Indoor Gardening with House Plants

House Plants are just as popular in planning as furniture when you decide to redo your home décor or are moving to a new home. Plants make a home feel more personal and add inviting warmth to rooms. And if you live a cooler climate where snow falls and plants die down, living plants in your home can add a tropical or garden feel to your overall atmosphere. Private's Treasure
Creative Commons License photo credit: idalingi

Plants also have many health benefits. They cleanse the air through utilizing the carbon dioxide and producing more oxygen. And in building that are more airtight these toxins can build up and cause more allergies and disease. By adding six to 12 plants to your home you can clean the air that surrounds you and add color and add aesthetic value to your décor.

Lighting

Most indoor plants need good lighting. This can be provided through natural lighting or electric lighting. Windows without drafts and sunrooms are wonderful locations for plants. If lighting is low in your home choose darker leaved plants. They usually don’t need as much light.

The plant varieties listed below usually only require medium to low light and are known to be suitable for indoor gardening:

  • African violets (benefit form northern lighting)
  • Boston ferns
  • Creeping Fig
  • Cyclamen
  • Philodendrons
  • Certain bulbs
  • I also like to add a few herbs in my mix of indoor plants. They add great texture, aroma and the addition of fresh herbs for cooking needs.

Watering

A common mistake most people make in indoor gardening is they tend to over-water the plants, which often leads to rotting roots and moldy soil. Research the type of plant you have so that you know its watering needs. I also water all my plants from underneath, never on top of the soil. They also sit on pebbles in a tray. This adds to the humidity around a plant. Chloe sniffing the cyclamens
Creative Commons License photo credit: faeryboots *away for the weekend!*

Potting

Select quality containers for your indoor plants. With all the container choices available you can add an artistic flair to any room and match your room style easily.  Make sure that the container is clean before placing your new plant into it. Rinsing the container with vinegar will help kill any germs you may have missed. The last step for you house plant is good soil. A clean container and healthy clean soil will prevent infection encourage healthy plant growth.

Humidity

Humidity is very important in the indoor garden.  The amount of moisture in the air has effect on the growth of the plants. By using pebbles on trays you will create a better humidity factor around the plants. During mornings, you could spray the plants with water for their much-needed moisture. Make sure the leaves don’t get covered in dust.

Fertilizing Plants

One final step in healthy indoor plants is feeding and fertilizing. Fertilizing your plant will depend on the type of plant.  If you have managed to supply your indoor garden with the right amount of light, water and humidity, fertilization may not need much attention. A good indoor fertilizer can be bought from garden centers or hardware stores. Read up on your type of plant to know its needs.

With a little planning and are you can have beautiful healthy plants that add to the comfort and design of your home.

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