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Gardening tips thread

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Chitoshi

MyPTSD Pro
Hi everyone!

So I'm trying something new. I've begun to do "indoor gardening" with a "snake plant" and a "dracaena" as starter plants that hopefully won't die on me. They've been doing well for the past 2 weeks, but I'm pretty lost despite my voracious blog reading on gardening.

Eventually I'd like to start a vegetable garden or an herb garden on my balcony (3rd floor apartment if that is relevant), but for now I want to ensure these two don't die.

I've historically had a "black thumb" when it comes to gardening. For example, I killed a Lucky Bamboo plant, which are apparently supposed to be like the easiest plants ever.

So without making this starter post any longer than necessary, anyone have any gardening tips for beginners like me?

I'm looking for any tips I can find! The more the merrier!
 
You might have been too solicitous with the bamboo.. biggest reasons for any plant can be too much water/ too little, or had a bug. Direct sunlight usually mean 6 inches or less to the window; today's sunlight seems hotter/ more drying (outdoors), therefore need more water or some shade.

But have fun! I talk to mine and give them a kiss. :):rolleyes::p

I have pointsettias from Christmas I brought home to intentionally over-write to a good memory from a bad one- one red one is starting to flower! :inlove::)
 
Look up the needs of the plant before you buy......very important.

Definitely agree. I picked the two plants I did this time because they said "indirect sunlight" and "water weekly," but I was reading that sometimes watering weekly can be too much depending on the size of the plant and stuff, how hot/cold it is, etc, and it's turning into fall soon for me.

I also was worried about shocking them by putting them in too big of a pot, so I only went one inch bigger than their nursery pots and I'm worried that was too small!

You might have been too solicitous with the bamboo.. biggest reasons for any plant can be too much...

I definitely kept it in like 2 to 3 inches of water all the time since it wasn't in dirt. I only used bottled or filtered according to directions. I changed out the water once, too? It developed root rot and one of the 3 stalks turned yellow, so I scrapped that stalk, but the others then started turning yellow with black splotches and I was like "Well, there goes another one."

Maybe there was chlorine or something in the water somewhere? I heard that can kill plants, too.

I really want an herb garden but I just keep thinking if I can't even keep the easy ones alive how am I gonna keep something that needs pruning and such needs alive? :laugh:
 
how am I gonna keep something that needs pruning and such needs alive? :laugh:

One step at a time. Maybe buy an herb kit that comes with pots and a little seed. I buy the seed packages and plant every seed. Then I don't know what to do with it all. I also read The Mother Earth News online, and The Farmers Almanac online, the free stuff. Soil is really important too. Using the proper soil with help insure optimum growth. I have chickens, so I am composting all the time, and my garden was amazing this year. I let my herbs go to seed outside so I can plant more next year. I am cutting my veggie garden in half, since it has become too much work for me to grow extra for the food bank. Read as much as you can about how to do what you want to do.
 
I've had great luck with the snake plants indoors. I use organic potting soil indoors and a mix of organic potting soil/organic garden soil/compost outdoors.

The snake plant needs very little water. I usually water them once or twice a month. Spider plants, devil's ivy, christmas cactus, and aloe vera are my other indoor plants. I've been successful in propogating and creating more to share with others, and even sold a few back in the day.

My most successful herbs in pots, so far, have been basil, oregano, holy basil, sage, rosemary, thyme, and lavender. Like @DharmaGirl mentioned, I, too, let things go to seed so I can save some for next season.

Veggies in pots that have done well for us this year are cherry, pear, and roma tomatoes, jalapeno and Italian sweet peppers, eggplant, and leeks.

I also had some luck with strawberries in hanging baskets one summer.

We save seeds from what we grow and from other things shared with us by other growers, and so far, have had luck in growing more the following season.

I learn a lot by helping local organic farmers on occasion, hanging with a master herbalist when I can, and through, what I refer to as, you tube university....lol.
 
I haven't tried to grow any citrus yet, @DharmaGirl ,but have had my mind entertaining the meyer's lemon option for a while now since I use so many lemons. Still not decided. Here's a care guide from a place not too far from our hood that might have some helpful info: Citrus - Edible Landscaping

I forgot to mention a couple other low maintenance houseplants I've had lots of luck with, @Chitoshi .....spider plants and sweet potato vines. Once the sweet potato starts to sprout, cut off that part of it and plant it with some potting soil and ta-da...it'll keep growing and growing and growing. The spider plants eventually start producing little baby spideys and you can plant those to share with others or make more of your own.
 
Soil soil soil. My biggest issue I had with balcony gardening was the varying soil needs. I had success with the "Garden Patch Grow Box" the first two years but the 3rd year the soil must have been too depleted and when I added compost it was too hot. Adding sandy soil seemed to do the trick. If I was to do it again, I would have smaller containers but more with a larger variety of soils.

For Meyer Lemons, just put it in a planter with wheels, they do just fine when you bring them indoors when it is cooler out and put them in the sun on warm days. With trimming you can easily control the size. 50-60 degrees is fine as long as it is only during winter, they need warm summer temps but 50-60 is when the fruit ripens.
 
I re-potted my snake plant today and found a peace lily while I was shopping for the new pot for the snake plant, so I bought it and a pot to go with!! Unfortunately I didn't buy enough soil for that giant pot AND the re-potting of the snake plant. <_< They have just a LITTLE less than what each respective pot is meant to hold, but more than enough "root room" I hope, so it should be okay, I think.

Do snake plants have shallow roots or is that just mine and how long I've had it?
 
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