Indoor Gardening Part-Time

There are part-time indoor gardeners; these are the ones that live in an area with cold winters – too cold for their outdoor plants to survive in.  By transplanting or bringing the plants indoors, they can survive the colder months and add greenery inside the home.  There are some considerations and preparations that should be made before you decide to become a part-time indoor gardener.

The most important point to think about before bringing a plant indoors is whether or not it will survive being an inside plant.  If the plant has high or very high light requirements and your house does not get a lot of light in the winter time – it may not be a good solution.  As a back-up you can invest in an artificial light source to supplement the natural light the plant will get.

How will you get the plant indoors?  If the plant is already in a pot that will fit inside it is easy enough to move it indoors.  But if the plant is in the ground you need to find a pot large enough to contain the root system and one that will not be too difficult to move.  Keeping in mind that when a large plant is transplanted (re-potted or put in a pot for the first time) it may go into shock.  Although with careful attention, you can nurse your plant through this.

Most likely you have been taking care of your plants outdoors and they do not have any pests or bugs on them.  But it smart to double-check.  By bringing an infested plant indoors you are putting all of your other indoor plants at risk of becoming infected too.  Either forego bringing the plant inside or treat the pest problem before the cold weather arrives.  You may enjoy having your plant inside all winter that you decide to keep it there come springtime.

Indoor Plants Enough Need Light

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.