Keeping your indoor plants green/healthy and blooming

[maddie]

I must confess that all my plants have been trained to become indoor plants. I live in a high rise building and this is the only way for me to have a garden.
I have a few solar lights and other LED grow lights - made by my friend inexpensively to keep my plants looking healthy.
I have learned how each plant takes to watering and deal with each accordingly.
I have learned from some costly mistakes to avoid over feeding my plants but still give them the nutrition they need.
My orchids are constantly in bloom, so are my African violets and other plants.
Do you have any other tips and tricks to keep your indoor plants healthy and luxuriant?
I would be happy to learn from your expertise.

 

[taskeinc]

For the past few months I've been misting my plants and they love it. They look healthier and are more vibrant. Misting keeps your plants happy, especially those that like higher humidity. Misting also keeps aphids and spider mites away. Ferns, orchids, and most other house plants love the mist. Plants that don't require much water, like cactus, don't need to be misted. Mist at least once per day, early in the morning. Misting in the morning allows the daylight hours for the mist to dry off the plant. Misting at night can be promote disease and other problems for your plants.

 

[jubbly]

I must confess that all my plants have been trained to become indoor plants. I live in a high rise building and this is the only way for me to have a garden.
I have a few solar lights and other LED grow lights - made by my friend inexpensively to keep my plants looking healthy.
I have learned how each plant takes to watering and deal with each accordingly.
I have learned from some costly mistakes to avoid over feeding my plants but still give them the nutrition they need.
My orchids are constantly in bloom, so are my African violets and other plants.
Do you have any other tips and tricks to keep your indoor plants healthy and luxuriant?
I would be happy to learn from your expertise.

What sort of cost does the electricity for the lights and the food for the plants, create?

 

[maddie]

For the past few months I've been misting my plants and they love it. They look healthier and are more vibrant. Misting keeps your plants happy, especially those that like higher humidity. Misting also keeps aphids and spider mites away. Ferns, orchids, and most other house plants love the mist. Plants that don't require much water, like cactus, don't need to be misted. Mist at least once per day, early in the morning. Misting in the morning allows the daylight hours for the mist to dry off the plant. Misting at night can be promote disease and other problems for your plants.

Thanks Taskeinc. Misting is something I do often. I will continue to do that. I agree succulents and cacti don't take well to misting. True misting should be done during the day. Great points there, much appreciated.

 

[maddie]

What sort of cost does the electricity for the lights and the food for the plants, create?

The solar lights do not cost anything, I paid about $20 for four of them at a sale. The rest are small and I have not really kept a track of cost towards the plants as this is my hobby. I enjoy having plants. Maybe I should keep a track of the cost.

 

[taskeinc]

Thanks for the compliment Maddie. I love misting my plants in the morning, it's a good way to say "good morning" to your plants. I'm starting to think that not only do they love it but actually look forward to it. I read a book called "The Secret Life of Plants," and the author wrote about certain experiments done on different plants. A device was created similar to an EKG or lie detector, designed to monitor any changes in plants placed in stressful situations. For example, one guy approached a plant with sheers, appearing to do harm to the plant and the EKG showed an adverse reaction. When someone approached the plant in a loving fashion, there was no erratic movement in the readings.

The full title of the book is, "The Secret Life of Plants: a Fascinating Account of the Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Relations Between Plants and Man."

Here's an excerpt from the book,

"Once upon a time some people thought George Washington Carver was a fruitcake because he thought plants had feelings. Carver discovered many unusual things as did a number of other later Nobel winners."

There's about half of a chapter in the book devoted to George Washington Carver. What's ironic about discovering this about Carver is that, when I was a kid in elementary school, we studied G.W.C. for about 10 minutes, and all I got out of it was that he was a "peanut farmer." As I look back on those days, it doesn't surprise me because most of what we're taught about American history is nothing but a pack-of-lies!

 

[maddie]

This sounds very interesting. I am sure plants have emotions. The plants that are not doing well become healthy as I talk to them and give them more attention. My Orchids get a lot of love .. and they are almost always in bloom. Maybe I am another fruitcake.. but it helps my plants.

 

[ChanellG]

Maddie, how do you use the solar lights for your plants? All of the solar lights I have seen are for outdoor use and are usually pathway lights for driveways, walkways and patios. I can't imagine how these would benefit my indoor plants.

 

[maddie]

Maddie, how do you use the solar lights for your plants? All of the solar lights I have seen are for outdoor use and are usually pathway lights for driveways, walkways and patios. I can't imagine how these would benefit my indoor plants.

