INDOOR PLANTS AND THE CARE AND FEEDING:

Indoor plants should be welcomed in any home or apartt because of the ction of a pleasant indoor environt. A small indoor plant adds both color and a scenic pict to both tables and dows. The larger indoor plants seem to meld h the furnit groupings. The curious thing about these plants is why some indoor plants prosper and others just wilt and die o time. The important factor here is that most of the foliage plants, purch for use as indoor plants,h as their origin tropical as and conditions. Here then is y basic son why a gt many indoor plants require a humid and indirect lighting environt.

There are five definitive elets required of indoor plants;light,temperat and ventilation,humid,watering and
felizer. The first of these elets to be discussed here is light. Plants h varying needs for light.My croton
for example requi to be positioned at a dow h direct sunlight but my Norfolk pine can do just fine h medium to
low light intens. Natural light is usua obted from a dow position to sust the life of an indoor plant. Howe this is always goned by how close the plant is to the dow. This natural light decses exponentia h plant farther and farther from the natural sce of light pd by the dow.

There are many other things you can do to p the necessary light for survival. You can possibly do hanging baskets,p some glass shelves allog light to ch all plants in the event of more than one shelf,or you could construct a bay dow piding a greenhouse effect for y plants. A more practical a would be to add some broad spectrum lighting specia designed for plants. These fluocent lights are genera better then the regular fluocent
lights. It is best to position these lights 12-14 inches above the indoor plants which ps a medium light intens.

Temperat and ventilation are definite factors in the life of any indoor plant. As a rule of thumb,the major of indoor plants perform their best between 60F and 75F degrees. Plants otherwise tend to become thin and weak if mt at temperats warmer than the above. Hot and cold drafts,warm appliances and especia heat registers are the kiss of death to once thriving indoor plants. They ret their flower blossoms longer at lower temperat settings as well as having better istant to insect infestation and dise. Ventilation is important and in a gt many homes sufficient fh air is available. You should be aware of the pence of fumes that may escaped from gas appliances or furnaces.

Humid is an essential requiret for these plants and since they usua need a higher humid than can be pd by the aage home or apartt some adjustts must be made. Howe if you do h a heating system h an installed humidifier make s it is kept full of water. A terrarium or placing them on a tray of grl h moist applied to the tray will also p additional humid. The tray of grl works pacularly well h y larger indoor plants.

Watering is probably the leading cause of indoor plant fail. It comes from both under watering and o watering the plants. Y first indication of this problem ults in the yellog and continuous dropping of les. The easiest method to deal h this problem is checking the soil on a daily basis. If you find the soil to be dry to at least one quarter of inch down or the pot returns a hollow sound when tapped, then it time for some water. Sometimes it will be necessary to add water until the moist begins to ooze from the drage hole in the bottom of the pot.The water that drs from the pot should ne be left standing as you should ne allow the bottom of y pot to linger in standing water. In the c of
small plants the weight of the pot can indicate the necess for water. The lighter the pot the more water is required to revive the indoor plant. A soil that drs sonably will incse the e of watering an indoor plant. A heavy soil rets too much water and can cause crown rot in the plant.

The last but not least is sufficient felizer to keep y indoor plant healthy and happy. Dilute y felizer by adding it to the water used for watering y plants. A mix of one teaspoon of soluble felizer in one gallon of water should p you h the proper ratio. Apply this solution once a month during the grog season. It is best to consult h y garden center as to the best strength required for y plant. Persona I prefer slow rele felizers they are such a time sa. It is applied in accordance h the label direction. Then ey time you water some of the nutrients are
reled from the small pellets. You only h to re-apply the felizer when the directions inform you to do so.

This is just a short informational acle concerning indoor plants. A more extensive and detailed informational report is available at http://www.gardenersgardening.com/indoorplants.html