My Indoor Garden
Hi there,
I've been growing houseplants for around 8 years now and I thought I'd share my garden as it's something I'm really proud of. Now I've found a place with a south facing bay window, my plants have really taken off and I'm able to grow things I never used to be able to. The temperature stays between 18-26 degrees C (64-79F).
The centre table has a heat mat and is where the most cold-sensitive plants live. There's a coconut palm seedling bought from a garden centre (I know it probably won't last long but no harm in trying), a cacao seedling, nypa palms, titan arum seedlings, a giant Pandanus seedling I grew from seed picked up in Borneo, a vanilla cutting and a few more bits and bobs.
The windowsill is home to tougher houseplants (and an extra coconut) and various seedlings I've picked up on my travels, such as this sea grape:
Here's a super-dwarf cavendish. It's doing alright but not growing as fast as I thought it would. The whole window suffered a spider mite infestation last month and the banana took a big hit. I've managed to get them under control and it's starting to look better.
I've had the coconut palms for 6 days and they've both put out 6cm of growth in that time from their central spears. I've covered them with some plant anti-transpirant spray as humidity isn't as high as it should be and I repotted them with compost and extra perlite. Hopefully they'll do alright but they probably won't make it to Christmas sadly!
The kitchen is north facing, so the plants in there are shade-loving.
Finally (!) there's the courtyard where I keep my bromeliads and orchids in the summer, all bought from clearance and are in recovery.
My most prized orchid was bought reduced from £20 to 10p as it was almost lifeless and completely wilted with no living roots. I've nursed it back to health over the past year and it's just rewarded me with such a beautiful bloom. I've identified it as Miltonidium "Painter's Delight".
Hope you've enjoyed all the pictures! This hobby has taught me patience, something which doesn't come naturally to me. Hopefully one day I'll be able to invest in a big tropical greenhouse and they'll be towering above me haha.
Comments (20)
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My new indoor Garden
Comments (2)That looks very nice! I must say though, it looks more to me like your Musella lasiocarpa (yellow lotus) is a about to bloom, at least it looks like it in the pics, and you said it was drooping, its leaves start to drop when the bloom comes out because they are forced off the plant sometimes by the large inlfloresence inside. You will know for sure within the next couple weeks....See MorePreparing for my indoor garden.
Comments (1)First decide which vegetables warrant being grown at home. a lot of them are simply less expensive to buy than to grow. Be sure to compare to organic grocery stores prices too if that is your concern. Next, other than too contain the heat (or shield the light) I'm not sure the reflective sides are necessary. It seems to me they would just interfere with tending the plants. 3rd, don't worry about electricty coming in contact with reservoirs (whether due to wick systems or not). You have got to keep light off your nutrients or you'll have algae growth problems. Whatever you use to block the light will also protect from electrical accidents. Plus, are you really that uncertain of your ability to attach a wire to a wall that it may fall unexpectedly. **note: I'm really just kidding in the last statement.** None of the basic simple hydro systems are expensive to set up. Proper aero is but most others will cost less than your lights. a basic ebb n flow system (if you decide against just water a blank nutrient) would probably grow everything you want other than the carrots. For root crops, I've read (haven't done it myself) your best bet is to grow them in sand using a drip irrigation system. a lot of contradiction in hydro on the web (this site included) is because people all have different intensity levels in which they approach hydro. Some take every effort to ensure all due diligence is given to every aspect of the growing system. Others just plop a plant in a bucket of water and change said water every now and again. Neither extreme is necessary but they certainly don't always see eye to eye on how to address issues. Most everyone else is somewhere in between. If I were going to venture into indoor growing (I use hydro outdoors or in sunny windows only, currently), I would invest in a hood that is sealed on the bottom and place inline vents running across the light to draw the hot air out and discharge it outside. As for nutrients: If you're going to hand water each plant you do it the same way you would any planted pot. Water when the soil is dry 1" down. I would probably use a middle of the line nutrient concentration of about 800ppm initially recognizing that with time you'll get a buildup of excess nutrients in the medium. So you'll need to flush them periodically. I might alternate nutrients with plain water to try and keep the medium clean. Anyway, those are my initial thoughts on what you're trying to do. I'm sure other will chime in with their thoughts and experiences and hopefully you'll come away with a better idea of what you're after....See MoreMy first indoor garden.
