Nurturing house plants has a perennial interest with man providing one of the closest associations with nature. Growing plants indoor has a calming effect in the home environment. Man has transferred specimen plants to pots and containers as living decoration for his home.





Here are some useful tips for home plant care.

CHOOSING OF HOUSE PLANTS:

The variety of house plants is available in various sizes, shapes and colours of foliage and flowers. There are evergreens like fern, Monstera, Rubber plant, Dracaena, Dieffenbachia, Philodendrons, Aglaonema, Maranta, Syngonium, Chlorophytum, Sansevieria, Tradescantia, Coleus, Palms, Bottle Brush, Geranium, Poinsettia, Bougainvillea, Asparagus, and annuals like Pansy, Carnations, Dianthus, Dahlia and bulbous like Amaryllis, Caladium, Gladiolus, Begionas etc. Cacti and succulents which have more than 500 varieties also look splendid.

In choosing houseplants one has to consider its placement in terms of availability of light, shade, Humidity and general micro climate of the room.





LIGHTS:

Light is necessary for most plants, but some Monstera and Philodendron can do well in complete darkness. Diffused sunlight through a glass window or glass pane is ideal. Fluorescent tube lights can be adequate substitutes. Kitchen and Bathroom makes excellent home for plants as they are humid and have diffused sunlight. They also serve as recovery room of house plants. Strong summer heat and winter frost are injurious for house plants. Plants on terrace or open to direct sun needs proper protection by shading during hot summer and cold winter.





SOIL PREPARATION:



Application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides should be avoided as far as possible, better not to use. These are made from toxic chemicals and can harm the home atmosphere.



The ideal soil mixture for indoor plants is two parts of soil, one part of manure, One part of leaf mold and a half part of sand. A liquid feed with cow dung or oilcake improves soil nutrients. Cow dung or oilcake needs to soak in water for at least 4 to 5 days in a container. Liquid solution is to be applied at the rate of 500 ml per pot (12" size). Smaller pots needs less solution proportionately. Once in a month, application of this solution gives better result.Application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides should be avoided as far as possible, better not to use. These are made from toxic chemicals and can harm the home atmosphere.





CARE:

Repotting of plants should be done once a year during spring or monsoon. Leaves should be washed and cleaned with a cloth or cotton as often as possible. During rains, plants should be kept in the open when it drizzles. In summer, to create humidity keep house plants in a water bowl with some pebbles to ensure evaporation. Spraying water also helps to create humidity. House plants, like human beings, like praise. Talking and playing music to them make plants grow better and lovelier.





WATERING:





During long vacation, watering to home plants is a great headache. Most of the time home plants dies due to lack of water for a long period . To combat this problem the followings can be adopted.



Take a 2 liters plastic bottle and make a tiny hole at bottom with a pin and filled with water. Place the bottle in the pot. The hole should be such that it seeps water drop by drop very slowly so that it continues to seep for 2 to 3 days. You can put one or two bottle at each pot as per your convenience. Gather all pots in one place. Take one or two big jar and place it on a elevated place like on an a chair or stool. Fill with water. Take a thin cotton cloth strip and twist it like a rope. Put one end into the jar and other end into the pots. It soaks water slowly and keeps the soil moist. You can make this arrangement bigger or smaller as per your requirement so that you can enjoy the full vacation without tension. Bigger the system, the more days can be enjoyed. Thirdly, you can put all your pots into the bathroom or toilet. Keep the window open and make the said arrangement with thin cotton cloth rope and put one end into the pots and other ends tie to a tap. Open the tap such that water comes drop by drop very slowly. You can use several thin cloth rope for each pot separately and put them to a common tap. Besides that, keep one full bucket of water under that tap, it will maintain the humidity of the bathroom. Fourthly, you can make a mini drip irrigation system with a big jar, thin plastic pipes and drippers. Generally, this pipes are used in aquarium or you can get it in a medical store. The system is same as saline is given to a patient. The jar should be placed on a elevated place and pipes are fitted with drippers at one end and other ends into the pots. If you have an old water filter you can make it as a mini drip irrigation system, but some work is to do. Nowadays, mini drip irrigation system for garden is also available in the market or nursery.



The amount of water a house plant needs depends on both weather and condition in which it is kept. More house plants die due to too much or too little watering than any other reason. too much water rots the roots and too little water results in the roots drying up. One method of ascertaining the water requirement is by tapping the sides of the pot with a piece of wood or metal. Dry soil makes a hollow sound while damp soil with a dull thud. During the growing period, they need more watering.During long vacation, watering to home plants is a great headache. Most of the time home plants dies due to lack of water for a long period . To combat this problem the followings can be adopted.

HEALTH:

Ants loosen the soil in pots, hence a sprinkling of cinnamon powder time to time can be sound preventive. To check aphids attack, which is most common spraying with diluted soap solution can be very helpful. For other infections like wilting, yellowing, etc. preventive spray with soap solution and Malathion is effective. Healthy plants washed frequently will keep most pests at bay. An arrangement of house plant with similar needs for light, water and heat creates the most successful growth.







