Home Gardening 101: An Expert Gardener's Guide

'Soil, water, and sun are the basic needs to grow a plant. However, there's more to keep in mind while creating healthy plants. Adding nutrition and life at the roots is equally important to make these little omnivores feed on and have a better growth structure. Living in a concrete jungle and limited spaces available at Mumbai, we tend to add on plants but never realise what the plant needs and just take a common approach. Hence, as a result plants either die or get on the verge of it. Every plant needs a different atmosphere and has a separate way of care it requires'

Here is a comprehensive list of plants and pots you can shop online.

For some households, the housing societies have a rule that disallows you to keep plants at home for the sake of good-looking buildings and not having any brown or red shades of draining water down the balcony or window areas. For that, we can simply use two methods.

Before learning potting methods, shop budget-friendly pots to get your apparatus sorted.

Method 1: Bottom Watering Method

In this method, either a tray is placed under the pot or two pots are used. For tray placement, depending on the size of your pot, there are several plus-size pots available in the market as well as online, which you can order and keep under your pot.

Step 1: Buy and keep the tray beneath your pot.

Step 2: Place some fine stones beneath the pot so there is a layer between the pot and the tray.

Step 3:  Now your apparatus is ready, add/pour only an amount of water that the plant actually requires for growth and being moist to the tray directly.

Note: The plants' soil will absorb all the water it needs to be moist, making it easy for you to avoid extra water drainage and overwatering your plants. This apparatus needs to be cleaned once a month to avoid any waterborne diseases. Also, 1 tablespoon of neem oil can be added to the water once every three weeks.

Method 2: The Double Pot Method

In this method, a simple set of two pots is used. Pot 1 would be a smaller size pot and the other bigger pot will have the drainage holes.

Step 1: Get to pots and drill Holes in the smaller one or get it done from the vendor as convenient.

Step 2: Fill in the soil and plant in the smaller pot, then keep it inside the bigger pot.

Step 3: Add water to the other pot if the size is large enough for you to fill in the gaps, or just water your plant normally.

Note: Both of these methods have pros of you not spilling water over and avoids mess. A con is just the salt that builds up and is not flushed out, so for that, you just give it a good bath in the balcony or bathroom so that all the salt and mites (if any) flush out and you do not need to water your plants for 4 days straight, again depending on your plants' consumption. For spider mites, insects, and mealy bugs, using neem oil spray is more than enough to prevent them from ruining your plants' health. Add 2 tbsp of neem oil to 750 ml of water and spray thoroughly, once every 2 months, on your huge leaf plants and on affected plants until the problem has not been resolved.

Also, with such experiments, I thought of actually escaping the mess by eliminating the soil from the pot, which resulted in me experimenting with my house plants. Keeping them in the potting mix that I designed and calculated also planning to start this as a product of mine where I’ll be reaching on to home gardeners.

Thinking sustainable? Here is a brand that offers eco-friendly pots to shop online.

'This indoor or partially outdoor plant is known for its long leaves, hence the name "mother in law's tongue." It can be bought from any local nursery as a whole plant, a baby sapling, or online (not every site will offer a healthy plant). Use a 4" or larger pot with well-drained soil and a potting mix that keeps the roots humid. The plant provides excellent oxygen purification and has a classy look that complements your home's ambience. Place it in a way that it receives moderate shade to partial sun. Remember to only water when the soil gets dry or the leaf shrivels. It loves feeding on nutrition and will show immense growth, but ideally once a month is recommended. The soil should be changed when the pot is root-bound and there is a need to replant. For a good growth of this plant, prune off the very first leaf, but with a small cut. This, according to me, accelerates the growth of the plant, and the leaf that was detached can be propagated by keeping it dry for two days for the calculus to form a coating and then directly burying it half inside the soil and half over the layer and watering once a week. You will observe a good rooting, and slowly, new offspring will rise up.'

'Pothos, or money plant, is an indoor as well as outdoor plant that has a huge variety from which you can select and start with. It can be bought from any local nursery as a whole plant or baby sapling, or you can propagate it by cutting the stem and rooting the aerial roots in water, then potting it in the soil or ordering it online (not every site will offer a healthy plant). Use a well-drained pot 4 inches and plus with a good potting mix that keeps the roots humid. To its own belief, some Hindu people have a strong believe on how money plant is related to their wealth and having an asset in real life. It purifies oxygen with a cheery on the cake look to the ambience.  It can be kept inside with maintaining indirect sun with a proper humidity for growth, however if kept in direct sun with proper nutrition they generally grow humongous. It can be even placed in the bathrooms to make your interiors look beautiful with a condition that you get indirect sunlight or you have to move it out for sun and photosynthesis once in 2 days or the plant will die. Use moist, well-drained soil and only water when 2 to 3 inches of soil dry out. It loves feeding on nutrition and will show immense growth, but ideally once a month is recommended. The soil should be changed when growth is stopped or the leaf size shrinks on a thick vine branch.'

'Spider plant is the best house plant that requires less attention at times or else can be over dramatic. A mature plant send out long stems that bear flowers on which tiny plant-lets grow rapidly which ultimately grow their own roots that can be re grown after snipping it off and keeping the roots in a water filled container / glass / tube to ensure rooting and soon can be switch to a soil medium within a pot. It can be found at a common nursery or online. The plant's size depends on the area given to the roots to grow deeper or just have as many branches as it can. A range of 2 inches deep up to 22 inches can be used; ideally, 4" to 8" is recommended. Add an excellent oxygen purifier with a classy look that complements your home's ambience, and it's good to propagate it and have new plants to add on to your balcony with the small saplings. It is usually used as an indoor plant where indirect or partial sunlight is good to go, but it can also be kept outside for good, moderate sun. please note heavy sun will be too crucial for it and may experience burn at tip of the leaf. It requires loose and loamy soil with proper drainage. Water it once in 3 days and only an amount required to moist the soil. Add nutrition once a month, or else it is not really needed. This plant grows up like a wild grass if the nitrogen level is appropriate and every other parameter matches its habitat.'

'This plant is available online, but you can also find saplings at your nearest nurseries or get it by ordering. Since it is a costly plant, many nurseries won't be keeping it. An average size of 4 to 16 inches is recommended at the start, and then as per how it grows. Do make sure to have a good space since it is a space-occupying plant. There is majorly no use as such but just adding onto the ambience, grows huge and has a lovely look which can be a good asset to your interiors.'

Here is a list of boho chic planters to accentuate your space.

'This indoor plant loves bright, indirect light. Let it soak in at least 5 hours of filtered light or in the direct sun with the proper balance of humid ambience, which makes it grow huge in less time. Place it anywhere where indirect sunlight approaches. The soil recommended for this one must be a rich, well-draining soil mix. I generally use coco peat, tree bark, dried moss, perlite, and compost. Keep spraying at the aerial roots, and make sure you give it a moss stick to climb and grow more roots so you can propagate it or grow more huge leaves. Water it once in three days. Once in every week fertilise it partially. Wipe the leaf with neem oil (1 tbsp in 150 ml of water), dip cotton in it, and wipe it off for a good shine and to avoid pest mites. Make sure to have only one plant in a single pot.'

Aloe Vera, basil and mint plants are easy to grow and can be bought from a nursery, online, or as seedlings. Start with a recommended size of 6 inches and above. Aloe can be used for beauty remedies, and the herb plants are edible. Put these outdoor plants in bright, filtered sun to let them grow their best. Water in moderately and add nutrition to the soil once a month.

Find our list of air-purifying plants that'll liven up your space and help you breathe better!