Houseplant care

Heat, like light, moisture, air, nutrients, is one of the basic conditions for plant life. The growth of plants accelerates with increasing temperature, and slows down with decreasing temperature. But this, as a rule, in the range from 12 ° C to 32 ° C, at higher or lower temperatures, plant growth slows down or stops...

Before acquiring a plant, it is necessary to know the lighting conditions in which it needs. The amount of light in rooms depends on the size of the windows and their location. It is most advantageous to have windows facing southeast and southwest. Plants on such windows will be lit in the morning and almost all day. Windows facing south are better lit in winter, but in spring and summer the windows are very hot, so at noon it is better to shade them. Windows facing west and east are almost equally lit, only at different times of the day and practically do not require shading..

The difference in light in summer and winter is so great that plants do not have enough natural light. If in summer the plants had to be shaded from the hot midday sun with a tulle curtain, then with the onset of autumn it is necessary to rearrange the plants as close to the light as possible, those plants that stood near the window should be moved to the windowsill, those that stood in the center of the room should be placed closer to the window. Moreover, if in summer only plants that tolerate the sun could be on the windowsill of the southern window, then in winter almost all plants can be placed on the windowsill of the same southern window, since the autumn and winter sun does not often indulge in its appearance. Shading will be needed only on especially sunny days...

It just so happens that many of the indoor plants that we so desire to have are not adapted to the living conditions. Growing them interferes with too dry air, temperature fluctuations, possible draft, etc. However, the desired conditions can be obtained by creating an indoor greenhouse or terrarium. The greenhouse will also be necessary for rooting cuttings and growing plants from seeds...

The need of plants for water is determined by their specific features: the structure of aboveground organs, the power of the root system, etc. For example, plants with juicy, fleshy leaves (such as agave, aloe, etc.) need less water than plants with large leaves, which sometimes need to be watered twice a day. Excess moisture is harmful for bulbous plants. It is best to water them, directing a stream of water not on the onion, but closer to the walls of the pot, or water from the pallet...

The looser and lighter the substrate, the faster it dries. For example, sheet earth or peat, twice (about!) Dries up faster than clay or garden (with a large dose of sand, clay and humus). The soil in the pot dries significantly faster if almost the entire space is filled with roots, and significantly longer if the pot is large, a lot of free land. Drainage holes at the bottom of the pot also play a role - excess water flows into them. But if the soil is heavy, clay, then no drainage holes will accelerate its drying! The higher the room temperature and the lower the humidity, the faster the soil dries in the pots...

How to understand that we have a plant suffering from waterlogging? Leaf fall is one of the symptoms. In a number of plants, such as citrus, they fall off in the literal sense - darken and fall off. In others, for example, in aroid (aglaonema, diffenbachia) or marant, they darken, but still stay on the stems for a long time. In plants that form leaf rosettes or pseudo rosettes (yuccas, dracens), the leaves do not darken immediately, but initially discolor, turn pale yellow. But in other cases, the characteristic difference between leaves that die from waterlogging is darkening of the leaf. The leaf does not just turn yellow, it darkens, the color becomes from a healthy juicy green dirty swamp shade, gradually turns into brown. If waterlogging was preceded by drying, then the leaf first turns yellow, then the petiole of the leaf and the leaf itself darkens...

Nutrients are found in the soil as mineral and organic compounds. Plant nutrients are obtained from the soil in dissolved form through the root system. However, it is possible to provide plants with nutrients to a certain extent through the leaves (root feeding). We will tell you about the most important macro- and microelements, in which their lack and excess is manifested...

First of all, you need to decide whether there are signs of general complete starvation of the plant, when it was not transplanted or fed for a very long time, or there are signs of a lack of only one element. Based on this, in the first case, the plant simply needs to be transplanted. If this moment falls on spring-summer time, then three to four weeks after transplantation, you can start feeding with complex fertilizer for this species of plants...

Mineral fertilizers are a complex of inorganic compounds in the form of mineral salts that are nutrients for plants. Mineral fertilizers, depending on the composition, are simple and complex. Simple (or one-sided fertilizers) contain only one element (phosphorus, nitrogen or potassium). Complex fertilizers contain at least three main nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, as well as often also trace elements (boron, manganese, copper, etc.)...

Most often this is a lack of lighting, and not necessarily direct sunlight (not all plants tolerate them), but bright scattered light. Almost all flowering plants need good lighting, not many plants bloom on the northern windows, and even more so in a semi-dark room. But many plants bloom beautifully under artificial light, especially with daylight lamps. Even if there is no natural light at all, but artificial lighting is properly organized, plants will grow and can bloom well. Therefore, if the plant does not bloom in the first place, you need to think about whether it has enough light. You should also take into account the length of daylight hours, usually at least 10-12 hours...

For some reason, many believe that the dormant period of indoor plants is associated only with a decrease in temperature, and if the apartment is warm in winter, then the plants do not rest. And besides temperature, there are such factors as light, nutrition, etc.
In fact, quite a lot of problems, diseases and even plant death occur in the winter months, when there should be a forced or mandatory period of rest...

Oxygen is necessary for plants to breathe. In the process of breathing, organic substances created during photosynthesis decay. Plant respiration occurs constantly, regardless of the time of day. In the process of breathing, carbon dioxide, water and some energy are released. The breathing process is characteristic of all parts of the plant, however, to varying degrees. For example, flowers breathe more strongly than leaves, and leaves are stronger than stems...

