Have You Been Properly Maintaining Your Home Garden?
Growing plants indoors has slowly been increasing in popularity over the last few years. With more people opting to live in more urban settings, having an indoor plant family is often the only substitute for a backyard garden.
However, people don’t often realize how much care plants require – and not just care but proper care. Because your plants aren’t getting the same nutrients and other benefits that their outdoor natural habitats provide – they require you to be the substitute for those supplements.
If you’ve recently been thinking about starting an indoor garden or currently have one and are struggling you’ve come to the right place. We’ll be sharing some tips and tricks you should know and use when growing your plants indoors.
Control Temperature
No matter what the temperature and humidity levels in our home will always differ from an outdoor environment. However, when we have plants, it’s important to keep our homes or the rooms where the plants reside as similar to the outdoor environment as possible.
Generally speaking, houseplants require a temperature of around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature drops up to 10 degrees overnight. As for the humidity levels, it’s different for every plant but typically they require a humidity similar to their outdoor environment as well.
Investing in a ventilation machine and humidifier can work wonders for your plants.
If you’re looking for more inside on how to decide how best to control the temperature in your space – The Urban Organic Yield website has recommendations you can follow to find the best humidifier for your plants. There’s no shortage of options out there for you!
Be Mindful of How Often Your Water
A lot of plant owners worry about over-watering their plants but the reality is this usually results in plants that are under-watered. The way to unveil if your plant needs to be watered is by examining its soil.
Feel around your plant and if the soil feels completely dry, it’s time to add some water. But when going to water your plants make sure it’s just enough to get the soil moist. You don’t want it to be soggy.
The technique to achieve this is to take your time while watering. Allow the water to slowly drip onto the plant’s soil instead of creating a high-pressure pathway of water. The truth is besides succulents plants only need to be water one to two times a week.
Purchase the Correct Soil
Speaking of soil – it’s important that you purchase the right one that’ll help your plant grow the healthiest. Different soils contain different levels of nutrition and benefits. Depending on your plant you can purchase potting soil that for example is:
- Fast draining
- Sandy
- Porous
- Water absorbent
Next time you head to your nearest garden center it may be worth it to ask around about the different soils they offer.
Choosing the Right Pot
There’s even a method behind choosing the right pot for your plant. You have to take into consideration the size of your plant and its pot as well as the pot’s drainage capabilities.
You’ll also need to keep a close eye on your plant – when it outgrows its pot it’s time for a new one.
The Right Amount of Light
A lot of people think that what plants need is to be left in the sunlight 24/7 however unless you’re a plant parent to succulents or cacti – houseplants only need a small amount of sunlight or “indirect sunlight” every day.
Moving your plant to a windowsill for a few hours a day can do the trick. There’s also the option of investing in artificial lights. You’ll be able to set the temperature and duration for these lights depending on how much light they require.
There are also plants that require minimal sunlight. What this means is before bringing home a plant because of its aesthetics – make sure you research what the specific plant requires to thrive indoors.
Purchase The Correct Fertilizer
Apart from water, sunlight, and temperature, plants also need the nutrients supplied by fertilizer to remain healthy. The recommendation is that you should re-fertilize your plant’s soil at least once a month while they’re still growing.
Types of fertilizers include:
- Organic Fertilizers
- Inhibitors
- Nitrogen Fertilizers
- Potassium Fertilizers
Always remember to research your plant and ensure you’re purchasing the correct fertilizer and doing it often enough.
This stands true for every tip and trick we’ve given you today. Make sure to buy and do what’s right depending on what plant you have.
