Archive for March, 2010

If you have heard of hydroponics or other methods of growing plants without soil and want to try it out at home, you can.  Hydroponics is easy to care for and set-up at home.  There are materials you can buy or some you may be able to find around the house.

The dirt or soil that you use to grow plants in a traditional method is substituted for a growing medium (full of nutrients the plant needs to grow) in hydroponics gardening.  The growing medium is fed directly to the roots by method of a drip-feeder.  The system can be automated and the gardener can control how many drips the roots receive in a specified time frame.  The more of the growing medium the faster the plants grow.

Since the system can be automated, the amount of time and energy that is required to maintain a hydroponics garden is less than with a traditional garden.  As long as enough water is present and growing medium the plants can be left unattended for a longer period of time.

A home-based hydroponics garden can grow vegetables year round.  The concern about pests and the composition of the soil are not an issue with this type of gardening.  Another bonus with this type of gardening is how fast you can have mature vegetables indoors (by increasing the amount of growing medium). 

The types of plants that are best for hydroponics are ones with thin spider-like roots.  Plants that have a bulb root system are still best grown in the traditional soil method inside a pot or outside.  When you are ready to begin, germinate the seeds for your plants like you normally would.  When the seed has started to sprout and has approximately 2-5 millimeters of growth it is ready to transplant to the hydroponics container and begin growing.

The homeowner who wants to start a home garden that is light on the maintenance needed may decide to buy cacti.  This is a good plan because they need less water than most plants and are quite hardy.  Although there are still care instructions that need to be followed to increase the life and longevity of a cactus.

Cactus plants are used to the heat and being dry, for this reason putting them in a windowsill with full sunlight is optimal.  Depending on the cactus and the amount of heat it is getting you may not have to water it for weeks at a time (once a month is the recommended watering schedule).  Cacti like coarse soil, it is recommended to use a soil that is meant specifically for a cactus instead of a generic mix.  When a fertilizer is needed you should also purchase a fertilizer that is just for cacti.

When watering a cactus, you want to be careful not to over water it.  A good tip to prevent this from happening is to place the cactus pot in a shallow dish full of water.  The plant will soak up all of the water it needs through the drainage hole in a period of 1-2 hours.  Complete this task and don’t worry about it again for another month unless the plant is starting to get a shriveled look.

When handling your cactus, be careful they can hurt.  If the pot is not large enough to hold onto without your hands getting to close to the prickly part of the pant use a folded newspaper and place it around the plant.  This will protect both your hands and the plant when moving it.  If you do get a piece of a cactus in your finger, remove gently with a pair of tweezers or a piece of strong tape.

The three things that all plants need to survive are food, water, and dirt.  The food for plants is created when enough light is provided.  The water and dirt part of the equation are pretty straight forward as long as you follow the recommended care instructions and don’t forget to water your plants.  But how do you ensure that your indoor plants are getting enough light?  Finding the right location in your home may require some trial and error before you find the perfect spot.

Before deciding on what type of plants you will have in your house, look into the light requirements.  The four categories that describe the different light requirement for plants are low, medium, high, and very high.  If you have a sunroom or skylights in your home and can position your plants in or under them you can purchase plants that need high or very high light exposure.  Be aware that some plants can get too much sun, in which case the light that comes in from a regular window should suffice.

There are options you can utilize if you want a certain type of plant and know that your house is not going to provide it enough light.  You can purchase specially designed grow bulbs to supplement the amount of light the plant is getting.  Be aware of the light requirements for your plants when choosing this lighting method.  Although plants require a lot of light to grow there is such a thing as too much light too.  The exact ratio
for your plant may differ but a good guideline to follow is 14 hours of sunlight to 10 hours of darkness.

Your plants will let you know if they are getting too much or not enough light (either they will begin to look dry or will become limp).  Try different locations in your home to find the best place for them.