User:Aeong/Indoor Gardening: Difference between revisions

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=== Proper Watering ===

Now that you know the pot, it's time to water. The following information is generalist advice for many beginner friendly plants, and may not apply to all: When it comes to watering most plants, it's not how much water you provide the plant, but 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, but they also don't want to be under watered. The solution here is to water your plant until water pours out from the drainage holes in it's pot or net (after pulling out). Let the water excessively drain until infrequent drips are left. Many plants will want water again when the the first few inches of top soil are dry, which is often in the span of a week (or less). Other plants like Cactuses will want their soil to completely dry out, and thus watering them every 2 weeks is usually a safe bet. When checking soil moisture, try to feel the soil gently to keep it from compacting over time. Prolonged exposure to excessive watering can cause the plants roots to rot which will kill your plant and attract pests.

=== Water Purity ===

While many plants will accept and thrive with tap water, it can often cause health problems for other plants months later. Brown leaf tips are a very common problem when it comes to tap water. Some plants may die if their water is impure. For best results, water your plants with distilled water.

== Re-Potting and 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 1-2 inch larger pot to promote growth.

There are 2 main methods of root management when it comes to repotting: Clean cutting 20% of the roots on the bottom half of your plant with a knife and then de-tangling them, or leaving the roots alone. When detangling, 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 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, add a good youtube video about repotting at the bottom, possibly a rotating template of youtube videos)'''~~

There are 2 main methods of root management when it comes to repotting: Clean cutting 20% of the roots on the bottom half of your plant with a knife and then de-tangling them, or leaving the roots alone. When detangling, 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 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.

== Humidity Levels ==

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== Fertilization ==

If you repot your plants several times a year using premixed packages of soil, fertilizing your plant is often unnecessary, as the new soil plants receive from repotting is filled with new nutrients. However, if your plant is slow growing, or does not have much soil in it's potting mix, your plant may require fertilizer every other month depending on the plants specific needs.

If you repot your plants several times a year using premixed packages of soil, fertilizing your plant is often unnecessary, as the new soil plants receive from repotting is filled with new nutrients. However, if your plant is slow growing, or does not have much soil in it's potting mix, your plant may require fertilizer every other month depending on the plants specific needs. Different plants often need different types of fertilizer.

== Pests ==

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 === Proper Watering ===
 Now that you know the pot, it's time to water. The following information is generalist advice for many beginner friendly plants, and may not apply to all: When it comes to watering most plants, it's not how much water you provide the plant, but 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, but they also don't want to be under watered. The solution here is to water your plant until water pours out from the drainage holes in it's pot or net (after pulling out). Let the water excessively drain until infrequent drips are left. Many plants will want water again when the the first few inches of top soil are dry, which is often in the span of a week (or less). Other plants like Cactuses will want their soil to completely dry out, and thus watering them every 2 weeks is usually a safe bet. When checking soil moisture, try to feel the soil gently to keep it from compacting over time. Prolonged exposure to excessive watering can cause the plants roots to rot which will kill your plant and attract pests.
+=== Water Purity ===
+While many plants will accept and thrive with tap water, it can often cause health problems for other plants months later. Brown leaf tips are a very common problem when it comes to tap water. Some plants may die if their water is impure. For best results, water your plants with distilled water.
 == Re-Potting and 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 1-2 inch larger pot to promote growth.
-There are 2 main methods of root management when it comes to repotting: Clean cutting 20% of the roots on the bottom half of your plant with a knife and then de-tangling them, or leaving the roots alone. When detangling, 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  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, add a good youtube video about repotting at the bottom, possibly a rotating template of youtube videos)'''
+There are 2 main methods of root management when it comes to repotting: Clean cutting 20% of the roots on the bottom half of your plant with a knife and then de-tangling them, or leaving the roots alone. When detangling, 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  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.
 == Humidity Levels ==
@@ Line 187: / Line 190: @@
 == Fertilization ==
-If you repot your plants several times a year using premixed packages of soil, fertilizing your plant is often unnecessary, as the new soil plants receive from repotting is filled with new nutrients. However, if your plant is slow growing, or does not have much soil in it's potting mix, your plant may require fertilizer every other month depending on the plants specific needs.
+If you repot your plants several times a year using premixed packages of soil, fertilizing your plant is often unnecessary, as the new soil plants receive from repotting is filled with new nutrients. However, if your plant is slow growing, or does not have much soil in it's potting mix, your plant may require fertilizer every other month depending on the plants specific needs. Different plants often need different types of fertilizer.
 == Pests ==