Indoor Gardens? House Plants?

[angesradieux]

I've been dabbling in gardening a bit, and I was wondering if anyone here grows plants in their apartments while in grad school. I just planted a little herb garden that will probably get left behind, but I have two little trees that I'm planning on bringing with me. One is a serissa a friend gave me as a gift. It was a little twig of a thing when she bought it, and a year later it's starting to look like a respectable shrub. The other is a cute little meyer lemon. I just picked that one up recently when I saw it in the nursery and read citrus trees can be grown in pots. Anyway, any gardeners here have any tips on keeping plants healthy and happy in an apartment on a grad student stipend? Or just pictures of some nice plants? I like the thought of having some nice, dwarf trees with flowers inside in the winter so there's something pretty and green to look at when it's just a cold, grey, snowy mess outside. And free fruit from my little lemon (assuming all goes well and I don't kill it!) is a nice little bonus.

[lmb123]

I'm starting in the fall, so I'm interested so see what others have to say.  

I just got a little grow light for my indoor herb garden (~$15 from home depot) and it's making a huge difference! I'm hoping it survives when I move cities to start school.

[angesradieux]

9 minutes ago, lmb123 said:

I'm starting in the fall, so I'm interested so see what others have to say.  

I just got a little grow light for my indoor herb garden (~$15 from home depot) and it's making a huge difference! I'm hoping it survives when I move cities to start school.

Do you mind if I ask what brand? Right now I have my meyer lemon tree outside because it's been pretty warm, but it'll probably need a grow light when I bring it inside. Does it come with a stand or something? My serissa would also probably enjoy having a grow light, though it survived this winter just fine by a sunny window in the house. But I'm not sure how many nice windows I'll have when I move to start grad school.

[Crucial BBQ]

Gotta say it, a grow light and indoor "herb" garden...

Anyway, I've had house plants for most of my adult life (I am on the older side of Grad Cafe forum members).   I grew up with them; my mom practically kept an indoor jungle.  I am not sure how she managed to, though, as for a long time I couldn't keep anything alive for more than a year.  I now have a handful that have been going for four years now, so I must be onto something.  

Here is what I know:  different plants have different requirements (sunlight, temp, humidity, water, etc.), so it's best to match plants to your indoor environment and to your own habits.  For example, don't get plants that require more sunlight if you live in a place that receives little, or you are a vampire.  For herbs, you don't need a grow light unless the area you want to set up the garden in gets little sunlight to begin with.  

Edited April 30, 2017 by Crucial BBQ

[hantoo]

I've lived in 2 dorms, 2 apartments (will be 3 this fall) over the past ~4ish years, and have taken my plants with me everywhere. And they're still alive and well! But I stick to dry plants--I have a cactus garden, aloe plants, and succulents. I'd love to have more plants but I feel like they don't do well in certain living spaces, and since I tend to be in and out of my apartment, traveling, etc. fairly frequently, those types of plants can be watered just 1-2 times per week and be happy. And, IMO cactus gardens are the prettiest gardens

[AnniKatt]

On 4/30/2017 at 5:58 PM, hantoo said:

I've lived in 2 dorms, 2 apartments (will be 3 this fall) over the past ~4ish years, and have taken my plants with me everywhere. And they're still alive and well! But I stick to dry plants--I have a cactus garden, aloe plants, and succulents. I'd love to have more plants but I feel like they don't do well in certain living spaces, and since I tend to be in and out of my apartment, traveling, etc. fairly frequently, those types of plants can be watered just 1-2 times per week and be happy. And, IMO cactus gardens are the prettiest gardens

I'll be starting grad school this fall and have been considering getting succulents for my new apartment! Although I suppose the first step would be to actually secure said apartment...

[fruitcat]

I've had bad luck with most succulents, my apartments generally don't get enough light, with the exception of my nearly unkillable snake plant sitting in the sunniest spot in my current house. My other idiot-proof/low light tolerant plants are the good old spider plants and pothos vines. Super nerdy, but you should follow Houseplant Journal if you're into plant pictures and care tips. 

[thehungryscholar]

22 minutes ago, fruitcat said:

I've had bad luck with most succulents, my apartments generally don't get enough light, with the exception of my nearly unkillable snake plant sitting in the sunniest spot in my current house. My other idiot-proof/low light tolerant plants are the good old spider plants and pothos vines. Super nerdy, but you should follow Houseplant Journal if you're into plant pictures and care tips. 

Oh my goodness. I'm so glad you shared that blog. I am now obsessed with his Instagram