In the previous posts in the beginners guide to gardening series, I detailed about choosing the right plants as a beginner in gardening, basics of watering the plants, fertilizing and protecting them against pests.
This post is a conclusion to the basic care topic focussed more repotting, protecting them from harmful weather and documenting the progress. I originally planned to post them all together as one big blog post but decided against it due to the readability aspect. This post is standalone in the topics I will discuss about but do read the other posts to learn more about this topic.
Repotting
Repotting is not always necessary immediately. There are signs when the plant urgently needs a repotting. When the growth of the plant slacks off, even though it is prime season and it is receiving optimal care. The roots start growing out of the older pot pretty fast and quick.
Repotting should not be done too often and frequently. The plants do not have time to settle in and bind with the soil by growing roots. Disturbing their stability is not good for their growth. I made this mistake with a couple of plants last year and they did not manage to survive.
As a rule of thumb, the new pot should not be more than 20% larger than the last one. this gives them enough space to grow new roots, not go into shock and then plant can start growing well.
Weeding
Contrary to what you might think, indoor plants spoils can also get weeds. the weeds seem to need nothing to grow and they compete actively for the nutrients in the soil. Even when they look sweet and beautiful, it is better to weed them as soon as possible.
Protecting from extreme weather
It is important to protect the indoor plants from too much sunlight or too much rain. Most plants cannot withstand chilly temperature. When you are planting mid march, it is better to cover the seedlings with a cover to protect them from the extreme cold.
Some plants cannot withstand too much heat. During summer for example, too much sun can bleach the leaves off some plant and some other plants can wilt in the sun. It is better to bring such plants indoor, in a comparatively shady area. If that is not possible, during summer weather, leaves of such plants should be sprayed with water often. There are covers available for plants to protect them from extreme heat or cold.
Equipment
Gardening do not require much fancy equipments. Glass jars, old broken cups, can work as small pots. Off course, nice pots with holes and decorative pots adds to beauty and home decor but they are not a necessity for a beginner. To be honest, lush green leaves during depressing autumn evenings are enough to bring joy in one’s mind, with or without pots.
As I mentioned before, pots with water reservoirs are also good but expensive investment. [ NO advertisement for the product intended]
A pair of gardening scissors are helpful.
Beside that household equipments like bucket for watering, maybe a small watering can is good enough.
Small plastic bowls and cups, old makeup pots, empty perfume bottles to spray solution, really this hobby does not need anything special one has to buy.
If you are traveling for a week away from the plants, and there is no backup person to come and water them, its good to have some watering system, a sphere or capillary system. Capillary system can be created from old used water bottles.
Tracking Progress
I am personally not a person who keeps a detailed tracking of the growth of my plants or keep a track of the plants I own. However, many people like to keep track of the plants, plan their garden in a more methodical method. This is also helpful if you are growing herbs from seed and you need to be precise about their growth and harvesting. Maintaining a log of their growth can be quite helpful.
You can keep a log of them in a copy or print off some logging pages off the internet.
Megha here has designed a planner exclusive catering to garden needs. You can also give it a try. Her planners is quite good and covers almost all the topics you need to think about while gardening. You can take a look at her planners in her instagram account.
Notes to my readers
Thank you for reading this whole series of post. As I mentioned before I wanted to make it a single post but it came too large to post at once.
This detailed post is written because of the suggestion of my regular reader and friend Maria. I hope you liked whatever I wrote.
Those of you who are a beginner or wish to begin gardening can use my suggestions and try and experiment on your own. Please read my other gardening related posts and do comment about the post and what your opinion about it is.
As always , do spread the word if you like my blog and you can always subscribe and receive a notification as soon as fresh posts go online.