AN INDOOR GARDEN - ONE BIG POTTED PLANT

Stella W. is a reader with a gardening problem.  She writes:

“I have been having problems with my indoor garden.  It was equipped with 3 layers: red sand, gravel and a soil mix with manure,  proMix  and soil.    The problem is that any plant that I have tried in this 15 sq ft area has lived for a few weeks and then wilted. 

Above the garden I have suspended some fern baskets which are doing very well.  These baskets receive light from the upper area, and water through a 'drip' irrigation system.  The excess water from the baskets drip into the garden which is also watered 2/3 times per week. 

I need advice on what type of plants I should use. Do you happen to make house calls?”

Sorry, I don’t make house calls, but from your descriptive e-mail, I can visualize your     problem. Just think of your indoor garden as one big potted plant with all the needs of a houseplant.

Drainage

. Make sure there are drainage holes, and do away with the layer of red sand.   

Soil Mix 

.  Refresh the soil by working in some more manure and proMix. And treat it   for nematodes, soil organisms which attack the roots of plants. 

Watering

.  Over watering is probably your main problem.  Water only when the soil feels almost dry to the touch.

Light

.  Insufficient light is another big problem.  Artificial light from a halogen bulb can help. 

Plants

. Suitable plants are aglaoenemas, followed by other aroids, bromeliads, palms and other plants with dark green leaves.

GARDEN TIPS

Among the many garden tips submitted by readers, were some ingenious ones. 

Sharon M

: For instance, propagates her rare, Red Sealing Wax palm (Cyrtostachys lakka by severing the side shoots from the main plant with a sharp knife, leaving them in place for a few weeks so that the delicate roots can develop before transplanting.  This technique of separating plants can be used for any difficult-to-propagate clumping plant.

Here is how Marilyn F

: keeps her houseplants watered when she goes away on short trips.  For each potted plant, she uses a plastic bottle with a small hole made with an icepick at the neck just below the cap.    She fills it with water, caps it tightly, and inserts it inverted into the soil.  The water does not flow out of the bottle; it oozes out gradually into the soil.  I guess you can call this a slow release watering technique.

One final tip today comes from John D

:who  says he never puts broken crock at the base of a potted plant because it makes the drainage hole too small, which might cause water to fill the air spaces in the soil resulting in damping off and root rot.

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If you have any gardening news or tips you would like to share, or if you are having a problem in your garden, e-mail me at thehappygardner@tstt.net.tt

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