User:Aeong/Indoor Gardening

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Indoor Gardening refers to the act of raising and nurturing plants indoors, regardless of whether they bare food. It is a great first step for beginners who want to learn gardening but do not have the time or resources to garden outdoors. Unfortunately, learning indoor gardening is like learning about healthy eating: it is filled with contradicting opinions and "facts", along with beginner traps and scams. This article is intended to help the average person navigate many of these pitfalls. The information in it has been compiled to the best of our knowledge, and will improve over time.

Indoor Plants In A Solarpunk World

The first thing many people see when they are introduced to Solarpunk is all the plant life in many pieces of Solarpunk artwork. While most of these plants are outdoors, indoor plants have their own place in a world like this too, not just for the food they can provide for all the health benefits they provide us. Make no mistake though, the only proven health benefits of Indoor plants are for one's mental health. A common myth is that houseplants can purify the air in a home. While it is true that plants take a part in purifying the air around us, they do so in great numbers.(Mention nasa study) The effectiveness of air purification would vary from plant to plant, and noticeable air purification may require an unreasonably large concentration of plants in each room, if successful at all. There are some companies such as Neoplants that claim to sell plants that were genetically modified to excel at purifying air, but these claims have been met with skepticism (where?), and the subscription based products sold by these companies raise further suspicion along with ethical concerns(elaborate)

But the positive effect indoor plants have on mental health should not be understated. Plants have been shown to drastically improve the effects of people with mental illnesses. (go into further detail on this, and the effects the mind can have on physical healing. Possibly also cover the medical benefits of plants such as the aloe vera. Make sure to mention the solarpunk art influenced by the purification myth.)

Where to Buy Plants

There are many places to buy indoor plants, the most common are big box stores. But the plants sold in them are often poorly maintained by underpaid employees who usually do not prioritize the health and well-being of these plants. Often these plants can go a very long time with no water, and are stuck in places that receive inadequate lighting. Buying a plant from places like these is not only a gamble, but also an ethical issue (elaborate further). Buying plants online is a better option, as you are given access to plants that have received a higher quality of care, but the time it can take to transport these plants can have a negative impact on their health. You are also trusting overworked delivery drivers (who are expected to be fast) to handle your somewhat fragile plants with care (this may be a bit paranoid and unnecessary). The safest and most ethical option is often to support your community by buying locally from Mom and Pop stores that sell these plants. If you do not have any in your area, you may often find household plants being sold at farmers markets, or online community marketplaces. The quality of these plants may vary as the barrier of entry to sell them at community markets is much lower, but you are still supporting your community.

(Honestly this whole part feels a bit over the top, find a way to slim it down and make it more culturally sensitive)

Considerations When Buying a Plant

here are some common considerations

Plant Health

When you see a plant for sale in a physical space, observe it. How healthy do it's leaves look? Are they turning yellow or brown? If the tips of it's leaves are brown, or its leaves have holes, this may indicate problems, but can be normal on some types of plant. Sagging plants are problematic, but depending on the species they may just bounce back after being watered. Finally check the soil. How dry does it feel? Unless it's a cactus or succulent, most plants wont be happy with dry soil and can indicate the level of care the plant has received. If it's roots are popping out of the soil the soil that is often a sign that the plant will need to be repotted very soon. It's a great idea to consult the seller or search the internet when you see things like this.

Toxicity

Plants sold in any store can vary in levels of toxicity and some may even require specific handling. The most important thing a plant owner must know is how toxic (if not outright poisonous) their plants are. Do you have pets or kids who might try to chew on these plants? Then you must do everything you can to keep them out of reach. Always check the toxicity of any plant you buy (redundant, shorten), don't assume anything based on the species of plant, because some plants of the same type can vary in levels of toxicity. Other plants are misclassified with deceptive names. For example: Most palm trees are non-toxic, but the "Sago Palm" is a cycad, not a real palm tree, and it can cause liver failure in humans if any part of it is ingested. Some plants like the Pothos are only mildly toxic, and will most likely cause discomfort long before enough of it is ingested to cause serious issues. Use your own personal judgement.

Light Preference

Different types of houseplants need different levels of light. If a plant doesn't require much light, you may be able to keep it several feet away from a window, but some plants marked as "low light tolerant" may grow better with more light than advertised, so always check each individual plant. Some plants can have different colored leaves, or parts of them that are not green. This is known as "variegation", and it's a general rule of thumb that the less green a plant is, the more light it will need, as the green parts of a plant are the only parts that can perform photosynthesis.

