Growing organic plants indoors: What to know

Organic indoor plants need to be cared for in the right manner for them to thrive. In order to do that, however, it is important that you understand the specific requirements of each plant. That includes the space, temperature, humidity, lighting and watering requirements.

That being said, here is what you need to know about growing organic plants indoors.

Potting mix

A growing medium for your plant is necessary, as that is where the roots will grow. In addition, it will hold water and nutrients for the plant. If you are starting out, you can be tempted to use soil from the outdoors. Remember that there are many organisms that live in the soil, including pests and weeds. Taking such soil inside will pose a risk for your plants to contract diseases and have pest infestations. In this case, you will need a good potting mix for your plants. You should be able to purchase one for your plant's requirements in green centers near you.

Watering needs

Indoor plants need to be given the right amount of water. If you overwater them, you risk the roots dying, or pests growing on the wet soil. If you underwater them, the risk of the roots dying is there. Either way, the plant will not grow as expected. You will notice a watering problem with your plant if you see the leaves dropping or yellowing, slow growth, mold growth, rotting roots among others.

Pest control

Remember you are growing the plants organically, the last thing you will need is using toxic chemicals on your plants. The most important thing is to avoid the pests in the first place. Before bringing in your plants, make sure you inspect them thoroughly for any signs of pests and diseases. The next thing would be to take measures that will prevent pests and diseases from attacking your plants. As said earlier, the biggest culprit for harboring pests is overwatering. Ensure that you are leaving the soil moist enough to avoid soggy soil. Above everything else, it is good to keep a keen eye on the plants. Be on the lookout for signs of pests and diseases and have them taken care of immediately. 

Don't forget the Lightning

Indoor plants are a welcome addition to any home. They help spruce up the atmosphere and bring literal life into the room. However, the problem with many apartments is that they do not have enough lightning. Depending on the budget, you could remodel a part of your home, for example remodel your kitchen, to ensure that plants are placed near the window and get enough lightning. But if you are running on a low budget right now, there are other alternatives for lightning. Throughout the year, the amount of light changes, and it is difficult to find a single spot in the house where a plant will always get sufficient light, due to the movement of the sun. To solve this problem, grow lights were created, and have become increasingly more popular for home botanists. People have used different types of lights including fluorescent,incandescent,and LED's(Light Emitting Diodes).                    

LED grow lights are quickly becoming the most common choice for growing plants indoors.

Why LED's?

LED lights are the most common choice to go with because they are the most energy-efficient and have a wide variety of colors. The light color that works best for chlorophyll absorption, photosynthesis, and growth is a Violet-blue light in the 400-520 nanometer range. Red light(610-720) promotes flowering and budding. LED growth lights produce a large spectrum of light, and the ones with the most complete spectrum will be the best ones to grow with. They also put off much less heat than the other options, making it possible for you to put the light closer to the plant in this case.

Types of LEDs:

Standard Purple LED's are the cheapest option for growing, which is their main selling point. They contain hundreds of small low wattage lights(3-5 watts per LED) composed of red and blue lights to emit a purple light.

COB lights(a.k.a Chip on board) lights have many hundreds of tiny lights to make up the one single small chip on the board. They emit a much stronger and brighter white light, which offers better light penetration than the purple LED's.

Spread Style LED's are another powerful light option, and are more specifically tailored to greenhouses with their "rack" style of lighting, which can cover a large area. They are one of the most efficient LED lights on the market, which also leads to them being a rather expensive option.

Plant position and light placement:

The position of the plants and the lights should aim to mimic the natural position of outdoor plants.

?          Give each of the plants an even amount of space(unless it is a plant that may help seed another plant), and space the plants accordingly.

?          Use a level surface, and if possible, keep in a spot that is out of a cat's reach(easier said than done, I know).

?          Hang the lights straight over top of the plants to mimic the sun, at about roughly 6-12 inches over(this distance can change depending on the plant type) Adjust the lights accordingly as the plants grow.

?       Make sure to test the lights out and confirm that all the plants are getting sufficient light. If you are looking to invest in more lights and more plants, testing out the amount of coverage that the lights have over a certain amount of plants may be the best way to determine how many more lights you should purchase.

How long should you leave the growth light on?

This again depends on the type of plant. Most flowering plants or vegetables grow optimally with a long summer day's worth of light(12-16 hours), but remember that darkness is an important part of the cycle as well. Plants use the darkness to break down the energy that they produce during the day for growth and flowering, a process known as respiration. To make sure that you do not exceed the recommended time to keep the lights on, you can set them up with timers. Once you set these timers up to go off at the appropriate time, it's one less thing that can go wrong.

Conclusion:

As stated multiple times, everything tends to be plant-specific, and even if you set something perfectly at first, the constantly changing plants will most likely require readjustment of the lights. Pay attention to the plants especially in the early stages to make sure they do not fall victim to LED burns or other complications from improper placement.

By Inna Atwood

Source: Inna Atwood