Organic Indoor Gardening.

So what is the difference between growing indoor plants organically or by conventional methods?  The main difference is by using organic potting mix or soil and organic fertilizers. As we tend not to eat the usual plants grown indoors, this is not as critical as it is when growing organic food. Organic potting mixes are specially produced using only materials that have been grown and manufactured using organic procedures and methodology. Examples maybe using decomposed plant material or soil that has been grown without the use of any chemicals such as pesticides

There are now some great indoor systems that allow you to grow herbs and vegetables indoors under artificial light. Some are grown by hydroponic or aquaponic systems that have various methods of watering and fertilizing the plants. But I am sure you can alter these to enable the use of organic fertilizers if you so wish.

Organic Fertilizers

There are many organic fertilizers on the market suitable for indoor plant use. Depending upon the type of plant you wish to grow, helps determines what type of fertilizer to use. There are many types of indoor plants available including those grown as for their foliage,  as flowering plants such as African violet, or ferns, cacti,  palms or Australian natives.

Many indoor plants tend to be foliage plants or palms and they often have large, glossy leaves meaning they originate from the under storey in the jungle or rain forests and  as such don’t need as much light as other plants. Cacti especially, store water in their leaves, so don’t need lots of water when grown indoors. The main reason they die when grown indoors is due to too much water.

Also depending upon the type of plant ie. foliage or flowering, and what appearance you want from the plant, determines the type of fertilizer used. In spring if you want to encourage foliage growth, look for those with appropriate quantities of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to encourage this type of growth.

For micro nutrients and a booster for plants in poor condition try to give them a liquid feed of seaweed extract or fish emulsion. There are plenty of organic fertilizers available in the supermarkets. There are even the organic slow release pellets now.

Care of Indoor Plants

In early spring a good practice is to pot up indoor plants into the next size pot and add a slow release fertilizer, chicken manure pellets or animal manure that has been composted. It is also a good idea to put them outdoors in a shady spot for a while to freshen up a bit as well. If it rains you can put them out to clean the leaves and get some indirect sunlight. You don’t really want to have sterile potting mix as it is the organisms in the soil that help in reducing the pollution in the indoor atmosphere. It is believed that indoor plants help improve the quality of the air by filtering out those chemicals given off by plastic items in the home, as well as, televisions, and even the carpet.

Years ago when indoor plants were all the rage, people had just about every indoor plant possible around their home. They would hang them from the walls in macrame hangers or have them twining up wooden poles and hanging off shelves etc. Indoor palms like the palour palm were also very popular. My house was like a jungle. It seems that the indoor plant craze has made a come back. You can even grow your herbs and veges under specialized lighting in chambers on the kitchen bench or on your verandah or porch.

Ferns are another popular indoor plant but take a bit more work. They like humidity in summer but not wet feet, so you can place their pot on a plate of pebbles or rocks and keep it humid or moist. They love fish emulsion and seaweed extract for food source. Now don’t forget the African violets. How beautiful are they with all the different colours? (see below) With these plants make sure you water them from underneath and don’t over water, as they are prone to root rot.

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