Lesson 4: Tools of the Trade: Care and Feeding of your Indoor Garden
Optional Items
Your Potting Station: Racks, Gloves, Shears, Forks and Trowels
There's nothing nicer than having a Potting Station setup for playing around with your plants. Using the kitchen or patio is an option for those with limited space, but I like to have a nice workbench with all my materials laid out, ready for making messes.
Bakers' Racks are nice for this purpose, or see AvalonGarden.com for ideas. Plan your station next to a sink or hose outlet. Laundry rooms and garages are well-suited for these types of area, or make a little shed in your yard for this purpose. Have enough shelves for all your supplies: potting mixes, old pots, working gloves, fertilizer, watering can and a little boombox (to play that classical music that plants love so well). I like having a broad working surface right next to a deep utility sink.
An old kitchen fork is nice for aerating soil in plants that look a little too well-packed, and a small trowel or large spoon can be your best friend when repotting your plants. Professional plant shears are nice for pruning because they are sharper than scissors and more precise than a knife. You want a nice, clean cut, when perfoming plant surgery.
Misc: Stakes, Twisties, Rooting Media, Growlights
If you find yourself really becoming a plant hobbyist, these are some nice intermediate-level supplies to have on-hand. You can read more about such things at The Victory Garden's Houseplant Maintenance Kit .
More Basic Houseplant How-To
On Taking Care of Your Houseplants, read Van Waffle's great article: Houseplants Wisely http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/livi...
