Indoor Gardening
Pamper your houseplants or visit a greenhouse and try something new!
Indoor gardening has its own challenges relative to light, nutrients,
humidity, diseases and pests. Here are some helpful hints:
1. Humidity--Use a humidifier to add moisture to the air. Your plants
crave it in winter and just 2-3 hours a day can make a big difference.
Aim a cool air humidifier directly at your plants, but aim a warm air
humidifier away from your plants.
2. Terrarium--Use an old fish tank to set up a terrarium. Put plant pots
in the fish tank or plant directly in the tank using a layer of charcoal
followed by 3-4 inches of potting soil. Humid loving plants like
orchids will love it.
3. Protection--Protect your furniture from water rings by waterproofing
a clay saucer with a clear coat of polyurethane. Various plastic lids
also work well.
4. Fertilizer--Save the water from boiling eggs. The calcium leaches
from the shells and will encourage more blooms. Water from your
aquarium (not saltwater type!) also contains lots of nitrogen for plants.
5. Watering--If you are going away for a few days, fill a turkey baster
with water including the bulb and insert it about 1 inch into the soil
creating a vacuum. It will slowly drip water for a couple of days.
You can also put a potted plant in a larger bowl filled with 2-3 inches
of water. Water will soak up through the drainage hole.
6. Grooming--Keep your plants will groomed by removing dead leaves
and spent flowers. Dust plants with fine hairs such as african violets
with a soft toothbrush.
Links