Indoor Gardening (5 page)

This is an important ingredient for flowering plants. This will regulate the pH levels of the soil of your indoor plant. The pH is measured on a scale of 0 - 14; 7 - 14 makes the soil alkaline and 6 - 0 makes it acidic. You need to ensure that soil’s pH stays in balance. Too acidic will inhibit your plant’s ability to absorb phosphorous and hence inhibit its flowering ability.

It is a good idea to have a test kit to keep a close eye on how your soil is doing. This is especially important if you are starting to mix your own soil.

3.
P
OTASSIUM

This is the ingredient that helps your plant to fight diseases and helps it grow healthy fruits fast. There are many liquid fertilizers you can use that will ensure this ingredient is absorbed through the tissue of your plants and keep it healthy. The liquid fertilizers offer you the advantage of being able to add it at a more even rate.

A word of caution when using fertilizers; a newly ready-mix from the garden store will not need fertilizer for a good 6 - 10 months. Talk to your local gardening store experts for advice. Also, never use fertilizer on dry soil as this will saturate it and burn your plant. In fact, in this aspect less is better than more.

C
HAPTER 5.
S
TARTING
S
EEDS
I
NDOORS

Starting to grow your garden right from seed is not only very enjoyable, but also an excellent money-saving way to grow the widest variety of plants. You can always buy seeds from your local garden or online; be sure you check how much time the plant needs to mature and flower or bear fruit. The timing is important for most plants should reach maturity before frost. The flowering plants should reach their maturity about summer when they are supposed to flower.

B
UYING
S
EEDS

It is very important that you buy good quality seeds. Organic seeds and hybrid seeds would be more expensive, but worth the extra cost – especially if you’re growing food. I always try to avoid food crop seeds that are not organic due to potential GMO (genetically modified) contamination. You can visit your local garden store or buy from online sites. Most of the seeds you chose will come with easy-to-follow instructions telling you what you need to do and in how much time you should expect your plant to show up.

Do not be tempted to buy large packets of seeds just because they mean less money per seed. Small packets are the best because fresh seed is better than stored ones. It’s unlikely you’ll grow 30 tomato plants, for example, in your house this year so there’s no reason to buy a pack of 100 tomato seeds!

If you think that you can buy in bulk and store your surplus seeds for later use, you may be mistaken. With the passage of time, the stored seeds will have lesser and lesser capacity to germinate. It is okay though to store the excess seeds for next year planting; but ideally you should not store seeds for much longer than a year, especially if you’re new at seed storing. Some seeds save much longer than others. For example, most lettuces will last around 6 years whereas parsley and onions often only last 1 year.

S
EED
C
ONTAINERS

There are so many types of containers that are specially designed for seedlings. This means that instead of potting all seeds in one container, you can have one seed per tiny container in an ice-tray type container. These honeycomb trays come in various sizes so you could choose the right one for the type of plant you are planning to grow. For example, you will need large trays for leaks or onions, but smaller trays for pansies or begonias.

You can always reuse the seed trays since they are made of plastic and can last for a long time. However, be careful to sterilize these trays before every use by soaking the cleaned cups in a solution of bleach or other disinfectant for 30 minutes, then rinse and use. Mix the solution to the strength recommended on the label for disinfecting surfaces.

You could also use containers from organic materials such as shredded wood, newspaper, and the like. These are especially good for seedlings that do not fare too well after transplantation.

You could also use clear plastic domes that fit over trays of plants. These domes will allow light in, but will at the time prevent moisture from escaping. They can also help retain heat provided to the root zone. Obviously, the domes have to be removed when the seedlings are tall enough to touch them, otherwise your plants will suffer.

T
IMING

As mentioned earlier, timing is very important when you plan to start your seeding indoors. Check the table below for a general idea:

Type of plant, Month and Time of Indoor Growth

Lisianthus, Mid-January, 16-17 weeks indoors

Geraniums, wax begonias, pansies/violas, leeks, onions; Early February, 14-15 weeks indoors

Browallia, clarkia*, dusty miller, impatiens, larkspur, stocks, torenia, fountain grass, lobelia, nemesia*, celery; Mid-February, 12-13 weeks indoors

Ageratum, coleus, dahlia, gazania, heliotrope, lavatera*, petunias, rudbeckia (black-eyed susan), scabiosia, schizanthus, snapdragons, verbena, vinca/periwinkle, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, head lettuce; Early March, 10-11 weeks indoors

Bells of ireland, candytuft, cleome, dianthus/pinks, hollyhock, marigold (african), melampodium, mimulus, nicotiana, nierembergia, ornamental pepper, annual phlox,  salpiglosis, scarlet sage/salvia, statice, strawflower, sweet alyssum, tithonia, trachymene, peppers, eggplant; Mid-March, 9 weeks indoors

Amaranthus, aster, babys breath, bachelor buttons, balsam, calendula, celosia, cornflower, four o'clock, marigold (french and gem), morning glory, nasturtium, ornamental basil, ornamental kale, portulaca, strawflower,tomatoes; Early April, 5-6 weeks indoors

Cosmos, sweet peas, thunbergia, zinnia; Mid-April, 3-4 weeks indoors

* These plants are best to grown in biodegradable containers for they do not fare too well when transplanted.

