Indoor plants provide numerous benefits, ranging from stress reduction and air purification to aesthetics. Do you have no idea where to begin? To start with, you can probably choose from dozens of easy-to-grow indoor plants.
This includes plants you can easily find at your gardening center or local supermarkets, such as a spider plant, peace lily, and aloe. Do you want to be more daring? Choose unusual indoor plants that are still easy to take care of, such as a coffee plant or a desert rose.
When it comes to plant care, it can be challenging to keep a plant alive. It’s, nonetheless, feasible to cultivate and thrive plants indoors! Here are five tips to get your indoor gardening journey started:
Choose the Best Plants for Your Space
Because you’ll be growing indoors, it’s critical to think about the circumstances of your gardening area. It would help if you considered how big the plants will grow, how much light the plants will receive, how long it will take for them to mature, and the room’s temperature.
We recommend the plant varieties listed below for your first indoor garden since they’re easy to harvest, as they thrive in cooler environments with indirect light:
- Bok Choy
- Herbs
- Lettuce
- Microgreens
- Spinach
Learn About Your Plants’ Needs
The variety of plants on the planet is astounding. Consider the following plants: desert cacti, lush vines and tropical trees, and flowers that bloom in temperate summers. All plants have evolved to deal with specific sets of environmental circumstances such as light, nutrient availability, water, and temperature (to name just a few).
Every plant needs water, nutrients, and sunlight, but the amounts required vary. Learn about the special needs of your plant(s). It’s critical to read the directions on the tag that comes with your plant.
It’s also an excellent idea to do some independent research for tricks and tips on how to care for your plant.
Knowing How Frequently You Should Water Your Plants
The frequency with which you water your indoor plants is determined by the sort of plants you possess! Most gardening experts recommend that you water houseplants weekly. Even desert plants, such as cacti, require weekly watering, though they can certainly go longer without watering than broadleaf plants.
Some plants, especially those that are more sensitive, may prefer to be “watered from the bottom.” This means that you can put water in a dish and then set their pot (with openings on the base) in the container to allow the water to be soaked up.
Most houseplants prosper in temperatures ranging from 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, but they can still flourish inside if the temperature is higher or lower. When it’s hot, you may need to water your plants more, and when it’s chilly, you may not need to water them as much. Learn how to adjust watering and test soil moisture as required.
Some plants require care that you might not expect initially, such as orchids that prefer high humidity but shouldn’t be submerged in water. It’s generally recommended that you insert three ice cubes in the pot of your orchid once a week. In addition, depending on where you’re living, you may want to spritz them with water every day to keep them damp.
Fertilize Your Plants Regularly, but Not Excessively
Photosynthesis is how plants produce their own nourishment by turning carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air into sugars. They do, however, require a variety of other nutrients to develop and thrive. The roots of most plants receive nutrients such as phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen from the soil.
Plants that grow on other plants, such as mosses and orchids, are known as epiphytes. They usually receive their nourishment from rotting leaves and branches nearby.
However, in an indoor climate, plant nutrients might become depleted with time. Therefore, it’s essential to fertilize plants regularly. There’s a wide range of proposed fertilization schedules: weekly, monthly, or even every one to three months.
In general, it’s preferable to under-fertilize your plants rather than over-fertilize them, so don’t do it too frequently. Fertilizers are now available in three forms: pellet, slow-release, and liquid. It’s best to conduct some studies to determine what will best work for your plants and lifestyle.
Determine How Much Sunlight Your Plants Require
Depending on where they developed to thrive, different houseplants have varying light requirements. Some plants need lots of sunlight, while others require very little.
If a plant demands direct sunshine, it requires approximately 6 hours of direct sunlight each day, right around the window. If it needs moderate sunlight, it should receive four hours of direct sunlight every day. Indirect sunlight entails keeping the plant a few feet away from the window at all times.
Determine how much light your indoor plants require and arrange them in your house or office accordingly.
To grow and thrive, all plants require water, nutrients, and sunlight. Distinct species, however, have different needs. Know about the plant(s) you’ve purchased and their specific requirements. You could discover that tending to your indoor plants isn’t as challenging as you think, and the results are gratifying.