Under natural conditions, the root system of plants occupies a large space. With potting culture, the plant is forced to develop its root system in the soil of small volume. Therefore, this soil, as a rule, should be especially nutritious. One of the conditions for growing indoor plants is the ability to make the necessary earthen mixture.
Indoor plants do not grow equally in alkaline or acidic soils. Some plants require slightly acidic soils; others prefer acidic soils; still others grow well on slightly alkaline, neutral or slightly acidic soils; fourth only on alkaline soils.
There are plants that require lime in the soil in large quantities (heliotrope, calceolaria). On the contrary, excess lime acts extremely unfavorably on azaleas, heather, camellias...

It is a very controversial question which soils are better - purchased or of their own preparation, peat in the soil is good or bad, why do plants grow better on some mixtures containing peat, and die on others? Is it convenient to grow plants on a hydrogel and why pH is so important. These and other issues are addressed in this review article...

It is very important to maintain the humidity necessary for the plant indoors. Some plants, such as asparagus, will never flower in a room with dry air, even if it is watered as required. Too low humidity causes the fall of shoots and buds, slows down the growth of the plant.
The humidity of the room can be maintained in many ways. First of all, this is spraying. During the growing season, most plants are sprayed daily in the morning and evening. You cannot spray the plant in the sun, as you can cause leaf burns. Carefully spray or not spray at all (use other methods of air humidification) plants with stem-bearing leaves (stagnation of water can cause decay), plants with velvety leaves (gloxinia, violets)...

Very often you can observe such a picture (using the example of cissus): rhombus cissus is located in the center of the room with a south window, in spring and summer there is bright diffused light in the room, the plant feels great. In autumn, sunny days are very rare, daylight hours are short and the cissus begins to turn yellow or brown and dry out the leaves, despite the fact that after all the window in the room is on the south side. By winter, the plant will lose half of its leaves, and by spring it will specifically bald. A person who is not knowledgeable in indoor crop production will sin on a lack of irrigation, and God forbid he will flood it, but in fact it was only necessary to put the plant on the windowsill of the window or place a daylight lamp next to it. If you say - what does the formation of the appearance have to do with it, then I will answer you that in some way the formation of the appearance is the result of the care and rules for maintaining the plant...

Probably everyone had to leave home for a while, leaving flowers and even animals. During our absence, we worry about our favorites - how unattended they are. Everyone is looking for their own way out of the situation, depending on the terms of the business trip or vacation. Someone will leave the keys to the apartment to a neighbor or relatives, water it on time, but many do not have such an opportunity or simply do not trust an inexperienced person in such a sensitive matter...

A lack of light, a lack of fresh air, its excessive dryness, draft, a sharp temperature drop, soil drying or excessive watering, a lack or excess of nutrients - all this leads to the oppression of plants, causes not only their painful state, but also creates favorable conditions for pests and plant diseases.
Very often, mainly from beginner flower growers, you can hear the question: "I do not know what the flower is dying from, what to do?" If it is completely incomprehensible what is the matter, then you need to understand in order. Usually plants wither for one of three reasons: waterlogging of the soil, drying of the soil, pest or disease damage...

Almost all indoor flowers can be exposed to the open air in the spring-summer period, but you should always remember about the species temperature requirements of plants. Daily temperature fluctuations even at 15-20 ° C are not terrible for many tropical flowers if the plant gets used to them gradually. But the lower boundaries of the temperature corridor, for most of them are + 10-12 ° C, so you can take indoor flowers to the open balcony only when the summer weather is warm, from about May 20. Until June at night, it is better to bring them into the apartment, because weather forecasts are not always accurate, and spring winds are always cold...

The section contains articles consisting of the most frequently asked questions for growing the most popular indoor flowers: crotone, azaleas, adenium, hoyas, ficuses, dracens, diffenbachia and other plants, as well as the use of phytohormones in floriculture...

For growing plants on hydroponics, a substrate made of fine expanded clay is usually used, since it has better water-retaining ability. Vermiculite and perlite may also be used. However, expanded clay pores accumulate plant-depressing salts over time. There are substrates made of granular polyethylene or glass. Of great interest are studies with substrates from ion-exchange materials that can be charged with ions of substances necessary for plants that can pass into solution as they are absorbed by their roots...

The name "Hydroponics" comes from the Latin language and means "Working Water."
Many people, thinking about hydroponics, imagine growing plants with roots placed directly in the water without a substrate. These are only some of the types of hydroponic gardening known as the "Nutrient Film Technique" (N.F.T. - Nutrient Film Technique). There are several varieties of N.F.T. hydroponics used around the world, a very popular method of growing houseplants. What types of hydroponic systems are...

Any hydroponic plant nutrient solution must contain all necessary nutrients. Therefore, fertilizers for hydroponic crops in their composition contain not only salts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, but also iron, boron, manganese, zinc, copper, etc. Houseplants have several phases of the developmental cycle. In spring - the period of vegetation, leaf growth, in flowering plants then there is a phase of budding, and then flowering, in autumn with a reduction in daylight hours and a decrease in temperatures, there is a more or less pronounced period of rest. At all stages of plant development, a different amount of certain macro- and microelements is needed...

How to care for flowers and houseplants according to the lunar calendar.

The moon has a gravitational effect on the Earth. Astrologers suggest that it also affects the growth of plants, garden and indoor. This section contains calendars by month: when is the time to sow and plant, to feed and feed, and when you need to refrain and just read information on growing, look through catalogs, clean up on shelves, etc.

You can share your opinion or observations about the influence of the moon on plant cultivation on the forum: Lunar calendar of the flower grower and gardener.