Indoor plants?
Can someone advise me about some indoor plants that’ll be cool to grow inside the condo.
I don't have any indoor plants, but a lot of what you are asking depends on the amount of sunlight that filters into the condo during the day and if it will be enough to allow plants to thrive. My late mother-in-law did have several African Violets on her window sills in her apartment and they did fine in that environment with about 2 hours of direct sunlight a day and the rest being indirect. She also had a Christmas Cactus that did well and bloomed like crazy every year.
That said, these were all plants that were not in big pots, with the cactus being in the largest of about 10 inches round. I'm sure others will be around to answer your question in more detail.
That said, these were all plants that were not in big pots, with the cactus being in the largest of about 10 inches round. I'm sure others will be around to answer your question in more detail.
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
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- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
There are lots of beautiful plants that do well indoors. As gumbo said, specifically what will do best for you depends on the amount and quality of light you have (amount = hours/ per day, quality = how direct, vs. broken up by shrubs, buildings or whatever shading the window).
For low light situations, peace lily is a lovely plant that thrives with very little direct sun. Dieffenbachia, philodendron, hoya, pothos, croton are other low maintenance house plants. The croton has very colorful foliage, but is poisonous and can make children or pets sick if they chew on it or eat it.
Do a little reading first, be sure you are ready. You will need large flower pots with saucers under them to keep water from dripping on to your floors. You are not going to leave water standing in the saucers. You need enough good potting soil to fill the containers.
For low light situations, peace lily is a lovely plant that thrives with very little direct sun. Dieffenbachia, philodendron, hoya, pothos, croton are other low maintenance house plants. The croton has very colorful foliage, but is poisonous and can make children or pets sick if they chew on it or eat it.
Do a little reading first, be sure you are ready. You will need large flower pots with saucers under them to keep water from dripping on to your floors. You are not going to leave water standing in the saucers. You need enough good potting soil to fill the containers.
Whatever plant you choose they will be totally dependent on you for
1. Light
2. Water
3. Food
4. Good air circulation, humidity (environment)
5. Pest control
You need to pick the plants for your conditions. Artifical light on a shelf directly above the plants will help keep the plants from leaning or getting lanky. If you keep plants near a window, you will have to use a sheer curtain to filter the light if the sun is strong and turn the plants so they grow evenly. Air and humidity have to be provided. Most plants don't do well in either airconditioning or near heat registers. If your air is dry, you need to provide a humidity tray and maybe mist.
Houseplants often are on trays or saucers but you need to water them in a sink. Wash the dust off the leaves so they don't block the light and use a fast draining soil. Water plants thoroughly and let them drain. Feed them 1/4 strength water soluble fertilizer once a week for three weeks and the fourth week only water to flush salts out of the pot. Let the pots drip dry before putting them back in their usual places. You need good air circulation. Here we leave most of the windows open most of the time but you may need a fan to circulate the air around the plants and it will help to dry them out faster. Learn to feel the soil before you water. If a plant is wilting and yellow and dropping leaves it may be from too much water not too little.
1. Light
2. Water
3. Food
4. Good air circulation, humidity (environment)
5. Pest control
You need to pick the plants for your conditions. Artifical light on a shelf directly above the plants will help keep the plants from leaning or getting lanky. If you keep plants near a window, you will have to use a sheer curtain to filter the light if the sun is strong and turn the plants so they grow evenly. Air and humidity have to be provided. Most plants don't do well in either airconditioning or near heat registers. If your air is dry, you need to provide a humidity tray and maybe mist.
Houseplants often are on trays or saucers but you need to water them in a sink. Wash the dust off the leaves so they don't block the light and use a fast draining soil. Water plants thoroughly and let them drain. Feed them 1/4 strength water soluble fertilizer once a week for three weeks and the fourth week only water to flush salts out of the pot. Let the pots drip dry before putting them back in their usual places. You need good air circulation. Here we leave most of the windows open most of the time but you may need a fan to circulate the air around the plants and it will help to dry them out faster. Learn to feel the soil before you water. If a plant is wilting and yellow and dropping leaves it may be from too much water not too little.