Indoor Gardening Read Online Free
Author: Will Cook
hence inhibit its flowering ability.
It is a good idea to have a test kit to keep a close eye on how your soil is doing. This is especially important if you are starting to mix your own soil.
3. P OTASSIUM
This is the ingredient that helps your plant to fight diseases and helps it grow healthy fruits fast. There are many liquid fertilizers you can use that will ensure this ingredient is absorbed through the tissue of your plants and keep it healthy. The liquid fertilizers offer you the advantage of being able to add it at a more even rate.
A word of caution when using fertilizers; a newly ready-mix from the garden store will not need fertilizer for a good 6 - 10 months. Talk to your local gardening store experts for advice. Also, never use fertilizer on dry soil as this will saturate it and burn your plant. In fact, in this aspect less is better than more.
C HAPTER 5. S TARTING S EEDS I NDOORS
Starting to grow your garden right from seed is not only very enjoyable, but also an excellent money-saving way to grow the widest variety of plants. You can always buy seeds from your local garden or online; be sure you check how much time the plant needs to mature and flower or bear fruit. The timing is important for most plants should reach maturity before frost. The flowering plants should reach their maturity about summer when they are supposed to flower.
B UYING S EEDS
It is very important that you buy good quality seeds. Organic seeds and hybrid seeds would be more expensive, but worth the extra cost – especially if you’re growing food. I always try to avoid food crop seeds that are not organic due to potential GMO (genetically modified) contamination. You can visit your local garden store or buy from online sites. Most of the seeds you chose will come with easy-to-follow instructions telling you what you need to do and in how much time you should expect your plant to show up.
Do not be tempted to buy large packets of seeds just because they mean less money per seed. Small packets are the best because fresh seed is better than stored ones. It’s unlikely you’ll grow 30 tomato plants, for example, in your house this year so there’s no reason to buy a pack of 100 tomato seeds!
If you think that you can buy in bulk and store your surplus seeds for later use, you may be mistaken. With the passage of time, the stored seeds will have lesser and lesser capacity to germinate. It is okay though to store the excess seeds for next year planting; but ideally you should not store seeds for much longer than a year, especially if you’re new at seed storing. Some seeds save much longer than others. For example, most lettuces will last around 6 years whereas parsley and onions often only last 1 year.
S EED C ONTAINERS
There are so many types of containers that are specially designed for seedlings. This means that instead of potting all seeds in one container, you can have one seed per tiny container in an ice-tray type container. These honeycomb trays come in various sizes so you could choose the right one for the type of plant you are planning to grow. For example, you will need large trays for leaks or onions, but smaller trays for pansies or begonias.
You can always reuse the seed trays since they are made of plastic and can last for a long time. However, be careful to sterilize these trays before every use by soaking the cleaned cups in a solution of bleach or other disinfectant for 30 minutes, then rinse and use. Mix the solution to the strength recommended on the label for disinfecting surfaces.
You could also use containers from organic materials such as shredded wood, newspaper, and the like. These are especially good for seedlings that do not fare too well after transplantation.
You could also use clear plastic domes that fit over trays of plants. These domes will allow light in, but will at the time prevent moisture from escaping. They can also help retain heat provided to the root zone. Obviously, the domes
It is a good idea to have a test kit to keep a close eye on how your soil is doing. This is especially important if you are starting to mix your own soil.
3. P OTASSIUM
This is the ingredient that helps your plant to fight diseases and helps it grow healthy fruits fast. There are many liquid fertilizers you can use that will ensure this ingredient is absorbed through the tissue of your plants and keep it healthy. The liquid fertilizers offer you the advantage of being able to add it at a more even rate.
A word of caution when using fertilizers; a newly ready-mix from the garden store will not need fertilizer for a good 6 - 10 months. Talk to your local gardening store experts for advice. Also, never use fertilizer on dry soil as this will saturate it and burn your plant. In fact, in this aspect less is better than more.
C HAPTER 5. S TARTING S EEDS I NDOORS
Starting to grow your garden right from seed is not only very enjoyable, but also an excellent money-saving way to grow the widest variety of plants. You can always buy seeds from your local garden or online; be sure you check how much time the plant needs to mature and flower or bear fruit. The timing is important for most plants should reach maturity before frost. The flowering plants should reach their maturity about summer when they are supposed to flower.
B UYING S EEDS
It is very important that you buy good quality seeds. Organic seeds and hybrid seeds would be more expensive, but worth the extra cost – especially if you’re growing food. I always try to avoid food crop seeds that are not organic due to potential GMO (genetically modified) contamination. You can visit your local garden store or buy from online sites. Most of the seeds you chose will come with easy-to-follow instructions telling you what you need to do and in how much time you should expect your plant to show up.
Do not be tempted to buy large packets of seeds just because they mean less money per seed. Small packets are the best because fresh seed is better than stored ones. It’s unlikely you’ll grow 30 tomato plants, for example, in your house this year so there’s no reason to buy a pack of 100 tomato seeds!
If you think that you can buy in bulk and store your surplus seeds for later use, you may be mistaken. With the passage of time, the stored seeds will have lesser and lesser capacity to germinate. It is okay though to store the excess seeds for next year planting; but ideally you should not store seeds for much longer than a year, especially if you’re new at seed storing. Some seeds save much longer than others. For example, most lettuces will last around 6 years whereas parsley and onions often only last 1 year.
S EED C ONTAINERS
There are so many types of containers that are specially designed for seedlings. This means that instead of potting all seeds in one container, you can have one seed per tiny container in an ice-tray type container. These honeycomb trays come in various sizes so you could choose the right one for the type of plant you are planning to grow. For example, you will need large trays for leaks or onions, but smaller trays for pansies or begonias.
You can always reuse the seed trays since they are made of plastic and can last for a long time. However, be careful to sterilize these trays before every use by soaking the cleaned cups in a solution of bleach or other disinfectant for 30 minutes, then rinse and use. Mix the solution to the strength recommended on the label for disinfecting surfaces.
You could also use containers from organic materials such as shredded wood, newspaper, and the like. These are especially good for seedlings that do not fare too well after transplantation.
You could also use clear plastic domes that fit over trays of plants. These domes will allow light in, but will at the time prevent moisture from escaping. They can also help retain heat provided to the root zone. Obviously, the domes
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