Indoor Winter Gardening – People with indoor gardens residing in areas that have chilly wintry months must remember that even though the plants indoors are shielded from the fury of the elements raging outside, a lot of safety measures should be taken and modifications carried out for indoor winter gardening.
In the first place, if you purchase new plants in winter, ensure they are properly enveloped in newspapers or paper covers for that brief walk from the shop to your vehicle, and from there to your residence. Always bear in mind that even a momentary contact with the outside cold air can harm or even destroy some houseplants. Never put the plants in the boot of your vehicle. It is always advisable to place them in front and switch on the heater.
Although you can regulate the temperature conditions in your residence to a great extent, your home could still have temperate and chilly areas, and damp quarters and bone-dry quarters. When it comes to winter gardening indoors, various plants tend to react in a different manner to these settings. Bear in mind that in the cold season, the heating indoors frequently makes the air inside very dry. Even though this dry air can be endured by most species of cacti, the infant cast iron sapling, the baby rubber plant (Peperomia oblusifolia), and the heartleaf philodendron, most other winter houseplants cannot bear this dry air.
Cacti
You can easily know if a houseplant is experiencing strain caused by the dry air by means of various warning signs. The leaves tend to arc inwards and become brown, the leaf border turns yellow, plants shed their leaves too early, flower buds flare open rapidly and plants thirst for a great deal of water than normal. The plants can be shifted to an area in the house that is quite damp like the room underground. However, in the basement you need to make up for the unavailability of sunlight. Alternatively, you can allow the plant to remain it its usual place and fix a humidifier. If you think this alternative is far too expensive, then you can build a humidity tray.
Rubber plant
To put together a humidity tray, you need to cover a watertight tray that is not deep with pebbles and stones. Then pour sufficient water to immerse half of the pebbles layer near the base. Put the flowerpots on this flat container. The water rises due to the pebbles and a small humidity area is built up with the evaporation of water. The level of the water in the tray should be kept constant.
In the course of indoor winter gardening, plants should be protected against the icy currents of air. A few plants may be required to be shifted close to a heater. Artificial light should be provided if called for. Ensure that there is proper flow of air inside your home. In case your indoor winter garden entails moving the plants outdoors inside your home, then be sure to do this at the earliest. Otherwise, the initial spell of frost may destroy them. Properly tending and nurturing your indoor winter garden will ensure that you have your own miniature paradise indoors while a tempest blows outside.
