How to Create Microclimate for Your Indoor Plants in Urban Gardening

If you are growing food indoors or growing herbs indoors. you might be wondering how to create a microclimate for your indoor plants. Here are some tips on how to care for your indoor seedlings:

Plants grow in their own climatic conditions. Some plants grow well during the summer, where as some plants grow well in the winter. However, when you are growing plants indoors, you can create microclimate, the climate suitable for your plants. This will ensure that every kind of plants will grow throughout the year.

Watering

Water is very necessary for plants. However, some plants need more water, where as some plants need less water. Before you choose a plant, make sure which plants need more water and which plants need less water. Generally speaking, overwatering kills most of the plants. The soil should remain moist. Check the water content of the soil by inserting your finger. If the soil is too damp, stop watering the plants. Remember, during the flowering and fruit-bearing stage, plants need more water.

Feeding

You should add fertilizer before you sow the seeds. You should also add fertilizer when the seedlings are two weeks old. During the growing stage, seedlings need more nitrogen. We don’t suggest you to use chemical nitrogen. Instead use compost tea. Compost contains good nitrogen level. You can also animal urine for nitrogen. Mix one part of urine and one part of water and spay over the seedlings. Plants need nutrients during the growing stage, flowering stage and fruit bearing stage.

Lighting

Some seeds grow in the dark, where as some seeds need light to grow. Identify the seeds that need light and that do not need light. However, once the seeds begin to grow, the tiny sprouts need light. Place the seedling container near the sun. If this is not possible, install lighting system. Use filament bulbs and florescent lamps to give light to the plants. Plants need 14-15 hours of light.

Temperature

Different plants have different temperature requirements. Generally speaking, the plants that grow in the spring and summer need warm temperature and plants that grow in rainy season and winter need cold temperature. Use electric heater and filament bulbs to maintain the temperature. Never use gas heating.

Humidity

Except for the plants that grow in summer, most of the plants need a humid environment. Put wet rags inside the room to increase humidity level. You can also cover the pots and containers with wet cloths to maintain humidity.

Re-potting

Plants like tomato, pepper, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage needs repotting. However, plants like okra, potato, carrot etc. do not require repotting. When you are planting seeds, you should know which plants need repotting and which do not require repotting. Remember, for the plants that do not need repotting you should have at least 12 inches of soil when you are sowing seeds. For the plants that require repotting, 2-3 inches of soil will be enough to grow seedlings.

If you know exactly how to create microclimate, you can grow a variety of foods