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Indoor Gardening and How it Started
Author: Barbara E. VolkovIndoor gardening got its start in the Victorian Era with just two or
three different plants. A couple of those plants would
have probably been the palm and hibiscus and were probably
purchased by those who could afford to do so. They
would place them in their keeping rooms, parlors or sitting
rooms, whereever they did their most entertaining. Soon after
the Victorian Era people did not want to have live plants indoors
and so indoor gardening went by the wayside.
Finally, in the 1970's indoor
gardening was introduced again but the houseplants were not as big
and consisted of foliage
only plants such as ivies, ferns, and spider plants. Today we
have a larger medley of plants to choose and they again include
the flowering houseplants. Some of the more popular flowering
plants are the orchid, African violet, begonia, gardenia,
bougainvillea, and geranium. We have now brought in some lively
colors but also some fragrant aromas as well.
Houseplants have a lifespan just as we do and will let you know when to
replace them. If they have been around for a
number of years and they start struggling to survive it is a good
time to replace them. You also do not want to keep
unhealthy indoor plants as they will attract disease and insects
and you do not want that to spread to all your houseplants.
Using a potting mix that consists of perlite, peat moss, and
vermiculite is an excellent mix for the indoor plant. They are
considered to be soilless mixes and absorb moisture quite well
but will also have a tendency to dry out very fast. They
do not have nutrients, so your will need to add fertilizer on a
regular basis. These soilless mixes are said to be sterile
so you will not have a problem with diseases or pests.
The humidity and temperature are also very important. When these plants
were in their natural environs the temperature
difference between day and night was roughly 10 degrees. You want
to be able to supply them the same luxury inside
your home. Most of these houseplants like the humidity to be
around 50 percent or higher but if it is any dryer than 35
or 40 percent water will have a very tough time penetrating
through their roots. It is a very good idea to mist your plants
in the winter because the humidity is so much lower.
When watering your indoor gardening houseplants make sure to soak the
root ball until you see water seeping out the
bottom of the container. When this appears you can rest assured
the whole root system has received plenty of water.
Over-watering kills more indoor plants than anything else; it is
wise to test the soil first about 1 inch deep, if the soil is
dry then it is time to water.
Most of your flowering plants and foliage plants need about 12 to 16
hours of light each day but during the winter
months you may need to substitute grow lights for sunlight.
Indoor gardening can improve the over all quality of life of
everyone living in your home. Twenty years ago when we moved into
our house we were blessed with many houseplants
and we had them all over the house including high ledges and
shelves our house has; it took a large ladder to climb in
order to water them. They all died around the same time and we
have not replaced them as yet. When we do replace
them they will be more on the level we can reach them and not on
high ledges.
Barbara has decided to try
indoor gardening once again after 15 years. She is retired and
enjoys her time at home and in
the garden. Come visit her website Gardeners Garden
Supplies for more interesting ideas.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Indoor Gardening and How it Started
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