T
YPE OF
S
OIL

In most cases the commercial mixes for seeding are the best to use. These usually contain no soil; they are a mix of vermiculite and peat and are sterile. These types of mixes are the best for your seedlings – especially if you are new to gardening. The advantage of this mix is that it is light, free from any type of disease or weeds and is just porous enough to ensure that your seeds germinate in optimum time.

A mix of vermiculite and peat in a typical commercial soil mix available at every gardening store or online.

Take the trays with the small seedling cells, fill them with this mix and pour water over them before you put in the seeds. After adding water the mix will shrink. Keep adding and mixing with water until the tray is full and the mix is comfortably moist.

Read carefully the instructions on the seed package. It would be mentioned there how deep the seed should be planted for best results. If it is not mentioned, use the standard rule, i.e. plant the seed just deep enough that you could have three other seeds planted right on the top of it. Remember to mark each container with what type of plant it carries.

Some seeds might need light to germinate. These seeds should be buried too deep in the mix. Rather you place them on the seeding mix and cover them with a light layer of vermiculite. This will allow light and ensure that the seed will grow well.

When and if you are using old seeds, plant more than one in the container for all might not germinate and you do not want to lose time with dead seeds.

I
DEAL
P
LANTING
L
OCATION

Contrary to common belief, the window is actually NOT the best place to germinate your seeds. This because the window sill will have all the extremes – too much light, too much heat (during the day time), too much cold (during the night time), etc. For seeds to germinate well, they need warmth and moisture. Too cold or too hot will damage the seed and affect the germination rate.

Even if every other aspect (such as heat and moisture) are controlled on the window sill, you will still risk growing bent plants for they tend to grow towards the light and you would not want that from your plants. Too much water will also damage your seeds; so, be careful with the watering aspect as well.

Choose a place where temperature is consistent at about 60 degrees Fahrenheit and has no drafts, excessive heat or cold. Protect your seeding trays from pets, children and spills. To provide it with the light that the seed requires, you can use grow lights. If you do not have access to these specialized lights or can’t afford them, you can make your own with the help of white and natural daylight tubes or  two ‘cool white’ fluorescent tubes. These will ensure that the seeds get just enough light. Remember the light should be just above, preferably at a height of 2-4 inches above the tray. Keep the light on for about 12-16 hours.

One other very important aspect that contributes to the healthy germination of your seeds is the heat at the bottom of the seed tray. Owing to the moisture content the temperature could drop by at least 5 degrees Fahrenheit. To ensure that temperature stays comfortable, use special heating mats designed for this purpose. A word of caution – if you are using a timer for the lights you installed above the seedlings, do not plug the heat mats into the same source.

W
ATER AND
F
ERTILIZER

The potting mix should be maintained moist for the seeds to germinate well. The best is to use a gentle spray to add water daily. However, you could also add water carefully while ensure that the mix is drained well. You do not want to rot the seeds.

You do not need to fertilize the potting mix; the readymade potting mix has all it needs. However, once the seedling has acquired a few leaves, it will be good to add a weak general purpose water-soluble fertilizer mixed one-fourth strength every week. Add water as required for the rest of the week.

T
RANSPLANTING
T
IME

Once the seedling is strong enough with leaves and a strong upright stem, it is time to move it into its own container. You still need to mark it for it is yet to look anything like the mature plant it is intended to be. Lift seedlings by the root-ball, using a spoon or plant tag for support if necessary. Never hold the seedling by its stem, as you may crush it, or harm the growing tip. Crushing a leaf does not matter much for the plant will soon get a new leaf; however, if the stem is damaged, your plant might die or grow badly and you do not want that.

C
HAPTER 6.
P
LAYING
G
OD –
H
OW
T
O
C
ONTROL
T
HE
C
LIMATE
F
OR
Y
OUR
I
NDOOR
G
ARDEN

There are three major aspects that would control the climate necessary for your indoor gardening: (1) temperature, (2) lighting, and (3) humidity. Each one of these aspects is critical to the life of your plants and their development. It may look and sound very complicated to ensure the perfect climate for your plants, but it is not. Of course, you need to initially research the plants you plant to grow and their requirements. Once you have that down, regulating indoor climate is not that difficult with the modern appliances available today.

T
EMPERATURE

Most plants are happy with a temperature of 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. Plants consume more energy when the temperature is warm than when it is cold. They will definitely adapt to a cooler room – for example rooms with air conditioner - but it will stress out the plants because they need warm temperature in the daytime and cool at night.

Air conditioning (making the room cold in the day time) would confuse the plant and interfere with its ability to carry out photosynthesis. The plant will start photosynthesis at night (when the temperature rises) and there will be no light to help it produce food. The result will be a sick plant which will soon die if the climate is not corrected. It’s okay to run your air conditioning if you have house plants in the summer! Just make sure that it’s not below 65 degrees and that your plants aren’t directly underneath a cold vent.

For best results you should provide at least a 10 degree fall in temperature at night (this will most likely happen naturally unless you’re running air conditioning 24/7). Pay special attention to this aspect in the summer when the temperatures tend to remain high even at night. If the climate is not corrected, the plants will drop leaves, fade and die; even if all other aspects are perfect.