Introduction to Indoor Gardening:- First and foremost, let is define gardening. Gardening is nothing but a process of growing plants in different ways and in different places. There are different types of gardens in which various types of plants are grown. The main types of gardens include;
Home Gardens.
School Gardens.
Industrial Gardens.
National Parks.
Arboretum.
Urban Parks.
However, today we are more interested in knowing indoor gardening under home gardening.
In Indoor gardening, the plants are grown generally in containers, pots, ceramic-made pots, or any other container. The trend of indoor gardening is tremendously increasing as people are more interested to beautify their home indoors with different types of plants which include ornamental, vegetable, and herbal. Some people use waste plastic bottles or big-sized bottles with narrow mouths to grow the house indoor plants. This type of growing technique is popularly known as “Terrarium”. In Indoor gardening, shade-loving plants are preferred as most of the indoors are less exposed to sunlight. Usually, in the case of growing house plants, the pots/containers are raised off the ground and placed on concealed bricks area or on wooden panels area. Almost all vegetables can be successfully grown indoors in a container garden. Bedrooms, balconies, verandas, the front area of the house, kitchen, terrace, or roof are the best areas of indoor gardening.
You need to find out the right place to establish indoor gardens in your house. Let us talk about this in a moment.
Indoor Gardening Hydroponics.
Indoor Gardening Advantages and Benefits:-The following are the advantages of Indoor Gardening.
An indoor garden can be set up and managed very easily within the premises of your house and it won’t require much space, unlike outdoor gardens.
For starters, Indoor Gardening is the best option to learn.
Soil preparation in Indoor gardening is very easy.
You can grow vegetables and flowers all around the year.
Pests and disease attacks in indoor plants are very less when compared to outdoor growing.
Housewives/kids can manage indoor gardening.
Indoor gardening not only beautifies your home but also produces fresh organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers. This can reduce the monthly vegetable spending.
Indoor Gardening is the best option for stress-busting.
Physically handicapped people who are interested in gardening can choose Indoor Gardening right from their home.
You can alter the growing condition of the plant within the house depending on the plant type and its requirement(controlled temperature and environment). For example, some plants require more lighting and some require partial shade, so accordingly you can place the pots in the house.
Indoor gardening also covers the hydroponic growing of plants (soilless farming).
The best benefit of some plants is they can purify the air of toxins.
Indoor gardening is very useful for people who don’t own any land but living in apartments and individual houses.
Indoor Gardening provides all of the Green Living Benefits.
Disadvantages of Indoor Gardening:- There are a couple of disadvantages of indoor gardening.
Big trees growing is not possible.
If you are using chemical fertilizers, they can accumulate in potting mix and can harm the growing plants.
Soil moisture regulation of plants is difficult to part.
Indoor Gardening Essentials:
Potting Soil for Indoor Plants.
Potting soil.
Compost or fertilizer.
Plants/seeds.
Pots/containers.
Watering can.
Soil thermometer.
Neem oil (For organic pest control).
Hand tools like pruning shears, a rake, a trowel, and a spade.
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Pots for Indoor Gardening.
Recommended but not Essential:
Grow lights.
Drip system.
Oscillating fan.
Heat mats.
Soil test kit.
Cotton swabs.
If Indoor planting is done with a hydroponic system, then the following are essential
All the items mentioned in the above essential section.
water tank, pipe system, and pump.
Liquid Fertilizer.
pH test kit.
Recommend but not essential under hydroponic growing indoors
Shelve system
Freshwater fish
Drip emitters or spraying system
Air pump.
Indoor Gardening – Open Area of House:
Usually, this area is mostly indicated roof garden or terrace garden. This area is very warm during summer, hence it is recommended to go for heat-tolerant plants such as Catci and Agave. You can grow the plants such as vegetables, herbs, small shrubs, flowers, and even some type of short-growing fruit trees on the terrace area. You can make raised beds or place appropriate containers/pots on the terrace by providing a proper watering channel.
Indoor Gardening – In Front of the House: You can choose plants that can grow up under shade conditions. Consider these plants on the eastern side of the house. You can arrange pots or containers to grow foliage plants like Eraisthemum, Crotons, Graptophylium, Asparagus, and Dracasnca.
Herbs Growing in Indoor Pots.
Indoor Gardening – Living Room and Drawing Room of the House: In the living or drawing rooms of the house, It is recommended to place the plants near the window if the plant demands more sunlight and aeration. The perfect example of this is growing herbaceous flowering plants. There are some plants that have characteristics of dropping foliage like Zebrina, Sedum, and Mesembranthemum that can be placed far away from the window area.
Indoor plants are preferred to be arranged in a symmetrical or asymmetrical style. However, make sure these plants are not overcrowded.
Here is a list of plants preferred growing for indoor purpose.
Flowering Plants – Hibiscus, Ixora, Graptophylium, Eranthemum, Nerium, and Zerbrina.
Foliage Plants – Colocasia, Begonia, Asparagus, Dieffenbachias, Caladium, Aloccasia, Maranta, Aralia, Panax, Helicorrium, Philodendron, Aglaoenoma, Monstora, Anthurium including all kinds of ferns.
