Plants That Should Be Left Outside
April 1, 2010 by admin
Filed under Indoor Gardening
Most amateur gardeners are usually unaware of the fact that most indoor as well as outdoor plants require more or less the same things-adequate water, fertilizers, and enough light in order to stay healthy and flourishing. Of course, some indoor and green houseplants do have a few special requirements like humidity and temperature controls, but these can be easily provided for by making a few small adjustments.
However, there are a few plants that require plenty of sunlight and other open-air conditions. It all depends on the kind of weather you experience in your area. If you happen to live in the tropics and have air conditioning inside your home, a plant that is used to higher temperatures will obviously not fare well inside and should be left outside. And if you live in a cold climate and heat up your house, a plant that flourishes in cold weather will dry up due to the lack of humidity in the atmosphere.
Some plants like bulbs and perennials need the varying temperatures and conditions that fluctuate according to the season, in order to flourish. These plants are best kept outdoors. You could experiment with putting daffodils or tulips in a pot indoors, but they probably wont do as well.
Trees too are best left to grow outside in their natural habitat, unless they are bonsai versions. Even then, the indoors version will not be as sturdy as the one planted out of doors. Moreover, if you do plant a tree indoors, just make sure that you make provisions for a future transplantation. Do not wait till the tree grows too large to be moved because then it can send the tree into traumatic shock. This will stunt its growth and age. Plants are sensitive to the slightest variations in light and temperature and any imbalance in the environment can definitely hamper their growth.
Natural Way To Deal With Pests On Indoor Plants
March 31, 2010 by admin
Filed under Indoor Gardening
Are you searching for the natural way to deal with pests and scale insects on your indoor plants? However, cant find the ways to deal with them. Dont involve killing off you indoor plants. There are several ways to control the pest damaging your plants. Learn right now how to control the scale insects and pests and dont cause more harm to your plants. These insects are too tiny and its not possible to see by naked eyes. Perhaps you might have seen some tiny round bumps on your plants. However you dint know what is that tiny bumps. It could be scale insects, which is sucking the life of your plants. These insects can be harmful to your plants and might damage your indoor plants much faster as compared to the usually travel in long infestations. If you fail to fight back, they can take over all your indoor plants. They normally reside in the underside of your plants stems and leaves. That makes hard to see at first sight. Generally, the primary symptoms of scale insects infestations are the color of the leaves turn down to yellow in color. Moreover, in the worst cases the color of leaves turns black because of fungus and mold.
Nobody would like to have such types of bugs living on their plants. Especially they kill your indoor plants. You need to stop the killing of the plants and should take under control for scale insects. As you locate a plant having, pests and insects you need to transfer into an area where no other plants are placed. By isolation of the plants, you can avoid spreading the fungus into other plants. So place them at some better place. To remove the scale insects from your indoor plants you would merely scratch them off. Moreover, you would try to remove by you nail or any other item, which can scratch them off simply. It might be annoying to deal with a pests and scale insects infestation. However, you need to take control on them or else gradually they would start killing your indoor plants.
Importance Of Fertilizing Indoor Plants
March 29, 2010 by admin
Filed under Indoor Gardening
What is the importance of fertilizers for indoor plant? All plants require different elements from the soil to grow. If they are not present in the right quantity, the plants will not be as healthy or grow, as they should. This is the reason plants need fertilizer, to add the absent elements like nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Give too much fertilizer to your plants and that will have the opposite affect to the one you are going for.
The same type of plant that is grown indoors or outdoors will have different fertilizing requirements. Plants that are grown indoors do not need as much fertilizer as the ones grown outdoors. The rate of growth is slower indoors and you can harm your plant if you over-fertilizing it. How do you know how much fertilizer to give to your plants and when to feed it to them? If you have bought a plant intended for the indoors odds are that the information tag it comes with will give fertilizing information. But a better way to follow is observing your plant for any signs that would indicate that it is deficient in nutrients.
The plant might require fertilizer if it is not growing as fast as it should. If you observe the growth of the plant is little and it is spring or summer you can safely add fertilizer in minute amounts over a period of one to two weeks. Many indoor gardeners will add fertilizer as part of a regular maintenance routine each spring and that is fine too. Just be careful not too over-fertilize. Some signs that will tell you that you have added too much fertilizer are that tip of the leaves start turning brown or the leaves begin flopping downwards.
All fertilizers are not the same, they are available in different ratios of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Purchase a fertilizer meant for indoor plants or one that is made for the particular type of plant that you own.
Help With Hydroponics Gardens
March 27, 2010 by admin
Filed under Indoor Gardening
Doesnt matter if you are growing a garden traditionally or with a hydroponics method, the requirements for plants are the same. In the case of hydroponics, the nutrients the plant would get from the soil are replaced by a growing medium that is available at gardening supply stores. The need for water and light is still just as vital though. Light can come from a natural source, an artificial source or a combination of the two. Depending on the type of hydroponics system the technique that your plant gets water will be different too.
To give the plants the best natural light, find a south-facing window this will get you the best results for your home-based hydroponics garden. If this isnt achievable, you can buy special lights that are exclusively designed for plants. Instead of using a fluorescent light, buy what is known as a discharge light. This imitates the light the plants would naturally get from the sun and will generate healthier plants.
Keep checking the pH level (it should be a pH level of 6) of the water that the root system is growing in, the water needs to be full of nutrients in order to provide healthy results. The pH level should be checked on a regular basis to ensure it is not too acidic or alkaline. If the reading is too high, add a little vinegar and keep re-testing until you get reading you want. If the water reading has a pH level that is too low, use the same method to raise the pH level except use baking soda instead of vinegar.
By growing your plants with hydroponics, you will see faster and more abundant growth. The method that the plants get their nutrients is more proficient and results in healthy and fertile plants, no matter what kind of plants they are.
Growing Cacti In An Indoor Garden
March 25, 2010 by admin
Filed under Indoor Gardening
If your home is running short on space and resources, yet covet a home garden, you cant do better than opt for cacti plants. Cacti plants require far less water than other plants and are pretty sturdy. Since cacti need plenty of sunlight, putting them on a windowsill will certainly make them feel at home. Depending on the type of cactus you buy, you may need to water it once a week or maybe once a month (the recommended schedule for watering cacti).
Cacti flourish in coarse soil, so it is better to use a soil that is specifically designed for cacti rather than a generic mix. The same holds true when you are looking for a good fertilizer. And be careful how you water it. The best method of watering it is to place the pot in a shallow dish filled with water. The plant will gradually absorb the water through the drainage hole. You need not worry about watering the plant again for a month or so unless it seems to be drying up.
Exercise caution while handling your cactus. Put it in a large-sized pot or if you have put it in a smaller one, wrap a newspaper around it whenever you want to shift it somewhere. If the thorn of the cactus pricks you, remove it with a pair of tweezers or use some tape.
However the tough reputation of cacti seems to have worked to their disadvantage. Cacti owners often tend to neglect them precise because they seem to survive in harsh conditions and can tolerate huge amounts of abuse. If this abuse is pushed too far, the cactus can shrivel up from prolonged drought. However it is also equally easy to revive them with the right kind of care, water, temperature and soil, and they will soon be as good as new again.
