Gardening 101: The Basics of Growing Your Own Plants

Plants beautify your space and improve your mood, which is a welcome bonus in any home.

The idea of having a plant at home is great. However, taking care of plants is a challenge. Multiple factors, such as lighting and watering, must be considered.  

"It might be a stretch to say that putting a plant on your work-from-home desk would change the mood for the day," said Lindsey Swett, owner of Niche, a boutique garden center in Boston and Cambridge.

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Here are the basic conditions to consider when gardening at home: 

Sunlight Exposure

The amount of sunshine in your home can affect your plant selection, according to experts.

Light is one of the most critical variables to consider, deciding what you will do.

Plants like philodendrons and snake plants, which thrive in low-light environments, are ideal. Peace lilies, starfish, and ZZ plants are plants that grow under mild or filtered light.

If your room is in desperate need of illumination, consider investing in a grow light, which is artificial light that mimics sunshine.

There are several choices, including light bulbs for your lamp. There are companies that make pretty cool plug-in pendants or track lights that you can mount to your ceiling and use to illuminate a whole wall of plants.

Since they're easy to care for, snake plants, philodendrons, ZZ plants, and pothos make excellent "starter plants."

Toxicity

According to the experts, pet owners concerned about their furry companions should pick from a range of non-toxic plants on the market.

Bird's nest fern, spider fruit, peperomia, bromeliad, money tree plant, calatheas, pileas, a string of hearts, and fittonia are all good plants for pet owners.

If your pet is very active and/or highly curious, consider a hanging plant or putting your recently purchased plant on a high shelf.

Water

If you travel frequently or aren't at home much, a low-maintenance plant like a succulent is perfect. Plants that store water in their roots, stems, and leaves are known as succulents. They are simple to care for, so they do not need too much watering.

String succulents, such as strings of hearts, pearls, bananas, and dolphins, are currently trendy.

Though there are several exceptions, a decent rule of thumb is to water your plants once a week rather than regularly. According to the experts, if your plant doesn't have enough water, it will show signs of distress.

Soil

According to the experts, the roots of a plant will tell you when it's time to repot it.

"There are many signs that a plant wants to be repotted," Roman explained. "The plant becomes rootbound," he said, "which means the root has wrapped itself around the pot and is now emerging from the holes or above the pot."

Take a look at the soil as well.

When repotting experts suggest using a pot that is 2 inches larger in diameter. If you go too big, you risk drowning your plant in soil and water.

Nutrients

Plant food is found in most plant soil, but it degrades over time. Plant food is a supplement to the plants' natural diet.

Give your plants something to eat. at least twice a month, plant food

Plants, for the most part, ought to be fed. However, you don't want to overfeed them.

Fertilizers also work great for plants. But, just like plant foods, you won't want to put too much.

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