Indoor Gardening – Veranda of a House: It is an excellent idea of growing plants in the veranda as they beautify the house with look and smell. The veranda is also considered the best place because you can get good sunlight and airflow. The preferred plants to grow in the veranda area are Areca tubscens, Thrinax, Li vision ia, Caryota, Begonias, and all kinds of Ferns.
Indoor Tomato Plants Growing.
Indoor Gardening – Plants Care and Management: Indoor Gardening – Re-potting: Well, as we know plants progress their growth the root system also grows fast. This may make you re-potting the plants with bigger ones. Care should be taken while shifting plants to a larger size by keeping the soil and roots intact. This is nothing but called “Repotting”. Make sure the soil in the original pot has enough moisture to re-potting otherwise roost system can break with dry soil conditions. If the soil is dry, water it a couple of hours before you repott it. Wait until all the water has drained out and ensured that the soil is not too wet.
Indoor Gardening – Water Management: When plants are grown in pots, extra care should be taken while watering the plants in pots or containers. Avoid too much watering or too little watering. Avoid hard water and always supply fresh soft water. In case you find that the plant leaves are bending or are looking dull, meaning that they are going through water stress. Pot soil should always be in good moist condition and never let it dry. It is always recommended to rake the soil frequently for better aeration and well drainage. You must make sure that the pots have good enough holes for drainage.
Indoor Gardening – Syringing: What is Syringing? well, it is one type of watering method. Syringing is the application of small amounts of water to the plant’s surface in order to cool those plants. This is most important especially for indoor plants as rainwater is not possible. For this purpose, get a spray bottle of water to keep the foliage of plants lightly hydrated. This type of watering makes healthy plants by creating a moist atmosphere. This process also cleans the leaves and thus assists in promoting plant functions.
Indoor Gardening Tips: Here are some tips for growing indoor plants.
Plants growing in the veranda should be frequently turned round in their position. This can equalize the effect of the sunlight make the plants expose equally in all directions.
Too much light is equally detrimental as too little light. So avoid placing the plant pots in an area where they are exposed to too much sunlight to prevent sunburn of leaves or sun scorch.
Most flowering plants require more hours of light to bloom and most foliage plants need diffused light.
Indoor plants require good humidity for healthy growth, especially vegetable plants. However, it is difficult to have humid conditions in the house. For this purpose, Use pebbles with water in trays and keep the pots on the pebbles so that required humid conditions can be provided around the plant. Another method of providing humid conditions is to top-dress the plant with sphagnum moss (peat mosses) and the moss should be kept nicely damp.
Buy the right plants for your indoor garden needs.
Be handy with all the required tools required for indoor gardening.
When growing from seeds, determine the best garden performers for your area as tested by local gardeners.
As we know some are grown from seeds and some are from transplants (plants grown on nursery beds). You should be careful when handling small seedlings of plants as their roots are very delicate and can easily be disturbed.
When considering indoor container growing, bigger is better as larger pots can hold more soil and moisture which can directly help the root system to grow bigger.
Choose the appropriate container as there are multiple varieties of containers available. (recycled, inexpensive, to very expensive ceramic or glass containers). If you are buying containers from the market, make sure that all your containers have drainage holes in the bottom.
For better utilization of indoor plant space, the plants can be pruned, tied, and trained.
Providing manures and fertilizers application of indoor plants is essential. Buy good potting mix or soil or you can prepare on your own.
It is recommended to check frequently whether indoor plants need any water. Winter plants need less water and manures/fertilizers. However, the right amount of water is very much desired in indoor plants.
If you buy Indoor Gardening kits, read instructions carefully on the label before using them. This should be the same even when you buy fertilizers and manure for indoor plants.
The Best Suited Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs (edible) for Indoor Gardening:
Tomatoes.
Squash.
Cucumbers.
Bell peppers.
Hot Green peppers (Chillies).
Basil.
Parsley.
Spinach.
Kale.
Swiss chard.
Lettuce.
Amaranthus.
Rosemary.
Chives.
Thyme.
Onions.
Catnip.
Eggplant/Brinjal.
Okra/Ladies finger.
Sweet Potatoes.
Sprouts.
Turnips.
Carrots.
Potatoes.
Wheatgrass.
Parsnip.
Asparagus.
Beets
Aloe Vera.
Jerusalem artichoke.
Celeriac.
Rhubarb.
Arugula.
Green beans.
Mandarin orange.
Avocado.
Mushrooms.
Mint (Pudina).
Ginger.
Peas.
Lemons.
Radishes.
Scallions.
Cilantro (Coriander).
Garlic Greens.
List of ornamental and flowering indoor Plants
Growing Flowers in Container.
Fish Tale Fern.
Peace Lily.
Lavender.
Daracaena.
Arabian Jasmine.
Ladies Slipper Orchid.
Anthuriums.
Grape Ivy.
Azalea.
Hibiscus.
Aglaonema.
Aphelandra.
Caladium.
Calathea.
Araucaria.
Begonia.
Dieffenbachia.
Codiaeum.
Crotons.
Money plant.
Chlorophytum.
Ficus.
Impatiens.
Fuchsia.
Fittonia.
Maranta
Palms.
Maranta.
Hoya.
Helxine.
Pelargonium.
Peperomia.
Philodendron.
Saintpaulia.
Sansevieria.
Schefflera.
Nephthytis.
Setcreasea purpurea.
Scindapus.
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