Comments (7)Is that a regular HPS bulb or one of the special ones with a wider spectrum? If blue objects look black under the light, then it probably is a regular HPS bulb. Just to experiment, you might try replacing your HPS bulb with a Philips Ceramic Metal Halide bulb which uses the same ballast and socket: Philips CMH Bulbs Many growers claim that these are better....See MoreMy indoors JMG garden for this winter
Comments (100)It would be fun to try growing a MG on a topiary frame. The leaves may be too large for a good effect, what do you think? The MGs I primarily grow are Ipomoea nil and Ipomoea purpurea when I grow them indoors.Give them natural light by setting the pot near a window where there is good exposure to the sun. Or, you can use artificial light, putting the light on a timer to give the plant 8-10 hours light. You would have to experiment to see what works best for your location. Which morning glories are you growing that are getting away from you (re: invasiveness comment)?...See More
alex4294
8 years agoThank you everyone for your kind comments! There are several examples of people growing coconut palms on to lovely looking houseplants on German forums. My favourite was one where a guy was complaining that his was growing too big for his office! I'll find the link tomorrow. My shade plants love it there! The kitchen is quite bright even though it's North facing because there are two big windows. Anthuriums, Dieffenbachia, Nephrolepis, Crossandra and Spathiphyllum are perfect plants for gloomy windowsills! You could also try spider plants, Howea, and Chamaedorea elegans too in there. They should do fine! I forgot to add a picture of a Chamaedorea in the courtyard. I keep this one outside all year round along with my Rhopalostylis seedlings for a tropical effect. I reckon it would make a nice houseplant though as it likes shade and forms nice tall clumps! It was demolished by slugs in May but is on its way back to health!
MrBlubs
8 years agoalex4294
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agogaryfla_gw
8 years agoalex4294
8 years agoPat Z5or6 SEMich
8 years agoalex4294
8 years agoHi everyone! Just thought I'd share a quick update of the garden at the end of summer:
I've broken my phone so have had to use an old iPad to take the photos. I managed to find a HUGE 10 year old Strelitzia reginae (centre of photo) on gumtree for £10. It's not tough enough to overwinter outside yet so I've put it near the window to get it used to some sunlight. Hopefully it should flower soon and maybe put out some suckers.
The coconut palms have put out one leaf each and one of them has already started on leaf number two. Growth rate seems to be increasing as the plants get bigger which is great. Had a bit of trouble with red spider mite lately on one of the coconuts. Luckily I have a spray that seems to be keeping them in check, but don't really fancy spraying them twice a week. Might source some predatory mites when I can afford them!
Saribus rotundifolia has really surprised me. I thought it was just a gimmicky houseplant but has been so easy! The leaves are so thick they're like plastic and growth is vigorous.
My titan arums are also doing so well. I originally started them off on a heat mat, but they seem to be happy in normal houseplant conditions. Their leaves seem pretty tough too.
Bought a nice-sized Impatiens niamniensis plant from an orchid nursery near to where I live. It grows more like a bush than its smaller cousins and just keeps on flowering! It's grown a lot since I bought it and has filled in nicely.
My Pandanus dubius has grown well too. The growth rate has become steady and leaves are becoming fatter like the adult plant.
Finally, here's a pic of the back garden. In the back left of the photo there's a bougainvillea which is kept permanently outside, although it's only put out one flower this year. I'm planning on keeping everything outside this winter, with the lemon tree, Ensete and Strelitzia going under the shade sail to protect them from radiation frosts.
laticauda
8 years agoalex4294
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
Sans2014