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Indoor Gardening for Newbies

johnlupez347 May 18, 2017

You might be staying in a bungalow house or a condo for rent Makati and currently missing seeing trees and plants. Well, some condominiums and properties have a mini-park in their establishments. But what if you don’t have enough time to go up or down to visit? Or maybe you’re exhausted (or lazy to leave your unit)? It’s time for you to have some greens inside your home!

Indoor gardening or gardening, in general, improves your health in many ways. It helps you reduce stress and mental fatigue, and keep you active. In a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, different physical activities can actually lessen your risk of having Alzheimer’s by 50 percent, and one of which is gardening. In fact, gardening may make you happy as you are also enjoying your activity. And if you have lower stress levels, anxiety and have a productive day in gardening, you would probably get a better sleep.

Now, to begin with your indoor gardening journey, here are some tips and reminders for you:

Dedicate enough space for your plants

This may depend on the type of plants you want to have and take care of, and vice versa. Some plants may need smaller spaces compared to others. You should also take note if the lighting in your chosen area is sufficient for your plants, or if you can easily mobilize and adjust your furniture. Well, if you’re thinking of small greens only which can rest on tables and cabinets, you may not have any problems with that.

Consider the amount of light your plants might get

Good for you if your unit has a glass window which light can pass through, or if you can easily open it and put your plants somewhere outside for a couple of hours for them to get some sunlight. For small plants, herbs and others that don’t require a lot of light, usual lights such as fluorescent lights can do. However, fluorescent lights are not advisable for budding or flowering plants since they don’t give that much light. Incandescent lamps, on the other hand, are quite okay for typical houseplants but not ideal for indoor gardening. Compact fluorescent systems and High-Intensity Discharge (HID) bulbs, High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) bulbs, Metal Halide (MH) bulbs are best but might be expensive, and obviously not for a few plants in your unit.

Just remember that if you are going to use artificial lights, it should be six (6) inches above your plants.

Choose your plants wisely

Ever since a child, you want to have your big tree at home. Sad to say, you can’t do it inside your unit or room. Thoroughly look at the factors that might ease and hinder your indoor gardening. You can also think about the plants and herbs you are always using when cooking or for medicinal purposes. Take note that you are indoor gardening and might be using smaller pots and containers than the usual.

Some of the container-friendly plants are the following:

  • Vegetable: eggplants, lettuce, onions, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots

  • Herbs: basil, cilantro, oregano, mint, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, thyme

  • Bulbs and flowers: roses, cosmos, chrysanthemum, marigold, lily, tulip, dahlia

  • Fruits: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries

You can do extra research on when is the best time to culture specific plants.

Prepare your containers and soil

You can simply buy containers in hardware or department stores, but if you can recycle, that would be a lot better. You can use your empty milk cans, plastic cups, and even your egg tray! Aside from that, you can also make your own plant containers or pots. Again, just make sure that your chosen greens can rightfully fit in those.

For the soil, choose those enriched with minerals and fit for gardening. You can ask your local gardeners or farmers to help you with that.

Don’t forget to hydrate your plants

Water them with the right amount and always check the moisture of the soil. If you just planted the seed, there’s a risk that if you’ve overwatered your plants, the seed might be flushed through the holes. So be extra careful with your baby plants.

Beware of plant pests

Indoor or outdoor gardening, plant pests will creep their way. Aside from giving your plants ample light and water, you should check their condition too. Are the leaves getting smaller and dried? Have you seen moving white dots and small insects living in your plants? If removing the affected leaves and plants don’t work, you can also try using organic pest control products. Ask your local gardeners or farmers for some tips about this.



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