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Posts Tagged ‘Microclimate’

Caring for plants causes undue concern for so many people. House-plant care is no where near as difficult as it may see, as long as you take into account the following factors:

1. Watering

Over-watering is responsible for the demise of most house-plants. Looks can be deceptive, so ascertain whether your soil is dry enough to water, put into action try the ‘finger test’. Insert your index finger up to the first joint into the soil. If the soil is damp, the plant isn’t yeat ready to be receive water again. It’s a simple as that.

2. Feeding

Foliage plants usually require a high degree of nitrogen, whereas where flowering plants are cincerned, K2O is needed. Slow release fertilizers can be mixed in with the compost. It is important to take note, however, that certain plants like cacti and orchids require special fertilizers. Plants require feeding during their most active growth period.

3. Lighting

Plants such as Sanseveria and Aspidistra require no sun. This means that they can be locateded away from a window. Spider plants need semi-shade. You can keep plants like these near a window that does or does not get direct sunlight. If in doubt, check the label to see what your plant needs, or seek advice at your local garden center.

4. Temperature

House-plants can live in both cool or warm temperatures, but note however, that drastic fluctuations of temperature may cause them some harm. One type of heat that spells certain death for many house plants is gas heating. Also, if you have a plant that thrives under warm conditions, don’t keep it near an air conditioner in the summer.

5. Humidity

Some houseplants require a humid environment. One tip to maximize humidity is to put the pot inside a larger pot and fill in the gaps with stones or compost to keep in the moisture. Grouping plants together often creates a microclimate that they will benefit from. If you want, you can spray them with water once or twice a day depending on the temperature.

6. Re-potting

There are those plants that require re-potting for optimum growth, but there are others that resent having their roots disturbed. It may eve be the case that heir roots-system may be small enough that they do not need to be repotted. One way to check whether your plant needs re-potting is simply to turn it upside down and tap the pot to release the plant and check its roots. If roots are all you see, then it’s definitely time to re-pot. Sometimes you will see roots protruding out of the bottom of the pot. You should either cut them off or re-pot the plant entirely.

You just need to have a little care for your plants and in turn, they will love you back. Indoor plants not only add to the beauty of your home, but they also offer a great deal of pleasure to the indoor gardener.

Most gardeners live in areas where they can grow anything without much effort. If they plant seeds and water is, chances are that a beautiful lush plant will sprout in a few weeks. However, if you live somewhere like Colorado, you will know what it feels like to have a very small variety of plants that could grow naturally. In fact, it is quite the challenge to try to grow a wide number of plants, most of all when the world in which you live seems to be working against your plans of doing so.

A lot of people opt to solve this problem by feeding their plants with the widest variety of fertilizer and chemicals possible. And although this works most of the time, it still seems unnatural to have to rely on materials made by man to keep plants alive. Also, some may find it unnatural and uncomfortable to eat vegetables and fruits that are mostly made of pure chemicals.

One very reliable gardening theory that is capable of growing a variety of plants is by creating a microclimate for each individual plant. This means you will have to regulate several factors for each plant, such as shade, moisture, sunlight and wind by using shading umbrellas, extra water, wind barriers, and amounts of compost. This is quite a challenging task, however, but it is great to know that each plant will be growing in its own individual, ideal conditions.

If you are up for the challenge of producing microclimates, you will need to plan out every single detail way in advance. Try finding a large bush or tree that will grow naturally fast to use for shade. These can be found in a lot of undeveloped plots of land and was usually left there without any care of planting, which is ideal for your situation. Usually, one plant that grows can bring about another growing plant that is more desirable.

If your backyard has a fence, then you already have quite a good amount of shade to work with, which you can use to start the microclimate process. You could combine this with a large bush or a screen for the latter half of the day, if the fence does not already take care of that. Fences are also very useful as a wind barrier for more fragile plants.

Once the shade has been taken care of, whether natural or unnatural, your little environment has already started to become less harsh. Take note that this process happens gradually and you should always find a new plant to place in the shade of others ones, so your choices are more open. Just because you went for a rugged plant initially doesn’t mean you have to keep using rugged plants. For example, you can opt for one that survives through colder temperatures for a change.

If the next plant you are planning on growing needs more moisture than is available in your general area, try installing a small pond or fountain; this will take care of the problem with its evaporation. Some may think that installing a pond or fountain is a mere waste, but it will seriously make things better for your garden through its indirect watering process. Additionally, fountains are very attractive and could be beneficial in beautifying your garden.

There are a lot of stages to this process, but everyone has different goals and garden setups, so explaining each and every one won’t make much sense. You should simply remember that, to reach your goal, careful research must be done on each plant that you wish to grow in your garden. Find out all that you can about the area in which it usually flourishes and try to imagine how you can create a similar area in your own garden. Most of the times, you will able to take control of your own environment and recreate it as you wish. All it takes is planning and strategy.

Many people worry a lot when it comes to caring for their plants. When talking about house plants, there is no need to worry. There are just a few things you need to consider.  

1. Watering Overwatering kills most houseplants. Looks can be deceptive, so to see if your soil is dry enough to water, try the finger test. Insert your index finger up to the first joint into the soil. If the soil is damp, don’t water it.  

2. Feeding Foliage plants usually have high nitrogen needs, while flowering plants, K2O is needed. Slow release fertilizers can be mixed with the compost. However, certain plants like cacti and orchids need special fertilizer. Feed plants during their most active growth period.

3. Lighting Plants like Sanseveria and Aspidistra require no sun. They can be placed away from a window. Spider plants need semi-shade. You can put plants like these near a window that does or does not get sunlight. Check the label to see what your plant needs.

4. Temperature Houseplants can survive in cool or warm temperatures, but drastic fluctuations of temperature may not be good for them. One thing that most plants cannot survive is gas heating. If you have a plant that likes warm conditions, don’t put it near an air conditioner in the summer.

5. Humidity Some houseplants require a humid environment. One tip to maximize humidity is to put the pot inside a larger pot and fill in the gaps with stones or compost to keep in the moisture. Grouping plants together often creates a microclimate that they will benefit from. If you want, you can spray them with water once or twice a day depending on the temperature.  

6. Re-potting Some plants require re-potting for optimum growth but there are others that resent having their roots disturbed. Or their roots system may be small enough that they don’t require re-potting. One way to check if your plant needs re-potting is to turn it upside down. Tap the pot to release the plant and check its roots. If roots are all you see, then re-pot. Sometimes the roots will come out of the pot. You should either cut them off or re-pot the plant.

You just need to have a little care for your plants and in turn, you’ll reap the benefits. Indoor plants not only add to the beauty of your décor, but also give much pleasure to the indoor gardener.