Indoor Gardening

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Indoor Gardening

• Theres no such thing
• as a houseplant.

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Environment

• Heat
• Tropicals like 70-80 day, 60-68 night
• Flowering plants cooler nights- 55-60
• DIF
• Light
• Water
• Soil

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Light Footcandles Sunny- 4,000- 8,000
Partial Shade- 1,000- 3,000 Shady 50-
500
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Light during production

• Sun leaves small, thick
• Chloroplasts vertical
• Shade leaves larger, thinner
• Chloroplasts horizontal
• Mature leaves dont change size, internal
  structure.

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Light Compensation PointMinimum light level
where food produced by photosynthesis equals food
consumed through respiration.Do you want
growth, or not?
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To increase light Open curtains, wash
windows, remove screens White walls Mylar,
mirrors Artificial light
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Artificial Lights

• Fluorescent cool whites for blue end of spectrum
• Incandescent for red end of spectrum
• or
• Special plant growth lamps- complete spectrum

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HID Lighting

• High intensity discharge lamps
• Expensive, but efficient
• Commercial growers,
• serious hobbiests, basement cash crops

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Environment

• Heat
• Light
• Water
• Too much, too little
• Tools of the trade
• Soil

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• Tools of the trade
• Good watering can
• Saucers
• Pebble tray
• Mister

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Environment

• Heat
• Light
• Water
• Soil
• Suited to type of plant
• Cornell Mix
• Cactus mix
• Epiphyte mix

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Containers

• Plastic revolutionized green industry
• Clay dries faster
• Clay lasts longer
• Plastic retains water
• Plastic cheaper

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Repotting

• 1. Do you want plant to grow larger?
• 2. Are roots coming out drain hole?
• 3. What time of year?
• Will stimulate growth
• 4. What size pot needed?

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Terrariums

• Miniature greenhouses
• High humidity
• Charcoal, gravel in bottom
• Prune to keep attractive
• Can add fauna

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Terrarium containers
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Fauna with the FloraAphidsMealy
bugsScaleSpider mites
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Aphids

• Usually female,
• born pregnant
• Farmed by ants
• Suck sap, secrete honeydew
• Easily removed by soap water spray
• Aphid mummies

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Mealy bugs

• Crawlers settle down
• Suck sap
• Sooty mildew
• Wash off with soap and water
• Cryptolameus

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Scale insects

• Crawlers settle down,
• grow protective shell
• suck juices.
• Hard to tell dead scale from live one.
• Kill with insecticidal soap
• Scrape off scale

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Spider mites

• Practically invisible
• Suck sap
• Leave stippled
• Paprika when shake over white paper

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Spider Mites

• Like dry conditions
• Wash off with spray of water/ buttermilk
• Actually not an insect pest

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Foolproof flora Aglaonaema (Chinese Evergreen)
Aspidistra (Cast Iron Plant)Sansiviera (Snake
Plant)BromelliadsDracaenaPhilodendron sp.
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Chinese Evergreen

• Warm temperatures
• Low light
• Evenly moist
• Blooms berries
• Many varieties
• Grow from divisions or root cuttings

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Cast Iron Plant

• Hardy outdoors in deep South
• Tolerates very low light
• Favorite of Victorians
• Slow growing
• Hard to find commerciallyl

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Snake Plants

• Tolerates sun, shade, hot, cold, wet, dry
• Fragrant blooms when grown well
• Grow from divisions or cuttings
• Many varieties

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Snake Plant

• Care in taking cuttings from variegated leaves
• Frequently used in dish gardens, terrariums
• Related to hemp
• Cactus soil best. (Concrete might work)

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Bromelliads

• Large family- related to pineapple
• Epiphytes
• Tolerate low light, low humidity
• Many species
• Aechmea
• Neoregelia
• Tillandsia, etc.

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Bromelliads
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Dracaenas

• Tropicals - like warm temperatures
• Bright light, no direct sun
• D. fragrans
• (Corn plant)

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Dracaenas

• Canes develop as plants mature. Drops lower
  leaves
• Propagate canes to get various heights
• Dracaena marginata
• Dragon plant
• Tendency to get mites

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Heartleaf philodendron

• Vine- grow in hanging basket or on bark
• Low light
• Can grow in water only
• Aerial roots- easy to propagate

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Other Commonly Grown Houseplants

• 250 varieties produced commercially.
• So many plants- so little time.

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Swedish Ivy

• Mint family
• Aerial roots- propagates easily
• Does best in bright light
• Variegated varieties available
• Closely related Iboza- fragrant

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Wandering Jew

• Tradescantia- large genus
• Best color in bright light
• Aerial roots- propagates easily
• Nice mixed with shade annuals for summer basket

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Cactus succulents

• Sun essential, but little care
• Killed most often by overwatering
• Repotting a pain (literally)
• Cactus mix
• Water, then let dry

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Baby toes

• Fennestraria sp.
• window plant
• Stem buried to protect from sunlight
• Drench soil, then let dry thoroughly
• Maximum sunlight, especially for blooms

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Gesneriads

• Large genus
• African violet Saintpaulia
• Warm, moist conditions
• Thrives under fluorescent lights
• Propagates easily

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Episcia

• Also prefer warmth, moist conditions
• Trailers
• Forms rosettes along stems that are easily
  propagated
• Spectacular foliage, bright flowers

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Asparagus fern

• Asparagus springeri
• Best growth in sun Tolerates shade
• Red berries
• Planted from seeds or tubers
• Used extensively by florists
• Messy

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Ferns

• Adiantum sp.
• Difficult outside of greenhouse
• Needs high humidity
• Cool conditions
• Many species native to U.S.

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Boston fern

• Nephrolepsis exaltata Bostoniensis
• Sport 1890s
• grew faster, droopier fronds
• High humidity
• Evenly moist soil

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Coleus

• Another mint
• Better light, better color
• Propagate from seed, cuttings
• Many cultivars
• Great bedding plant outdoors

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Polka dot plant

• Hypoestes phyllostachya
• Bright light for best color
• Can grow to 3 ft, but look leggy
• Pinch back for best form
• Good outdoor bedding plant

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Dishgardens

• Common gifts
• Plants may not have compatible growth
  requirements
• Eventually must separate

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Paperwhite narcissus

• Disposable plant-
• enjoy discard
• Grow up cool
• Fragrance can be overwhelming
• Bulbs hardy further south