The Hot Spot

The Hot Spot

Gardening indoors in summer has its advantages.  When it’s wet, you’re dry, for starters!  If its too hot outside, indoors is shaded and often you can even have a fan or aircon on.  So what are the best things to sort out, snap up and get cracking on during summer for the indoor gardener?

Feeding:

If you’re after flowers from your orchids again, feed them from January onwards with Campbell’s Special Fertiliser B – that’s the blue one.  Other indoor plants love to get some liquid plant food in with their weekly water, but its best to dilute to half strength if you’re going to be this frequent with your fertilising.  We stock a new range called We The Wild Grow which is new and made from worms.  We’re big fans of their work!

Watering:

With the air conditioner running or the fan on, chances are your indoor plants are drinking more than ever.  Increase the amount you’re misting your plants, especially if you have the a/c on.  You might also find leaving some jars of water around in any clusters can also help here, or alternatively keeping some saucers with pebbles in them under your plants, and letting some water sit in the bottom of these.  Our atomisers are special atm too.  They’re a bargain and beautiful.

Clean and Tidying:

Wiping down your leaves with a moist cloth will help keep the not only clean, but also pest free.  Many plant pests, like red spider (also known as two spotted mite) are big fans of dry, dusty conditions, so anything you can do to change that will protect them.  Removing old leaves (and any faded flowers) as they deteriorate will also mean there are less places for fungal gnats to feed…and if you are experiencing an explosion of gnats, try our Gnat Off! range of granules and potting mixes from Houseplant Hoarders…its 20% off till the 26th January too.

By: Meredith Kirton