Channel, the solar lights I have are pretty small about a feet in height similar to the ones in the picture on the right. I stick them into a pot and leave them in my balcony to catch the sun in the morning.. I stick them into the plant containers by mid afternoon when they are fully charged.. this ensures that my plants get 8-10 hours of light each each day.
These are so cost effective.. all you have to do is change the bulbs when the fuse,.. I have been using mine for two years+ now and haven't had to change the bulbs so far. The LED lights too are not all that expensive.. Hope this answers your question.

 

[ChanellG]

Channel, the solar lights I have are pretty small about a feet in height similar to the ones in the picture on the right. I stick them into a pot and leave them in my balcony to catch the sun in the morning.. I stick them into the plant containers by mid afternoon when they are fully charged.. this ensures that my plants get 8-10 hours of light each each day.
These are so cost effective.. all you have to do is change the bulbs when the fuse,.. I have been using mine for two years+ now and haven't had to change the bulbs so far. The LED lights too are not all that expensive.. Hope this answers your question.

Very interesting, Maddie, and quite clever. What made you first decide to try this? How early do you set them out in the morning to be charged? Do you think they could charge on a windowsill that had a lot of morning sunlight?

 

[maddie]

Very interesting, Maddie, and quite clever. What made you first decide to try this? How early do you set them out in the morning to be charged? Do you think they could charge on a windowsill that had a lot of morning sunlight?

Why not? If there is enough sunlight they should charge well enough. I leave them out at sunrise and in about 4/5 hours they are fully charged.. I saw this in a garden show and decided to try them out for my indoor plants...Before then the leaves would yellow and the plant would grow pale in a week.. now I can keep them inside for a month before I rotate them.

 

[ChanellG]

Why not? If there is enough sunlight they should charge well enough. I leave them out at sunrise and in about 4/5 hours they are fully charged.. I saw this in a garden show and decided to try them out for my indoor plants...Before then the leaves would yellow and the plant would grow pale in a week.. now I can keep them inside for a month before I rotate them.

It was light out at 7:00 this morning when my alarm went off, but I wasn't really seeing any sun. Now it's after 9:00 and the sun is definitely filtering in through my window. By late afternoon it will have moved off and I'll only be seeing sun in front of the house and part of the driveway.

I'm going to have to look into this, have you ever used a light when it was only partially charged? Do the lights have a switch or do they just glow when they are charged up?

 

[maddie]

It was light out at 7:00 this morning when my alarm went off, but I wasn't really seeing any sun. Now it's after 9:00 and the sun is definitely filtering in through my window. By late afternoon it will have moved off and I'll only be seeing sun in front of the house and part of the driveway.

I'm going to have to look into this, have you ever used a light when it was only partially charged? Do the lights have a switch or do they just glow when they are charged up?

Chanell, where I live it is hardly ever gets so cloudy and wintry... However, do remember that even though you do not see the sun.. the rays are still penetrating.. it does get charged.. even with little light.. Yes, they come with a teeny weeny switch.
They do glow even with little charge but as you would expect they would be dull. I do not really know if it works for the plant... but I do think that LED grow lights may be better option for your environment.. They hardly cost you much in terms of electricity.. Buying the fancy ones in the market is expensive, if you could fix it yourself or get someone to fix up a small panel of lights it works out cheaper. That is what I have done.

 

[ChanellG]

... but I do think that LED grow lights may be better option for your environment.. They hardly cost you much in terms of electricity.. Buying the fancy ones in the market is expensive, if you could fix it yourself or get someone to fix up a small panel of lights it works out cheaper. That is what I have done.

Thanks, Maddie, I will look into it. I am at my mother's and she just got a tall patio light that is solar powered. I looked out back yesterday after it got dark and the thing was barely glowing. It had rained most of the afternoon and I guess it didn't have a chance to charge.

Of course it is supposed to rain most of today as well and there is an 80% chance for tomorrow. In fact, the forecast is now calling for rain over the next several days. Fortunately, the temperature isn't particularly wintry.

 

[maddie]

Thanks, Maddie, I will look into it. I am at my mother's and she just got a tall patio light that is solar powered. I looked out back yesterday after it got dark and the thing was barely glowing. It had rained most of the afternoon and I guess it didn't have a chance to charge.

Of course it is supposed to rain most of today as well and there is an 80% chance for tomorrow. In fact, the forecast is now calling for rain over the next several days. Fortunately, the temperature isn't particularly wintry.

Ouch.. that is really miserable weather.. I wish you had more sunny days and warm weather. I cannot get enough of the sun.. I have been out all day sitting in the sun and tending to my plants.. some of them needed pruning and re-potting.