What are the latest tips for growing flowers indoors at home?

Growing flowers is a kind of life hobby for people; it can cultivate the mind and character and refine one's temperament, and it also beautifies the home and improves the environment. Home flower growing does not need to reach the level of mastery of a landscape master. The most important thing in family flower growing is to be attentive. Only by truly being attentive, neither arrogant nor impatient, can you grow flowers well. Now let us take a look together at the tips for growing flowers indoors at home!

How should balcony flowers be chosen?

1. The balcony area is relatively small, with strong wind and dryness, high summer temperatures, and rapid water evaporation, but with ample light and good ventilation, which is very favorable for some light-loving, drought-tolerant flowers.

2. A protruding balcony is exposed on three sides and has good light, so a flower stand can be set up to grow climbing flowers such as cypress vine, morning glory, grape, and Virginia creeper, and a flower stand can also be set up to display Chinese rose, pomegranate, orchid tree, jasmine, and bonsai, etc. At the top of the balcony, shade-tolerant spider plant and ferns can be hung, and at the rear of the balcony, which is a semi-shaded environment, nandina and clivia can be placed.

3. A recessed balcony is exposed on only one side and has poor ventilation, so trapezoidal flower stands can be set up on the walls on both sides to display flowers and plants.

How should indoor flowers be chosen?

1. The interior is an important place for people's daily activities, and flowers should be chosen according to the following requirements. Flowers should preferably be shade plants or shade-tolerant varieties, such as Chinese evergreen, orchid, Swiss cheese plant, spider plant, rubber tree, and clivia, etc. Some flowering plants mostly belong to sun-loving flowers, and when displayed indoors they should be placed in a sunny spot and often moved outdoors to absorb sunlight and rain.

2. Flowers and plants with unusual odors should not be placed indoors. For example, the fragrance of lilac and night-blooming jasmine can cause adverse reactions in some patients, and some patients with high blood pressure and heart disease feel stuffy and uncomfortable after smelling these fragrances. The aroma of pine and cypress plants can reduce people's appetite, so they should also not be placed indoors in too large a number or for too long.

3. The sap of the leaves, stems, and flowers of some flowers is toxic, and when placed indoors they should be properly isolated, especially to avoid contact by children. Poinsettia, lantana, oleander, tiger thorn, milk hedge, and lycoris are all toxic, though in fact their toxicity is relatively low; as long as you do not casually pick the leaves, branches, flowers, or fruits, they generally will not cause poisoning. More care should be taken when cultivating them.

4. Bedroom arrangements should be quiet, clean, simple and elegant, and comfortable. A south-facing bedroom has ample light, so flowers that like light and warmth can be chosen, such as orchid tree, Chinese hibiscus, Chinese rose, white orchid, kumquat, cacti, and succulents, etc. Because east- and west-facing bedrooms have short light duration, semi-shade-tolerant flowers can be chosen, such as camellia, azalea, gardenia, banana shrub, asparagus fern, and Chinese evergreen, etc. North-facing bedrooms have poor light conditions and lower temperatures, so clivia, spider plant, rubber tree, Swiss cheese plant, asparagus fern, and rock bonsai, etc., are suitable.

5. Living room arrangements require tranquility, elegance, and generosity, and should mainly feature compactness and elegance. You can choose orchid tree, four-season osmanthus, jasmine, asparagus fern, finger citron, and kumquat, etc. In the corners, foliage plants can be placed, such as money tree, areca palm, bamboo palm, pygmy date palm, and ferns, etc.

How to tell whether a potted flower lacks water?

1. Tapping method: gently tap the upper-middle part of the flowerpot wall with the knuckle of your finger. If a relatively crisp sound is made, it means the potting soil is already dry and needs to be watered immediately. If a dull, muddy sound is made, it means the potting soil is moist and watering can be temporarily skipped.

2. Visual method: observe with your eyes whether the color of the surface of the potting soil has changed. If the color becomes lighter or turns grayish-white, it means the potting soil is already dry and needs watering. If the color becomes darker or turns brown, it means the potting soil is moist and watering can be temporarily skipped.

3. Finger test method: gently insert a finger about 2 cm deep into the potting soil and feel the soil. If it feels dry or rough and hard, it means the potting soil is already dry and needs to be watered immediately. If it feels slightly moist, fine, and soft, it means the potting soil is moist and watering can be temporarily skipped.

4. Rolling and pinching method: pinch the potting soil with your fingers. If the soil is powdery, it means the potting soil is already dry and should be watered immediately. If it forms flakes or granular clumps, it means the potting soil is moist and watering can be temporarily skipped.

The above test methods are all based on experience. They can only tell people the approximate condition of whether the potting soil is dry or wet. If you need to know accurately the degree of dryness or wetness of the potting soil, you can buy a soil thermometer and insert the thermometer into the soil, and then you can see words such as ”dry or moist appearing on the scale, so you can know exactly when to water.

How to prepare growing medium?

1. Plain sandy soil: mostly taken from riverbanks. It has good drainage performance but no fertility, and is mostly used by mixing into other growing materials to facilitate drainage.

2. Garden soil: soil taken from the surface layer of vegetable gardens, orchards, and similar places. It contains a certain amount of humus and has relatively good physical properties, and is often used as the basic material for most growing media.

3. Leaf mold: made by piling up fallen leaves, dead grass, and similar materials. It has a high humus content, strong water retention, and good permeability, and is one of the main materials for preparing growing media.

4. Mountain soil: divided into two types, black mountain soil and yellow mountain soil. It is formed by the long-term accumulation of fallen leaves from mountain trees. Black mountain soil is acidic and contains more humus, while yellow mountain soil is also acidic and contains less humus.

5. Peat soil: formed by the carbonization of peat moss. Due to different stages of formation, it is divided into brown peat and black peat. Brown peat contains rich organic matter and shows an acidic reaction, while black peat contains more minerals and less organic matter and shows a slightly acidic or neutral reaction.

6. Rice husk ash: ash formed after burning rice husks. It is slightly alkaline, contains potassium, and has good drainage and air permeability.

7. Barnyard manure soil: made by mixing animal manure, fallen leaves, and other materials with garden soil, sewage, and similar substances and piling them for composting. It has relatively rich fertility.