How to water yourplants, when and how often
Watering indoor plants calls for observation of certain rules. These
include:
Try using room temperature water so you do not shock the plants
• Wet the soil and allow to drain so that it does not get soggy
• Never over water the plants
Indoor gardening, also commonly known as container-gardening is a good way
to brighten a cold winter’s day.
Miss Christine "Green Thumbs" Gray is the recognized authority on the subject of indoor gardening. Her web page Indoor Gardening gives a wealth of information and resources on everything you will need to learn from gardeners. All rights reserved. Articles may be reprinted as long as all the content and links remains intact and unchanged.