Proper care at home for indoor plants

The flora of our planet is rich in amazing plants: bright and fragrant, miniature and gigantic, prickly and sometimes even dangerous. The opportunity to enjoy species diversity in natural conditions is not always there. That's why many of us tend to have not only traditional, but also exotic indoor plants. Care at home (a photo of some interesting "pets" - in our article) for them directly depends on the species, the natural conditions of growth. We will talk about the main aspects of the selection and the peculiarities of growing indoor plants.

Choice and purchase

Plants that can be easily grown in a city apartment or a country house are huge. In recent years, the counters of specialized stores have replenished noticeably in addition to the usual species (violets, gloxinia, etc.) and also exotic ones. The last remind the foreigner who has arrived to absolutely new country. What to do with them and how to care, it is not always clear. In order to make the right choice, at the preparatory stage, you should answer a number of questions and decide for what purpose you are acquiring the plant. Only so, indoor flowers and care for them will bring you pleasure. So, evaluate by several parameters:

• The size of the plant in accordance with the needs: for the window, suspended pot, open space in the hall, greenhouse, on the table, etc .;
• Flowering: periodic or single;
• Exotic: traditional or unusual species.

After you decide on the species, be sure to compare the necessary conditions for its cultivation with those that you can offer. Namely: illumination, area of the room, air temperature during the day and year as a whole, humidity. For help, you can refer to botanical directories, books on floriculture.

Care at home for indoor plants involves the creation of comfortable conditions for growth and flowering. We suggest you pay attention to the main factors that are important for any species in one way or another.

Illumination and air temperature

Plants always tend to light, and the sun's rays are much preferable to an artificial lamp. The need can be expressed in varying degrees, but it is always there. All the plants of the planet are divided into three groups depending on their relation to light. The first - heliophytes, they are able to tolerate only a slight shading. For example, all known cacti and succulents. The second - sociophytes, they have enough sun, and the development in the shade is sometimes even better than in the lighted areas (conifers, ferns). The third group occupies an intermediate position - these are facultative heliophytes, that is, shade-tolerant plants. They develop best under normal lighting conditions, but can withstand slight shading.

Air humidity

Caring for indoor plants at home is associated with ensuring a microclimate, as close to the natural environment of growth, and one of the main factors - humidity. The main problem in apartments with central heating may be too dry air. For some species - this is an ideal option (cacti), and for tropical plants the situation will have to be corrected. Regular spraying should be carried out with settled or rainwater in the evening. Never leave the leaves damp for the night; This contributes to the active spread and development of fungal diseases. For a small moisture-loving plant, as an alternative to pots, you can offer a small aquarium, in which it is easy to create a special microclimate.

Watering plants

Our houses and apartments have long become a shelter for plants of tropical rain forests, hot deserts, swamps, belts with moderate moisture, respectively, and watering should differ depending on the species. So, succulents and cacti will withstand the drought quite well, and for azaleas or anthuriums, for example, the drying out of the earth's coma is fatal. In this regard, home care for indoor plants should be based on basic knowledge of their physiology and characteristics. In a natural environment, the source of moisture can be different. In most cases, plants receive it in the form of rain. Therefore, for irrigation, spraying ideally requires soft water (rainwater, thawed), in its absence, use a tap, but only a stand-off.

Fertilizing fertilizers

In most cases, home care for indoor plants involves the periodic introduction of complex mineral and / or organic fertilizers. Now you no longer need to "reinvent the wheel" and suffer with dosages. Flower shops offer a wide range of products with a balanced content of trace elements, mineral salts, which are necessary for normal growth and flowering of plants. The most popular organic fertilizer is "Ideal", which is produced on the basis of biohumus. It contains natural growth stimulants and serves as a base for creating liquid fertilizing for certain groups of plants: Begonia, Rose, Cactus, etc. Watering with such fertilizer should be carried out with a certain periodicity. Meanwhile, home care for indoor plants can be more rare. Thus, the preparation Pokon in granules has a long-lasting effect. It is enough to make 1 tsp. In soil (a pot in diameter of 15 sm) - and about top dressing it is possible to forget for half a year. Granules will dissolve gradually, supplying the plant with all the necessary elements.

Pots, pots, containers

It is for these three species that it is common to divide all containers for growing plants in room conditions. Pots are distinguished by the presence of a drainage hole (one or several) on the bottom, so the kit must necessarily be selected with a pallet. To create them, use plastic or ceramics. Each species has its advantages and disadvantages. Clay is used by man for a long time and has excellent aesthetic qualities. Pots from it are obtained stable, well evaporating excess moisture and absorbing from the soil mineral salts. Plastic analogs are more democratic at a price, lighter, plants grown in them can be watered less often. However, overheating of the roots in such dishes is susceptible to all indoor plants. Orchid, home care for which has its own characteristics, for example, prefers transparent pots. In this case, plastic is irreplaceable.

Only by comparing all the factors in the aggregate, you can choose the ideal houseplant, which will please the eye and require minimum care.