What are some small tips for growing flowers indoors at home?

Growing flowers is a kind of life hobby that can cultivate one's character and refine one's taste, and it also beautifies the home and improves the environment. Home flower growing does not require you to be as skilled as a landscape master. The most important thing in home flower growing is to be attentive. Only by truly being attentive, without arrogance or impatience, can you grow flowers well. Now let us take a look at some small tips for growing flowers indoors at home!

How should balcony flowers be chosen?

1. A balcony has a relatively small area, strong wind, and dryness. Summer temperatures are high, and water evaporates quickly, but sunlight is abundant and ventilation is good, 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 place Chinese rose, pomegranate, Aglaia odorata, jasmine, and bonsai. From the top of the balcony, shade-tolerant spider plant and ferns can be hung. The rear part of the balcony is a semi-shaded environment, where heavenly bamboo 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 lucky bamboo, orchid, Monstera deliciosa, spider plant, rubber tree, and clivia. Some ornamental flowering plants mostly belong to sun-loving flowers, so when placed indoors they should be put in a sunny spot and often moved outdoors to absorb sunlight and rain.

2. Flowers and plants with strong odors are not suitable to be placed indoors. For example, the floral scents of lilac and night-blooming jasmine can cause adverse reactions in some patients, and some patients with high blood pressure or heart disease feel chest tightness and discomfort 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 excessive amounts or for too long.

3. The sap of the leaves, stems, and flowers of some flowers is toxic, so when placed indoors they should be properly isolated, especially to avoid contact by children. Poinsettia, lantana, oleander, tiger thorn, Euphorbia neriifolia, and Lycoris radiata are all toxic, but in fact their toxicity is relatively low. As long as you do not casually pick the leaves, branches, flowers, or fruits, poisoning generally will not occur. More care should be taken during cultivation.

4. Bedroom arrangements should be quiet, clean, simple and elegant, and comfortable. A south-facing bedroom has ample light, so you can choose light-loving and warmth-loving flowers such as Aglaia odorata, hibiscus, Chinese rose, white orchid, kumquat, cacti, and succulents. Because east- and west-facing bedrooms have short periods of light, you can choose semi-shade-tolerant flowers such as camellia, azalea, gardenia, banana shrub, asparagus fern, and lucky bamboo. A north-facing bedroom has poor light conditions and lower temperatures, so it is suitable to use clivia, spider plant, rubber tree, Monstera deliciosa, asparagus fern, and rock bonsai.

5. The living room arrangement should be tranquil, elegant, and generous, with small size and elegance as the main features. You can choose Aglaia odorata, four-season osmanthus, jasmine, asparagus fern, finger citron, and kumquat. In the corners, foliage plants can be placed, such as money tree, areca palm, bamboo palm, dwarf coconut, and ferns.

How can you tell whether a potted flower is short of water?

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

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

How should culture soil be prepared?

1. Plain sandy soil: mostly taken from riverbanks. It has good drainage performance but no fertility, and is mostly used by mixing into other cultivation 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 good physical properties, and is often used as the basic material for most culture soil.

3. Leaf mold: made by stacking and composting fallen leaves, dry 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 culture soil.

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 is rich in 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 rice husks are burned. 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 then stacking and composting them. It has relatively rich fertility.