Filed under Gardening on February 15th, 2008:
Easy Indoor Gardening for the Apartment Dweller
Moving to Phoenix and living in an apartment is an exciting proposition. Even still, some people find themselves concerned with a lack of ability to exercise a green thumb and make an apartment really feel like home. When indoor gardening is brought into play, however, this can easily be overcome.
If you’d like to get going with indoor gardening, you’ll find it is not as difficult as it might seem. You’ll need to get yourself some basic tools to start. In general, the higher maintenance your garden, the more tools you’ll need to care for it.
A few useful tools to keep your new garden growing…
- Hand trowel, fork and transplanting tool
- Trays or planters of varying sizes
- Grow lights
- Shears
- Fertilizers or plan food
- Watering can
- Garden gloves
- Calendar
- Hardware hooks and brackets for hanging and displaying plants
There are a variety of plants that can and do thrive inside. In fact, when the right measures are taken, almost any type of plant can do well and look great inside.
Selecting your plants
Selecting your plants will be the most important step. To make the best choices, it does help to determine in advance if you want plants that are very low maintenance, require moderate attention or are more demanding than a newborn baby. You’ll discover that there are some excellent varieties that fit into all three categories.
If you’re new to indoor gardening or gardening in general, this is where you want to begin. These plants work well if you find yourself away from home a lot and will only require a minor amount of care.
Plants Species for the Novice:
Philodendron, Dracaena, Chinese evergreen, Cast iron plant, Snake plant, African violet, Ficus, Cactus, Croton, Aloe and the ever popular Spider plant. A host of other options abound. Check with local nurseries to select low-maintenance plants that fit your tastes.
Some plants for indoor gardening will require a little more work and attention than others.
Plants for the Experienced:
Asparagus ferns, Ivy, Poinsettias, Succulents and most indoor flowering plants, like Forget-me-nots, Impatiens and Pansies.
If you’re an old hat at gardening, you might want to try your hand at harder-to-grow indoor plants.
Plants for the Master:
Bromeliads, Orchids, Gardenias, Vegetable plants and some Succulents.
Indoor gardening is a rewarding and often challenging undertaking. It can pay off with a beautiful atmosphere you can enjoy all year long. While satisfying that green thumb bug so many of us have you will also bring life to your apartment space and even improve the air quality in your. There’s no reason to think that gardening is out if moving to a Phoenix apartment is in!
Quick tips for the indoor gardener…
- Consistency is key- Your plants will thrive in a stable environment where a regular feeding schedule is kept up and temperature and light are invariable.
- Remove dead flowers and leaves and keep your plants healthy by dusting.
- Don’t forget the food!- The easiest thing to do may be to insert fertilizer sticks in your plant but different plants require different foods in varying amounts, so check it out first.
- If your roots are growing out of control, it’s time to repot.