Grow Lights

Grow lights are devices that emit a spectrum of light similar to the sun, and in some cases can be an imperfect solution to a plant for inadequate lighting. Grow lights come in all shapes, sizes, and levels of brightness. Some are merely bulbs that can fit into your existing lights. Grow lights are often overlooked because they may feel unnatural to the plant owner, but the health of your plant is much more important, and plants that require bright indirect light (like indoor palm trees and cactuses) will be much happier with them if your house cannot provide the bright indirect light they need. Not all plants will appreciate a strong grow light however. A Peace Lilly for example may receive burned leaves and miscolored flowers when receiving too much light, and will require a weaker light, or ones with low brightness settings. Grow lights may also help you during winter during the many days your plants don't receive much might. Stronger grows light can even allow outdoor plants to grow inside your home with varying levels of success, and are most commonly used to grow seedlings indoors during colder months to eventually plant outdoors when they are in season.

Climbing Plants and Twining Plants

Some plants will want to expand anywhere they can, but not every plant is motivated to do so for the same reason. Climbing plants such as the pothos will often have roots at the bottom of their vines, and are looking for nutritious places to grow those roots in to. These plants are most happy when they have moss poles to climb on to. Beware, many moss poles sold online will not be beneficial to your plant, and it's good to do research on what your plant will need. (do more research on this) Twining plants are more motivated by light, and will climb on just about anything you have to get that light. (Is this completely true?)

Common Beginner Friendly Plants

*Pothos Plants

*Snake Plants

*Peace Lily's

*Small Cactus's and Succulents

Common Beginner Trap Plants

*Majesty Palms

*Ferns

*Moon Cactuses

Watering Your Plant

The following information covers many beginner friendly plants. There is a lot of confusion as to how to water a plant, and how much water it needs. Often, plants will come in "self watering" pots, and inadequate if not detrimental instructions on how to water them. It is best to consult the Internet to see how much water your plant needs.

Many people worry that they are giving their plant too much water, and end up under-watering their plants. Others keep the self watering pot the plant came in that can't drain water and drown their plants in it. For many beginner friendly plants, over watering is not the problem, it's how well the water drains from the soil after each watering. Most of these plants don't want soggy soil, and their roots need oxygen. Get them in a pot with drainage and water them until water pours out from the drainage holes. Let the water excessively drain until unfrequent drips are left. Water them again only after the the first few inches of top soil are dry. Try to feel the soil gently to keep in from compacting over time. Prolonged exposure to excessive watering can cause root rot which will keep your plant and attract pests.

Maintaining Your Plant

Insert stuff about spraying, dehumidifiers, and other low level maintenance stuff here

Root Maintenance

A common thing first time plant adopters don't realize is the periodic maintenance that comes with their plants ever-growing roots. Most plants want to grow, and to support their growth, they need more roots. As their roots continue to grow, the more space they need. With this, a plant owner will either want to prune the plants roots to eventually stunt growth, or rehome them in a 2 inch larger pot to promote growth.

There are 2 methods for repotting: Cutting 20% of your roots of its bottom half with a knife, or sticking your plants in water for several minutes and detangling them and removing all but 20% of the original soil. Be gentle, but don't stress yourself out over a few broken roots. The difficulty in separating roots from the soil can differ from plant to plant. Some plants like the Sago Palm tend to have large, easy to separate roots. Cactuses and Succulents tend to have many more small roots that can be a pain to separate (don't try too hard, it's better to leave more soil on these than destroy too many them). Most plants are somewhere in the middle. (Elaborate on some areas and prune others)

Pot Types

While some plants will do relatively well in any pot, some plants have specific requirements.

Common misconceptions to address in article:

• *Plants in low concentration do not effect air quality
• *Misting your plant and putting rocks in it for moisture is often useless
• *Growing poles are often a scam
• *Self watering pots are not recommended.

Other stuff to address:

• Easy plants and beginner traps
• Plant toxicity levels
• Plant apps
• Food bearing plants
• Best way to water most plants
• Repotting and soil types
• Pests
• Grow lights
• Variegation
• Grafting
• Invasive plants and scam concerns
• Seeding, pollinating, and Propagation
• Misclassified plants, such as a Peace "Lilly" or a Sago "Palm"